FR3135558A1 - Activity counter equipped with an electronic module recording vehicle usage data time-stamped by an on-board clock - Google Patents

Abstract

Title: Activity counter equipped with an electronic module recording vehicle usage data time-stamped by an on-board clock The invention relates to an activity counter (1) comprising an electronic module (2) intended to be fixed on a moving mechanical machine, said electronic module comprising a central unit (5) and a memory (6) recording at least one data representative of the activity of the machine, characterized in that said electronic module is secured to the machine, and in that the counter comprises a detector (7; 4) providing variable data representative of the activity of said machine, the central unit (5) recording in the memory the variable data in association with time information provided by a clock (10) integrated into the module. Abstract figure = Fig. 1

Description

Activity counter equipped with an electronic module recording vehicle usage data time-stamped by an on-board clock

1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to measuring the activity of a vehicle, such as agricultural machinery or an industrial machine. The invention relates more particularly to the fact that the measurement is carried out using an electronic module recording variations in the state of a detector mounted on an element of this equipment.

2. TECHNOLOGICAL BACKGROUND

The field of the invention is that of measuring the activity of a vehicle, typically an agricultural machine (ploughing tool, semi, slurry tanker, trailer, etc.). In this area, it is common to jointly purchase a machine and share its use between several owners. One way to pool the purchase of the machine (or pay for its rental) is to measure its activity by each user and to invoice based on this activity. It is thus possible to invoice according to the use of the vehicle, for example for use in CUMA or ETA. For this and in the already distant past, users use a paper register and note information in this register such as: start and end time of the activity, number of kilometers traveled or hectares covered during this period of time . This method requires manual entry in a notebook then re-entry on digital media to be able to generate management control or invoicing documents. These successive entries are sources of error (intentional or not) and waste of time. In addition, this method is based on a declarative system that can be circumvented by false declarations.

More recently, sensors called “hubodometers” have appeared. These devices are mounted on the axle hub of a rolling vehicle to count the number of revolutions. By multiplying the diameter of the wheels mounted on this axle and the number of revolutions of the latter, these devices calculate the distance traveled by this vehicle. The number of axle revolutions is determined by detecting variations in a magnetic field generated by a magnet mounted on the axle, a cycle of increase and decrease of said field corresponding to one rotation. These devices have a battery and a user interface which allows you to enter the diameter of the wheels and which displays the distance traveled on a screen. Users can read the numbers appearing on the screen and write them down in a notebook. This sensor does not eliminate the risk of errors due to the visual reading of a screen which can be soiled by the environment of the vehicle and due to manual inputs.

Other sensors exist whose mode of operation is based on the distance calculated using a geolocation module, such as GPS for example (Global Positioning System). These sensors have a central unit which records movements according to changes in location indicated by the GPS module, and a radio communication interface capable of transmitting movement information over a long distance. These sensors are fragile and ultimately have a low battery life, which makes them impractical over time.

There is therefore a real need for a sensor measuring the activity of an agricultural type machine, or an industrial machine which allows the transmission of data by radio and which has an acceptable autonomy, while having great robustness taking into account the environment of use.

3. OBJECTIVES OF THE INVENTION

The present invention therefore aims, by avoiding these drawbacks, to provide an activity counter which detects changes in state of a detector mounted on an element of the vehicle, the changes in state being representative of the activity of 'a vehicle, which records the measurements of this detector and which can transmit them reliably to a remote server.

4. PRESENTATION OF THE INVENTION

To this end, the invention relates to an activity counter comprising an electronic module intended to be fixed on a moving mechanical machine, said electronic module comprising a central unit and a memory recording at least one data representative of the activity of the machine, characterized in that said electronic module is secured to the machine, and in that the counter comprises a detector providing variable data representative of the activity of said machine, the central unit recording in the memory the variable data in association with time information provided by a clock integrated into the module.

In this way, the changes in state of a detector mounted on an element of the machine are measured and recorded in a memory, these changes of state are counted and the resulting data is representative of the activity of the machine .

According to a first embodiment, the activity counter comprises a base fixed on said machine, the electronic module has three magnets magnetically coupling with three mechanical elements fixed in the base. In this way, the meter can be attached to any support and it is easy to remove the module and place it elsewhere on the machine.

