U.S. patent application number 12/074752 was filed with the patent office on 2009-01-01 for integrated system for routine maintenance of mechanized equipment.
Invention is credited to Alan Colby, Larry Schlatre.
Application Number | 20090005927 12/074752 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 39263559 |
Filed Date | 2009-01-01 |
United States Patent
Application |
20090005927 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Schlatre; Larry ; et
al. |
January 1, 2009 |
Integrated system for routine maintenance of mechanized
equipment
Abstract
An method to forecast parts requirements for a vehicle or fleet
of vehicles using a computer system having a host processor and a
database accessible by the host processor, where the database
contains vehicle specific maintenance schedules indicating
recommended maintenance intervals for scheduled maintenance events,
where each scheduled maintenance event has associated maintenance
tasks and where associated tasks may be have one or more
recommended parts. The method involves determining a forecast
window, determining whether a scheduled maintenance event is to
occur, and predicting parts requirements based on any scheduled
maintenance events and associated tasks.
Inventors: |
Schlatre; Larry; (Baton
Rouge, LA) ; Colby; Alan; (Prairieville, LA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
JONES, WALKER, WAECHTER, POITEVENT, CARRERE;& DENEGRE, L.L.P.
5TH FLOOR, FOUR UNITED PLAZA, 8555 UNITED PLAZA BOULEVARD
BATON ROUGE
LA
70809
US
|
Family ID: |
39263559 |
Appl. No.: |
12/074752 |
Filed: |
March 6, 2008 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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10713300 |
Nov 14, 2003 |
7356393 |
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12074752 |
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60427289 |
Nov 18, 2002 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
701/29.5 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06Q 10/06 20130101;
G07C 5/008 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
701/30 ;
701/33 |
International
Class: |
G01M 17/00 20060101
G01M017/00; G06F 19/00 20060101 G06F019/00 |
Claims
1. In combination with a computer system comprising a host
processor and a database accessible by the host processor, the
computer system receiving and storing periodic updates of
maintenance trigger data from at least one vehicle, the database
containing maintenance schedules applicable to the vehicle, the
maintenance schedules indicating recommended maintenance intervals
for one or more scheduled maintenance events for the vehicle, and
for each scheduled maintenance event the database contains one or
more tasks associated with the scheduled maintenance event, a
method to forecast parts requirements for the vehicle comprising
the steps of: (a) selecting a forecast window within which to
predict the scheduled maintenance event; (b) predicting forecast
maintenance trigger data for the vehicle during the forecast
window, the forecast maintenance trigger data computed from the
previously stored maintenance trigger data for the vehicle; (c)
comparing the forecast maintenance trigger data against the
maintenance schedules to determine whether a scheduled maintenance
event is recommended during the forecast window.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the forecast window comprises a
period of time, a range of engine accumulation hours or a range of
odometer readings.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein the database also contains one or
more parts recommended for at least one of the tasks associated
with the scheduled maintenance event.
4. The method of claim 3 further comprising the step of: (d) when a
scheduled maintenance event is recommended, determining the
required quantity of each part recommended for each task associated
with the scheduled maintenance event.
5. The method of claim 4, further comprising the step of (f)
calculating a quantity of parts to be ordered.
6. The method of claim 5, wherein the quantity of parts is to be
ordered in advance of the forecast window.
7. The method of claim 5, wherein the quantity of parts is to be
ordered before each scheduled maintenance event occurs.
8. The method of claim 5, wherein the quantity of parts is ordered
when each scheduled maintenance event occurs.
9. The method of claim 5, wherein the database further contains a
listing of available inventory parts, further comprising the step
of: (g) comparing the required quantity of each part recommended
for the tasks associated with the scheduled maintenance event with
the listing of available inventory parts.
10. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of (h)
calculating an inventory shortfall of the required quantity of each
part.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein the database also contains a
reorder level for each available inventory part, further comprising
the step of: (i) comparing the inventory shortfall to the reorder
level for each available inventory part.
12. A method to forecast parts requirements for the vehicle
comprising the steps of: (a) storing one or more maintenance
schedules in one or more computer systems, wherein the maintenance
schedules indicate recommended maintenance intervals for one or
more scheduled maintenance events; (b) storing one or more tasks
associated with each scheduled maintenance event within the
computer system storing the maintenance schedule; (c) periodically
receiving and storing maintenance trigger data from at least one
vehicle in one or more of the computer systems; (d) selecting a
forecast window within which to predict scheduled maintenance
events; (e) predicting forecast maintenance trigger data for the
vehicle during the forecast window, the forecast maintenance
trigger data computed from the previously stored maintenance
trigger data for the vehicle; (f) comparing the forecast
maintenance trigger data against the maintenance schedule to
determine whether a scheduled maintenance event is recommended
during the forecast window.
13. The method of claim 12 wherein the forecast window is a period
of time, a range of engine accumulation hours, or a range of
odometer readings.
14. The method of claim 12 wherein the computer system also
contains one or more parts recommended for at least one of the
tasks associated with the scheduled maintenance event.
15. The method of claim 14 further comprising the step of: (g) when
a scheduled maintenance event is recommended, determining the
required quantity of each part recommended for each task associated
with the scheduled maintenance event.
16. The method of claim 15, further comprising the step of (h)
calculating a quantity of parts to be ordered.
17. The method of claim 16, wherein the quantity of parts is to be
ordered in advance of the forecast window.
18. The method of claim 16, wherein the quantity of parts is to be
ordered before each scheduled maintenance event occurs.
19. The method of claim 16, wherein the quantity of parts is
ordered when each scheduled maintenance event occurs.
20. The method of claim 19, wherein the computer system further
contains a listing of available inventory parts, further comprising
the step of: (i) comparing the required quantity of each part
recommended for the tasks associated with the scheduled maintenance
event with the listing of available inventory parts.
21. The method of claim 20 further comprising the step of: j)
calculating an inventory shortfall of the required quantity of each
part.
22. The method of claim 21 wherein the computer system also
contains a reorder level for each available inventory part, further
comprising the step of: (k) comparing the inventory shortfall to
the reorder level for each available inventory part.
23. The method of claim 12 wherein maintenance trigger data are
stored in a first computer system, wherein the maintenance
schedule, any scheduled maintenance event and any tasks are stored
in a second computer system, and wherein the first computer system
periodically communicates to the second computer system a subset of
the maintenance trigger data.
24. The method of claim 23, wherein steps (a) through (f) are
performed within the second computer system.
25. In combination with a computer system comprising a host
processor and a database accessible by the host processor, the
computer system receiving and storing periodic updates of
maintenance trigger data from a plurality of vehicles, the database
containing maintenance schedules applicable to one or more vehicles
comprising the plurality of vehicles, the maintenance schedules
indicating recommended maintenance intervals for one or more
scheduled maintenance events for one or more vehicles comprising
the plurality of vehicles, and for each scheduled maintenance event
the database contains one or more tasks associated with the
scheduled maintenance event, a method to forecast parts
requirements for the plurality of vehicles comprising the steps of:
(a) selecting a forecast window within which to predict scheduled
maintenance events; (b) predicting interval maintenance trigger
data for the vehicles comprising the plurality of vehicles during
the forecast window, the interval maintenance trigger data computed
from the previously stored maintenance trigger data for the
vehicles; (c) comparing the interval maintenance trigger data
against the maintenance schedules to determine whether one or more
scheduled maintenance events are recommended for the plurality of
vehicles during the forecast window.
26. The method of claim 25 wherein the forecast window is a period
of time, a range of engine accumulation hours, or a range of
odometer readings.
27. The method of claim 25 wherein the computer system also
contains one or more parts recommended for at least one of the
tasks associated with the scheduled maintenance event.
28. The method of claim 25 further comprising the step of: (d) when
a scheduled maintenance event is recommended, determining the
required quantity of each part recommended for each task associated
with the scheduled maintenance event.
29. The method of claim 28 wherein the plurality of vehicles
comprises one or more fleets of vehicles.
30. The method of claim 29, further comprising the step of (e)
calculating a quantity of parts to be ordered.
31. The method of claim 30, wherein the quantity of parts is to be
ordered in advance of the forecast window.
32. The method of claim 30, wherein the quantity of parts is to be
ordered before each scheduled maintenance event occurs.
33. The method of claim 30, wherein the quantity of parts is
ordered when each scheduled maintenance event occurs.
34. The method of claim 30, wherein the computer system further
contains a listing of available inventory parts, further comprising
the step of: (f) comparing the required quantity of each part
recommended for the tasks associated with the scheduled maintenance
event with the listing of available inventory parts.
35. The method of claim 34 further comprising the step of: (g)
calculating an inventory shortfall of the required quantity of each
part.
36. The method of claim 35, wherein the computer system also
contains a reorder level for each available inventory part, further
comprising the step of: (h) comparing the inventory shortfall to
the reorder level for each available inventory part.
37. The method of claim 29, further comprising the steps of: (e)
when multiple scheduled maintenance events are recommended across
the one or more fleets of vehicles, determining the required
quantity of each part required for each location of the vehicles
comprising the fleet of vehicles.
38. The method of claim 37, further comprising the step of (g)
calculating a quantity of parts to be ordered for each
location.
39. The method of claim 38, wherein the quantity of parts is to be
ordered in advance of the forecast window.
40. The method of claim 38, wherein the quantity of parts is to be
ordered before each scheduled maintenance event occurs.
41. The method of claim 38, wherein the quantity of parts is
ordered when each scheduled maintenance event occurs.
42. The method of claim 38, wherein the computer system further
contains a listing of available inventory parts for each location
of the vehicles comprising the fleet of vehicles, further
comprising the step of: (f) comparing the required quantity of each
part recommended for the tasks associated with the scheduled
maintenance event with the listing of available inventory parts for
each location.
43. The method of claim 42 further comprising the step of: (g)
calculating for each location an inventory shortfall of the
required quantity of each part.
44. The method of claim 35, wherein the computer system also
contains a reorder level for each available inventory part, further
comprising the step of: (h) comparing the inventory shortfall for
each location to the reorder level for each available inventory
part.
Description
I. CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser.
No. 10/713,300, filed Nov. 14, 2003, which claims the benefit of
U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/427,289, filed Nov. 18, 2002.
Each application is hereby incorporated by reference in its
entirety.
II. STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR
DEVELOPMENT
[0002] Not Applicable.
III. THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT
[0003] Not Applicable.
IV. INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT
DISC
[0004] Appendix 1 is a computer program listing of two compact
disks each having a copy of the host system source code for
operating the functions described of the host system described
herein for non-GCS station field input device communications with
the database. It does not include filed input device code, response
station code, GCS station code, or opportunity manager code. The
contents of these disks are incorporated by reference. The file
folders contained on the disk are as follows:
TABLE-US-00001 Name Size Date Created PalmServer.txt 244 Nov. 13,
2003 PalmServerConsts.txt 1,807 Nov. 13, 2003
PalmServerParamConsts.txt 5,118 Nov. 13, 2003
PalmServerVDMConsts.txt 147 Nov. 13, 2003 TSMsgs.txt 968 Nov. 13,
2003 Unit1.txt 120,570 Nov. 13, 2003
V. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0005] A. Field of the Invention
[0006] This invention relates to a system for monitoring fleet
mechanized equipment, such as turf, agriculture, construction and
recreation equipment, to determine when preventative maintenance is
required. More particularly, the system includes transponders
positioned on each vehicle that send operating characteristics to a
central processor that alerts users of required maintenance when
the monitored characteristics meet or exceed trigger
thresholds.
