WO2022003409A1 - Smart inventory management system based on embedded electronics, cloud computing and iot for the construction sector - Google Patents

Smart inventory management system based on embedded electronics, cloud computing and iot for the construction sector Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2022003409A1
WO2022003409A1 PCT/IB2020/057770 IB2020057770W WO2022003409A1 WO 2022003409 A1 WO2022003409 A1 WO 2022003409A1 IB 2020057770 W IB2020057770 W IB 2020057770W WO 2022003409 A1 WO2022003409 A1 WO 2022003409A1
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WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
shuttering component
shuttering
component
unique
geo
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/IB2020/057770
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Rajesh Bose
Sandip Roy
Original Assignee
Rajesh Bose
Sandip Roy
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Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Rajesh Bose, Sandip Roy filed Critical Rajesh Bose
Publication of WO2022003409A1 publication Critical patent/WO2022003409A1/en

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    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • G06Q10/00—Administration; Management
    • G06Q10/08—Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
    • G06Q10/087—Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • G06Q10/00—Administration; Management
    • G06Q10/08—Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • G06Q50/00—Information and communication technology [ICT] specially adapted for implementation of business processes of specific business sectors, e.g. utilities or tourism
    • G06Q50/08—Construction
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G16—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR SPECIFIC APPLICATION FIELDS
    • G16Y—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE INTERNET OF THINGS [IoT]
    • G16Y10/00—Economic sectors
    • G16Y10/30—Construction
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G16—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR SPECIFIC APPLICATION FIELDS
    • G16Y—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE INTERNET OF THINGS [IoT]
    • G16Y20/00—Information sensed or collected by the things
    • G16Y20/30—Information sensed or collected by the things relating to resources, e.g. consumed power
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G16—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR SPECIFIC APPLICATION FIELDS
    • G16Y—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE INTERNET OF THINGS [IoT]
    • G16Y40/00—IoT characterised by the purpose of the information processing
    • G16Y40/30—Control

Definitions

  • the present disclosure generally relates to smart inventory management systems and particularly, the present disclosure relates to a system and method for monitoring and managing lifecycle of a shuttering component in a construction project.
  • an example system in one solution, includes a robotic device deployed in a warehouse environment including a plurality of inventory- items.
  • the system also includes a camera coupled to the robotic device, configured to capture image data.
  • the system also includes a computing system configured to receive the captured image data.
  • the computing system is configured to, based on the received image data, generate a navigation instruction for navigation of the robotic device.
  • the computing system is also configured to analyze the received image data to detect one or more on-item visual identifiers corresponding to one or more inventory items.
  • the computing system is further configured to, for each detected visual identifier, (i) determine a warehouse location of the corresponding inventory item, (ii) compare the determined warehouse location to an expected location, and (iii) initiate an action based on the comparison.
  • a cloud-based product tracking system runs on a cloud platform and collects data from multiple devices throughout a supply chain, the data relating to production, transportation, storage, and sales of a product. Related subsets of the collected data are aggregated and correlated at the cloud platform based on contextual metadata associated with the data, a data model of the supply chain and systems therein, or other such factors.
  • the cloud-based tracking system analyzes the correlated information to determine a status of a product within the supply chain.
  • the tracking system also leverages the correlated data to analyze product flow, identity inefficiencies within the supply chain, and generate recommendations for modifying portions of the supply chain to mitigate the identified inefficiencies.
  • a cloud-based infrastructure facilitates gathering, transmitting, and remote storage of control and automation data using an agent-based communication channel.
  • the infrastructure collects the industrial data from an industrial enterprise and intelligently sorts and organizes the acquired data based on selected criteria.
  • Message queues can be configured on the cloud platform to segregate the industrial data according to priority, data type, or other criteria.
  • Behavior assemblies stored in customer-specific manifests on the cloud platform define customer-specific preferences for processing data stored in the respective message queues.
  • Web-based tools can deliver automated notifications to an end user device based on analysis of the stored data, and allow the user to remotely view the stored data.
  • the existing systems and methods do not facilitate managing and monitoring of those components which are either designed from existing components or produced from combination of different types of existing components.
  • existing inventory systems are ineffective due to complex and frail arrangement.
  • the present disclosure generally relates to a system and method for tracking lifecycle of a shuttering component in a construction project.
  • the tracking of the shuttering component includes receiving of the shuttering components, mapping of the initial or existing stock to an existing location at a construction site, tracking intra and inter site transferring of the material, and resizing of the one or more components.
  • a system for tracking lifecycle of a shuttering component in a construction project comprising a goods receipt note generator intended to generate a first unique goods receipt of the shuttering component at a construction site upon physical verification of the shuttering component, wherein the unique goods receipt of the shuttering component and the sub components of the shuttering components comprise information related to a plurality of physical characteristics of the shuttering component and the sub components, a barcode generator adapted to generate a first unique barcode label corresponding to the first unique goods receipt of the shuttering component, a plurality of geo-location based trackers installed at the respective geo-locations for tracking the presence of the shuttering component at the construction site, wherein each of the plurality of geo-location based trackers comprises a respective barcode reader for reading the first unique barcode label of the shuttering component and communicating information associated with the first unique barcode label of the shuttering component, wherein each of the plurality of geo-location based trackers comprises a controller configured to communicate with the respective barcode reader and transfer the information received from the
  • a method for tracking lifecycle of a shuttering component in a construction project comprising generating a first unique goods receipt of the shuttering component at a construction site upon physical verification of the shuttering component, generating a first unique barcode label corresponding to the first unique goods receipt of the shuttering component, activating a plurality of geo-location based trackers installed at the respective geo-locations for tracking the presence of the shuttering component at the construction site, wherein each of the plurality of geo-location based trackers comprises a respective barcode reader, reading the first unique barcode label of the shuttering component to obtain information, receiving the information associated with the first unique barcode label of the shuttering component from the respective geo-location based tracker and a respective geo-location, wherein the central computing device is configured to store and track movement of the shuttering component at the site, receiving information regarding at least a change in at least one physical characteristic of the shuttering component resulting into generation of subcomponents from the shuttering component, generating a unique goods receipt for each subcom
  • Another object of the present disclosure is to manage and monitor resizing of formwork shuttering components.
  • Another object of the present disclosure is to obtain report on stocks of shuttering components from remote location through a cloud computing environment.
  • Yet another object of the present disclosure is to develop fast and cost-effective shuttering component management system.
