Abstract:
A stowage and center of gravity verification and assessment tool which assists users in locating items within an environment, determining the center of gravity of the environment, and calculating item location changes that facilitate altering the center of gravity. Each item to be tracked within the environment is equipped with one or more remotely pollable identifiers, such as, without limitation, barcodes, or RFID or ultrasonic tags, and the system stores the mass of each item. As items are moved in the environment, the system tracks the impact of such movement on the environment&#39;s center of gravity and recommends item location changes. The system can also assist users in locating items within the environment, provide access to detailed information about individual items, and assist with task scheduling.

Description:
This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/910,538, filed Apr. 6, 2007, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     This application includes material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever. 
     FIELD 
     The instant disclosure relates to the field of asset management, and more specifically provides a system and method through which the location of various assets can be tracked, and which can assist in assessing and reconfiguring the center of gravity of a vehicle based on such tracking information. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Despite the relatively confined spaces associated with closed environments, such as, without limitation, marine vessels and spacecraft, the persons working in such environments still have difficulty tracking the location of a variety of items, including tools, equipment, supplies, and the like. While losing or misplacing an item is frustrating in a traditional, open environment, such items can typically be replaced with relative ease. In a closed environment, however, the misplaced items frequently cannot be replaced, and even in those cases where the item can be replaced, the cost of replacing the items in a relatively short time can be astronomical. 
     Another problem with misplaced, lost, or relocated items is the impact such items have on the center of gravity of the closed environment. Knowledge of the vehicle&#39;s center of gravity can significantly aid in predicting the result of various actions on the environment, such as, without limitation, the impact an acceleration will have on the a corresponding vehicle&#39;s trajectory. By way of example, if the cargo onboard a ship is weighted to one side, the ship will tend to pull to that side as it is propelled and/or accelerated. Similarly, if the cargo is weighted too far astern, the force generated by the ship&#39;s propulsion system will not be parallel with the water&#39;s surface, thereby creating inefficiencies which are exacerbated over a lengthy voyage. 
     SUMMARY 
     By monitoring the location of various items, it is possible to both help the occupants of the closed environment work more efficiently and, where the closed environment is a vehicle, for the vehicle to be operated more efficiently. Accordingly, the instant disclosure is directed to a stowage and center of gravity assessment tool that substantially obviates one or more of the problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art. 
     Additional features and advantages will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be apparent from this disclosure, or may be learned by practice thereof. The objectives and other advantages will be realized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in this written description, including any claims contained herein and the appended drawings. 
     Traditionally, items are assigned designated storage locations based on their purpose, the type of item, or some other criteria. When the item is needed, however, it can be moved throughout the environment. Although items are usually returned to their designated storage location, emergencies, accidents, and other such distractions can cause an item to be misplaced, put in an incorrect storage location, etc. By outfitting items with remotely pollable identification tags and positioning polling means throughout the environment, the location of the item can be easily determined. Still further, when the item location information is tracked by computer, the computer can permit users to view a graphical representation of the item location, such as, without limitation, in a three-dimensional model of the environment, on two-dimensional map of the environment or a portion of the environment, or the like. The user can also obtain information about the item, including, without limitation, usage instructions; maintenance and repair procedures; the location of parts and/or supplies; a listing of all tasks that utilize the item; a listing of upcoming, scheduled tasks that utilize the item; and the like. Computerized item tracking can also facilitate center of gravity calculation for the environment when the item information also includes an indication of the item&#39;s mass. The instant stowage and center of gravity assessment tool can provide these and other features. 
     It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the disclosed stowage and center of gravity assessment tool. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the disclosed stowage and center of gravity assessment tool and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate various embodiments and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of at least one embodiment of the disclosed stowage and center of gravity assessment tool. 
       In the drawings: 
         FIG. 1  is a screen capture of an exemplary user interface through which a user can identify a region of the environment to be explored. 
         FIG. 2  is a screen capture of an exemplary user interface through which a user can identify a particular zone to be explored. 
         FIG. 3  is a screen capture of an exemplary user interface through which a user can view information about a particular item stored in the environment. 
         FIG. 4  is a screen capture of an exemplary user interface through which a user can review the center of gravity determination for the environment. 
         FIG. 5  is an exemplary network architecture supporting the instant stowage and center of gravity assessment tool. 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of a drawer storage unit which has been equipped with sensors capable of polling the remotely pollable identifiers associated with items in the drawers. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the disclosed stowage and center of gravity assessment tool, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. 
     In an embodiment, the disclosed stowage and center of gravity assessment tool comprises the application or embedding of (generally referred to herein as associating) remotely pollable identifiers into each item whose location is to be tracked. Such remotely pollable identifiers may include, but are not limited to, optically scanable identifiers, such as bar codes or other machine-readable codes imprinted on the surface of an item; radio frequency identifiers, such as radio frequency identification tags embedded in or attached to an item; and ultrasonic identifiers, such as ultrasonic tags, embedded in or attached to the surface of an item. By way of example, without limitation, ultrasonic or radio frequency identification tags may be embedded in an item when the item is manufactured, or the tags may take the form of labels that are adhered to the surface of the item. Similarly, barcodes may be printed on labels and adhered to the surface of the item, or may be etched, engraved, or otherwise embedded in the surface of the item. 