[0007] B. Background Art
[0008] Mechanized equipment used in outdoor applications such as
golf courses, agriculture, construction, commercial landscaping and
recreation environments, such as municipal parks, is specialized
and in many cases unique depending on the intended field of use.
Tractors, reel mowers and rotary mowers (collectively "mowers"),
aerators, utility vehicles (a modified golf cart), combines,
mechanized construction equipment such as bulldozers and backhoes,
are some of the specialized equipment used in outdoor applications
(as used herein, "mechanized outdoor application vehicles" does not
include automobiles, trucks and the like). Manufacturers for such
equipment usually customize their products to accommodate a
specific use, with each item of equipment having its own unique
service and preventative maintenance requirements. Mechanized
outdoor application vehicles are subject to harsh operating
conditions and these operating conditions contribute to their need
for specialization and customization. For example, mechanized
outdoor application vehicles are routinely subjected to
environmental variables such as extreme heat and cold, moisture,
chemicals and solvents, various foreign matter (e.g., dirt, mud,
grass and other vegetation, a variety of crops, rock and gravel,
etc.), extreme vibration, and rough terrain. These variables
require that virtually all components of a mechanized outdoor
application vehicle be "ruggedized" for durability in order to
withstand such operating conditions and variables. For this reason,
mechanized outdoor application vehicles do not usually include
microcontrollers and microprocessors to diagnose parameters that
trigger scheduled maintenance requirements such as those found in
most present day automobiles. Mechanized outdoor application
vehicles used in commercial outdoor applications are considered
mission critical. Therefore, when such mechanized equipment
encounters unscheduled downtime, this directly and negatively
affects the commercial outdoor application. A primary cause of
equipment failure leading to unscheduled downtime is the delay or
omission of scheduled maintenance. Relevant and timely equipment
maintenance helps prevent unscheduled downtime. However, since
mechanized outdoor application vehicles do not provide for an
integrated system to alert of currently required scheduled
maintenance requirements and related required resources, this
equipment is virtually never serviced with scheduled maintenance
and related required resources at the actual time due. Therefore,
equipment is normally serviced either prematurely or belatedly.
Many scheduled maintenance requirements for mechanized equipment
used in outdoor applications requires various resources such as
replacement parts and supplies to complete the scheduled
maintenance requirements. In the event such resources (inventory,
parts, supplies) are not on-hand when they are needed to complete
scheduled maintenance requirements, the required scheduled
maintenance is either delayed or the equipment item requiring
replacement parts not currently on-hand remains idle until said
replacement parts are ordered and received, which results in
unscheduled downtime.
[0009] Mechanized outdoor application vehicles are normally
maintained and repaired onsite. Most on-site maintenance and repair
service operations for outdoor applications lack the level of
monitoring, scheduling, referencing and record-keeping capabilities
found in automotive and other commercial maintenance and repair
operations. Further, many on-site maintenance and repair personnel
for outdoor applications lack the level of technical expertise
found in automotive and other commercial maintenance and repair
operations. To assist maintenance personnel, manufacturers of
mechanized equipment for use in outdoor applications specify and
publish scheduled maintenance requirements and required OEM
(Original Equipment Manufacturer) resources such as parts for each
equipment item they manufacture. Although certain manufactured
equipment items share common scheduled maintenance requirements
and/or resources, manufacturers generally specify and publish
scheduled maintenance requirements and required resources for each
and every item they manufacture, based upon model, and potentially,
the year of manufacture. Consequently, there exist a vast array of
published scheduled maintenance requirements and required resources
for all makes and models of mechanized equipment for use in outdoor
applications.
[0010] Manufacturers of mechanized outdoor application vehicles
primarily sell their products to end use customers via an
established network of value added distributors. These value added
distributors normally provide end use customers with product sales,
product service and product support (as an example product support
includes warranty related service and support). The level of
product sales, service, and support such distributors provide their
customers could be enhanced if they had better access to relevant
and updated customer and customer product data (e.g., operational
data regarding typical usage and current status of customer
products). Additionally, there exists a variety of non-OEM
services, inventory, supplies, and parts provided by organizations
that target the customers of manufacturers and value added
distributors for mechanized equipment used in outdoor applications
that directly compete with the OEM services. Therefore, any system
that could be used by manufacturers and distributors to enhance the
level of service provided to their customers would be helpful to
better compete against organizations attempting to sell non-OEM
services, inventory, supplies, and parts to said customers.
VI. BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0011] The system is directed to remotely monitoring the need for
routine scheduled preventative maintenance for a fleet or fleets of
mechanized equipment located at a variety of physical locations. As
used herein, a "fleet" of vehicles implies a group of vehicles
operated by a common entity. The system monitors periodic
transmissions from each monitored vehicle, comparing transmitted
data values against stored recommended service intervals. Upon
detecting the need for maintenance on a particular piece of
equipment, the system provides a means to schedule the maintenance,
including details of recommended parts and labor recommended for
the maintenance. The system is a task integrated system for
providing scheduled service: the system monitors the equipment
fleet to collect operating parameters (e.g. meter readings or
odometer readings) to detect service triggers, provides designated
multiple users an alert that a particular item of equipment
requires service, provides a means to initiate and track the
service transaction (open a service work order, update the work
order, and close the work order) and to archive the service
transaction information for later use. To assist in the maintenance
service process, the system includes an inventory subsystem which
monitors inventory utilization, assigns inventory to open work
orders, and projects inventory replenishment needs.
[0012] Transponders or field data input terminals are generally
used to wirelessly transmit relevant equipment performance and
operating data to a network access point for transmission to a
system program for analysis. Generally, the relevant performance
and operating data will be a meter reading (engine hours), odometer
reading (mileage), or time lapse, but other performance data can be
utilized. The system program performs the monitoring, analyzing,
alerting, initializing and tracking features, and the system
program communicates relevant maintenance information with user
terminals accessible to maintenance/management personal as
required. The terminals may be located at a central facility or
facilities remote from the system program host, and/or broadcast to
a series of mobile user terminals.
[0013] Associated with the monitoring program is a database
containing vehicle histories, vehicle manufacturer's maintenance
data (maintenance schedules, recommended replacement parts,
recommended labor times, service manuals, etc), inventory data, and
other relevant information. The stored data is made available to
interested parties to assist in maintenance tasks, track/compare
parts usage data, compile product/maintenance/part/labor
statistics, product comparisons, area usage requirements, and other
relevant data analysis. Data analysis routines are provided to
allow prediction/forecasting of future maintenance requirements,
inventory needs and/or labor requirements. Additional data analysis
routines are used to mine relevant information from the stored
equipment information, such as a routine to assist in identifying
equipment subject to a manufacturer's recall or rework order, and
once identified, undertaking this non-routine maintenance item.
[0014] It is an object of the invention to provide a system that
alerts on-site personnel of their scheduled maintenance
requirements and resource requirements for mechanized equipment in
a simple, user-friendly format.
[0015] It is an object of the inventions to provide a system that
provides easy access to maintenance personnel of necessary
scheduled maintenance, related required resources, and other
support information from a single centralized source.
[0016] It is an object of the invention to provide a system that
enables manufacturers of mechanized equipment to regularly interact
with their established network of value added distributors (OEM
Supply Chain) to share in product and service information (e.g.,
product improvements, enhancements, problems, defects, warnings,
price changes, training programs, etc.), market information
(competitor products, features, pricing, etc.), and customer/market
information (new customer/market opportunities, customer/market
trends, product usage patterns).
[0017] It is an object of the system to provide a centralized fleet
maintenance and customer relationship management system for those
associated with mechanized equipment used in outdoor
activities.
[0018] It is an object of the system to provide maintenance history
data and inventory data to authorized users of the system to
forecast, predict, compare and model equipment maintenance and
related resource requirements.
[0019] It is an object of the system to help end use customers
efficiently maintain their mechanized equipment used in outdoor
applications and to minimize unscheduled downtime and to allow the
OEM Supply Chain for such mechanized equipment and related
resources (inventory, parts, supply, labor) to optimize their
service level to the customer.
VII. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
[0020] FIG. 1 is a schematic depicting alternative network
configurations of the system.
[0021] FIGS. 2-23 depict screen shots taken from the system as
described:
[0022] FIG. 2 Smartstation screen: PM Alert for selected equipment
E5500-B Reelmaster.
[0023] FIG. 3 Smartstation screen: View In Progress: Details of
Work Order number 1145 (Work Order Detail).
[0024] FIG. 4 Smartstation screen: View In Progress: View Services:
Add Repair.
[0025] FIG. 5 Smartstation screen: View In Progress: View
Parts.
[0026] FIG. 6 Smartstation screen: View In Progress: View Labor:
Add Labor.
[0027] FIG. 7 Smartstation screen: pick list of maintenance
equipment.
[0028] FIG. 8 Palm Screen: Required Maintenance: View Service.
[0029] FIG. 9 Palm Screen: Equipment Work Orders: All Open
(Fleet).
[0030] FIG. 10 Palm Screen: Inventory: Main.
[0031] FIG. 11 Palm Screen: Inventory: Create Item.
[0032] FIG. 12 Palm Screen: Inventory: Details (Scan Item.
[0033] FIG. 13 Palm Screen: Parts Forecast Results, Grid and
Graph.
[0034] FIGS. 14-23 are screen shots from the Opportunity manager,
generally displayed at a GCS station (desktop computer):
[0035] FIG. 14 Opportunity Manager Screen: Create Pick List
Detail.
[0036] FIG. 15 Opportunity Manager Screen: Pick List History
Detail.
[0037] FIG. 16 Opportunity Manager Screen: Services Forecast
Results, Grid and Graph.
[0038] FIG. 17 Opportunity Manager Screen: Services Grid.
[0039] FIG. 18 Opportunity Manager Screen: Maintenance Audit
Grid.
[0040] FIG. 19 Opportunity Manager Screen: Maintenance Audit,
Service Detail.
[0041] FIG. 20 Opportunity Manager Screen: Maintenance Audit, Parts
Detail.
[0042] FIG. 21 Opportunity Manager Screen: Telematics Results.
[0043] FIG. 22 Opportunity Manager Screen: Filter Detail.
[0044] FIG. 23 Opportunity Manager Screen: Grouping Results.