  • Figure 1 shows a block diagram of a system for tracking lifecycle of a component in a construction project in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure
  • Figure 2 shows a flow chart of a method for tracking lifecycle of a component in a construction project in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure
  • Figure 3 shows a layered diagram for internet of things (IOT) based cloud server connection of the system for tracking lifecycle of a component in a construction project in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure
  • Figure 4 shows a process flow diagram for IOT based functional formwork of the system for tracking lifecycle of a component in a construction project in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure
  • Figure 5 shows an exemplary view of the geo-location-based trackers of the system for tracking lifecycle of a component in a construction project in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure
  • Figure 6 shows an exemplary architecture of a system for tracking lifecycle of a component in a construction project in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure
  • Figure 7 shows an exemplary alternative architecture of a system for tracking lifecycle of a component in a construction project in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure
  • Figure 8 shows a sequence diagram for a user platform server component structure of the system for tracking lifecycle of a component in a construction project in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure
  • Figure 9 shows different events for the shuttering component maintained in the system for tracking lifecycle of a component in a construction project in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure
  • Figure 10 shows communication layers and protocols of the system for tracking lifecycle of a component in a construction project in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure
  • Figure 11 shows exemplary process of goods receipts note and Barcode generation and collation of the system for tracking lifecycle of a component in a construction project in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure
  • Figure 12 shows an exemplary input user interface generated upon adding information related to the shuttering component in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure
  • Figure 13 shows an exemplary user interface depicting exemplary view of the stock transfer data of the system for tracking lifecycle of a component in a constmction project in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure
  • Figure 14 shows an exemplary user interface generated at the time of auditing the inventory of the component in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure
  • Figure 15 shows an exemplary user interface generated to include resizing related data of the shuttering component for tracking lifecycle of the component and subcomponents thereof in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure
  • Figure 16 shows an exemplary user interface indicating additional information shown to the user in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
  • one or more devices or sub-systems or elements or structures or components proceeded by "comprises...a” does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of other devices or other sub-systems or other elements or other structures or other components or additional devices or additional sub-systems or additional elements or additional structures or additional components.
  • the system resolves shuttering component management related challenges at the construction sites operated by civil engineering firms at remote locations.
  • the system 100 comprises a goods receipt note generator 102 intended to generate a first unique goods receipt of the shuttering component 104 at a construction site 122 upon manual verification of the shuttering component 104. After manual verification of the shuttering component 104 at least one barcode should be assigned to each of the shuttering component 104.
  • a plurality of goods receipt note generators 102 is installed for large construction site 122 in order to generate a plurality of goods receipt at a time.
  • the unique goods receipt of the shuttering component 104 and the sub components of the shuttering component 104 comprise information related to a plurality of physical characteristics of the shuttering component 104 and the sub components.
  • the physical characteristic of the shuttering component include but is not limited to length, width, breadth, diameter, height or other physical dimensions of the shuttering component.
  • the shuttering components 104 are selected from but not limited to steel rods, wood stocks, steel sheets, rocks, bricks, sacks of cement etc.
  • the barcode for the shuttering component 104 is generated by means of a barcode generator 106 which is adapted to generate a first unique barcode label corresponding to the first unique goods receipt of the shuttering component.
  • the barcode generator 106 configured to generate barcode manually upon verification of the shuttering component 104 according to the physical characteristics of the shuttering component 104.
  • the barcode includes one-dimensional, two-dimensional or three- dimensional barcodes according to the requirement and ease of a user,
  • the generated barcode is manually printed on a water and chemical resistant paper that is affixed as stickers on visible and accessible portions of the shuttering component 104 by means of a barcode printer.
  • the barcode printer is in connection with the barcode generator 106 for printing the barcode.
  • a plurality of geo-location-based trackers 108 installed at the respective geo-locations for tracking the presence of the shuttering component 104 at the constmction site 122.
  • the geo-location-based trackers 108 are installed at the multiple geo-locations in order to track the real time activities performed on the shuttering component 104.
  • the activities including resizing, receiving, and on site transferring of the shuttering component, wherein each of the plurality of geolocation-based trackers 108 comprises a respective barcode reader 110 for reading the first unique barcode label of the shuttering component 104 and communicating information associated with the first unique barcode label of the shuttering component.
  • the geo-location-based trackers 108 are installed such that the shuttering component must pass through a range of the geo-location-based trackers 108.
  • Each of the plurality of geo-location-based trackers 108 comprises a controller 114 configured to communicate with the respective barcode reader 110 and transfer the information received from the barcode reader 110 to the central computing device 112 via a wireless device 120.
  • the wireless device 120 is configured to operate in two modes, wherein for a first mode of operation, the wireless device 120 connects to a local Wi-Fi 118 network and transmits the information to the central computing device 112, wherein for a second mode of operation, the wireless device 120 operates as a wireless hub 124 and at least one site terminal 116 is configured to communicate directly with the wireless device 120 to receive the barcode’s information.
  • the controller 114 is configured to store instant readings of the barcode reader 110 in a local memory and the wireless device 120 on receiving a query from the at least one site terminal 116 is configured to serve at least one web page disclosing the instant readings in the second mode of operation.
  • the communication between the geo-location trackers and the central computing device 112 comprises multiple layers for evaluation, transmission and security of data, wherein multiple layers embrace a user platform layer (HTTP) for securing dataset, transport layer (TCP) for collecting and colligating data received from the plurality of barcode readers 110 into dataset, network layer (IPv4) and physical & MAC later (IEEE 802.11).
  • HTTP user platform layer
  • TCP transport layer
  • IPv4 network layer
  • IEEE 802.11 physical & MAC later
  • the central computing device 112 is configured to receive the information associated with the first unique barcode label of the shuttering component 104 from the respective geo-location-based tracker and a respective geo-location.
  • the central computing device 112 is configured to store and track movement of the shuttering component 104 at the site.
  • the central computing device 112 is configured to compute area of the shuttering components and area of the sub components using the plurality of physical characteristics of the shuttering component and the sub components respectively.
  • the wireless device 120 transfers the scanned barcode of the shuttering component 104 to the central computing device 112 in any of the two modes, wherein the central computing device is also termed as cloud server or cloud computing platform.
  • the central computing device 112 (cloud computing platform) creates a database of the barcode information received from the wireless device 120, wherein the registered user is able to import the real time information about the shuttering component 104 from remote locations.
  • the at least one site terminal 116 is configured to receive information regarding change in at least one physical characteristic of the shuttering component 104 resulting in generation of subcomponents from the shuttering component, wherein the goods receipt note generator 102 is configured to generate a unique goods receipt for each subcomponent of the shuttering component 104 and the barcode generator 106 is configured to generate a unique barcode label for each subcomponent of the shuttering component 104, wherein central computing device 112 is configured to track lifecycle of the shuttering component using lifecycle of each subcomponent of the shuttering component 104.
  • the at least one site terminal 116 is configured to receive service set identifier (SSID) and a corresponding password from the user to access the wireless hub 124, wherein upon successful authentication of the user, the at least one site terminal 116 is configured to receive an Internet Protocol (IP) address of the wireless device 120 to receive the information from the barcode reader 110 of the respective wireless device 120.
  • SSID service set identifier
  • IP Internet Protocol
  • FIG. 2 illustrates a flow chart of a method for tracking lifecycle of a component in a construction project in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
  • the method 200 initiates at step 202, wherein the method 200 includes generating a first unique goods receipt of the shuttering component at a construction site upon physical verification of the shuttering component.
  • a first unique barcode label corresponding to the first unique goods receipt of the shuttering component is generated.
  • a plurality of geo-location-based trackers installed at the respective geo-locations for tracking the presence of the shuttering component at the construction site is activated.
  • Each of the plurality of geo-location-based trackers comprises a respective barcode reader.
  • the first unique barcode label of the shuttering component is read to obtain information.