     An appropriate identifier type may be chosen for a given item based on the item&#39;s anticipated usage, attributes of the environment, and the like. In some embodiments, multiple identifiers are associated with an item, thereby permitting the item to be seamlessly moved from an environment employing one identifier type to another embodiment employing a different identifier type, and permitting redundancy. By way of example, without limitation, in environments, or portions of an environment, comprising sensitive electronic equipment, radio frequency identifiers may cause problems with the electronic equipment, and optical identifiers may be impractical due to the line-of-sight requirements associated with such identifiers. Such environments may be configured to read an ultrasonic tag embedded in or applied to an item. Although ultrasonic identifiers do not interfere with electronics the way radio frequency identifiers do, ultrasonic identifiers require a physical medium through which the ultrasonic waves can propagate. Radio frequency identifiers are also less expensive than current ultrasonic identifiers. Thus, radio frequency identifiers may be associated with most or all items in the environment, and ultrasonic, optical, or other remotely pollable identifiers may be associated with those items which are likely to be used in environments in which radio frequency identifiers are disadvantageous. 
       FIG. 1  is a screen capture of an exemplary user interface  100  through which a user can identify a region of the environment whose items are to be explored. In the illustrated embodiment, user interface  100  is divided into four general regions, dashboard  105 , zone  110 , information pane  115 , and environment view  120 . Dashboard  105  allows the user to easily control the manner in which item information is presented within zone  110 . In the illustrated embodiment, the user has opted to have the items arranged in hierarchical categories based on the zone, or region, of the environment in which the item is located. As the user navigates to a particular branch of the hierarchical list in zone  110 , the leaves and/or sub-branches of that branch are displayed in contents  112 . 
     Environment view  120  provides a graphical view of the branch or leaf selected by the user in zone  110  and/or contents  112 . By way of example, without limitation, because the user has only selected the top-most branch of the hierarchy in  FIG. 1 , environment view  120  displays the entirety of the Eagle II vehicle. 
       FIG. 2  is a screen capture of an exemplary user interface through which a user can identify a particular leaf or branch of zone  110  to be explored. In the embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 2 , the user has navigated to a particular storage module (LAS 2 _E 1 ) on the Starboard size of Zone  2  of the environment. When the user selects LAS 2 _E 1  from zone  110 , a database associated with the stowage and center of gravity assessment tool is searched to determine which items are present in that storage module, and the corresponding list is displayed in contents  112 . In the illustrated embodiment, environment view  120  changes such that the image “zooms in” on a representation of LAS 2 _E 1  or another storage location when that storage location is selected from zone  110 . 
       FIG. 3  is a screen capture of an exemplary user interface through which a user can view information about an item. In the embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 3 , the user has selected LAS 2 _E 1  from the list of available zones in zone  110 , and the item Cable LR 40   a  from contents  112 . In response to the selection of an item from contents  112 , information pane  115  changes to provide information about the selected item. By way of example, without limitation, the information about the selected item may be obtained from an information management system such as that described in U.S. Pat. No. 11/466,508, and may include a photograph of the selected item, usage instructions, troubleshooting and repair instructions, serial number, manufacture date, manufacturer, and other such information. 
     The item information location information as described above can be advantageous in a variety of scenarios, including, without limitation, when attempting to determine and/or alter the center of gravity of the environment.  FIG. 4  is a screen capture of an exemplary user interface through which a user can review the center of gravity determination for the environment. In  FIG. 4 , center of gravity location  400  provides a precise determination of the difference between the ideal or desired center of gravity and the calculated center of gravity based on a variety of information about the environment. By way of example, without limitation, the calculation of the center of gravity may include, but is not limited to, the mass and location of each item in the environment; the amount of fuel, water, or other consumables remaining in their respective storage locations; and the like. 
     Item view  405  provides a detailed, orderable list of the items stored in the environment, and may include an identification number, a short description, a current location, the location where the item is supposed to be stored according to the manifest, and the mass of the item. When an item is selected in item view  405 , location bar  400  can also provide location change information about that item relative to the desired center of gravity, such that moving the item by the specified distances, the environment&#39;s center of gravity can be brought closer to its desired location. 
     Environment information bar  410  provides an overview of the environment as a whole, including, without limitation, the environment&#39;s mass and center of gravity. In some embodiments, the center of gravity calculations are performed dynamically as items are moved within the environment. In some embodiments, the center of gravity calculations may be performed on a periodic basis. In some embodiments, the center of gravity calculations can be updated by the user, such as when the user clicks on or otherwise interacts with recalculate button  420 . 
     In some embodiments, it may be desirable to move items within the environment to alter the center of gravity. By clicking on suggest button  420 , the user can obtain a list of items, their current location, and a suggested new location which should help optimize the center of gravity location. 