VIII. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0045] The system has four aspects: host computer system and
software; the transponders and/or other field input stations; the
response or other user terminals; and the connecting network
(Internet or intranet). The system will be described in an
application environment of maintenance of golf course mechanized
equipment. As used herein, "vehicle" or "mechanized equipment" is a
powered machine (internally powered or externally powered, such as
power provided by the PTO of a tractor) which has routine
preventative maintenance requirements specified by the manufacturer
or another based upon some measure of machine utilization, such as
hours of use, mileage accrued, the passage of time, or some other
measure reflection use. The system can be physically configured to
accommodate a variety of installations. Several configurations are
shown in FIG. 1, which shows four physically separated golf course
sites A, B, C, and D with each site having a number of vehicles to
be monitored for routine maintenance requirements. Each sites
monitored vehicles/equipment can be considered a "fleet" of
vehicles/equipment, or all the sites' monitored vehicles/equipment
can be considered a fleet of vehicles/equipment. At each site are a
series of transponders 1 communicating through a network 2 to a
host computer facility where the monitoring program is stored. As
shown, sites A and B communicate to a shared program site remote
from either site. Site C and site D communicate through a network
to a host program located at the respective sites. Communication to
the host site can be through an intranet or the Internet. Also
shown is a database 4. The database can be located at the host
facility (as shown at site D), located at a second remote data
facility accessible through a network (as shown in C), or a
combination thereof as required. The database can be a series of
unshared databases (for instance, site A has a database separate
from Site B) or a single or multitude of shared database (for
instance, data from sites A and B can be commingled in one
database). The database may have its own processor or shared host
processor. The system is flexible enough to be adapted to a variety
of configurations.
[0046] A. Golf Courses
[0047] Each golf course uses a wide variety of equipment to
maintain the course, generally supplied by three vehicle
manufacturers. A single golf course will use a variety of mowers,
utility vehicles, tractors, tillers and other mechanized equipment.
To maintain this equipment, each golf course usually operates
repair facilities, stocks inventory and utilizes maintenance
personal either on site or on call. Several geographically close
courses may share portions of their respective maintenance
facilities, such as inventory or specialized labor. For instance,
when several city courses have common ownership, it may be
economically feasible to share a common maintenance facility.
[0048] Each item of mechanized equipment requires routine scheduled
maintenance. It is generally recognized that equipment lasts longer
and performs better when routine scheduled maintenance is performed
(routine scheduled maintenance or preventative maintenance is
maintenance that is common for each model of a vehicle and the need
for maintenance is generally based upon vehicle utilization
parameters); however, even with only three predominant
manufacturers of golf course equipment, maintenance personnel have
great difficulty keeping track of when maintenance is needed, on
which machines, and what services are to be performed.
Consequently, a system that helps automate the tasks of
identification of equipment currently recommended for preventive
maintenance and identification of the actual services recommended
for that preventative maintenance trigger would help ensure that
routine preventative maintenance is accurately and timely
undertaken.
[0049] B. The System
[0050] 1. The Host System and Software
[0051] The host system, referred to as the "GCS System", is a
computer/server located within at least one location and running
the GCS software. The host system includes at least one database,
but the database can be stored remotely from GCS main program. The
system can be distributed over a series of locations. For example,
each individual golf course can have a computer with monitoring
software and the associated database or the monitoring software
and/or database could be shared among several courses on a single
server. In the single server environment, each course may be
associated with its database structure, or a database structure
could be shared (with a database entry identifying the golf course
ID). In an Internet configuration, multiple golf courses could
access the system (software and/or databases) through a common web
page or IP address/portal, again with separate databases or an
integrated database. The GCS system software, as seen by a user, is
a menu driven application and the following description will
describe the system from the menus presented to a user.
[0052] 2. System Databases
[0053] The system database can be a single integrated database, or
a series of databases. For convenience, the databases will be
referred to as a "golf course" or "course" database. A relational
SQL-type database is preferred. The database can be envisioned as
having five general areas: the equipment definition area, the
equipment history area, the inventory area, the manufacturer's
area, and the employee area. The equipment definition area stores
maintenance parameters for the monitored vehicles/equipment. Each
vehicle/equipment item for which system maintenance monitoring is
desired must have its relevant characteristics stored in the course
database. The relevant characteristics include: one or more vehicle
identifiers, manufacturer/model information of the vehicle, and one
or more maintenance triggers. "Vehicle identifier" can be a vehicle
serial number, a bar-coded ID, a unique IP address, a VDM
identifier, date in service, or other identifier or combination of
such identifiers. The manufacturer/model information can include
manufacturer, model number, model year, distributor and/or other
pertinent characteristics. Each vehicle's maintenance trigger field
is a data field used by the monitoring program to make decisions on
initiating service for that particular vehicle. As used in this
application, a maintenance trigger is data that standing alone,
does not indicate that maintenance is required, such as an alarm
would indicate (e.g., equipment reading out of range). "Maintenance
trigger" is used to indicate that the monitoring program must
compare the received data against stored schedules to determine if
maintenance is required or recommended. The maintenance trigger can
be measured in operational hours, vehicle mileage, time, date (time
lapse), etc. The maintenance trigger field can be structured in a
variety of fashions, later described. In general, the maintenance
trigger references machine use or utilization and the stored
database value is updated periodically. In the present embodiment,
each update (value/date and time of update) is stored in the
database. Also stored are the maintenance alert values or intervals
(in general, the OEM's recommended maintenance periods, such as 30
hour interval, or 1000 mile interval, absolute engine hours or
odometer readings (i.e., at 10,000 hours etc) as modified by the
user). The maintenance alert values are generally stored in the
database in the manufacturer's area, as these values are common for
each manufacturer's models, but for ease of operation, can be
included in the equipment definition area. These maintenance alert
values are considered "maintenance interval values" and may be
measured as an interval value (every 100 miles, every 10 hours,
etc) but may also be measured as an absolute value from a base line
(e.g., at 500 hours, at 600 hours, at 100 miles, at 2000 miles,
etc).
[0054] The equipment history area is that area of the database
where work orders are stored that detail the service history
(preventative maintenance and/or unscheduled repairs) of the
particular equipment item. Items stored include work order number,
date of performance (open date, closed date), vehicle ID to
identify the equipment, maintenance trigger at time of maintenance,
services performed, parts utilized, recommended labor hours, actual
labor hours, and other information contained on the work order, as
later described.
[0055] In the inventory area of the database is stored parts
information, such as customer part/stock number, description, UPC
number or barcode, vendor (name, address), vendor part number,
price, quantity on hand, quantity allocated to open work orders,
quantity ordered, reorder point, last used date, last used
quantity, quantity used year to date, and other relevant
information. Also purchase information can be maintained (either
considered as a separate area of the database, or considered as
part of the inventory area). Purchase information would include PO
numbers, purchase date, items ordered, vendor/supplier, price and
other purchase order information.
[0056] In the employees area of the database is maintenance
employee information, such as employee name and hourly pay rates.
Other data fields can be utilized to track personnel, such as
vacation days, sick days, address, emergency contact numbers,
etc.
[0057] To assist in initial population of the database for a
particular golf course implementation, the system includes a
routine, called the "Quickload" routine, that enables a user to
quickly populate the database equipment area and manufacturer area.
The Quickload routine includes a database of OEM information,
including maintenance schedules, replacement parts, model specific
repair and user manuals, etc. Quickload, upon implementation
requests the user to identify the equipment manufacturer, and once
selected, Quickload displays the models available for the selected
manufacturer. The user then selects the model equipment desired
from the displayed list, and then enters the relevant information
for the selected models that is entered as an entry in the system
database. For instance, the golf course may have several Toro model
0110 aerators. The user would select Toro, then select model 0110
aerator and enter the relevant data for a particular aerator
(vehicle ids, serial numbers, etc) to create an entry in the
equipment portion of the system database. Quickload then allows the
user to make another selection (for example, the user could select
the same model again to create a second Toro 0110 aerator).
Alternatively, the user could select the model and the number of
that model to enter into the course database then enter the
relevant vehicle specific data for the number selected. The
QuickLoad routine can also be used to add equipment to an existing
course database, and is accessible to users on a GCS station
(described later) having suitable password access. Once a vehicle
is entered in the database, the later history of that vehicle
(monitored values and maintenance history) will be stored in the
database and associated with the particular vehicle for ease of
searching and retrieval.
[0058] Other aspects of the database must also be initialized and
populated, such as inventory levels and labor
availability/specifications, again using the GCS station. The user
does not have to enter the maintenance schedule intervals for the
selected equipment, nor the recommended parts or labor hours for a
particular scheduled maintenance. Each manufacturer typically
provides these maintenance requirements for its equipment and these
recommended scheduled maintenance requirements are preloaded (or
accessible) by the system in the manufacturer's area. In
particular, when Quickload is utilized, the manufacturer's
information for each vehicle entered is also loaded into the course
database manufacturer's area (such as vehicle specific maintenance
schedules indicating recommended maintenance intervals for
scheduled maintenance, each scheduled maintenance having associated
maintenance tasks; here, "vehicle specific" generally refers to the
vehicle model as all same model vehicles have the same maintenance
schedules). The system thus stores in the course database (or may
access over the network) the manufacturers recommended maintenance
schedules, including the manufacturer's recommended parts and labor
requirements for each scheduled maintenance.
[0059] Obviously, if several courses share the same database, the
database must also contain at least one course ID.
[0060] 3. Field Input Devices
[0061] In operation, the system tracks field equipment to determine
if routine scheduled maintenance is required. The system receives
updated vehicle maintenance trigger data through field input
devices, (e.g., updated meter readings or odometer readings). The
field input devices are considered a means to transmit vehicle
maintenance trigger data to the remote host system. Upon receiving
updated maintenance trigger data, the host system compares the
maintenance triggers updated value against the store maintenance
alert data (the vehicle's recommended maintenance schedule, usually
the OEM recommendation unless user modified). If the current value
exceeds the maintenance alert values, the system will trigger an
alert to notify maintenance users that preventative maintenance is
recommended. Hence, the equipment to be monitored must have some
means of providing the relevant monitored characteristics to the
system, the field input devices, which can include transponders,
mobile user stations or fixed user input devices. The host
computer, in performing this task, is considered a means to
determine maintenance requirements of a vehicle based upon the
transmitted or otherwise updated maintenance trigger data.
[0062] a. VDM
[0063] The vehicle transponder is referred to as a vehicle data
module ("VDM") and it interfaces with suitable equipment on the
vehicle to collect and transmit to the host system the appropriate
monitored maintenance trigger data. VDMs are physically mounted on
a vehicle's frame/chassis in a rugged, waterproof case that
provides wiring connections for power, ground, and the various
operational signals to be monitored. The preferred embodiment of
the VDM consists of electronic components and a vehicle mounted
antenna. The electronic components include a microcontroller, an
802.11b wireless Ethernet card (if wireless communication is
utilized to communicate to an access point), and various signal
conditioning circuitry for monitoring vehicle operations. One
microcontroller used is a MicroChip PIC18F452 containing 1536 bytes
of RAM, 256 bytes of EEPROM data memory, and 32K bytes of program
Flash EPROM which houses the software code to run the device. The
PC board provides connections for +12V DC power, ground, and
vehicle signals. There is also a DB9 female connector for RS232
serial communications for system configuration/setup.
[0064] The VDM is powered from a +12V DC power source on the
vehicle as well as a ground connection. The VDM can be configured
in several different monitoring modes depending on vehicle type,
such as: [0065] (a) Hour Meter--the microprocessor monitors a +12V
DC engine run signal from the vehicle (usually available as a lead
to the mechanical hour meter). The VDM monitors this signal,
keeping track of how much time elapses while it is active (as
clocked by the controller's clock or external timing device).