  • the information associated with the first unique barcode label of the shuttering component from the respective geo-location-based tracker and a respective geo-location is received.
  • the the central computing device is configured to store and track movement of the shuttering component at the site.
  • information regarding at least a change in at least one physical characteristic of the shuttering component resulting into generation of subcomponents from the shuttering component is received.
  • a unique goods receipt for each subcomponent of the shuttering component and a unique barcode label for each subcomponent of the shuttering component are generated.
  • lifecycle of the shuttering component using lifecycle of each subcomponent of the shuttering component is tracked.
  • the method 200 includes computing area of the shuttering components and area of the sub components using the plurality of physical characteristics of the shuttering component and the sub components respectively and generating the unique goods receipt for each subcomponent of the shuttering component and the unique barcode label for each subcomponent of the shuttering component using the respective computed area.
  • Figure 3 illustrates a layered diagram for internet of things (IOT) based cloud server connection of the system for tracking lifecycle of a component in a construction project in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
  • the diagram 300 comprises several functionalities that are accessed using user platform layer.
  • the data acquisition unit enables connection with the wireless device 120 using HTTP protocols, wherein the data acquisition unit communicates session unit through the HTTP protocol.
  • the information collected from the barcode reader 110 is persistently stored in a database.
  • the session unit allows access of support, data visualization and system management to the user through the cloud computing terminal through IOT.
  • FIG. 4 illustrates a process flow diagram for IOT based functional formwork of the system for tracking lifecycle of a component in a construction project in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
  • the process flow diagram 400 includes five subparts, wherein a first subpart deals with sensing of barcode through the barcode reader 110 deployed at the construction site 122 or inside the warehouse, wherein a second subpart deals with data analysis having the controller 114 that analyses an information of the barcodes received from the barcode reader 110 in order to create segmented dataset of the barcode information, wherein a third subpart deals with data communication that utilizes ESP8266 Wi-Fi module 118 for transmitting real time dataset over the cloud, wherein a fourth subpart deals with visualization of the dataset from the cloud database by means of any monitoring terminal such as mobile or PC’s, wherein a fifth subpart deals with execution which deals with material receiving information and confirmation thereby.
  • a first subpart deals with sensing of barcode through the barcode reader 110 deployed at the construction site 122 or inside the warehouse
  • the fifth subpart deals with initial stock mapping, stock resizing and physical inventory/stock audit.
  • a Raw data from each sensor (barcode reader 110) is analyzed in MCU for visualization and execution.
  • Figure 5 illustrates an exemplary view of the geo-location-based trackers of the system for tracking lifecycle of a component in a construction project in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
  • the geo-location-based tracker 500 includes a breadboard for electrical connection between the controller 114, the barcode reader 110 and the wireless device 120.
  • the barcode reader 110 is used for reading affixed barcode of the shuttering component 104, wherein the barcode reader 110 selected herein is preferably a RT203 which is capable of reading various types of barcode.
  • the controller 114 is connected to the barcode and is configured to receive the information of the barcode from the barcode reader 110.
  • the wireless device 120 is configured to transmit the barcode information to the central computing device 112.
  • FIG. 6 shows an exemplary architecture of a system for tracking lifecycle of a component in a construction project in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
  • the architecture 600 shows the wireless connection in between the geo-location-based tracker, the central computing device 112 and the at least one site monitoring terminal through the local Wi-Fi 118 network.
  • the cloud server includes a ASP.DLL as a communication gateway, ASP.NET as a programming language, a web server (such as .NET WCF REST services) hosted on an IIS Server.
  • FIG. 7 shows an exemplary alternative architecture of a system for tracking lifecycle of a component in a construction project in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
  • the alternative architecture 700 shows the wireless connection between the geo-location-based tracker, the central computing device 112 and the at least one site monitoring terminal through the wireless device 120 which is working herein as the wireless hub 124 to establish the connection.
  • Figure 8 shows a sequence diagram for a user platform server component structure of the system for tracking lifecycle of a component in a construction project in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
  • a browser and a server communication is illustrated wherein the browser (one site terminal) performs CRUD operations and the server performs actions in response to the CRUD operations.
  • the ASP.NET used herein as a communication gateway, wherein a user platform connects to the user platform server after successful authentication.
  • the ASP.NET have been adopted as the programming language with any open source browser as the endorsed browser for use with a web-based user platform interface.
  • the other layers deal with barcode data acquisition and storage of the dataset to the cloud database.
  • Figure 9 shows different events for the shuttering component maintained in the system for tracking lifecycle of a component in a construction project in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
  • the cloud server platform monitors multiple construction sites 122 at once by means of the cloud server platform (central computing device), wherein cloud server platform is interconnected with multiple construction sites 122 that allows user/registered person to access and supervise sites from anywhere and anytime.
  • the cloud server monitors various processes in multiple construction sites 122 through any display means such as laptop, mobile etc.
  • the multiple processes includes material (shuttering components) receiving to location mapping or put away process illustrated in process 1, initial or existing stock to location mapping or put away process illustrated in process 2, site to site material transfer in between any of two sites from multiple sites as illustrated in process 3, and resizing of the material to location mapping or put away as illustrated in process 4.
  • material shuttering components
  • FIG 10 shows communication layers and protocols of the system for tracking lifecycle of a component in a construction project in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
  • the layers include a user platform layer, a transport layer, a network layer and a physical & a MAC layer.
  • the user platform layer hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) widely utilized as a web messaging protocol that uses request-response architecture over Transmission Control Protocol (TCP).
  • TCP Transmission Control Protocol
  • the HTTP does not require Quality of service (QoS) and relies on TSL/SSL for security of data transmission.
  • the transport layer referred as host-to-host transport layer and facilitates in transiting from internet protocol (IP) to the domain of IoT. This layer is required to collect and collate data gathered from sensor layer.
  • IP internet protocol
  • ESP8266 uses TCP.
  • the Network layer transfers dataset to the user platform layer, wherein there are two versions (i.e. IPv4 and IPv6) in the transfer operation, wherein the Wi-Fi module 118 relies on IPv4 for communication over network layer.
  • IPv4 version 4
  • IPv6 version 6
  • the IEEE 802.11 is designed and developed for low-cost and low- complexity user platform that requires less power consumption.
  • the IEEE 802.11 operates in 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz ISM bands with the former used for operations by ESP8266 module.
  • Figure 11 shows exemplary process of goods receipts note and Barcode generation and collation of the system for tracking lifecycle of a component in a construction project in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
  • the process is six-step process, wherein first step starts with receiving of material i.e. shuttering component 104 at the construction site directly from the vendor.
  • the goods receipt note (GRN) is generated upon receiving of the material according to the quantity of the material.
  • the material gets mapped with the location and sub-location at time of GRN manually.
  • the corresponding barcodes are generated and printed on a paper which is affixed on the material.
  • the sub-location of the material/shuttering component 104 is mapped or any change in location is mapped manually within the system.
  • FIG 12 shows an exemplary input user interface upon generated adding information related to the shuttering component in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
  • the user interface 1200 discloses includes stock information of one of the construction sites 122.