       FIG. 5  is an exemplary network architecture supporting the instant stowage and center of gravity assessment tool. In  FIG. 5 , a plurality of sensors  532  are deployed within or around environment  530 . Sensors  532  periodically poll an identifier associated with item  540  to determine the location of item  540 . The polling interval may be uniform for all items, or the polling interval may vary on an item-by-item basis, or based upon a classification associated with the item. By way of example, without limitation, in some embodiments each item may be assigned a poling interval based on the anticipated frequency with which the item will be moved. In such embodiments, the anticipated moving frequency may be determined in part based on a task schedule, such as that described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/467,075, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. In some embodiments, the polling interval may be dynamic, based on the actual frequency with which the item is moved. In some embodiments, the polling may be initiated in response to a user request. 
     In the embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 5 , server  527  can control item polling, calculate item locations based on such polling, store the item location information, and calculate the center of gravity for the environment. Although described herein as a single computing device, in alternative embodiments server  527  may comprise a plurality of computing and/or data storage devices. In addition, although server  527  is illustrated as external to environment  530 , server  527  may be located within environment  530  without departing from the spirit or the scope of the invention. 
     In  FIG. 5 , router  525  allows a plurality of terminals  520  to access the item location information stored on server  527 , to take advantage of server  527 &#39;s center of gravity calculation capabilities, and the like. In some embodiments, server  527  may facilitate such access through a world wide web server incorporated therein. 
     Router  525 , or another such device, may also facilitate remote access to server  527  via a wireless communications means, such as antenna  528 . By way of example, without limitation, wireless device  522  can be moved throughout environment  530 , thereby permitting the user of wireless device  522  to quickly obtain item information, and access the other features and functions associated with server  527 . In some embodiments, wireless device  522 , terminals  520 , and router  525  may be located within environment  530 . In some embodiments, wireless device  522  may be capable of independently polling an individual item, thereby allowing wireless device  522  to guide the user thereof to the individual item. 
     In addition to facilitating wireless communications with devices proximate to environment  530 , antenna  528  or another, similar device may also facilitate communication with remote devices. By way of example, without limitation, where environment  530  is a Space Shuttle, antenna  528  may permit ground crews to access information stored on server  527  via antenna  518 . In some embodiments, server  517  may automatically back up information from server  527  utilizing such a communications path, thereby providing redundancy in the event of a communications failure or other event. In  FIG. 1 , terminals  510  can access information stored in server  517  via router  515 . Antenna  518 , or a corresponding device, may also facilitate wireless access to server  517 . By way of example, without limitation, ground crew members may be equipped with wireless device  512  and thereby access information stored on server  517  without needing to be proximate to one of terminals  510  or server  527 . 
     Although  FIG. 5  illustrates the architecture as utilizing servers  517  and  527 , alternative embodiments may consolidate the features and functions associated with these servers into a single server. 
     In some embodiments, terminals  510  and  520 , and wireless devices  512  and  522 , may be relatively sophisticated computing devices capable of running stand-alone client applications. In some embodiments, terminals  510  and  520 , and wireless devices  512  and  522 , may be less sophisticated, with the devices and terminals providing an interface through which information may be accessed and provided, and with most of the computations performed by one or both of servers  517  and  527 . By way of example, without limitation, due to power and other constraints within environment  530 , terminals  520  may be capable of presenting a page from a conventional web browser and running applications written in the JAVA or JAVA Script languages. In such an exemplary embodiment, the terminals can display web pages generated by server  527 , and/or modify the display based on information provided by server  527 . By contrast, because terminals  510  may be located remotely from environment  530  and therefore not subject to the same restrictions as terminals  520 , terminals  510  may be relatively sophisticated computing devices, such as workstations. Although terminals  510  may utilize the same application as terminals  520 , terminals  510  may utilize applications developed in C, C++, Visual Basic, or other such language, and may be capable of more sophisticated calculations using data provided by server  517 . 
       FIG. 6  is a perspective view of drawer storage unit  600  which has been equipped with sensors capable of polling the remotely pollable identifiers associated with items in the drawers. In  FIG. 6 , each of drawers  610 ,  620 ,  630 ,  640 ,  650 ,  66 ,  670 , and  680  is equipped with a respective sensor  615 ,  625 ,  635 ,  645 ,  655 ,  665 ,  675 , and  685 . Because the position of the sensors is known, the time delay between the receipt of an identification signal from an identifier associated with a polled item can be determined for each of the sensors, and thus the specific drawer in which the item is located can be determined. 
     In some embodiments, the item location information available via the storage and center of gravity assessment tool can also be utilized by the task scheduling and resource planning tool described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11,467,075 to better plan a day&#39;s activities. By way of example, without limitation, a user may be required to perform a task, and that task may require the use of a plurality of tools. Traditionally, the schedule for the day will allocate only a specific amount of time for the task, and assumes only a limited amount of time is needed to locate and collect the necessary tools. Using the location information available from the instant system, the scheduling application can determine a more accurate collection time for each task, thereby more accurately allocating time for both a specific task and any subsequent tasks that require the same item. 
     While detailed and specific embodiments of the stowage and center of gravity assessment tool have been described herein, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the stowage and center of gravity assessment tool. Thus, it is intended that the present disclosure cover these modifications and variations provided they come within the scope of any appended claims and/or their equivalents.