Systems and methods for automated article transportation and management thereof

Abstract

A system for managing and tracking plant management at a site is provided. The system includes a device management server and a plant management device communicatively connected to the device management server via a network. The plant management device is configured to: receive a plant management task order including task instructions for performing a plant management task and automatically perform the plant management task according to the task instructions; send a task receipt notification to the device management server, the task receipt notification including task beneficiary data; and transmit task performance data to the device management server, the task performance data logged during performance of the plant management task. The device management server is configured to: generate a work report for the plant management device from the task performance data; generate a billing report for the plant management device from the task beneficiary data and billing rate data, the billing report including a billable amount; and generate a productivity profile for the plant management device.

1 . A method of tracking and analyzing usage, the method comprising:
 storing task parameter data, task performance data, and billing rate data, wherein the task parameter data and task performance data correspond to a task, and wherein the task performance data is generated during performance of the task;   generating a completed work profile from the task parameter data and the task performance data;   generating a billing profile from the task parameter data, task performance data, and billing rate data, wherein the billing profile includes a billing amount representing a cost for performing the task;   generating a productivity profile from the task parameter data and task performance data, wherein the productivity profile represents a productivity level; and   generating an error profile from the task parameter data and the task performance data.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the task includes transporting a target article from a first location to a second location at a site. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 determining an article transportation optimization from the productivity profile, wherein the article transportation optimization includes a suggested modification to how the task is performed.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein determining the article transportation optimization includes inputting the productivity profile to a machine learning algorithm and generating the article transportation optimization using the machine learning algorithm. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising determining the billing rate data using the task parameter data. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the task performance data includes task duration data, and wherein the productivity profile is generated using the task duration data. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the task performance data includes error data logged during performance of the task and wherein the error data is used to generate the error profile. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the error data describes one or more errors made by a task performing device during performance of the task. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising associating the completed work profile with a task beneficiary identifier, the task beneficiary identifier identifying a beneficiary of the task. 
     
     
         10 . A usage tracking and management system comprising:
 a device management server communicatively connected to a task requestor device, a device supplier device, and a task performing device via a network;   wherein the task performing device is configured to perform a task according to received task instructions;   and wherein the device management server is configured to:
 receive task performance data, the task performance logged during performance of the task; 
 generate a device usage profile from a first subset of the task performance data; 
 generate a device performance profile from a second subset of the task performance data; 
 transmit the device usage profile to the task requestor device; and 
 transmit the device performance profile to at least one of the task performing device, the task requestor device, and the device supplier device. 
   
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the device usage profile includes a billable amount, and wherein the device management server generates the billable amount from the task performance data and billing rate data. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the device performance profile includes a productivity level, the productivity level determined from the task performance data and task duration data. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein generating the device performance profile includes generating a performance optimization. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the performance optimization is a task performance optimization, and wherein the task performance optimization includes a suggested modification to how the task is performed. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein the task performance optimization includes a navigation route optimization. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein generating the task performance optimization includes providing productivity data as an input to a machine learning algorithm, the machine learning algorithm configured to generate the task performance optimization as an output. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the performance optimization is a device performance optimization. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 17 , further comprising providing the device-based optimization to a task performing device. 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the device performance profile includes machine health data describing a machine state, and wherein the machine health data is generated from a machine health signature. 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the task performance data includes error data, the error data describing one or more errors made during performance of the task, and wherein the device performance profile includes an error profile derived from the error data.