  • the shuttering components 104 have different physical characteristics i.e. width and length depending upon shape and size. The appropriate values are entered in the columns of Wl, W2 and LI, L2 and L3. As soon as the physical characteristics are entered to the user platform sheet the user platform automatically calculates the total available area and generates the barcode for every corresponding shuttering component 104.
  • the shuttering components are stamped with a classification label from manufacturer whenever shipped.
  • the label consists of a code for specific shuttering component 104 along with dimensional details, and name of manufacturer. For example, 60 different types of shuttering components 104 are assorted with various codes, descriptions, units of measurement, and calculations.
  • the system proposes the web-based user platform to compute total area in each case and present accurate figure to plan inventory and material consumption instantaneously.
  • Figure 13 shows an exemplary user interface depicting exemplary view of the stock transfer data of the system for tracking lifecycle of a component in a construction project in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
  • the user platform includes stock transfer data of the shuttering component, wherein the data includes barcode, width, component code, length, quantity, unit and total unit of the shuttering component 104.
  • the user platform also shows the location of the sites involved in transfer of the stocks from one location to another location. Further, the user interface may allow an option for the user to confirm the status of stock transfer upon successful transitioning of the stocks from one site to another site.
  • Figure 14 shows an exemplary user interface generated at the time of auditing the inventory of the component in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
  • the stock auditing data of the shuttering component 104 includes date, width, length, component code, component location, quantity, unit, barcode, audit barcode and status of the shuttering component 104.
  • Figure 15 shows an exemplary user interface generated to include resizing related data of the shuttering component for tracking lifecycle of the component and subcomponents thereof in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
  • the interface includes data related to the resized shuttering component, wherein the data includes description of the shuttering component 104, existing barcode before resizing and new barcode after resizing of the component, physical characteristics of the component before and after resizing, quantity of the component and scrap extracted during resizing of the component along with physical characteristics and new barcode of the scraps.
  • the user would be aware of the fact that whether the existing shuttering component was resized or not; if resized what is the status of the subcomponents of the shuttering component, current location of the sub components along with the physical characteristics of the sub components.
  • Figure 16 shows an exemplary user interface indicating additional information shown to the user in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
  • the additional information of the shuttering component or any of sub-components includes dispatching related information along with site name of the dispatched location.
  • the sent mail date adjacent to approved mail date is shown in order to manage the date of the relocated shuttering component 104.
  • the challan number and challan date generated for each of the shuttering component is shown in a separate column.
  • the statistics of a count number along with site/yard name is shown under a “Received At” column to show the data related to receiving of the relocated shuttering component 104, wherein received data also includes dispatched quantity along with received quantity to confirm the exact relocation of component.
  • the additional information further includes a transporter name, receiving date, vehicle number and barcode ID to manage and monitor the end to end information about the relocation of the shuttering component 104 in order to avoid misplacement.
  • an infrared sensor-based barcode generator 106 may be installed at the entrance of the construction sites so that the barcode is generated automatically as soon as the shuttering component passes through the infrared sensor-based barcode generator. In addition, the physical characteristics of the shuttering component are automatically analyzed by using the infrared sensor-based barcode generator 106.
  • the present disclosure provides several advantages.
  • the present disclosure provides an integrated approach to increase efficiency in managing and monitoring shuttering components.
  • the inventory management system in combination with the geo-location trackers facilitates effective maintenance of the stocks of raw materials.
  • the present disclosure enables tracking of resized components or modified components too as a result of which the resized or modified components can be used effectively at different construction sites.
  • the present disclosure facilitates calculation of areas of the sub components and also considers manufacturer’s original code indicating size and shape while generating a barcode for the sub-components.
  • the present disclosure facilitates a web-based interface application to enable users access data using either smartphone or laptop / PC from anywhere over the Internet.

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Abstract

Smart Inventory Management System based on Embedded Electronics, Cloud Computing and IoT for the Construction Sector A system for tracking lifecycle of a shuttering component in a construction project comprises, a goods receipt note generator to generate a first unique goods receipt of the shuttering component upon physical, a barcode generator adapted to generate a first unique barcode label corresponding to the first unique goods receipt of the shuttering component, a plurality of geo-location based trackers having a barcode reader and a wireless driver installed at the respective geo-locations for tracking the presence of the shuttering component at the construction site, a central computing device configured to receive the information associated with the first unique barcode label of the shuttering component from the respective geo-location based tracker and a respective geo-location, and at least one site terminal configured to receive information regarding at least a change in at least one physical characteristic of the shuttering component resulting into generation of subcomponents from the shuttering component.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present disclosure generally relates to smart inventory management systems and particularly, the present disclosure relates to a system and method for monitoring and managing lifecycle of a shuttering component in a construction project.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The management of inventories and on-site fabrication of raw materials in a construction sector is of paramount importance. Although, the inventory management requires active labors to avoid shortage of inventories, shuttering components and other required material, various traditional solutions exist for building an inventory management system.
In one solution, an example system includes a robotic device deployed in a warehouse environment including a plurality of inventory- items. The system also includes a camera coupled to the robotic device, configured to capture image data. The system also includes a computing system configured to receive the captured image data. The computing system is configured to, based on the received image data, generate a navigation instruction for navigation of the robotic device. The computing system is also configured to analyze the received image data to detect one or more on-item visual identifiers corresponding to one or more inventory items. The computing system is further configured to, for each detected visual identifier, (i) determine a warehouse location of the corresponding inventory item, (ii) compare the determined warehouse location to an expected location, and (iii) initiate an action based on the comparison.
In another solution, a cloud-based product tracking system is provided. The product tracking system runs on a cloud platform and collects data from multiple devices throughout a supply chain, the data relating to production, transportation, storage, and sales of a product. Related subsets of the collected data are aggregated and correlated at the cloud platform based on contextual metadata associated with the data, a data model of the supply chain and systems therein, or other such factors. The cloud-based tracking system analyzes the correlated information to determine a status of a product within the supply chain. The tracking system also leverages the correlated data to analyze product flow, identity inefficiencies within the supply chain, and generate recommendations for modifying portions of the supply chain to mitigate the identified inefficiencies. In a yet another solution, a cloud-based infrastructure facilitates gathering, transmitting, and remote storage of control and automation data using an agent-based communication channel. The infrastructure collects the industrial data from an industrial enterprise and intelligently sorts and organizes the acquired data based on selected criteria. Message queues can be configured on the cloud platform to segregate the industrial data according to priority, data type, or other criteria. Behavior assemblies stored in customer-specific manifests on the cloud platform define customer-specific preferences for processing data stored in the respective message queues. Web-based tools can deliver automated notifications to an end user device based on analysis of the stored data, and allow the user to remotely view the stored data.
The existing systems and methods do not facilitate managing and monitoring of those components which are either designed from existing components or produced from combination of different types of existing components. In addition, existing inventory systems are ineffective due to complex and frail arrangement.
In order to overcome the aforementioned drawbacks, there exists a need to develop a system that provides smart shuttering component management and a method capable of managing and monitoring of resizing shuttering components by deploying embedded technology, IoT and cloud computing.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present disclosure generally relates to a system and method for tracking lifecycle of a shuttering component in a construction project. The tracking of the shuttering component includes receiving of the shuttering components, mapping of the initial or existing stock to an existing location at a construction site, tracking intra and inter site transferring of the material, and resizing of the one or more components.