According to another embodiment, the meter comprises at least two magnets constituting two electrical contact pads for electrical communication with an electrical contact element of the base, the electrical signals from the detector passing through these two pads. In this way, electrical communication is facilitated.

According to another embodiment, the locations of the three magnets are located at the vertices of a non-equilateral triangle. In this way, the contact pads are keyed, thus avoiding positioning errors.

According to another embodiment, the module has a magnetic sensor which is primarily attracted by one of the three magnets when the module is not positioned on the base, the positioning of the module on the base concentrates the field lines of said magnet and causes the magnetic switch to change state, removing the module from its base triggering a change of state of said magnetic switch. In this way, the module can detect a tearing using the magnets which also serve to fix it on the machine.

According to another embodiment, the module has the shape of a truncated pyramid. In this way, the module is less easily released when an object touches it.

According to another embodiment, the memory periodically records the activity of the machine by counting the number of revolutions and/or the number of opening and closing cycles of the switch for a determined period. In this way, the activity of the machine is accurately recorded over time.

According to another embodiment, the module also has an accelerometer, the detection of a movement by said accelerometer triggering the recording of data in the memory and the detection of an absence of movement for at least one fixed duration triggers the change of state of the module in a low consumption mode. In this way, the module does not need an external sensor to measure the activity of the machine.

According to another embodiment, the module has several modes for measuring the activity of the machine including that of measuring the number of revolutions of the module on itself during a determined period of time, and another mode consisting of measuring the time during which vibrations are detected using an accelerometer. In this way, the module adapts to the machine on which it is mounted to measure its activity, and can be used in many situations.

According to another aspect, the invention relates to a system for managing the activity of a machine comprising an activity counter described according to any one of the preceding paragraphs, this system further comprising a remote server communicating by radio with said module, said server receiving information representative of the current charge of the battery and estimating the time remaining for complete discharge, said server transmitting an alarm to a user shortly before complete discharge.

5.DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will appear on reading the following description, given by way of indicative and non-limiting example, and the appended drawings, in which:

- : there describes the main equipment of an activity counter designed for the implementation of the invention, according to a preferred example of embodiment,

- : there represents a synoptic of the different elements of the network to repatriate activity data to a remote server,

- : there describes the way in which the electronic module is fixed and communicates on its base according to a preferred embodiment,

- : there presents an example of an image showing a profile view of the activity counter intended to be mounted on a moving mechanical machine,

- : there describes an example flowchart illustrating the steps to configure the system, to record data, and to provide an indication of the activity of a moving mechanical device.

6. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF AN EMBODIMENT

6.1 General principle

The invention relates to an activity counter comprising an electronic module intended to be fixed on a moving mechanical machine, said electronic module comprising a central unit and a memory recording at least one data representative of the activity of the machine. The electronic module is secured to the machine and the counter includes a detector providing variable data representative of the activity of said machine. The central unit records the variable data in the memory in association with time information provided by a clock integrated into the module. The meter is thus capable of measuring changes in the state of a detector, of deducing the activity of a machine on which it is mounted, and of transmitting the activity data to a remote server responsible for processing these data and display them.

6.2. Preferred embodiment

There describes the main equipment of an activity counter designed for the implementation of the invention, according to a preferred embodiment, said counter has been the subject of a functional prototype. The activity counter 1 is made up of two parts: an electronic module 2 and a base 3 on which said module is fixed. Base 3 is securely fixed to a moving mechanical machine (vehicle, agricultural tool, industrial machine, etc.) whose activity is measured. The base does not have electronic components, it serves above all as a support for the module 2 and, according to a first mode of use, as an electrical connection element with an external detector 4. According to a first embodiment, this detector is a switch whose number of opening and closing cycles is representative of the activity of the vehicle. The switch opens and closes under the appearance and disappearance of a magnetic field generated by a magnet attached to an axle of the vehicle. Each opening and closing cycle corresponds to one complete rotation of this axle. By multiplying the number of cycles by the diameter of the wheels attached to this axle, we can calculate the distance traveled by this vehicle. This operation is particularly that used when the module is fixed without the base and in this case, the module uses a detector internal to count the number of revolutions.