[0066] (b) Odometer--the VDM monitors either a differential or
single-ended ac-coupled odometer waveform from +/-0.5 V to +12 V.
This signal is usually available from a Vehicle Speed Sensor (VSS)
output from the vehicles transmission, but can also be obtained
from a variety of other places depending on the specifics of the
vehicle. [0067] (c) Odometer w/OBDII--the VDM monitors the odometer
as in item 2, but additionally can monitor an On-Board Diagnostics
II (OBD-II) system. The OBDII uses a serial interface to
communicate with the vehicle's OBDII computer using any one of the
three standard protocols: J1850 PWM (Ford), J1850 VPW
(GM/Chrysler), or ISO9141 (others). Each vehicle containing an OBD
II computer will have a standard J1962 connector that can be
plugged in to the transponder electronics.
[0068] Additionally, other signals could be monitored (which may
necessitate installing monitoring devices) as a maintenance
trigger, such as a signal indicating that the mowing blades are
engaged, or a signal indicating the status of other pertinent
characteristics.
[0069] In operation, the VDM stores the pertinent identification
data and collects and stores the operational data (e.g.,
maintenance trigger data) for later transmission to the host
system. The VDM (and other field input devices), will periodically
transmit data to a receiver for ultimate reception by the host. By
"periodically" is not meant as transmission at regular intervals,
but is used as from time to time. Operational data will generally
be the monitored quantity, such as meter readings. Identification
can include the IP address/port number assigned to the VDM, IP
address/port number assigned to the recipient GCS host computer or
web site for communication, vehicle serial number, VDM serial
number, or any combination. The VDM will generally store
operational data as a running sum from an initial point, where the
initial point can be reset by the VDM or on instruction from the
host system. Re-initialization can be based upon a prior data
transmission, prior service point, or other chosen event. For
instance, vehicle meter reading may be stored as a value as
measured from the last data transmission. Upon shut down of the
vehicle, the VDM may try to communicate its stored values to the
host system. If communication is successful and the reading is
successfully transmitted, the stored meter reading could be reset
or re-initialized. If transmission is unsuccessful, the stored
value is unchanged and upon vehicle startup, new "minutes" are
added to the stored value. Other schemes could be used to save and
transmit maintenance trigger or other operational data. For
instance, simply transmitting current value with no-resetting is an
alternative method, letting the GCS system compute differential
values, if needed.
[0070] These parameters are accessible for initialization/setup
purposes through a RS232 serial interface. In operation, the VDM
monitors the pertinent vehicle characteristic (hour
meter/odometer/OBDII or other value) and updates its internal
values. When the vehicle is within communication range of the
access point, the VDM can communicate its monitored values through
the access point to the GCS host server. The VDM can be configured
to transmit based on the presence of an updated or modified status
since last transmission, the crossing of a stored threshold value
(for instance, 10 engine hours since last transmission), a query
from the GCS system, or other programmed event.
[0071] The VDM sends a UDP packet to the GCS host at the stored
host IP address/Port. The packet generally consists of the vehicle
ID and relevant operational data (meter/odometer, etc.). The VDM
can be configured to transmit additional data, such as type of
operational data (i.e., meter, odometer, OBDII, etc.) course
identifier, or other relevant information. Upon successful receipt,
the host server returns an acknowledgment to the VDM. If no
acknowledgement is received, the VDM will periodically try to
resend the data until it receives an acknowledgement. As described,
the communication between the VDM and the GCS host software is
generally two-way. Data could be sent to the VDM for purposes of
remote re-programming, to activate added or dormant features.
[0072] Additionally, the VDM can function to interface to a
maintenance indicator positioned on the vehicle/equipment item. The
host system can send a signal to the VDM to activate/deactivate a
maintenance indicator positioned on the VDM or equipment the VDM is
mounted onto. The signal should be sent when the host system
determines that maintenance is indicated/working/complete or other
suitable status. Such a maintenance indicator should be a visual
signal to maintenance workers in the field that this particular
piece of equipment is recommended for maintenance (locate items
requiring maintenance) to notify the maintenance workers to inquire
further details. The maintenance indicator could be a lamp, LED
indicator, a liquid crystal indicator, or other low power
consumption device that can provide a visible signal to maintenance
staff.
[0073] Another embodiment of the VDM includes a vehicle mounted
device available from National Business Control Systems, Inc.
(a/k/a eFueling Technologies). The eFueling VDM stores the vehicle
ID and collects additional information such as odometer and engine
hours, having inputs for power, ground, engine run, and
odometer+/-, and uses a low frequency, close proximity passive
antenna configuration that emulates Texas Instruments TI*RFID.RTM.
Systems radio frequency tag to exchanged stored data when the VDM
antenna connected passes over an antenna buried in the ground,
generally located in the doorway of the maintenance facility. The
buried antenna is connected to a "reader" device that has an
Ethernet interface to pass the data through a network to the GCS
host system. The VDM was configured to provide a destination IP
address/Port number for the reader to send VDM data to the GCS
system. The reader has inputs for up to 8 antennas that are
typically buried in the ground at high-traffic points, such as
storage shed bay door entrances, etc. The reader repeatedly polls
each of the 8 antennas to see if a VDM antenna was currently within
communicating range. If so, the two antennas established a
communication link and data was transferred between the VDM and
reader. The reader includes an IP address and network interface
card that interfaces the wired Ethernet network. Stored in the
reader is the IP address/port of the host system to enable
communications with the host. In this embodiment, the reader is the
boundary of the network as communication to the VDM is through the
reader over the close-proximity antenna. In the prior embodiment,
the VDM was the boundary of the network, i.e. the host directly
addresses each VDM through its IP network interface
card/software/drivers/etc. by way of an access point.
[0074] b. Mobile Field Station
[0075] Another means of communication of vehicle characteristics
includes a mobile field station. A preferred station is a mobile
computing station, utilizing a wireless configured personal digital
assistant ("PDA," such as a Symbol Technologies 1746/1846 PDA), a
tablet PC, or other intelligent mobile device. The mobile field
station wirelessly communicates with the GCS host through an
802.11b telemetry or other wireless format. The mobile user station
runs a local program to facilitate interaction with the GCS
program. The following description will describe the functions of a
PDA as the mobile user station using a menu description.
[0076] Currently, the PDA main menu consists of four (4) options
displayed as touch buttons on the PDA's LED display. These options
include the "Inventory" button, "Update Meter" button, "Required
Maintenance" (Req Maint) button, and the "Equipment Work Order (Eq
WO)" button. For purposes of communicating the vehicle
characteristics, only the "Update Meter" is relevant. Other
features of the PDA will be later described in the "Response
Station" section.
[0077] The "update meter" option allows a user to identify the
vehicle by: (a) scanning a bar code located on the vehicle or (b)
by inputting the vehicle ID into the PDA. Preferably, the PDA has
an integrated bar code scanner that is used to scan a bar code
located on the vehicle. The scan/input Vehicle ID is transmitted to
the host system, where (if recognized), pertinent vehicle
characteristics and operational data are transmitted to the PDA for
display. The user can then update the stored meter/odometer with
its current reading. As currently implemented, the user is provided
with UP/DOWN arrows with which to increment/decrement the stored
operational data (for convenience, we will use "meter readings",
such as engine hours or minutes). Upon receipt/storage of the
updated reading, the system may detect a maintenance alert and may
alert the user through the PDA. If, however, no match is found for
the entered vehicle ID, the system notifies the user that the item
was not found.
[0078] If for any reason an update fails, the device will display a
message informing the user of this as well as giving the reason,
and, depending on the nature of the error, either remain on the
current screen to allow the user to re-enter the meter reading or
return to the initial Update Meter screen, ready for the next
equipment item scan. If the update was successful, the application
will return to the initial screen ready to scan another item, but
also inform the user of the successful meter update from the
previous item scanned.
[0079] c. Wired Field Station
[0080] Obviously, instead of a mobile wireless filed station, a
wired device could be utilized, such as a desktop workstation,
generally located in the maintenance area. A wired device may
access the same features as mobile user station. Alternatively, a
wired or wireless PC may access the host system through a network
(intranet or Internet), log into the host system through an
appropriate user ID (having access to the ability to update meter
readings), and access the update readings feature of the GCS.
[0081] Finally, an alternative response station could be a
telephone, whereby the user dials into an account on the host
system, and keys in the vehicle ID and update maintenance trigger
data.
[0082] 4. Response Stations
[0083] A response station is a station receiving and communicating
maintenance information (maintenance alerts, schedules or other
information) with the host system. Response stations are considered
as a means to alert maintenance personnel of vehicles requiring
maintenance. The host system, upon receipt of updated maintenance
trigger data, may determine that the vehicle just interrogated
requires maintenance. In this instance, the host system must alert
suitable response stations of the maintenance alert, and provide
users the ability to manage the particular alert. Two types of
devices are preferred as response stations: a touch screen station;
and user response stations (such as the PDA device described
earlier).
[0084] a. Touch Station
[0085] The touch screen station contains a touch screen, network
connectivity, and may include a local computer station to manage
the touch screen communications. The Touch Station is typically
installed in high traffic maintenance shop areas and serves as an
electronic bulletin board alerting shop employees of equipment for
which scheduled maintenance service is due. The Touch Station is
used to alert shop employees of equipment that is due for scheduled
maintenance service and to allow shop employees to open and close
work orders indicating that maintenance or a repair has been
performed for certain equipment. Shop employees can also use the
touch station to update existing maintenance work orders by
indicating the services performed, the parts used, and the labor
time expended. The two basic modes viewable from the Touch Station
are "View PM Alerts" and "View In Progress." The touch screen is
referred to as the SmartShop Touch Station.
[0086] i. View PM Alerts
[0087] The system compares the monitored vehicle characteristic of
the equipment to the vehicle manufacturer's recommended maintenance
schedule (the following will use "meter" readings as the relevant
characteristic). If the current meter reading indicates that
maintenance is due the system will send a vehicle maintenance alert
to the appropriate touch station for display (the system may be
managing several touch stations when managing multiple golf
courses). The equipment requiring scheduled maintenance appears on
the Touch Station under the "View PM Alerts" screen. This screen
simply lists the equipment requiring maintenance by suitable
reference, such as vehicle model and vehicle ID. These equipment
items will continue to appear on this screen until the service
requirements are either scheduled for work or delayed until later
("Snoozed"). If the equipment list is too long to fit on one page,
the user can touch the up and down arrows located on the screen to
scroll through the items.
[0088] The screen automatically refreshes periodically to display
any new alerts that are generated. The refresh rate is user defined
but is typically set to 60 seconds. However, the user may request
an immediate refresh at any time by touching the "Refresh"
button.
[0089] Each equipment item on the View PM Screen can be "touched"
by the user to access the system information concerning that
particular piece of equipment and its scheduled maintenance alert.
The View PM screen may also have a touch area to view unscheduled
service items, later described. To view the required maintenance
for an alerted item of equipment, the user touches the equipment ID
on the screen. Upon selection, the currently due maintenance
requirements will be displayed. A representative screen shot is
shown as FIG. 2.