In an embodiment, a system for tracking lifecycle of a shuttering component in a construction project is disclosed. The system comprising a goods receipt note generator intended to generate a first unique goods receipt of the shuttering component at a construction site upon physical verification of the shuttering component, wherein the unique goods receipt of the shuttering component and the sub components of the shuttering components comprise information related to a plurality of physical characteristics of the shuttering component and the sub components, a barcode generator adapted to generate a first unique barcode label corresponding to the first unique goods receipt of the shuttering component, a plurality of geo-location based trackers installed at the respective geo-locations for tracking the presence of the shuttering component at the construction site, wherein each of the plurality of geo-location based trackers comprises a respective barcode reader for reading the first unique barcode label of the shuttering component and communicating information associated with the first unique barcode label of the shuttering component, wherein each of the plurality of geo-location based trackers comprises a controller configured to communicate with the respective barcode reader and transfer the information received from the barcode reader to the central computing device via a wireless device, a central computing device configured to receive the information associated with the first unique barcode label of the shuttering component from the respective geo-location based tracker and a respective geo-location, wherein the central computing device is configured to store and track movement of the shuttering component at the site, and at least one site terminal configured to receive information regarding at least a change in at least one physical characteristic of the shuttering component resulting into generation of subcomponents from the shuttering component, wherein the goods receipt generator is configured to generate a unique goods receipt for each subcomponent of the shuttering component and the barcode generator is configured to generate a unique barcode label for each subcomponent of the shuttering component, wherein central computing device is configured to track lifecycle of the shuttering component using lifecycle of each subcomponent of the shuttering component.
In another embodiment, a method for tracking lifecycle of a shuttering component in a construction project is disclosed. The method comprising generating a first unique goods receipt of the shuttering component at a construction site upon physical verification of the shuttering component, generating a first unique barcode label corresponding to the first unique goods receipt of the shuttering component, activating a plurality of geo-location based trackers installed at the respective geo-locations for tracking the presence of the shuttering component at the construction site, wherein each of the plurality of geo-location based trackers comprises a respective barcode reader, reading the first unique barcode label of the shuttering component to obtain information, receiving the information associated with the first unique barcode label of the shuttering component from the respective geo-location based tracker and a respective geo-location, wherein the central computing device is configured to store and track movement of the shuttering component at the site, receiving information regarding at least a change in at least one physical characteristic of the shuttering component resulting into generation of subcomponents from the shuttering component, generating a unique goods receipt for each subcomponent of the shuttering component and a unique barcode label for each subcomponent of the shuttering component, tracking lifecycle of the shuttering component using lifecycle of each subcomponent of the shuttering component, computing area of the shuttering components and area of the sub components using the plurality of physical characteristics of the shuttering component and the sub components respectively, and generating the unique goods receipt for each subcomponent of the shuttering component and the unique barcode label for each subcomponent of the shuttering component using the respective computed area. An object of the present disclosure is to track consumption of shuttering components within site perimeter.
Another object of the present disclosure is to manage and monitor resizing of formwork shuttering components.
Another object of the present disclosure is to obtain report on stocks of shuttering components from remote location through a cloud computing environment.
Yet another object of the present disclosure is to develop fast and cost-effective shuttering component management system.
To further clarify advantages and features of the present invention, a more particular description of the invention will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof, which is illustrated in the appended drawings. It is appreciated that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope. The invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES
These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood when the following detailed description is read with reference to the accompanying drawings in which like characters represent like parts throughout the drawings, wherein:
Figure 1 shows a block diagram of a system for tracking lifecycle of a component in a construction project in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
Figure 2 shows a flow chart of a method for tracking lifecycle of a component in a construction project in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
Figure 3 shows a layered diagram for internet of things (IOT) based cloud server connection of the system for tracking lifecycle of a component in a construction project in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 4 shows a process flow diagram for IOT based functional formwork of the system for tracking lifecycle of a component in a construction project in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
Figure 5 shows an exemplary view of the geo-location-based trackers of the system for tracking lifecycle of a component in a construction project in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
Figure 6 shows an exemplary architecture of a system for tracking lifecycle of a component in a construction project in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
Figure 7 shows an exemplary alternative architecture of a system for tracking lifecycle of a component in a construction project in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
Figure 8 shows a sequence diagram for a user platform server component structure of the system for tracking lifecycle of a component in a construction project in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
Figure 9 shows different events for the shuttering component maintained in the system for tracking lifecycle of a component in a construction project in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
Figure 10 shows communication layers and protocols of the system for tracking lifecycle of a component in a construction project in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
Figure 11 shows exemplary process of goods receipts note and Barcode generation and collation of the system for tracking lifecycle of a component in a construction project in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
Figure 12 shows an exemplary input user interface generated upon adding information related to the shuttering component in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
Figure 13 shows an exemplary user interface depicting exemplary view of the stock transfer data of the system for tracking lifecycle of a component in a constmction project in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 14 shows an exemplary user interface generated at the time of auditing the inventory of the component in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
Figure 15 shows an exemplary user interface generated to include resizing related data of the shuttering component for tracking lifecycle of the component and subcomponents thereof in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure; and
Figure 16 shows an exemplary user interface indicating additional information shown to the user in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
Further, skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the drawings are illustrated for simplicity and may not have been necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the flow charts illustrate the method in terms of the most prominent steps involved to help to improve understanding of aspects of the present invention. Furthermore, in terms of the construction of the device, one or more components of the device may have been represented in the drawings by conventional symbols, and the drawings may show only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present invention so as not to obscure the drawings with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having benefit of the description herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION:
For the purpose of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference will now be made to the embodiment illustrated in the drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended, such alterations and further modifications in the illustrated system, and such further applications of the principles of the invention as illustrated therein being contemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates.
It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory of the invention and are not intended to be restrictive thereof.
Reference throughout this specification to “an aspect”, “another aspect” or similar language means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, appearances of the phrase “in an embodiment”, “in another embodiment” and similar language throughout this specification may, but do not necessarily, all refer to the same embodiment. The terms "comprises", "comprising", or any other variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process or method that comprises a list of steps does not include only those steps but may include other steps not expressly listed or inherent to such process or method. Similarly, one or more devices or sub-systems or elements or structures or components proceeded by "comprises...a" does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of other devices or other sub-systems or other elements or other structures or other components or additional devices or additional sub-systems or additional elements or additional structures or additional components.
Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. The system, methods, and examples provided herein are illustrative only and not intended to be limiting.