The electronic module is a box containing electronic components including a microcontroller 5 associated with a program memory and a non-volatile memory 6 of the EEPROM type, with a capacity of 512 KB for example, intended to record activity data. This data typically comes from counting the opening and closing cycles of the external switch 4, as well as possible measurements from the detectors integrated in the module 2. The executable program is advantageously written in the silicon of the memory and cannot be downloaded , in order to avoid hacking and improve the reliability of the sensor. In addition to reading the state of the external detector 4, the microcontroller 5 reads the data measured by several internal detectors 7 incorporated inside the module 2. A first sensor is an accelerometer intended to detect the rotations of an axis or to measure the movements of the module in space, in at least two directions. Such a sensor makes it possible in particular to determine whether the module is stationary or moving. A second sensor is intended to measure the presence of a magnetic field in the immediate vicinity of the module; this sensor is typically a REED relay.

The module also has a radio communication port 8 capable of communicating at short distance with a nearby device, for example using the “Bluetooth” network. According to an improvement, this communication port is also capable of communicating by radio with a long distance network, of the operated type, such as: LORA, ZIGFOX, or NB-IOT. The radio signal transmitted on this network is very short and the message transmitted contains only a few bytes (typically 32 bytes) of data. According to another improvement, the module has a geolocation circuit 9 (for example, a GPS circuit, acronym for “Global Positioning System”), making it possible to provide latitude and longitude parameters of the location of the sensor 2. The module also has an onboard clock 10 and software means to set it on time. In this way, the data provided by the external detector 4, by the internal detectors 7 and by the geolocation circuit 9 can be time stamped.

The module has three connection elements 11 with the base, two are electrically connected to the external detector 4 and a third is used to provide energy. The input of the external detector 4 connects to an interface 12 which also ensures the adaptation of the electrical levels. According to a preferred embodiment, the counter 1 measures the activity of the vehicle by counting the number of opening and closing cycles of a switch connected to this interface. According to a variant embodiment, the external detector is active and provides analog data representative of a physical quantity to be measured, the detector can be a pressure switch giving information on the switching on of a compressor actuated by the vehicle engine. According to another variant, the external detector 4 is a temperature sensor, typically a thermometer, responsible for providing a measurement of the temperature outside the module, that of the vehicle engine for example.

The connection elements intended for the electrical supply are connected to a circuit 13 for charging a rechargeable battery 14 integrated into the module. The battery provides energy for the various electrical components via a DC/DC converter 15 responsible for regulating the voltage to a nominal value, for example 2.5 volts. The battery fitted to the prototype produced can provide electrical energy for a minimum period, 8 months for example. According to a variant embodiment, the battery charging energy is not supplied through the connection elements 11, but by induction, the base 3 then having a first coil generating a variable magnetic field which is captured by a second coil located in module 2. Battery 14 is then recharged with the voltage appearing across the second coil.

In use, the module has at least two operating modes, the first consists of measuring movements and recording the data which will make it possible to determine the activity of the vehicle, the second is a low consumption mode in which a minimum of components is powered including the detector 7. If the counter 1 begins to move, the accelerometer 7 detects it and triggers an electrical signal which exits low consumption mode. Data recording to determine vehicle activity can then begin.

There represents a general diagram of a system for measuring the activity of a vehicle 20 according to a first particular embodiment. This system constitutes a network capable of repatriating activity data to a remote server.

The counter 1 is for example mounted under the wing of a wheel of an agricultural machine 20, typically a tractor or the power shaft of such a machine, or even an axis of an industrial machine. The base of this meter is connected by a wire to a switch mounted in the immediate vicinity of the wheel axle, to which a magnet is attached. The meter communicates by radio at short distance with a portable terminal 21, typically a mobile phone, or a tablet, this radio link is represented by a hatched line on the . Terminal 21 also has long-distance communication with a mobile telephone network (GSM, 3G/4G). In this way, the terminal serves as a communication relay between the counter 1 and a remote server 22 responsible for recovering the data and processing it in order to evaluate the activity of the vehicle 20 over time.

The server 22 typically comprises a central unit CPU 23 connected to an executable program memory 24, and an HD hard disk 25 containing a database for storing data in a non-volatile manner. The program memory includes an application for analyzing the information received and providing activity data from the vehicles on which the sensors 1 are mounted. The server 22 also includes an I/O interface 26 for communication with a wired network 27, via a computer network, the Internet for example. It is not excluded that the means of connection differ depending on the type of device in communication, thus the server 28 can communicate with the telephones through a wireless network (3G/4G mobile telephony) or by a cable via a network digital of any kind (Internet for example).

