Methods and systems for workplace safety risk avoidance

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10026291-B2
Application number	US-201715416167-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 26, 2017
Priority date	Jan 28, 2016
Publication date	Jul 17, 2018
Grant date	Jul 17, 2018

Abstract

A method is provided to avoid risk at a workplace. The method comprises establishing an indication including a first region with a first safety level at the workplace; determining a position of an object in the workplace and generating position information; and issuing a first alert if it is determined that the object is in the first region based on the position information and the indication.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method to avoid safety risk in a place including a vehicle assembly line, comprising:
establishing an indication including a first region with a first safety level at the place;
determining a position of an object in the work place and generating position information; and
issuing a first alert signal if it is determined that the object is in the first region based on the position information and the indication; and
updating the indication according to a change of the first region.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the indication includes one of a layout diagram of the work place, a coordination system of the workplace and a lookup table of the workplace.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first region includes one of an assembly line position, a machine region, and a cargo vehicle route.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the position of the object includes determining the position of the object using a triangulation positioning approach based on signals from at least three receivers and wherein the three receivers are configured to receive a signal from emitters at a position of the object.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the object is a pedestrian, the emitters are disposed on one of safety shoes, a safety clothing, a safety helmet worn by the pedestrian.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the position of the object includes determining the position using one of a thermal responsive positioning, an image positioning and a GPS positioning.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein issuing the first alert signal includes issuing the first alert signal to one of a pedestrian, a cargo vehicle driver, and a machine operator.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the first alert is issued from a buzzer disposed on one of safety shoes, a safety clothing and a safety helmet worn by one of the pedestrian, the cargo vehicle driver and the operator of the machine operator.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein issuing the first alert signal includes issuing a reminder alert signal to management personnel at the workplace.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the indication further includes a second region having a second safety level, the method further includes issuing a second alert signal different from the first alert signal if it is determined that the object is in the second region.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the indication further includes a third region having a third safety level, the method further includes not issuing the first alert signal if it is determined that the object is in the third region.

12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining whether the object is responsible for an accident based on the position information and the indication.

13. A method to alert risk at a workplace, the work place is divided into a first region with a first safety level and a second region with a second safety level, the method comprising:
defining the first region and the second region in a reference system; wherein the first and second regions have different risk levels to the object, and the first region includes one of an assembly line, a machinery area, and cargo vehicle routes;
determining a position of an object in the reference system;
determining whether the object is located in the first region or the second region based on the position of the object in the reference system;
issuing a first alert signal when it is determined that the object is in the first region and;
reestablishing an updated first region based on a changed location of one of the assembly line, the machinery area, and the cargo vehicle routes.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the reference system is a coordination system, and wherein the object is determined to be in the first region if a coordination of object is in a range of the first region in the coordination system and the object is determined to be in the second region if a coordination of the object is in a range of the second region in the coordination system.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the workplace is further divided to have a third region surrounding an area including the assembly line, the machinery area and the cargo vehicle routes, wherein the second region is located between the first region and the third region, and the method further comprising issuing a second alert signal when it is determined that the object is in the second region, and the second alert signal is different from the first alert signal and no alert signal is issued when the object is in the third region.

16. A system to avoid safety risk at a workplace, comprising:
a positioning device to determine a position of an object in the workplace and generate position information;
an alert device to issue a first alert signal in response to received alert instructions; and
a controller configured to establish an indication including a first region having a first safety level in the workplace, issue the alert instructions to the alert device when it is determined that the object is in the first region based the position information from the position device and the indication, and update the indication according to a change of the first region.

17. The system of claim 16 , wherein the object is a pedestrian, the positioning device includes one of emitters disposed on one of safety shoes, a safety cloth, and a safety helmet worn by the pedestrian, at least three receivers communicated with the emitters and located at different places of the workplace, and a processor configured to generate the position information using a triangulation method based on the communication between the emitters and the receivers.

18. The system of claim 16 , wherein the alert device includes a buzzer disposed in at least one of a safety shoe, a safety cloth and a safety helmet worn by one a pedestrian, a driver of the cargo vehicle, and an operator of the machine.

19. The system of claim 16 , wherein the controller is further configured to determine whether the object is responsible for an accident based on the position information and the indication.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Zhang Kadin
• Zhao Fernando
• Lee Bruce
• Liu Jonas

Classifications

• G08B25/10

  using wireless transmission systems {(G08B25/009 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• G08B21/02 Primary

  Alarms for ensuring the safety of persons · CPC title

• G08B21/0261

  System arrangements wherein the object is to detect trespassing over a fixed physical boundary, e.g. the end of a garden · CPC title

• G08G1/164

  Centralised systems, e.g. external to vehicles · CPC title

• G01S5/10

  Position of receiver fixed by co-ordinating a plurality of position lines defined by path-difference measurements {, e.g. omega or decca systems}(G01S5/12 takes precedence {; beacons and receivers cooperating therewith G01S1/306, G01S1/308}) · CPC title