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Referring to Figure 1, a block diagram of a system for tracking lifecycle of a component in a construction project is illustrated in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The system resolves shuttering component management related challenges at the construction sites operated by civil engineering firms at remote locations. The system 100 comprises a goods receipt note generator 102 intended to generate a first unique goods receipt of the shuttering component 104 at a construction site 122 upon manual verification of the shuttering component 104. After manual verification of the shuttering component 104 at least one barcode should be assigned to each of the shuttering component 104. A plurality of goods receipt note generators 102 is installed for large construction site 122 in order to generate a plurality of goods receipt at a time. The unique goods receipt of the shuttering component 104 and the sub components of the shuttering component 104 comprise information related to a plurality of physical characteristics of the shuttering component 104 and the sub components. The physical characteristic of the shuttering component include but is not limited to length, width, breadth, diameter, height or other physical dimensions of the shuttering component. The shuttering components 104 are selected from but not limited to steel rods, wood stocks, steel sheets, rocks, bricks, sacks of cement etc.
The barcode for the shuttering component 104 is generated by means of a barcode generator 106 which is adapted to generate a first unique barcode label corresponding to the first unique goods receipt of the shuttering component. The barcode generator 106 configured to generate barcode manually upon verification of the shuttering component 104 according to the physical characteristics of the shuttering component 104. The barcode includes one-dimensional, two-dimensional or three- dimensional barcodes according to the requirement and ease of a user, The generated barcode is manually printed on a water and chemical resistant paper that is affixed as stickers on visible and accessible portions of the shuttering component 104 by means of a barcode printer. The barcode printer is in connection with the barcode generator 106 for printing the barcode.
In an embodiment, a plurality of geo-location-based trackers 108 installed at the respective geo-locations for tracking the presence of the shuttering component 104 at the constmction site 122. The geo-location-based trackers 108 are installed at the multiple geo-locations in order to track the real time activities performed on the shuttering component 104. The activities including resizing, receiving, and on site transferring of the shuttering component, wherein each of the plurality of geolocation-based trackers 108 comprises a respective barcode reader 110 for reading the first unique barcode label of the shuttering component 104 and communicating information associated with the first unique barcode label of the shuttering component. The geo-location-based trackers 108 are installed such that the shuttering component must pass through a range of the geo-location-based trackers 108. Each of the plurality of geo-location-based trackers 108 comprises a controller 114 configured to communicate with the respective barcode reader 110 and transfer the information received from the barcode reader 110 to the central computing device 112 via a wireless device 120.
The wireless device 120 is configured to operate in two modes, wherein for a first mode of operation, the wireless device 120 connects to a local Wi-Fi 118 network and transmits the information to the central computing device 112, wherein for a second mode of operation, the wireless device 120 operates as a wireless hub 124 and at least one site terminal 116 is configured to communicate directly with the wireless device 120 to receive the barcode’s information. The controller 114 is configured to store instant readings of the barcode reader 110 in a local memory and the wireless device 120 on receiving a query from the at least one site terminal 116 is configured to serve at least one web page disclosing the instant readings in the second mode of operation. The communication between the geo-location trackers and the central computing device 112 comprises multiple layers for evaluation, transmission and security of data, wherein multiple layers embrace a user platform layer (HTTP) for securing dataset, transport layer (TCP) for collecting and colligating data received from the plurality of barcode readers 110 into dataset, network layer (IPv4) and physical & MAC later (IEEE 802.11).
The central computing device 112 is configured to receive the information associated with the first unique barcode label of the shuttering component 104 from the respective geo-location-based tracker and a respective geo-location. The central computing device 112 is configured to store and track movement of the shuttering component 104 at the site. The central computing device 112 is configured to compute area of the shuttering components and area of the sub components using the plurality of physical characteristics of the shuttering component and the sub components respectively. The wireless device 120 transfers the scanned barcode of the shuttering component 104 to the central computing device 112 in any of the two modes, wherein the central computing device is also termed as cloud server or cloud computing platform. The central computing device 112 (cloud computing platform) creates a database of the barcode information received from the wireless device 120, wherein the registered user is able to import the real time information about the shuttering component 104 from remote locations.
The at least one site terminal 116 is configured to receive information regarding change in at least one physical characteristic of the shuttering component 104 resulting in generation of subcomponents from the shuttering component, wherein the goods receipt note generator 102 is configured to generate a unique goods receipt for each subcomponent of the shuttering component 104 and the barcode generator 106 is configured to generate a unique barcode label for each subcomponent of the shuttering component 104, wherein central computing device 112 is configured to track lifecycle of the shuttering component using lifecycle of each subcomponent of the shuttering component 104. The at least one site terminal 116 is configured to receive service set identifier (SSID) and a corresponding password from the user to access the wireless hub 124, wherein upon successful authentication of the user, the at least one site terminal 116 is configured to receive an Internet Protocol (IP) address of the wireless device 120 to receive the information from the barcode reader 110 of the respective wireless device 120.
Figure 2 illustrates a flow chart of a method for tracking lifecycle of a component in a construction project in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method 200 initiates at step 202, wherein the method 200 includes generating a first unique goods receipt of the shuttering component at a construction site upon physical verification of the shuttering component. At step 204, a first unique barcode label corresponding to the first unique goods receipt of the shuttering component is generated. At step 206, a plurality of geo-location-based trackers installed at the respective geo-locations for tracking the presence of the shuttering component at the construction site is activated. Each of the plurality of geo-location-based trackers comprises a respective barcode reader. At step 208, the first unique barcode label of the shuttering component is read to obtain information.
At step 210, the information associated with the first unique barcode label of the shuttering component from the respective geo-location-based tracker and a respective geo-location is received. The the central computing device is configured to store and track movement of the shuttering component at the site. At step 212, information regarding at least a change in at least one physical characteristic of the shuttering component resulting into generation of subcomponents from the shuttering component is received.
At step 214, a unique goods receipt for each subcomponent of the shuttering component and a unique barcode label for each subcomponent of the shuttering component are generated. At step 216, lifecycle of the shuttering component using lifecycle of each subcomponent of the shuttering component is tracked.
Optionally, the method 200 includes computing area of the shuttering components and area of the sub components using the plurality of physical characteristics of the shuttering component and the sub components respectively and generating the unique goods receipt for each subcomponent of the shuttering component and the unique barcode label for each subcomponent of the shuttering component using the respective computed area.
Figure 3 illustrates a layered diagram for internet of things (IOT) based cloud server connection of the system for tracking lifecycle of a component in a construction project in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The diagram 300 comprises several functionalities that are accessed using user platform layer. The data acquisition unit enables connection with the wireless device 120 using HTTP protocols, wherein the data acquisition unit communicates session unit through the HTTP protocol. The information collected from the barcode reader 110 is persistently stored in a database. The session unit allows access of support, data visualization and system management to the user through the cloud computing terminal through IOT.