There describes the way in which the electronic module is fixed and communicates on its base according to a first mode of use. Magnets 30 are embedded in the periphery of the module shell and are covered with a surface treatment to prevent corrosion. The magnets are positioned opposite contact pads 31 fixed on the base 3, these pads are made of stainless steel covering a part of steel or any material cooperating magnetically with the magnets 30, and are also covered with a film stainless steel for protection. According to an improvement implemented in the prototype, each contact pad comprises a steel part pierced with a hole and covered with a layer of resin to prevent corrosion, a stainless steel screw is screwed into the hole and ensures the electrical connection with the module while resisting corrosion. The electrical wire 32 of the external switch 4 connects to the base and the two conductors are electrically connected to two contact pads 31.a and 31.b, which are positioned respectively on the magnets 30.a and 30.b. A fixing hole 33 is made in the middle of the base for fixing it to the vehicle by means of a stainless steel screw. In this mode of use, the counter 1 measures the activity of the vehicle by counting the number of opening and closing cycles of the switch 4 or any other physical quantity whose variability is representative of the activity of the vehicle . The magnets 30 are placed at the vertices of a non-equilateral triangle. In this way, the magnetic attraction of the three magnets on the three contact pads can only take place in a single position, and the electrical signals from the external detector 4 are correctly transmitted by the magnets 30.a and 30.b.

In another mode of use, the module is not in contact with a base but uses its magnets to attach to a metal surface of the vehicle. In this mode, the module uses an internal detector 7, typically an accelerometer, to detect the movements of the vehicle and thus measure its vehicle activity, in place of the external detector 4. An accelerometer integrates the gravity information into its frame of reference in measuring accelerations on the three XYZ axes. During an initial sensor configuration step, the central unit 5 is configured to process either the signals coming from the external detector 4 via the two contact pads 31.a and 31.b, or the signals provided by an internal detector 7. The module can also be placed on a rotating element of the vehicle, typically a wheel or an axis of an industrial machine. The accelerometer integrated into the module then measures the centripetal force which is proportional to the speed of rotation and the distance of the moving element relative to the axis of rotation. The algorithm responsible for processing the accelerometer data takes into account this centripetal force which results in a continuous component in the measurement of accelerations. This treatment makes it possible to position the counter 1 off-center relative to the axis of rotation and offers great freedom in the positioning of the counter on the rolling part. In this way, the counter can count the revolutions made around a horizontal axis without requiring a mechanical connection between a fixed part of the tool and a rotating part. According to an alternative embodiment, the internal detector makes it possible to measure the centripetal force generated by the rotary movement of an axis of the machine. The activity of this machine is then measured by the time during which the centripetal force exceeds a certain threshold, that is to say the time during which the rotation speed of the axis exceeds a certain value.

In a third mode of use, the module is fixed on a base which is not provided with a connection to an external detector 4. This mode is chosen when the vehicle support intended to determine its activity does not allow the magnetic attraction and that the internal detector 7 is chosen to measure the activity.

According to the example illustrated by , communication with switch 4 uses pins 31.a and 31.b, and charging the module battery uses pins 31.b and 31.c. The meter has another base model 3 allowing the battery to be recharged. This second base is connected to a current generator powered by the mains voltage or a power supply supplied by the machine, and generates a voltage of 5 volts under a current of 0.5 amps. The power wires coming from the generator are connected to pads 31.b and 31.c, and transport the charging energy via magnets 30.b and 30.c to the charging circuit 13 integrated in module 2.

According to an improvement, module 2 has a magnetic sensor 35 comprising a mobile part opening and closing an electrical connection. This sensor is for example an internal magnetic switch 35 of the REED type, the mobile part of which is primarily attracted by one of the three magnets 30.a when the module is not positioned on the base. Positioning the module on the base or the metal surface of the machine (in the mode of use where the module is not fixed on a base) concentrates the field lines of the magnet 30.a towards the contact pad. contact 31.a, moves the moving part of the switch and changes its state. When the module is torn from its base, the field lines widen and cause the state of the internal magnetic switch 35 to change. This change of state is detected by the central unit of the electronic module, timestamped by the clock and recorded in memory 6 of the module, an alarm is possibly triggered.