[0090] Shown in FIG. 2 is the preventative schedule maintenance for
the (E5500-B) Reelmaster 5500-D equipment. To the right of each
service requirement is that service's "Next Maintenance
Meter/Date." This field indicates the point at which the service
requirement became due. This may be a meter reading, odometer
reading or a date, depending on how the service interval is
configured within the system. The check boxes on the left may be
used to choose specific service requirements to be included when
the Work Order is created, as later described.
[0091] This PM Alert Detail screen also includes some basic
information at the top of the screen. In addition to the
equipment's Stock Number and Description, displayed in red, the
header also displays today's date and the current meter reading for
this piece of equipment.
[0092] This screen includes (3) buttons that perform in the
following ways: [0093] (a) Create WO--Touching this button will
create a new preventative maintenance Work Order for the currently
selected equipment item. This Work Order will include all of the
currently due maintenance services that are selected, that is, that
have checks in the boxes to the left of them. By default, all due
maintenance items are selected, but the user may choose to unselect
any of them. In addition to creating the Work Order, pressing this
button prints a hard copy of the Work Order (if the system is
configured to auto-print newly created work orders). After
printing, the screen reverts to the "View PM Alerts" screen. If the
user chose to create a Work Order for all required services shown
on the Details screen, then the equipment item will no longer
appear on the "View PM Alerts" screen, as the equipment is now
"scheduled" for maintenance on an open work order, and the
maintenance for that equipment can be monitored on the "In
Progress" screen from the touch station. However, if the user left
some maintenance items unchecked when creating the work order, then
the equipment item will continue to be displayed in red on the
"View PM Alerts" screen alerting the user that there are still some
required services that are due and not in progress. [0094] (b)
Snooze--Touching this button allows the user to temporarily remove
an equipment item from the "View PM Alerts" tab by delaying all of
its currently required services until later, similar to how the
snooze button on an alarm clock operates. Users can choose to delay
services by incrementing hours, days, and/or mileage. Each
maintenance item will reference the snooze value appropriate to its
service interval. After setting the snooze criteria, touch the
"Save" button to complete the snooze, or touch the "Back" button to
return to the previous screen without snoozing the item. [0095] (c)
Main--Touching this button will return the user to the "Viewing PM
Alerts" tab.
[0096] ii. View In Progress Screen
[0097] The View In Progress screen allows the user to view open
equipment work orders. Any equipment items with service
requirements that have been committed to an open Work Order are
displayed on the "View In Progress" screen. This View In Progress
screen simply lists the equipment by suitable vehicle ID for which
a work order remains open, indicating that maintenance has been
initiated or is "in progress." The user may touch any listed
equipment item to access the details of that equipment's
outstanding work orders for maintenance services, including the
associated replacement parts and the labor times recommended to
complete the work. If there are multiple open work orders for that
piece of equipment, the user will be presented with a list of work
orders from which to choose. If, however, there is only one open
work order, the user is taken immediately into the work order
detail screen, a representative screen shot of such is shown in
FIG. 3.
[0098] The user can view additional details about the selected
piece of equipment by touching the equipment stock number in the
header field, shown as "(E5500-B) Reelmaster 5500-D" in FIG. 3. The
displayed screen would show pertinent information such as the Make,
Model, and Serial Number. From this detail screen, the user can
access the manufacturers published Parts List and Service Manual by
touching the "View Parts" and "View Manual" buttons.
[0099] The user performing the maintenance may update the data
fields in the work order, such as labor time and labor rates, parts
and services, etc (later described). Once the maintenance is
completed, the user can close the work order. Closure removes the
item from the "In Progress" list and resets the maintenance
services to trigger again at the next regularly scheduled
interval.
[0100] iii. Work Order Screen
[0101] There are (3) main sections, or tabs, that comprise the Work
Order detail:
[0102] (a) View Services Tab
[0103] The "View Services" tab is the default view, shown in FIG.
3. On this screen all of the In Progress maintenance service items
for the selected piece of equipment are displayed. The Work Order
number is displayed in the upper right hand corner.
[0104] Users can deselect any services not actually performed by
simply touching the checkbox adjacent to the listed service.
Deselected services are removed from the Work Order entirely once
the work order is closed. If the service item removed was "due",
then it will re-appear on the "View PM Alerts" screen, where it can
be snoozed or rescheduled on a new work order.
[0105] There are (2) buttons that are specific to the "View
Services" screen. [0106] (a) Add Scheduled Service--This button
will display a list of all scheduled/recommended maintenance
services associated with the currently displayed equipment item,
even those that are not currently due. Touch the checkbox adjacent
to a listed service to add it to the list of services performed
(e.g., add it to the Work Order). Services that are already
included on the Work Order are already checked and are colored red
in this list. Deselecting a service here will remove it just as if
you had deselected on the previous screen. Touching the "Done"
button saves the selections and returns the user to the services
tab. "Cancel" will return the user without changing the original
list of scheduled services. [0107] (b) Add Repair--This button
allows the users to include unscheduled repairs made to the
selected equipment item in addition to the maintenance services
already scheduled. Touching this button will display a special
touch screen keypad allowing users to describe the type of repair
performed (FIG. 7). Once the description has been entered, touch
the "OK" button to save it. Clicking "Cancel" will return the user
to the previous screen without changing the original list of
scheduled services. The touch screen keypad on the "Add Repair"
screen can be toggled between the default alphabetical
configuration and a standard keyboard "QWERTY" configuration.
Simply double-tap in the blank area to the left or right of the
keypad to switch.
[0108] Once a repair has been saved, it will appear in the "View
Services" list as "Repair" and the details of this repair can be
accessed by touching next to the "Repair" entry. To cancel the
repair, deselect its check box.
[0109] (b) View Parts Tab
[0110] The "View Parts" tab allows the user to confirm, add, or
delete parts used when servicing the selected equipment item (See
representative screen shot, FIG. 5). As used herein, "part"
includes equipment parts, such as an oil filter, and supplies, such
as oil. Any parts associated with the services found on the "View
Services" tab are automatically included. The user can deselect the
check box to the left of each part to delete it (e.g. remove it
from the work order).
[0111] Touch the "Add Parts" button to add the parts used during
this service but not already included. The "Adding a Part" screen
allows the user to specify the part used and indicate the quantity
of that part. The user may access a search screen to allow the user
to search for the appropriate part. Search fields include "Stock
Number" or "Item Description." Search criteria are selected (e.g.,
"Starts with", "Exactly equals", or "Matches anywhere"), with the
user inputting data through a touch screen keypad provided. A list
of parts that matches the search is produced and the user may
select one used for the maintenance. The user will then be returned
to the "Adding a Part" screen.
[0112] When the part and quantity has been selected, touch the "Add
This Part" button to save and return to the "View Parts" tab. Touch
"Cancel" to return without saving. The user can indicate the cost
of any miscellaneous parts used by touching the dollar field
adjacent to the "PM" or "Repair" label as appropriate. This will
produce another special number pad where the dollar amount may be
input. This feature can be used when only the approximate cost of
miscellaneous parts is needed without actually adding or
referencing those parts to the Work Order. If a repair was added,
the user can include its miscellaneous costs by touching the field
next to the "Repair" label.
[0113] (c) View Labor Tab
[0114] The "View Labor" screen allows the user to confirm, add, and
delete employees that performed the service on the selected
equipment. If a "default employee" has been defined in Setup (later
described), this person will automatically appear in this list as
the employee assigned to perform the work. The user can add
additional employees by touching the "Add Labor" button (see
representative screen shot, FIG. 6). To add an employee, first
choose his or her name from the drop down list. After selecting the
employee, next pick the rate: "Regular", "Overtime," or
"Doubletime." Finally choose the number of minutes the employee
spent working on the equipment item. To change the number of
minutes, use the arrow keys directly to the right of the "Minutes"
field. Finally, indicate if the employee spent this time doing
Preventative Maintenance ("PM") work, or Repair work, by touching
the "Type" field directly. Touch the "Done" button to save.
[0115] Each Work Order should have at least one employee assigned
before it can be closed. In order to track the labor cost
difference between equipment preventative maintenance labor cost
and equipment repair labor cost, each "Repair" must have an
employee assigned as well.
[0116] To print a hard copy of the Work Order, press the "Print"
button. The final step is to close the Work Order. Press the
"Close" button to indicate that all the service for this piece of
equipment is complete. The equipment item is removed from the "In
Progress" list and the scheduled services performed are reset to
trigger at the next regularly scheduled interval.
[0117] iv. Unscheduled Services
[0118] The "View PM Alerts" and "View In Progress" screens also
feature the "Unscheduled Services" button. Touching this allows the
user to create a new repair Work Order for a piece of equipment,
regardless of current scheduled maintenance requirements/status. To
add a repair task to a previously created Work Order, the user can
use the "Add Repair" button in the "View Services" screen. To
create a new work order that contains only the repair task, the
user touches the "Unscheduled Services" button, and selects the
equipment to service from the displayed list of all available
equipment. Once selected, a new work order is created and the user
is shown the "View In Progress: View Services" screen with a single
item presented, the "Repair" task. To complete the repair work
order the user inputs the description of the repair performed, the
parts used, and the labor time required to complete the work order
as previously described.
[0119] As described, the "Touch Station" is used to alert
maintenance personnel of equipment requiring maintenance on an
active ongoing basis. Alternatively, the host system could store
the specific maintenance alerts in a file to be accessed
periodically (one a day, etc) by maintenance personnel to determine
maintenance requirements.
[0120] b. Mobile Response Stations
[0121] The prior described PDA mobile field station can also
function as a mobile response station. The following sections will
describe functions of a response station as seen in a PDA
embodiment viewed from the menu displays.
[0122] i. Main Menu
[0123] The PDA main menu consists of four (4) options displayed as
touch buttons on the PDA's LED display. Simply touching any button
with your fingertip accesses the functions of that button. These
options include the "Inventory" button, "Update Meter" button,
"Required Maintenance (Req Maint)" button, and the "Equipment Work
Order (Eq WO)" button. [0124] (a) Inventory--the inventory button
allows users to dynamically add/insert new inventory items to the
GCS database, print bar code labels for inventory items, and
view/adjust inventory on-hand system count amounts. [0125] (b)
Update Meter--the update meter button allows users to scan an
equipment item, view its last known meter/odometer reading
(referenced in the GCS database), and update the meter/odometer
with the scanned equipment items actual/current reading. This
functionality was described in the Field Stations section, above.
[0126] (c) Required Maintenance (Req Maint)--the required
maintenance button allows users to either view all required
(triggered) service/maintenance for the entire equipment fleet or
scan a single equipment item's barcode and view its individual
current service requirements. Users can also open/close equipment
work orders for any required services that appear for an item.
[0127] (d) Equipment Work Orders (Eq WO)--the equipment work order
button allows users to view outstanding (in-progress)
service/maintenance work orders for the entire fleet or for a
single equipment item and update/close outstanding work orders for
individual equipment items.