Figure 4 illustrates a process flow diagram for IOT based functional formwork of the system for tracking lifecycle of a component in a construction project in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The process flow diagram 400 includes five subparts, wherein a first subpart deals with sensing of barcode through the barcode reader 110 deployed at the construction site 122 or inside the warehouse, wherein a second subpart deals with data analysis having the controller 114 that analyses an information of the barcodes received from the barcode reader 110 in order to create segmented dataset of the barcode information, wherein a third subpart deals with data communication that utilizes ESP8266 Wi-Fi module 118 for transmitting real time dataset over the cloud, wherein a fourth subpart deals with visualization of the dataset from the cloud database by means of any monitoring terminal such as mobile or PC’s, wherein a fifth subpart deals with execution which deals with material receiving information and confirmation thereby. The fifth subpart deals with initial stock mapping, stock resizing and physical inventory/stock audit. A Raw data from each sensor (barcode reader 110) is analyzed in MCU for visualization and execution. Figure 5 illustrates an exemplary view of the geo-location-based trackers of the system for tracking lifecycle of a component in a construction project in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The geo-location-based tracker 500 includes a breadboard for electrical connection between the controller 114, the barcode reader 110 and the wireless device 120. The barcode reader 110 is used for reading affixed barcode of the shuttering component 104, wherein the barcode reader 110 selected herein is preferably a RT203 which is capable of reading various types of barcode. The controller 114 is connected to the barcode and is configured to receive the information of the barcode from the barcode reader 110. The wireless device 120 is configured to transmit the barcode information to the central computing device 112.
Figure 6 shows an exemplary architecture of a system for tracking lifecycle of a component in a construction project in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The architecture 600 shows the wireless connection in between the geo-location-based tracker, the central computing device 112 and the at least one site monitoring terminal through the local Wi-Fi 118 network. The cloud server includes a ASP.DLL as a communication gateway, ASP.NET as a programming language, a web server (such as .NET WCF REST services) hosted on an IIS Server.
Figure 7 shows an exemplary alternative architecture of a system for tracking lifecycle of a component in a construction project in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The alternative architecture 700 shows the wireless connection between the geo-location-based tracker, the central computing device 112 and the at least one site monitoring terminal through the wireless device 120 which is working herein as the wireless hub 124 to establish the connection.
Figure 8 shows a sequence diagram for a user platform server component structure of the system for tracking lifecycle of a component in a construction project in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. A browser and a server communication is illustrated wherein the browser (one site terminal) performs CRUD operations and the server performs actions in response to the CRUD operations. The ASP.NET used herein as a communication gateway, wherein a user platform connects to the user platform server after successful authentication. The ASP.NET have been adopted as the programming language with any open source browser as the endorsed browser for use with a web-based user platform interface. The other layers deal with barcode data acquisition and storage of the dataset to the cloud database.
Figure 9 shows different events for the shuttering component maintained in the system for tracking lifecycle of a component in a construction project in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The cloud server platform monitors multiple construction sites 122 at once by means of the cloud server platform (central computing device), wherein cloud server platform is interconnected with multiple construction sites 122 that allows user/registered person to access and supervise sites from anywhere and anytime. The cloud server monitors various processes in multiple construction sites 122 through any display means such as laptop, mobile etc. The multiple processes includes material (shuttering components) receiving to location mapping or put away process illustrated in process 1, initial or existing stock to location mapping or put away process illustrated in process 2, site to site material transfer in between any of two sites from multiple sites as illustrated in process 3, and resizing of the material to location mapping or put away as illustrated in process 4.
Figure 10 shows communication layers and protocols of the system for tracking lifecycle of a component in a construction project in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The layers include a user platform layer, a transport layer, a network layer and a physical & a MAC layer. The user platform layer hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) widely utilized as a web messaging protocol that uses request-response architecture over Transmission Control Protocol (TCP). The HTTP does not require Quality of service (QoS) and relies on TSL/SSL for security of data transmission. The transport layer referred as host-to-host transport layer and facilitates in transiting from internet protocol (IP) to the domain of IoT. This layer is required to collect and collate data gathered from sensor layer. For transport layer operations, ESP8266 uses TCP. The Network layer transfers dataset to the user platform layer, wherein there are two versions (i.e. IPv4 and IPv6) in the transfer operation, wherein the Wi-Fi module 118 relies on IPv4 for communication over network layer. The IEEE 802.11 is designed and developed for low-cost and low- complexity user platform that requires less power consumption. The IEEE 802.11 operates in 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz ISM bands with the former used for operations by ESP8266 module.
Figure 11 shows exemplary process of goods receipts note and Barcode generation and collation of the system for tracking lifecycle of a component in a construction project in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The process is six-step process, wherein first step starts with receiving of material i.e. shuttering component 104 at the construction site directly from the vendor. The goods receipt note (GRN) is generated upon receiving of the material according to the quantity of the material. The material gets mapped with the location and sub-location at time of GRN manually. The corresponding barcodes are generated and printed on a paper which is affixed on the material. The sub-location of the material/shuttering component 104 is mapped or any change in location is mapped manually within the system. Subsequently, at final step, material is moved to the respective sub-locations according to the mapping of the materials. Figure 12 shows an exemplary input user interface upon generated adding information related to the shuttering component in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The user interface 1200 discloses includes stock information of one of the construction sites 122. The shuttering components 104 have different physical characteristics i.e. width and length depending upon shape and size. The appropriate values are entered in the columns of Wl, W2 and LI, L2 and L3. As soon as the physical characteristics are entered to the user platform sheet the user platform automatically calculates the total available area and generates the barcode for every corresponding shuttering component 104. In an embodiment, the shuttering components are stamped with a classification label from manufacturer whenever shipped. The label consists of a code for specific shuttering component 104 along with dimensional details, and name of manufacturer. For example, 60 different types of shuttering components 104 are assorted with various codes, descriptions, units of measurement, and calculations. The system proposes the web-based user platform to compute total area in each case and present accurate figure to plan inventory and material consumption instantaneously.
Figure 13 shows an exemplary user interface depicting exemplary view of the stock transfer data of the system for tracking lifecycle of a component in a construction project in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The user platform includes stock transfer data of the shuttering component, wherein the data includes barcode, width, component code, length, quantity, unit and total unit of the shuttering component 104. The user platform also shows the location of the sites involved in transfer of the stocks from one location to another location. Further, the user interface may allow an option for the user to confirm the status of stock transfer upon successful transitioning of the stocks from one site to another site.
Figure 14 shows an exemplary user interface generated at the time of auditing the inventory of the component in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. As illustrated, the stock auditing data of the shuttering component 104 includes date, width, length, component code, component location, quantity, unit, barcode, audit barcode and status of the shuttering component 104.
Figure 15 shows an exemplary user interface generated to include resizing related data of the shuttering component for tracking lifecycle of the component and subcomponents thereof in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The interface includes data related to the resized shuttering component, wherein the data includes description of the shuttering component 104, existing barcode before resizing and new barcode after resizing of the component, physical characteristics of the component before and after resizing, quantity of the component and scrap extracted during resizing of the component along with physical characteristics and new barcode of the scraps. As a result of adding the resizing related information, the user would be aware of the fact that whether the existing shuttering component was resized or not; if resized what is the status of the subcomponents of the shuttering component, current location of the sub components along with the physical characteristics of the sub components.
Figure 16 shows an exemplary user interface indicating additional information shown to the user in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. In an embodiment, the additional information of the shuttering component or any of sub-components includes dispatching related information along with site name of the dispatched location. The sent mail date adjacent to approved mail date is shown in order to manage the date of the relocated shuttering component 104. The challan number and challan date generated for each of the shuttering component is shown in a separate column. The statistics of a count number along with site/yard name is shown under a “Received At” column to show the data related to receiving of the relocated shuttering component 104, wherein received data also includes dispatched quantity along with received quantity to confirm the exact relocation of component. The additional information further includes a transporter name, receiving date, vehicle number and barcode ID to manage and monitor the end to end information about the relocation of the shuttering component 104 in order to avoid misplacement.