There presents an example image showing a profile view of the activity counter 1 intended to be mounted on agricultural machinery. The base 3 of the meter is fixed to the surface of the vehicle 20 by means of screws 36 passing through the fixing holes 33 located in the center of the base. The electrical wire 32 of the external switch 4 connects to the base 3 and the two conductors of this wire are electrically connected to two contact pads 31. Module 2 is seen transparently to highlight the electrical wires connecting the magnets 30 and the electronic card 34 supporting the circuits. In this mode of use, the electronic card measures the opening and closing cycles of switch 4, to determine the activity of the vehicle. Card 34 is connected to magnetic switch 35 to detect possible removal of the module from its base.

The profile view highlights the shape of a truncated pyramid given to module 2. This shape allows it to better resist pressure and avoids excessively protruding angles which would accumulate dirt and risk encouraging separation in the event of impact. This shape notably prevents an external element from having sufficient grip on the module to tear it from its mounting support, for example: a moving stone, a branch, a corn stalk.

Counter 1 does not have any components moving relative to each other, so there are no mechanical wearing parts. It is perfectly waterproof and respects environmental constraints.

After having detailed the main elements of the system for providing shared vehicles, we will now explain how they cooperate. The different steps allowing the configuration of the system, the recording of data and the provision of information representative of the vehicle's activity are described by way of example in the flowchart of the .

The system is configured during step 5.1 by initializing data at the activity counter 1, the portable terminal 21 and the server 22. During this step 5.1, the counter 1 is in a bidirectional connection short range with a portable terminal 21, itself in long range communication with the remote server 22. The operating mode is configured by specifying the type of device used to detect vehicle activity, the prototype produced has the following modes :

- activity counter 1 using a dry contact (external switch 4),

- activity counter 1 using an active external detector (pressure switch, temperature probe, etc.), the vehicle being active when the value of the detector exceeds a determined threshold value,

- activity counter 1 using internal detector 7.

An indicator of the selected operating mode is written in the memory 6 of the counter and at the server 22. The clock is set to the time, the memory 5 is completely emptied and a test program can be launched in interaction with the portable terminal. At the end of this step, the meter is ready to be used (step 5.2) and is positioned in a low consumption mode while waiting for an external event.

In step 5.3, an external event is detected using at least one of the following devices: the external detector 4, an internal detector 7, the radio communication port (when establishing a communication) , the GPS module (location change). Counter 1 leaves low consumption mode, on-board clock 10 provides the date and time of the external event in order to record them in memory 6 (step 5.4).

In step 5.5, the counter 1 detects an activity of the vehicle, either using its accelerometer 7, or by a variation in the state of the electrical signal emitted by the external detector 4, the choice of the detection device is specified in step 5.1. The date and time of the start of the activity are recorded (step 5.6). As long as the counter detects that the vehicle is active, it periodically records data coming from the internal or external detector in the EEPROM memory 6 by associating it with time information provided by the on-board clock 10 (step 5.7). The period during which a recording is made is 15 minutes for example, this duration can be configured during configuration step 5.1. If no activity is detected for a specific period, for example 5 minutes, then the counter considers that the vehicle is stopped, it records the cessation of the activity in memory 6 by associating the indicator of this event with the date and time provided by the on-board clock 10 and repositions itself in low consumption mode (step 5.8).

If the meter has an activated GPS module, geolocation information is also recorded, either in the form of a series of longitude and latitude coordinates, or in the form of a distance traveled since the last recording.

Another external event which triggers the exit from low consumption mode is the fact that the radio communication port 8 detects the nearby presence of a portable terminal (or of a device communicating via a short-range link (via the Bluetooth network via example). In step 5.9, a portable terminal 21 which has the communication application to process the recorded data detects the presence of a module and establishes communication with it. During this communication the terminal can transmit to the modulates a new programming of its operation. Module 2 transmits to terminal 21 a message indicating that it has data to download, and possibly the quantity of data. Terminal 21 then establishes a connection with the remote server to serve as a relay communication between module 2 and server 22, the data recorded in memory 6 are thus transmitted to the remote server which will process them to determine the activity of the vehicle 20 (step 5.10). The server 22 informs the terminal 21 of the successful completion of the download, so that the mobile user is informed and can possibly use his portable terminal for other purposes. In step 5.11, the terminal informs the module of the successful completion of the data transfer, which triggers the erasure of the contents of the EEPROM memory 8. During each communication with a portable terminal 21, the latter advantageously transmits to module 2 , its time and date for updating the on-board clock 10.

