Remote management system for equipment

• US 8,924,152 B2
• Filed: 05/27/2011
• Issued: 12/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: EFC Systems, Inc., GNM Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Agjunction LLC (Kubota Corporation)
• Inventors: Hunt, Aaron Dale, Dearborn, Jeffrey Allen
• Primary Examiner(s): Olszewski, John R
• Assistant Examiner(s): Do, Truc M
• Application Number:
  US13/117,389
• Publication Number:
  US 20110295460A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,313 Days
• Field of Search: 701/2, 701/50, 701/92, 701/409, 701/431, 701/445, 701/408, 373/48, 374/14, 371/95, 374/43, 172/134, 172/438, 172/5, 172/71
• US Class Current: 701/517
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06311 Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063114 Status monitoring or status determination for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/02 Agriculture; Fishing; Forestry; Mining

Abstract

A system is provided for monitoring system and operational parameters on one or more pieces of machinery or equipment. The system can monitor the pieces of machinery or equipment in real time, i.e., the time delay between the taking of a measurement on a piece of equipment and its subsequent display in the system is within accepted standards, e.g., from about 1 second to about 1 minute depending on the type of measurement or data set being monitored. The system can also permit the tracking of the pieces of machinery or equipment and can enable the transfer, i.e., the sending and/or receiving, of information between the system and the pieces of machinery or equipment.

Claims

1. An equipment management system for monitoring agricultural equipment, the equipment management system comprising:

a first computing device mounted on a piece of agricultural equipment;

a global positioning system device mounted on the piece of agricultural equipment, the global positioning system device being configured to calculate a position of the piece of agricultural equipment and provide the calculated position to the first computing device;

a sensor configured and positioned to measure an operational parameter of the piece of agricultural equipment, the sensor being configured to provide the measured operational parameter to the first computing;

a wireless modem in communication with the first computing device, the wireless modem being configured to send and receive information over the Internet;

a second computing device located remote from the first computing device, the second computing device being configured to receive position and operational parameter information transmitted by the wireless modem from the first computing device and to display the received positional and operational parameter information for a user;

an additional sensor configured and positioned to measure a flow control parameter of the piece of agricultural equipment, the additional sensor being configured to provide the measured flow control parameter to the first computing device;

the flow control parameter of the piece of agricultural equipment corresponds to at least one of an application rate for a tank associated with the piece of agricultural equipment, a hydraulic pressure associated with the piece of agricultural equipment or a speed of rotating components associated with the piece of agricultural equipment and the flow control parameter information includes a map with information on an application of materials by the piece of agricultural equipment;

said second computing device is configured to receive flow control parameter information transmitted by the wireless modem from the first computing device and to display the received flow control parameter information for a user;

the information on an application of materials by the piece of agricultural equipment includes at least one of a prescription plan for a predetermined location where the piece of agricultural equipment is operating, a position of the piece of agricultural equipment relative to the predetermined location or an area of the predetermined location where the prescription plan has been applied by the piece of agricultural equipment;

the prescription plan includes a plurality of zones in the predetermined location, each zone of the plurality of zones includes different treatment options or equipment configurations;

positional information includes at least one of map coordinates for the piece of agricultural equipment, wind speed and direction at a location of the piece of agricultural equipment, a weather radar image for the location of the piece of agricultural equipment, a speed of the piece of agricultural equipment or a corresponding street address of the location of the piece of agricultural equipment;

the second computing device is configured to transmit information to the first computing device, the transmitted information to the first computing device includes at least one of a prescription plan for a predetermined area or map coordinates for the piece of agricultural equipment;

the second computing device being configured to access the first computing device to perform maintenance on the piece of agricultural equipment; and

an equipment monitoring system comprising;

a first computer algorithm executable by a microprocessor from the first computer, the first computer algorithm operates to permit a user to view a location of each piece of equipment having a second computer, obtain status information on each piece of equipment having a second computer and transmit job information to any piece of equipment having a second computer;

a second computer algorithm executable by a microprocessor from a second computer, the second computer algorithm operates to transmit position information on the corresponding piece of equipment to the first computer, transmit status information on the corresponding piece of equipment to the first computer and perform a job in accordance with job information received from the first computer;

the first computer algorithm operates to display the location of each piece of equipment on a map;

the first computer algorithm operates to permit a user to select a displayed piece of equipment on the map to obtain further information on the selected piece of equipment;

the further information on the selected piece of equipment includes the transmitted position information from the corresponding second computer and the transmitted status information from the corresponding second computer; and

the transmitted position information includes at least one of map coordinates for the selected piece of equipment, wind speed and direction at a location of the selected piece of equipment, a weather radar image for the location of the selected piece of equipment, a speed of the selected piece of equipment or a corresponding street address of the location of the selected piece of equipment.