In an embodiment, an infrared sensor-based barcode generator 106 may be installed at the entrance of the construction sites so that the barcode is generated automatically as soon as the shuttering component passes through the infrared sensor-based barcode generator. In addition, the physical characteristics of the shuttering component are automatically analyzed by using the infrared sensor-based barcode generator 106.
The present disclosure provides several advantages. The present disclosure provides an integrated approach to increase efficiency in managing and monitoring shuttering components. The inventory management system in combination with the geo-location trackers facilitates effective maintenance of the stocks of raw materials. Further, the present disclosure enables tracking of resized components or modified components too as a result of which the resized or modified components can be used effectively at different construction sites. The present disclosure facilitates calculation of areas of the sub components and also considers manufacturer’s original code indicating size and shape while generating a barcode for the sub-components. The present disclosure facilitates a web-based interface application to enable users access data using either smartphone or laptop / PC from anywhere over the Internet.
The drawings and the forgoing description give examples of embodiments. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that one or more of the described elements may well be combined into a single functional element. Alternatively, certain elements may be split into multiple functional elements. Elements from one embodiment may be added to another embodiment. For example, orders of processes described herein may be changed and are not limited to the manner described herein. Moreover, the actions of any flow diagram need not be implemented in the order shown; nor do all of the acts necessarily need to be performed. Also, those acts that are not dependent on other acts may be performed in parallel with the other acts. The scope of embodiments is by no means limited by these specific examples. Numerous variations, whether explicitly given in the specification or not, such as differences in structure, dimension, and use of material, are possible. The scope of embodiments is at least as broad as given by the following claims.
Benefits, other advantages, and solutions to problems have been described above with regard to specific embodiments. However, the benefits, advantages, solutions to problems, and any component(s) that may cause any benefit, advantage, or solution to occur or become more pronounced are not to be construed as a critical, required, or essential feature or component of any or all the claims.

Claims

We Claim:
1. A system for tracking lifecycle of a shuttering component in a construction project, the system comprising: a goods receipt note generator configured to generate a first unique goods receipt of the shuttering component at a construction site upon physical verification of the shuttering component; a barcode generator configured to generate a first unique barcode label corresponding to the first unique goods receipt of the shuttering component; a plurality of geo-location based trackers installed at the respective geo-locations for tracking the presence of the shuttering component at the construction site, wherein each of the plurality of geolocation based trackers comprises a respective barcode reader for reading the first unique barcode label of the shuttering component and communicating information associated with the first unique barcode label of the shuttering component; a central computing device configured to receive the information associated with the first unique barcode label of the shuttering component from the respective geo-location-based tracker and a respective geo-location, wherein the central computing device is configured to store and track movement of the shuttering component at the site; and at least one site terminal configured to receive information regarding at least a change in at least one physical characteristic of the shuttering component resulting into generation of subcomponents from the shuttering component, wherein the goods receipt generator is configured to generate a unique goods receipt for each subcomponent of the shuttering component and the barcode generator is configured to generate a unique barcode label for each subcomponent of the shuttering component, wherein central computing device is configured to track lifecycle of the shuttering component using lifecycle of each subcomponent of the shuttering component.
2. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of geo-location-based trackers comprises a controller configured to communicate with the respective barcode reader and communicate the information received from the barcode reader to the central computing device via a wireless device.
3. The system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the wireless device is configured to operate in two modes of operation, wherein in a first mode of operation, the wireless device connects to a local WIFI network and transmits the information to the central computing device, wherein in a second mode of operation, the wireless device is operated as a wireless hub and the at least one site terminal is configured to communicate directly with the wireless device to receive the information.
4. The system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the controller is configured to store instant readings of the barcode reader in a local memory and the wireless device on receiving a query from the at least one site terminal, is configured to serve at least one web page disclosing the instant readings in the second mode of operation.
5. The system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the at least one site terminal is configured to receive service set identifier (SSID) and a corresponding password from a user to access the wireless hub, wherein upon successful authentication of the user, the at least one site terminal is configured to receive an Internet Protocol (IP) address of the wireless device to receive the information from the barcode reader of the respective wireless device.
6. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the unique goods receipt of the shuttering component and the sub components of the shuttering components comprise information related to a plurality of physical characteristics of the shuttering component and the sub components.
7. The system as claimed in claim 6, wherein central computing device is configured to compute area of the shuttering components and area of the sub components using the plurality of physical characteristics of the shuttering component and the sub components respectively.
8. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication between the geo-location trackers and the central computing device comprises multiple layers for evaluation, transmission and security of data, wherein multiple layers embrace user platform layer (HTTP) for securing dataset, transport layer (TCP) for collecting and colligating data received from the plurality of barcode readers into dataset, network layer (IPv4) and physical & MAC later (IEEE 802.11).
9. A method for tracking lifecycle of a shuttering component in a construction project, the method comprising: generating a first unique goods receipt of the shuttering component at a construction site upon physical verification of the shuttering component; generating a first unique barcode label corresponding to the first unique goods receipt of the shuttering component; activating a plurality of geo-location-based trackers installed at the respective geo-locations for tracking the presence of the shuttering component at the construction site, wherein each of the plurality of geo-location-based trackers comprises a respective barcode reader; reading the first unique barcode label of the shuttering component to obtain information; receiving the information associated with the first unique barcode label of the shuttering component from the respective geo-location-based tracker and a respective geo-location, wherein the central computing device is configured to store and track movement of the shuttering component at the site; receiving information regarding at least a change in at least one physical characteristic of the shuttering component resulting into generation of subcomponents from the shuttering component; generating a unique goods receipt for each subcomponent of the shuttering component and a unique barcode label for each subcomponent of the shuttering component; and tracking lifecycle of the shuttering component using lifecycle of each subcomponent of the shuttering component.
10. The method as claimed in claim 9, comprises: computing area of the shuttering components and area of the sub components using the plurality of physical characteristics of the shuttering component and the sub components respectively; and generating the unique goods receipt for each subcomponent of the shuttering component and the unique barcode label for each subcomponent of the shuttering component using the respective computed area.
PCT/IB2020/057770 2020-06-29 2020-08-18 Smart inventory management system based on embedded electronics, cloud computing and iot for the construction sector WO2022003409A1 (en)

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Citations (3)

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Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20080195434A1 (en) * 2001-02-05 2008-08-14 Broughton W Curtis System And Method For Tracking And Managing Construction Projects
US20130032634A1 (en) * 2011-08-05 2013-02-07 Mckirdy Sean Barcode generation and implementation method and system for processing information
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Patent Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20080195434A1 (en) * 2001-02-05 2008-08-14 Broughton W Curtis System And Method For Tracking And Managing Construction Projects
US20130032634A1 (en) * 2011-08-05 2013-02-07 Mckirdy Sean Barcode generation and implementation method and system for processing information
US20150256563A1 (en) * 2013-10-07 2015-09-10 Google Inc. Hazard detection unit facilitating user-friendly setup experience

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