Remote Equipment Management via GPS and Wireless Modems
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users face challenges in tracking and managing the location and operational status of machinery or equipment deployed at job sites, as existing methods require physical presence or time-consuming communication, leading to inefficiencies and errors in scheduling and information transmission.
Innovation Solution
A remote equipment management system with a computing device, GPS, and wireless modem on each piece of equipment, allowing real-time monitoring and control via a web-based interface from a single location, enabling users to track locations, operational parameters, and transmit job information directly to equipment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a user drives to the assigned job site or contacts the operator to learn the location and operational status of deployed equipment, then the user can obtain position information and operational status, but the process is time-consuming and inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The equipment itself monitors and reports its own position and operational status through onboard GPS receivers and sensors that automatically transmit data to the user via wireless communication, eliminating the need for the user to physically visit or manually query the operator
Solution Approach 2:
A wireless communication system acts as an intermediary between the equipment and the user, transmitting position and operational status information automatically, thereby resolving the time-consuming nature of traditional direct contact methods
2Loss of information
If a user transmits information to equipment operator by phone or other communication technique, then information can be delivered to the equipment, but the transmission process is time-consuming and error-prone
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual phone communication with an automated electronic data transmission system using wireless modems and communication protocols, which eliminates human error in information transmission and significantly reduces transmission time
Solution Approach 2:
Information is transmitted as digital data copies between the user's computing device and the equipment's computing device, ensuring accurate replication of information without the errors inherent in verbal communication
3Ease of operation
If a user manually tracks and manages multiple pieces of equipment at job sites, then the user can monitor equipment status, but the management process is inefficient and difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides a universal platform that can monitor and manage multiple different types of equipment simultaneously through a single user interface, consolidating what would otherwise require multiple separate tracking processes into one unified system
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements continuous feedback loops where equipment automatically reports its status and position, and the user receives real-time updates, enabling proactive management decisions without manual intervention
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables efficient remote monitoring and management of multiple pieces of equipment, reducing errors and misapplication, improving reporting, and enhancing maintenance capabilities while reducing liability through accurate and timely data access and transmission.
Implementation Method 1
The global positioning system device is configured to calculate a position of the piece of agricultural equipment and provide the calculated position to the first computing device
Implementation Method 2
The wireless modem is configured to send and receive information over the Internet... transmit the position information and the operational parameter information to the second computing device
Data Source
AI summary
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.