[0128] ii. Required Maintenance Function
[0129] The Required Maintenance function of the PDA is designed to
display any equipment items with required maintenance. Users can
view maintenance due for one or all items. Once a user displays
required maintenance for a particular equipment item, he can
create/close a Work Order (WO) to service that item. The initial
Required Maintenance Main screen displays a date that defaults to
the current (today's) date as defined in the PDA System settings.
The user can change that date to check for service requirements
through different dates (for example, the user could pick the next
day's date to see required service for all equipment items through
tomorrow in order to create a "to-do" list the night before). When
the user clicks the "Get All Required Maintenance" button, the
application checks for all equipment items where required service
is due (note: this part of the application will only display items
where service is due or will be due . . . not where service is in
progress). If there are no equipment items currently requiring
service, a popup dialog informs the user of this and the
application returns to the screen above. If there are one or more
equipment items requiring maintenance, the application displays
these items in a pick list, see screen shot, FIG. 7.
[0130] The "Back" button allows the user to go back to the previous
Required Maintenance Main screen and query against a different date
or simply cancel the action. To view required maintenance for any
individual equipment item presented in the list, the user simply
selects that item from the list by tapping directly on the item.
Once the user selects any item displayed in the list, he will be
presented with the detailed, individual maintenance requirements
for the selected item, see screen shot FIG. 8.
[0131] The "Back" button will return the user to the previous pick
list screen, allowing selection of another equipment item. The
"Create Work Order" button brings up a screen that specifies the
employee assigned to perform the task, the employees assigned labor
rate, and expected time to complete the maintenance service. The
Emp (Employee) and Rate fields can be modified (a different
employee or a different labor rate, such as overtime) by tapping
the down arrow adjacent to those fields. The time filed can be
modified on this screen by tapping the large up/down arrows
adjacent to the Minutes field which will change the expected/actual
labor time for the work order. Clicking "Cancel" causes the dialog
box to disappear and returns the user to the previous screen and no
work order is created. Clicking "OK" will create the work order
using the information currently indicated in each field and return
the user to the Main Menu screen. If the "Close WO" checkbox is
checked, the work order will be created and closed simultaneously
upon clicking "OK" (Note that for the work order to be closed, the
"Minutes" field must have an amount entered). If the "Close WO"
checkbox is selected with the intention to close the work order on
the fly, no parts/supplies can be associated for use on that
particular equipment work order (this function to open & close
work orders simultaneously via the PDA is for "quick and dirty"
service confirmations designed primarily to indicate that the
service was performed and to reset equipment service requirements
to their next scheduled date/meter/odometer).
[0132] After successfully creating the work order, the application
refreshes the list of equipment requiring maintenance and
redisplays any remaining equipment with required service on the
pick list screen, allowing the user to view any remaining equipment
items requiring maintenance (this allows the user to quickly repeat
the "create work order" process for other equipment items).
[0133] iii. Equipment Work Order (Eq Wo) Function
[0134] The Equipment Work Order function allows the user to check
for any open (in progress) equipment work orders and update and/or
close those work order(s). The user can either check for all open
work orders, or check the open work orders for a single equipment
item by scanning that single equipment item's barcode. The user can
also add/associate any inventory/parts used in the work order by
scanning the inventory items barcode and confirming/specifying the
quantity used. If the user requests "Get All Open Work Orders" but
no equipment items currently have open work orders, the PDA
application will indicate this lack of open work orders by
displaying an appropriate message. If the user clicks the Get All
Open Work Orders button and open equipment work orders exist, the
application will display all equipment items found with open work
orders by displaying them in a pick list (see FIG. 9).
[0135] The Back button returns the user to the initial/previous
equipment work order screen. Otherwise, the user can select any
equipment item by clicking the item from the pick list to display
its associated (open) work orders (see below).
[0136] If instead of clicking the Get All Open Work Orders button
from the initial equipment work order screen the user had scanned
or input a single equipment item, the handheld would display all
open work orders for the selected/scanned equipment item only. The
PDA will display all open work orders (regardless if there is only
one open work order or more than one open work order) for a single
equipment item as a pick list and then allow the user to
select/pick any of the displayed work orders from the list to
view/complete.
[0137] By selecting a particular work order and requesting
"Details," the underlying maintenance requirements associated with
the given work order are displayed. Additionally, by
selecting/picking an individual work order displayed in the pick
list brings the user to the Close WO/Scan Parts screen. This screen
allows the user to add parts to the work order by scanning the
parts bar code. If the user scans an item (part) that is not found
(does not exist in inventory), the application notifies the user
and returns to the above screen again and waits for another part
scan. If the user scans an item (part) that is found then the
application requests the user to input the quantity used. The "Qty
to add" field defaults to "1" which can be adjusted up or down. The
user can then "Add" the inventory item/part to the work order with
the indicated quantity. The PDA will then return the user to the
scan parts screen again waiting to scan/add another part to the
work order. At this point the user can continue to scan and add
inventory items (parts) to the work order by continuing to use the
Add button.
[0138] The user can also select to close a work order, using the
"Close WO" button.
[0139] (a) Closing Equipment Work Orders
[0140] The user can select to close a work order. On making this
selection, the system will request the user to finalize the labor
(employee that performed the work, associated labor rate and
associated employee labor time). Clicking "OK" will close the work
order using the information currently indicated in each field and
return the user to the Equipment Work Order Main (initial) screen
(waiting to check open work orders for all items or a single
scanned equipment item). The "Emp" (Employee) and "Rate" fields
will be auto-filled with the selections entered when the Equipment
Work Order was originally created. The Emp (Employee) and Rate
fields can be changed to another selection (a different employee or
a different labor rate, such as overtime) by tapping the down arrow
adjacent to those fields.
[0141] (b) Update Meter: View Service
[0142] This section has been described previously. However, when a
user updates an equipment items meter, a service alert may be
indicated. If this is the case, the GCS system may notify the
person performing the update that service is required via an
appropriate message on the PDA LED screen. In this fashion, the
on-site maintenance employee may undertake the maintenance.
However, to undertake maintenance, a work order must be opened. The
PDA can be used to open the requisite work order. The "Create Work
Order" button displays a screen requesting labor information
(employee, rates and times) using the system defaults specified in
the GCS host/database application. The Emp (Employee) and Rate
fields can be changed to another selection from the default (a
different employee or a different labor rate, such as overtime) by
tapping the down arrow adjacent to those fields. This drop-down
simply references other available employees and/or rates from the
GCS database.
[0143] The large up/down arrows adjacent to the Minutes field will
change the expected/actual labor time for the work order. Clicking
"Cancel" causes the dialog box to disappear and returns the user to
the previous screen and no work order is created. Clicking "OK"
will create the work order using the information currently
indicated in each field and return the user to the update meter
screen (waiting for the next equipment scan). If the "Close WO"
checkbox is checked, the work order will be created and closed
simultaneously upon clicking "OK" (Note that for the work order to
be closed, the "Minutes" field must have an amount entered). If the
"Close WO" checkbox is selected with the intention to close the
work order on the fly, no parts/supplies can be associated for use
on that particular equipment work order (this function to open
& close work orders simultaneously via the PDA is for "quick
and dirty" service confirmations designed primarily to indicate
that the service was performed and to reset equipment service
requirements to their next scheduled date/meter/odometer).
[0144] c. GCS Station
[0145] The system can include one or more base stations, such as a
desktop or laptop, called a GCS station, which is generally a
desktop workstation networked into the system host (intranet or
internet). The GCS station may communicate directly with the host
system database. Each golf course may have at least one GCS station
associated with the course, but several courses may share the GCS
station. The GCS station can perform the same functions as the
touch station (using a pointing device such as a mouse or the
keyboard instead of the touch screen features) and other response
stations, and additionally, can be used to update meter readings to
the system (i.e., can be considered a field input device or a means
to transmit). Additionally, the GCS station allows the user (under
suitable password protection) to access and exercise the
data-mining capabilities of the system (later described), inventory
functions and other management features of the system, such as to
set up or configure the maintenance options for a particular golf
course.
[0146] The user logs into the GCS system and accesses the
"Equipment: Setup" screen. There are (2) available setup options:
Equipment setup and Touch Screen setup.
[0147] i. Equipment
[0148] The Equipment setup screen includes (4) options: [0149] (a)
"When equipment maintenance is performed, calculate the next
required maintenance by adding the service interval to . . .
"--This field refers to what happens when a preventative
maintenance Work Order is closed. GCS calculates the next time a
maintenance item is due by simply adding the scheduled maintenance
interval to the meter or date of the last maintenance. But "last
maintenance" could mean the last time that maintenance was actually
performed on a piece of equipment, or it could mean the last time
maintenance was recommended to be performed on a piece of
equipment. The user may select the desired method to employ. [0150]
(b) "Default Employee for Eq. Maint WO's"--This is the employee
that is desired as the default person that will be automatically
assigned to equipment Preventative Maintenance Work Orders when
they (work orders) are created. [0151] (c) "Default Employee Labor
Time for Eq. Maint WO tasks (Minutes)"--This is a user defined
amount of labor time it takes to complete a Preventative
Maintenance Work Order that is assigned by default. [0152] (d) "Use
Manufacturer Estimated Labor Times to compute WO Employee
Labor"--If the Preventative Maintenance services that are being
performed have associated with them Manufacturers Completion Time
Estimates, and if this option is checked, then the Default Employee
Labor Time (Equipment option 3, above) will be superseded by the
sum of the Manufacturers Completion Time Estimates for each
maintenance service on the work order.
[0153] ii. Touch Station Setup
[0154] The Touch Station setup screen includes (5) options: [0155]
(a) "Allow WO's that are "In Progress" to appear on
TouchScreen"--Check this option if you want the Touch Station to
display the information on the "View In Progress" tab. Disabling
this option would limit Touch Station features to display only
information on the "View PM Alerts" tab. [0156] (b) "Allow
employees to snooze Req. Maint. from TouchScreen"--Check this
option if you want to enable the "Snooze" feature. Disabling this
option means that the Touch Station will continue to display
equipment with service alerts until a Work Order is actually
generated for that equipment item and its currently alerted
services. [0157] (c) "Allow employees to create WO's from the
TouchScreen"--Check this to allow employees the ability to create
Work Orders from the Touch Station. Disabling this option means
that Touch Station users can view the equipment service alerts, but
creating the actual Work Orders would need to be performed from
within GCS. [0158] (d) "Allow employees to close WO's from the
TouchScreen"--Check this to allow employees the ability to close
Work Orders from the Touch Station. Disabling this option would
mean that, though employees can open Work Orders using the Touch
Station, closing them would need to be performed from within GCS.
[0159] (e) "Auto-Close WO's created from the TouchScreen"--Enable
this option if you want the Touch Station to automatically close
Work Orders the moment they are created. This also has the
side-effect of eliminating the "In Progress" tab.
[0160] iii. Other GCS Station Functions
[0161] The GCS station can be used to access the host system in the
capacity of system administrator, under suitable login/password
protections. The administrator can configure the host system to
accommodate golf course definitions (when more than one course is
utilizing the system), allocate resources, and assign network
addresses. The GCS station can also access the Opportunity Manager
software, later described.
[0162] 5. Other Host System functions:
[0163] The host system software can accommodate a variety of
specific software applications associated with the given setting. A
common application is inventory control.
