Lift Onboard Documentation Access Without Network Connectivity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Work equipment such as lifts and telehandlers require decentralized systems for tracking, tasking, monitoring, and servicing, leading to inefficiencies and challenges in accessing and managing documentation across worksites, especially in remote locations without network access.
Innovation Solution
An onboard documentation system for lift devices that includes a controller to store and provide documentation locally, establishing a local mesh network to facilitate access and update documentation, using access codes for secure user access, and enabling communication between machines for efficient data sharing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If documentation is stored on centralized remote servers, then network connectivity is required for access, but access is lost in remote locations without network access
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts documentation from centralized remote servers and stores it locally on the work machine itself. This allows the machine to access its own documentation without requiring network connectivity, resolving the contradiction between reliable storage and accessible retrieval in remote locations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a local documentation storage system on the work machine as an intermediary between the machine and remote servers. This intermediary enables access to documentation locally while still allowing synchronization with remote servers when connectivity is available, maintaining both reliability and ease of operation.
2Ease of operation
If documentation is stored locally on work machines, then access is available without network connectivity, but documentation may be damaged at the worksite
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary backup of documentation to multiple locations including cloud storage and external media before worksite operations. This preliminary action ensures that even if local documentation is damaged, backup copies are available for restoration, mitigating the risk of site damage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates different copies of documentation with different protection characteristics - local copies for immediate access, encrypted backups for security, and redundant copies for disaster recovery. Each copy serves a specific quality requirement, balancing accessibility with damage protection.
3Adaptability or versatility
If decentralized documentation systems are used across multiple work machines, then each machine can access its own documentation, but efficiency and coordination are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines decentralized local storage with centralized coordination capabilities. Multiple work machines maintain local documentation for independence, but can share and coordinate through a common platform that merges information from all machines, achieving both adaptability and productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a universal documentation system that functions both as individual local storage for each machine and as a coordinated network system. The same system provides machine independence when operating alone and coordination efficiency when multiple machines are present, eliminating the trade-off between adaptability and productivity.
4Loss of information
If all users can access all documentation, then information availability is maximized, but security and access control are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different access permission levels to different documentation stored on each work machine. Sensitive documentation has restricted access while general information is freely available, creating local quality variations in security that maximize information availability while maintaining necessary security controls.
Data Source
AI summary
An onboard documentation system for a lift device comprises a controller coupled to the lift device, the controller configured to receive documentation associated with the lift device, store the documentation locally on the lift device, receive a request for the documentation from a user, and provide the documentation stored locally on the lift device to the user in response to the request.