Dynamic Object Association via Position History Correlation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Field service operations face challenges in tracking and managing assets with precision, leading to issues with loss prevention, leakage, and overstock due to inadequate inventory and accountability systems, which often result in increased labor costs and errors.
Innovation Solution
A system utilizing position-aware devices with GPS and cellular capabilities to infer associations between objects by matching time-lapse position histories, allowing for accurate asset management and association without the need for direct interaction or custom communication mechanisms, thereby reducing errors and costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If traditional inventory and accountability systems are used for field service assets, then labor costs and human intervention increase, but measurement precision and reliability of asset tracking deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables assets to self-report their location and status through embedded GPS and cellular devices, eliminating the need for manual tracking by field service technicians. Assets automatically transmit their own information, making the tracking system self-service oriented and highly precise without requiring complex human intervention protocols
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical tracking methods with automated electronic GPS and cellular communication systems. Instead of physically tracking assets through human effort, the system uses satellite-based positioning and wireless communication to automatically monitor and report asset locations, achieving high precision with reduced system complexity
2Reliability
If manual inventory control measures are implemented, then labor costs increase, but errors and reduction in accuracy occur
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously collects location and status data from assets via GPS and cellular devices, automatically transmits this information to the central server, and provides real-time feedback on asset whereabouts. This automated feedback loop ensures high accountability accuracy without requiring manual verification, thereby maintaining labor efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
Assets automatically generate and transmit their own location and status information through embedded tracking devices, eliminating the need for manual inventory checks by personnel. This self-service approach ensures reliable and accurate accountability data collection while preserving labor productivity for other value-added activities
3Reliability
If precision tracking of field service assets is achieved, then loss prevention and leakage control improve, but system complexity and implementation costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses universal GPS and cellular communication technologies that are already widely deployed in mobile devices. By leveraging these existing, multi-functional technologies for asset tracking, the system achieves reliable loss prevention without adding significant complexity, as the same hardware platform serves multiple purposes including navigation, communication, and asset monitoring
Data Source
AI summary
A method of object association is disclosed. The method includes receiving object location information for a first object, receiving object location information for a second object, determining an existence of a correlation between a varying position of the first object and a varying position of the second object over for a predetermined amount of time and dynamically associating the first object with the second object based on the correlation.