[0164] a. Inventory
[0165] The system includes an inventory module to track parts and
supplies inventory. Upon system initialization, the existing parts
inventory must be correctly initialized. The inventory functions
can be undertaken by a mobile response station or a wired response
station, including the GSC Station. The inventory functions will be
described using the mobile as the working example. Parts inventory
must first be established in the database. A user opens the
inventory module in the mobile device for this purpose by using the
"inventory" button from the main screen. Upon access, the screen
shown in FIG. 10 is displayed.
[0166] Clicking GCS Main will return the user to the main GCS PDA
menu/interface. Clicking Create New Item will display the screen
shown in FIG. 11 (note that the Create New Item feature is disabled
for courses that implement the GCS "Management" Application (Mgmt
App)).
[0167] The Create New dialogue screen requires the user to enter a
stock number (can be any combination of letters/numbers/ASCII
characters), description, group/subgroup (Grp/Sub), stock keeping
unit (SKU), and quantity on hand. The Barcode field is
auto-generated by the application if the field is left blank. If
the Barcode field is entered it will be used as the barcode (limit
of 10 characters). If the Print Barcode checkbox is selected, the
application will attempt to print the barcode once the Create
button is selected (to a valid, connected bar code printer such as
the Zebra PT400) as well as add the new inventory item/part to the
GCS database once the Create button is pressed. Once the Create
button is selected, the application will return to the above screen
waiting for the user to create/add another inventory item. The Back
button returns the user to the Inventory Main screen.
[0168] If the user scans (or manually enters) an inventory items
bar code from the Inventory Main Screen, the screen shown in FIG.
12 is displayed. Clicking Print Barcode will attempt to print the
items barcode (to a valid, connected bar code printer such as the
Zebra PT400). Clicking Back will return the user to the Inventory
Main Screen (waiting for next item scan). Users can change/update
the quantity on hand field by clicking the up/down arrows adjacent
to the "New Qty on hand:" field. Once the new quantity is selected,
clicking Update Quantity (Update Qty) will transmit the updated
information to the GCS application. If the update is successful,
the user is notified, and the system returns to a screen comparable
to that shown in FIG. 10.
[0169] The inventory function of the system integrates with the
work order function. When a work order is opened, the parts
recommended on that work order are flagged in the inventory system
as assigned. However, the inventory levels are not decremented to
account for an assignment of parts to a work order. Inventory
levels are adjusted upon the closing of a work order, when it can
be determined what parts were actually used. An "Assigned Part"
which was not used on the work order would be surrendered from the
work order and reflected as inventory on-hand.
[0170] b. Employee Utilization:
[0171] The system can also be used to store employee utilization.
Employee data is entered and stored in the employee area of the
database, and employee actual work order times and recommended task
work order times can be stored. In this fashion, employee
utilization and efficiency can be monitored by management.
[0172] System Overview As described, the system includes a server
hosting the GCS program with access to the database(s). Vehicle
monitored characteristics (maintenance trigger data) are
transmitted to the host system from field input devices. Based upon
the values transmitted, the host server may broadcast a maintenance
alert to available response stations. The user (through the
administration functions of the software) may assign those defined
response station that are elected to receive alerts from a
particular vehicle or course. From the response station, a work
order can be opened. The maintenance to be performed on that work
order is initially set by the host system based upon the
manufacturer's recommendations (or as modified by the user), and
includes recommended parts and labor. The maintenance employee
undertaking the work can adjust/modify and custom tailor the work
scheduled on the work order. When the work is complete, the
maintenance employee may update the work order to reflect actual
parts/labor utilized, and close the work order. The information
contained in a work order is used to suitably adjust inventory
levels, and the work order is archived for later use in the
data-mining modules (available through GCS and The Opportunity
Manager as later described). The system updates the records for the
particular equipment, and resets the value for the maintenance
trigger point to the next manufacturer recommended interval, as
adjusted by the user.
[0173] c. The Opportunity Manager
[0174] The data mining aspect of the system (referred to as he
"Opportunity Manager") facilitates remote monitoring, predictive
modelling and management of fleets and inventory from any computer
that can access the Host system. One embodiment of the Opportunity
Manager performs the following basic functions. [0175] (a) Forecast
current or upcoming part requirements; [0176] (b) Forecast current
or upcoming service requirements; [0177] (c) View completed
equipment service/work order histories; [0178] (d) Compare expected
part, service, and labor requirements with actual parts consumed,
actual services performed, and/or actual labor expended; [0179] (e)
View equipment operating parameters and historic and/or forecasted
equipment utilization.
[0180] A user accesses the host system though the Internet or
intranet, and logs onto the Opportunity Manager, using a User ID
and password. Access to certain records or record types may be
controlled by the system manager when setting up the User ID
account; for instance, a user for golf course 2 may be denied
access to records associated with golf courses other than golf
course 2. The opportunity Manager presents a screen to the user
having five sections, each organized as tabs located across the top
of the screen: [0181] (a) Parts Tab: Forecasts current or upcoming
part requirements. [0182] (b) Services Tab: Forecasts current or
upcoming service requirements. [0183] (c) Service History Tab:
Catalog historical equipment services (work orders). [0184] (d)
Maintenance Audit Tab: Compare expected equipment part, service and
labor requirements (as specified by the manufacturer) with actual
parts consumed, services performed, and labor times expended at
customer sites. [0185] (e) Telematics Tab: Detail equipment
operating parameters and historic and/or forecasted equipment
utilization.
[0186] i. Parts Forecasting
[0187] The Parts tab is designed to forecast parts required to
complete current/upcoming equipment maintenance. To forecast part
requirements, the user specifies the search criteria, including
"customer sites" (for instance, the particular golf courses to
include in the parts forecast) to include in the forecast by
clicking the "Select Sites" button. This produces a pick list
allowing users to choose sites to include in the forecast. The user
selects from this list those sites to include in the forecast
(check the box adjacent to each site name to select or uncheck the
box to deselect) and then clicks the "OK" button to return to the
main menu.
[0188] Additionally, users must choose the forecast window or time
frame, currently a date range or meter range, to include in the
forecast. A default timeline window of 30 days from the current
date is provided during which maintenance requirements (and hence
parts) are to be forecast. However, the user may modify this window
by specifying either (a) the number of days during which service is
predicted to occur (other than 30) or (b) specify the stopping
date, using the current date as the starting point. Forecast
results will include all of those services that will become due
from the current date through the date specified. For instance, the
system will use prior vehicle maintenance trigger data to develop
an "average daily usage." This average daily usage is then
multiplied by the number of days specified by the user to arrive at
a predicted maintenance trigger data. It then takes the difference
between this predicted trigger value and the current last known
trigger value to determine if one or more maintenance service
cycles is expected.
[0189] Alternatively, users can forecast part requirements based on
engine hour accumulation (alternatively, odometer accumulation
could be utilized), to forecast by meter. In this instance, the
user specifies the hour window within which to forecast--that is
results will include all of those services that will become due
after "X" number of hours have been added to the current engine
hour meter, where X is specified in the field "Forecast scheduled
service for next [ ] hours."
[0190] After selecting the forecast method, the system generates
the forecast as selected upon clicking the "Forecast Parts" Button.
The Opportunity Manager will interrogate each site to determine the
equipment items that have or will have service due as well as the
replacement parts required to complete those services in the
interval or window specified. The results are then displayed on the
lower half of the screen in a results grid. See FIG. 13.
[0191] As described, the search criteria are specified by course or
site name. Obviously, other search criteria could be generated
(manufacturer, or manufacturer/courses). The algorithm for
forecasting in essence takes the current stored value for each item
of equipment and adds the window value. This new value is them
compared to scheduled maintenance specifications to determine if
maintenance, and hence parts, are required. Obviously, a more
sophisticated algorithm could be devised, as the system stores
meter readings and date/time of meter reading in the database.
Forecast methods can include undertaking a linear regression on the
stored data to use in forecasting, an average value could be used,
a projection could be done using the last stored interval data, or
other method familiar to those in the arts. For instance, if the
projected window is ten days, the algorithm could take the last
meter reading (assuming it's an incremental reading, or a delta
reading) and compute the time between the prior two meter readings
to arrive at a (meter increment/day) ratio. This ration would then
be used to project the expected meter reading after 10 days
additional usage at the ratio rate.
[0192] (a) The Results Grid
[0193] The results of the part forecast are displayed in the lower
half of the screen in the results grid (See FIG. 13 for a screen
shot). Scroll bars located to the right and bottom of the grid are
available to view information that cannot be displayed in the
default window size. The part results grid as shown includes the
following 7 columns: [0194] (a) Site: The owner of the listed
equipment and candidate for parts fulfillment. [0195] (b) Part: The
vendor part number/part description needed to complete the
associated service. [0196] (c) Total Qty Required for Forecast
Period: The total part quantity required within the forecast
parameters. This field is calculated by multiplying the "#/Svc
(number parts per service)" value by the "# Svcs (number service
cycles within forecast)" value. [0197] (d) QOH: (Quantity On Hand).
The amount of the part that currently exists on-site in customer
inventory. [0198] (e) Qty to Order: The difference between the
total quantity required and the quantity on hand. [0199] (f) Part $
(EA): Per unit cost of each part. [0200] (g) Part $ (Total): Total
cost for the cumulative part quantity required. At the bottom of
the grid is shown a series of summary fields for each numerical
column
[0201] (b) The Results Graph
[0202] Below the results grid is shown a graph depicting the total
part dollar "opportunity" at each site. This view is intended to
provide users with a graphical idea of the total dollar value of
all parts required over the forecast period/range. By default, the
graph is displayed along with the grid; however, the user can
select to view the full graph, or can select to hide the graph by
appropriate selections.
[0203] (c) Creating Pick Lists
[0204] After forecasting required parts, remote users can
allocate/ship required parts and update customer on-site
inventories using the "Create Pick List . . . " function. The
Opportunity Manager will display a pick list for all required parts
to be shipped and can automatically update the customer's on-site
parts inventory to indicate that these parts have already been
allocated/shipped.
[0205] To create a Pick List, simply click the "Create Pick List .
. . " button after generating a part forecast and if more than one
site was created, select the sites for which a "Pick List" is to be
created. The system will then generate the Pick Lick for the
selected site. See FIG. 14 for a screen shot showing a
representative "Pick List."
[0206] The resulting pick list grid displays all of the parts that
are required for current/upcoming service at the selected site, and
allows the user to specify the parts and part quantities to ship to
that site. As shown, the Pick List grid contains the following 5
columns: [0207] (a) Ship (checkbox): By default, this box is
checked only for items that have a "Needed" value (required
quantity) of at least 1. [0208] (b) Part: The vendor part (stock)
number followed by the part description/name. [0209] (c) $EA: The
part per unit cost. [0210] (d) Needed: The difference between the
total quantity required and the quantity on-hand at the customer
site. [0211] (e) Ship Qty: By default, this column equals the
"Needed" column; however, the user may change this value. In
addition to these five columns, the user may record additional
comments in the "Pick List Notes" field. This is a free-form text
field that can be used to indicate any special instructions for the
shipment.
[0212] The Pick List is a listing of projected parts requirements.
