Geo Track Predictive Traceability and Autonomation 1
Geo Track is an automated vehicles, equipments, goods or persons localization system and resources management. Geo Track provides exact localization of equipments (i.e.: trucks or forklifts) and persons within large sites such as airports or seaports, warehouses or factories where GPS/GSM applications are not utilizable for GSM/GPRS cost issues or indoor applications where GPS is not functional. Geo Track provides «Predictive Traceability» features, which increase the flexibility of operations and reduce operations costs. Geolocalization and Tracing & Tracking issues: GSM / GPS or GPRS / GPS technologies are widely developed and provide geolocalization features, which are important for the management of critical equipments such as trucks or cranes, forklifts or other industrial equipments. However, GSM or GPRS communications could be expensive if extensively utilized, and, GPS receivers are not functional indoors. Geo Track is a system that provides geolocalisation, tracing & tracking and optimization of operations within large sites as seaports or airports, factories or warehouses. The Geo Track System is composed of: - A supervision unit, which is possibly connected to an ERP. - Geo Track devices that are equipped with display, sensors and actuators. The architecture is based on the ZigBee technology. ZigBee is a mature RFID technology, which provides geolocalization features and offers 1-meter localization accuracy within a large site, in addition with data communication. The Geo Track devices are ZigBee compliant using the 2.4 GHz ISM band and based on the 802.15.4 normalization. The network architecture could be defined as virtual because of the automatic rearrangement of the communication. The network is so flexible that the architecture might be Point-to-Point, Point-to- Multipoint, Peer-to-Peer and Mesh. Network features are network scan and auto-configuration, dynamic routing and security enabled mesh network. This provides redundancy, secure multi-communication nodes, and a line-of-sight range up to 1 mile or more and 100 meters indoors. 2
A Geo Track device contains a radio transceiver that transmits a unique ID number and which is able to converse with other devices, a micro-controller to store data and control display, sensors or actuators attached to the device. When multiple Geo Track devices are deployed together, they form a communication network, in which each node sends and receives data from any other nodes within its communication range. This enables the nodes to form a mesh, or network that can self-organize. In addition, some beacons could be deployed within the site to ensure the integrity of the network. The Geo Track devices are active, this means they contain batteries to operate or are powered from the equipment s battery (i.e.: truck, cranes or forklift) All equipments could be instantly localized within the site and without GSM or GPRS communication costs, thanks to the virtual distributed architecture network using ZigBee technology. Who are involved in the ZigBee Technology? Numerous large companies such as Ember Corporation, Freescale Semiconductor, Inc., Honeywell, Huawei Technologies, Mitsubishi Electric, Motorola, Philips, Samsung, Schneider Electric, Siemens, STMicroelectronics and Texas Instruments are part of the ZigBee Alliance to ensure the products developments. 3
ZigBee Networks Architectures: Cluster Tree Topology Star Topology Mesh Topology 4
System Architecture Drawing: Workstation ERP Geo Track Workstation 5
Predictive Traceability: Existing Tracing & Tracking devices and Geolocalization devices provide to users information that allow the decision makers to define what will be the next possible action to perform in a definite resource management process. However, this is generally a slow process that involves non-automated operations (i.e.: paperwork or radio communication with the Traffic Management). This is a cause of costs due to non-efficient operations. The objective of Geo Track is to generate automated cooperative operations to optimize handling operations and so reduce operative costs: - Geo Track is linked the Enterprise Resources Planning. Geo Track receives orders for goods handling operations and feeds back information when the operation is achieved. - Geo Track includes Optimization Engine software, which allows determining exact location and availability of equipments like trucks, cranes or forklifts. Geo Track manages also the in range and out range equipments and trigger alarms in case of unavailability of an equipment. - Geo Track, then, is able to communicate with the truck or forklift driver of the optimal and available equipment to take care of the load. Interoperability created between the ERP, Geo Track and the on-site working resources produces Automated Cooperative Operations (or Autonomation) to increase operations flexibility and reduce operation costs. 6
Geo Track Functional Diagram: ERP sends items handling or transportation. Geo Track receive items handling or transportation. Geo Track determine location of ressources (trucks of forklifts). Geo Track determine location of resources (trucks or forklifts) and equipements availability. Geo Track sends to the best available and located resources (truck of forklift) the item handling order. When the opertion is achieved, the driver sends an ackloledge to Geo Track. Geo Track knows the resource is available. Geo Track feedback to the ERP the operation is terminated. 7
Case study: Let s imagine a large warehouse with a lot of forklifts or trucks. Users are supposed to have a list that contains the indication of the loads they have to handle (item #, location of the item to handle). The process is generally not optimized and the travel time could be more important than necessary because of the travels and the availability of equipments is not optimized. More and more companies are using ERP systems (Enterprise Resources Planning like SAP, Oracle or PeopleSoft) and usually, ERP makes out what is the next necessary load to handle. Usually, forklift or onsite truck drivers have to go back to a dedicated meeting or discuss by radio with the warehouse traffic manager point to have new handling instructions. The Geo Track System includes an optimization engine that might be connected to the company ERP. Due to the interoperability with the ERP, Geo Track is able to send information in real time to the betterlocated and available forklift or truck to take care of the load. Geo Track devices are permanently connected with the Geo Track System. The system knows in real time the availability of all equipments and their exact localization. A Geo Track device includes a LCD display to notify to the driver information of the payload he has to handle. The driver is also able to notify to the system using a pushbutton that he is unable to handle a definite load (i.e.: forklift breakdown or driver rest). When a forklift or truck driver terminated the load handling, the Geo Track System feeds it back to the ERP to close the operation. 8
In real time or in batch, the interoperability with the Geo Track System allows for the ERP to receive data regarding the availability, the unusual or inappropriate stops or inappropriate location of all equipments within the site. In case of break in proceedings, Geo Track informs the ERP that the forklift(s) or truck(s) is (are) not available. This supposed case study is adaptable to other equipments than forklifts and trucks like conveyors or cranes and also to the personnel. Personnel Management: In the case of Personnel Management, Geo Track could address some applications like the very well know «first responder». In case of an emergency, like fire or accident, the interoperability between the security systems and Geo Track allows to transmit real time information to the best-situated person to intervene. 9
Benefits summary: - Accurate auto-localization within large sites as seaports or airports, warehouses or factories using ZigBee virtual distributed network architecture and technology. - Correlation and interoperability with Enterprise Resources Management (ERP) to produce Cooperative Operations that increase operations flexibility and reduce operative costs. - Positive and real time surveillance of equipments like trucks and forklift. Contact :Philippe Besnard T: 33(0)2 38 96 60 51 Mob: 33(0)6 07 73 56 10 Innovative Technologies 57, rue des cascades - 75020 PARIS SARL au capital de 1000 - Siret : 481 811 214 00016 - APE : 722A - TVA FR 85 481 811 214 10