Advantageously, the activity counter 1 also transmits the voltage of its battery 14 to the server 22 which deduces its discharge level and determines the remaining duration during which the counter operates outside of its low consumption mode (step 5.12). This duration is then displayed on the screen of the portable terminal (step 5.13). If the remaining time is too short, the user can decide to remove meter 1 from the vehicle and place it on a charging base.

According to an improvement, communications between the terminal and the server are encrypted using a technique known per se.

Another external event which triggers the exit from low consumption mode is the fact that the meter is torn from its base or from the surface of the vehicle. In step 5.14, the counter detects a tearing, it then records the moment of the tearing in the EEPROM memory (step 5.15). When the meter is in communication with the remote server, it will be able to transmit this information which will be processed by the users of the system.

In step 5.16, the remote server counts the moments during which the meter detected that the vehicle is active and presents these results in a table with dates and times. In this way, if the vehicle has been used on a certain day, its user can remotely query the server and know its duration of activity. If the vehicle is shared between several users, the latter identify themselves to the server, specifying when they used the vehicle. Using the data transmitted by the sensor, the server counts the usage times of each user over a long period of time, a quarter or a month for example, and presents these times in percentage terms. The costs of using the vehicle can be distributed between each user according to the percentage, that is to say according to the use of the vehicle between each user.

According to an improvement, the activity counter 1 has an operating mode intended to measure the duration of activation of an external digital signal transmitted by the detector 4. The transitions of this signal (changes from “0” to “ 1" and from "1" to "0") are time stamped, recorded in memory and transmitted to the server 22 during communication with the terminal 21. In this mode, the activity of the machine is measured by the duration at during which the detector 4 is in a certain state.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to the particular embodiments illustrated, it is in no way limited by these embodiments, but is limited only by the appended claims. It should be noted that changes or modifications to the description and drawings may be made by those skilled in the art.

Claims (10)

Activity counter (1) comprising an electronic module (2) intended to be fixed on a moving mechanical machine, said electronic module comprising a central unit (5) and a memory (6) recording at least one data representative of the activity of the machine, characterized in that said electronic module is secured to the machine, and in that the counter comprises a detector (7; 4) providing variable data representative of the activity of said machine, the central unit (5) recording the variable data in the memory in association with time information provided by a clock (10) integrated into the module. Activity counter according to claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises a base (2) fixed on said machine, the electronic module (2) has three magnets (30) magnetically coupling with three mechanical elements (31) fixed in the base. Activity counter according to claim 2, characterized in that at least two magnets (30) constitute two electrical contact pads for electrical communication with an electrical contact element of the base, the electrical signals from the detector (7) passing through these two plots. Activity counter according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the locations of the three magnets (30) are located at the vertices of a non-equilateral triangle. Activity counter according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that the module has a magnetic sensor (35) which is primarily attracted by one of the three magnets when the module (2) is not positioned on the base (3), the positioning of the module on the base concentrates the field lines of said magnet and causes the magnetic sensor to change state, the removal of the module from its base triggering a change of state of said magnetic sensor. Activity counter according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the module (2) has the shape of a truncated pyramid. Activity counter according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the memory (6) periodically records the activity of the machine by counting the number of revolutions and/or the number of opening and closing cycles of a switch (7) for a determined duration, Activity counter according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the module also has an accelerometer (7), the detection of a movement by said accelerometer triggering the recording of data in the memory and the detection of an absence of movement for at least a determined duration triggers the change of state of the module in a low consumption mode. Activity counter according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the module has several modes for measuring the activity of the machine including that of measuring the number of revolutions of the module on itself during a period of determined time, and another mode consisting of measuring the time during which vibrations are detected using an accelerometer (7). System for managing the activity of a machine comprising an activity counter according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it further comprises a remote server (22) communicating by radio with said module, said server receiving information representative of the current battery charge and estimating the time remaining for complete discharge, said server issuing an alarm to a user shortly before complete discharge.