Dispenser Refill Alert System Using Attendant Location Tracking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Maintenance attendants in facilities often face inefficiencies and product wastage due to lack of knowledge about dispenser fullness levels, leading to overfilling or inefficient refill routes, resulting in significant wastage and labor burdens.
Innovation Solution
A system with sensors in product dispensers communicating with a control station to track usage and compute optimal refill times, combined with location tracking of attendants to assign the most efficient refiller, minimizing wastage and optimizing labor.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the attendant carries sufficient refill supplies for a worst case scenario, then the attendant is prepared for completely empty dispensers, but the task becomes overly burdensome and significant product wastage occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses sensors in dispensers to detect product levels and provides real-time feedback to attendants through a handheld device, eliminating the need to carry excessive supplies while ensuring readiness to refill when actually needed
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary detection of dispenser status and calculates optimal refill times in advance, allowing attendants to prepare appropriately without carrying worst-case scenario supplies
2Quantity of substance
If the attendant overstuffs the dispenser with a full refill, then the dispenser is ensured to be full, but jamming occurs or overuse of towels by patrons results
Solution Approach 1:
The system determines the precise amount of product needed to reach optimal fullness without overfilling, applying partial action (refilling only to the needed level) rather than excessive action (overstuffing with a full refill)
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary detection of current product levels and calculates the exact refill amount needed before the attendant arrives, preventing overfilling by providing specific refill instructions
3Productivity
If the attendant establishes a fixed route between service areas, then the attendant can systematically visit all areas, but significant wastage occurs when dispensers are not depleted
Solution Approach 1:
The system transforms the static fixed route into a dynamic adaptive route that changes based on real-time dispenser status, allowing attendants to visit only those service areas where refilling is actually needed while maintaining systematic coverage
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides real-time feedback on dispenser levels and dynamically adjusts the attendant's route based on current needs, eliminating wasteful visits to service areas that do not require refilling
4Productivity
If the attendant visits service areas on a scheduled basis, then labor is optimized with regular visits, but product replacement does not match actual depletion state
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides real-time feedback on actual dispenser status to the scheduling system, allowing labor optimization to be maintained while eliminating the information gap about dispenser fullness levels
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary detection and calculates optimal refill times in advance, allowing scheduled visits to be optimized based on predicted needs rather than actual real-time status when the attendant arrives
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method are provided for maintenance of service areas within a facility by a plurality of attendants, wherein each service area has one or more product dispensers that require periodic refill. Via a sensor configured with each product dispenser and a control system in communication with the sensors, a product level or amount of product in each dispenser is determined. Based on information from the sensors, a respective refill time is computed for refilling each of the dispensers. Location of the attendants is tracked on a continuous or periodic basis. As a function of the computed refill times and location of the various attendants, one of the attendants is selected to service one or more of the product dispensers in a particular service area. An alert message is generated and transmitted to the selected attendant that gives the location of the particular service area within the facility. Determination of the selected attendant is made such that the selected attendant reaches the particular service area at or near the computed refill time of the one or more product dispensers in the particular service area facility.