This list may be integrated with a purchase order routine (if
created by the golf course staff) to order the parts, or the list
may be used by a parts vendor/distributor to notify the golf course
of projected shortfalls in order to prompt an order.
[0213] If the user desires, the user may click the "Update Client
Parts Inventory" button to record the ordering of the parts on the
pick list in the inventory area of the database.
[0214] (d) Pick List History
[0215] To view a report of all previously generated and executed
pick lists, click the "Pick List History . . . " button. This will
display a screen with the following 5 columns: [0216] (a) Pick List
#: An auto-assigned (unique) transaction ID for the previously
generated/executed pick list. This ID is also visible when the pick
list is initially generated (viewable in the title bar above the
site name). [0217] (b) Date: The date the pick list was
generated/executed. [0218] (c) Site/Course: The site for which the
pick list was created. [0219] (d) Notes: Any notes recorded when
the pick list was generated/executed. [0220] (e) Applied: Indicates
if the pick list was used to update the inventory on-hand at the
customer site ("Y" or yes), or if it was simply viewed and not
applied ("N" or no). In addition, the details of each pick list
transaction can be viewed by clicking the "+" button located to the
left of the Pick List # column. In FIG. 5, Pick List #6 has been
expanded to reveal the parts that were shipped in that pick
list.
[0221] ii. Service Forecasting
[0222] The Services tab is used to forecast required equipment
maintenance and associated labor resources and the method is very
similar to parts forecasting. The search criteria are selected for
purposes of forecasting (as implemented, by Site or Golf course)
and the user must select the forecast method "Forecast by Days:" or
"Forecast by Meter" and the appropriate forecast window length (the
date/meter range to include in the forecast). FIG. 16 shows a
representative screen shot of a 30 day service forecast for a site
named "Farmlinks."
[0223] As shown in FIG. 15, the Services results grid displays the
following 6 columns: [0224] (a) Site: The owner of the listed
equipment and candidate for equipment maintenance. [0225] (b)
Equipment: The equipment item with required service. The
parenthetical field to the left is the equipment identification
number. [0226] (c) Service Item: The service (PM) that will become
due within the selected date/meter range. [0227] (d) # Svcs:
(Number services). The number of times the service will become due
over the forecast range/period. [0228] (e) Total Minutes: The
Standard Repair Time (SRT) for the service specified by the
manufacturer. [0229] (f) Labor $: The associated labor cost to
perform this service. This is calculated by multiplying the "#
Svcs" field, the "Rec Minutes" field, and the "Services Hourly
Labor Rate" (Note: Users can change the "Services Hourly Labor
Rate" by clicking the "Prefs" button and re-forecasting)
[0230] iii. Service History
[0231] Additionally, the Opportunity Manager has "Services History"
and "Maintenance Audit" tabs to analyze historical data. The
Service History tab is designed to detail previously performed
equipment maintenance for individual equipment items, both
Preventative Maintenance and unscheduled Repair Service. As
currently implemented, users can search for historical data within
the past "X" number of days ("Retrieve history for past [X] days"),
search for all data before today through a specified previous past
date ("Retrieve history since [mm/dd/yyyy]"), search for all data
between any two user-specified dates ("Retrieve history between
[mm/dd/yyyy] and [mm/dd/yyyy]"), or search for all data, regardless
of the date ("Retrieve ALL history"). FIG. 17 shows a screen shot
for a "Retrieve ALL" search.
[0232] The Service History results grid displays the following 10
columns: [0233] (a) Site: The owner of the listed equipment. [0234]
(b) WO #: The work order number/ID for the service performed.
[0235] (c) WO Date: The Work Order date (the date the maintenance
was performed). [0236] (d) Task #: The task number of the specified
work order number (a single work order can have multiple tasks).
[0237] (e) Task Type: The category of work performed. Either "PM"
(Preventative Maintenance) or "Repair". [0238] (f) Equipment Item:
The actual equipment item serviced. The equipment identification
number is listed in parenthesis followed by the equipment
description/name. [0239] (g) Labor Hrs: The actual labor time spent
on the service. [0240] (h) Labor $: The associated labor cost for
the service work performed. Calculated by multiplying the Labor Hrs
by the specified hourly wage of the employee that performed the
work. [0241] (i) Non-Inv Parts $: The total cost of miscellaneous
parts used in the service that are not associated with a specific
vendor part number. [0242] (j) v Parts $: The total cost of
inventory items (vendor parts) used in the service.
[0243] iv. Maintenance Audit
[0244] The Maintenance Audit tab displays services that have
already been performed. However, the Maintenance Audit tab does not
focus on individual work order details, but is designed to compare
expected versus actual equipment services performed, parts used and
labor times expended.
[0245] To facilitate this comparison, the Opportunity Manager
"rolls up" (aggregates) service requirements for each common
equipment model across all selected sites for a specific date
range. This allows users to compare the average "expected" services
performed and parts utilized and labor times expended (as specified
by the manufacturer) for identical equipment models with the
average "actual" services performed, parts utilized and labor times
expended (as actually performed by the site(s) interrogated).
[0246] To generate the audit, simply choose the desired date range
using the check boxes (radio buttons) and fields above the grid,
then click "Run Audit." A representative screen shot of a
Maintenance Audit is shown in FIG. 18.
[0247] The Maintenance Audit results grid contains the following 7
columns: [0248] (a) Model #: The equipment model number to which
the Maintenance Audit data refers. [0249] (b) Model # Description:
The description of the equipment model to which the Maintenance
Audit data refers. [0250] (c) Rollup Size: The total number of
identical model numbers for the selected site(s) that has had at
least one service within the specified date range. For example,
across all selected sites, there are 12 Greensmaster 800 (model
04048) that have been serviced in the past 180 days (see FIG. 11
below; 2nd row from bottom of grid). [0251] (d) AEP $$: (Average
Expected Parts Cost). The average expected part requirements (in
dollar cost terms) to complete expected maintenance work for this
model number/description for the date range specified across the
rollup. "Expected cost" is calculated using part prices as supplied
by the manufacturer. [0252] (e) AEL Time (hrs): (Average Expected
Labor Time). The average expected time that it should take to
complete expected maintenance work for this model
number/description for the date range specified across the rollup.
"Expected time" is calculated using standard service repair times
(SRT's) as supplied by the manufacturer. [0253] (f) AAP $$:
(Average Actual Parts Cost). The average actual parts used (in
dollar cost terms) for completed (actual) maintenance work for this
model number/description for the date range specified across the
rollup. "Actual costs" is calculated using part prices as supplied
by the manufacturer (actual part prices of individual sites is
ignored in order to provide manufacturer with an apples-to-apples
comparison of expected versus actual part (dollar) opportunity).
[0254] (g) AAL Time (hrs): (Average Actual Labor Time). The average
actual time for completed (actual) maintenance work for this model
number/description for the date range specified across the rollup.
"Actual time" is calculated using the specific labor time recorded
for the work on each equipment model at each site.
[0255] In addition, users may view maintenance details of a
specific equipment model number by clicking on the "+" symbol to
the left of the "Model #" column, as shown in the screen shot of
FIG. 19. The results are displayed in the following 3 columns:
[0256] (a) Service: The equipment maintenance service
expected/performed [0257] (b) AE Cycles: "Average Expected Cycles".
The average number of expected cycles/iterations (as defined by the
manufacturer) for each service across the interrogated model number
and specified date range. [0258] (c) AA Cycles: "Average Actual
Cycles". The average number of actual cycles/iterations (as
performed by the site(s)) for each service across the interrogated
model number and specified date range.
[0259] Finally, for each service that includes associated part
requirements, users may click the "+" button to the left of that
service to display part details. The results are displayed in the
following 5 columns, shown in FIG. 20: [0260] (a) Part(s): The
vendor part (stock) number (in parenthesis) and part description.
[0261] (b) AE Qty: (Average Expected Quantity). The average
expected part quantity needed to perform the expected services for
the interrogated model number and specified date range across the
rollup. [0262] (c) AE Part $$: (Average Expected Part Cost). The
average expected part cost (extrapolated from AE Qty) for the
interrogated model number and specified date range across the
rollup. [0263] (d) AA Qty: (Average Actual Quantity). The average
actual quantity of this part utilized to perform services actually
performed for the interrogated model number and specified date
range across the rollup. [0264] (e) AA Part $$: (Average Actual
Part Cost). The average actual part cost (extrapolated from AA Qty)
for the interrogated model number and specified date range across
the rollup.
[0265] v. Telematics
[0266] The Telematics tab provides the user with information about
equipment operating parameters (such as current engine hour
reading) and historic and/or forecasted utilization. Regardless of
how the meter or odometer reading is updated, the results of that
update are recorded and accessible through the Opportunity Manager
Telematics tab, by accessing the "View Meter Usage" button.
[0267] The results grid displays a row for each equipment item that
has been utilized within the specified date range for all sites
selected. The grid contains the following 8 columns, shown in the
screen shot of FIG. 21: [0268] (a) Site: The owner/location of the
listed equipment. [0269] (b) Equipment Item: Description of the
equipment item. [0270] (c) Stock/Identification Num: The equipment
identification number for the described equipment item. [0271] (d)
# of Uses: The number of times the equipment meter/odometer was
updated within the specified date range. If the meter is being
updated exclusively via telematics, this will necessarily also
equal the number of times the equipment's ignition was started.
[0272] (e) Usage Date Range: The earliest and latest date that the
meter was updated within the specified date range. [0273] (f) Total
Usage: The current meter/odometer reading of the equipment item.
[0274] (g) Units: The typical operating units (i.e., hours, miles,
etc.). [0275] (h) Avg Daily Usage: The average daily usage of the
equipment item.
[0276] (a) Filtering/Grouping
[0277] All Opportunity Manager data can be filtered to return
specific answers to questions asked.
[0278] Access to the filter is provided by the "Filter" button on
any Opportunity Manager screen. The filter screen is usually
specific to screen it was accessed from (the screen currently being
filtered) and allows users to specify particular value(s) or ranges
of values against the entire (currently displayed) dataset. For
example, to view only services that take five minutes to complete
under the Services tab, click on the Filter and then click on the
"Minutes" field and enter "5" in the "Starting Range" field and "5"
in the "Ending Range" field, as shown in the screen shot of FIG.
22.
[0279] As a result, the data in the Services tab will be narrowed
to only display the services taking exactly five minutes. The user
may remove the filter and represent the original dataset by
accessing the "Filter" button a second time and choosing the
"Clear" buttons.
[0280] The user may also choose to "group" the data presented in
the grid by any of the listed columns. This is accomplished by
clicking-and-dragging any of the column headers of the results grid
into the darker area above the results grid. For example, to group
by "Course", left-click and continue to hold the mouse button on
the column header "Course" and drag it into the darker area above
the heading labeled "Drag a column header here to group by that
column." See FIG. 23. A benefit of grouping this way, for example,
is to summarize labor cost sub-totals for each sub group.
[0281] Each course now has its own "section" of the grid, and each
section contains labor cost totals. By default only one of the
course's details are expanded, but the other course details can be
expanded and contracted again by clicking on the "+" symbol
adjacent to their name.
* * * * *