Advanced industrial safety notification systems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10832548-B2
Application number	US-201916398495-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 30, 2019
Priority date	May 2, 2018
Publication date	Nov 10, 2020
Grant date	Nov 10, 2020

Abstract

An industrial visualization system defines and enforces a virtual safety shield comprising a three-dimensional space surrounding a wearer of a client device. The dimensions of the virtual safety shield are defined by a specified safe distance surrounding the user that allows sufficient reaction time in response to notification that the wearer is at risk of interacting with a safety zone, hazardous machinery, or vehicles within the plant. If a boundary of a safety zone or hazardous equipment falls within the three-dimensional space defined by the virtual safety shield, the system sends a notification to the user's client device, or places the hazardous equipment in a safe operating mode.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system, comprising:
a memory that stores executable components; and
a processor, operatively coupled to the memory, that executes the executable components, the executable components comprising:
a local scanner component configured to perform a scan of a vicinity surrounding the system and to generate, based on the scan, mapping data representing objects and surfaces within the vicinity; and
a local safety shield component configured to
define a three-dimensional virtual safety shield around the local scanner based on a defined minimum safe distance, wherein local safety shield component is configured to increase a size of the virtual safety shield in response to a determination that a velocity or an acceleration of a wearer of the system exceeds a defined threshold or a trajectory of the wearer satisfies a defined criterion,
identify, based on a result of an analysis performed on the mapping data, an obstacle within the vicinity surrounding the system, and
in response to determining that the virtual safety shield overlaps with the obstacle, generate a notification.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the system is integrated into at least one of an augmented reality wearable appliance, a hard hat, a bump cap, safety glasses, a safety glove, arc flash protective clothing, safety shoes, earplugs, a forklift, or a body suit.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein
the obstacle is an industrial machine controlled by an industrial controller, and
the system further comprises a device communication component configured to, in response to determining that the virtual safety shield overlaps with the industrial machine, send a control signal to the industrial controller that places the industrial machine in a safe state.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the device communication component is configured to generate the control signal in accordance with a defined role of the wearer of the system.

5. The system of claim 3 , wherein
the local safety shield component is configured to
determine an identity of the industrial machine based on at least one of object recognition analysis performed on the mapping data, a location context, a scannable code associated with the industrial machine, or a marker associated with the industrial machine, and
determine an identity of the industrial controller associated with the identity of the industrial machine based on controller identity data stored on the memory, and

the device communication component is configured to send the control signal to the industrial controller corresponding to the identity of the industrial controller.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the notification is at least one of an augmented reality graphic rendered on a wearable appliance, a visual indication, an audible indication, or a tactile indication.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the local scanner component is configured to perform the scan using at least one of radio frequency identification, wireless networking, near field communication, cellular communication, global positioning system tracking, a depth camera, an inertia measurement unit, a red-green-blue (RGB) camera, stereoscope cameras, radio detection and ranging (RADAR), or light detection and ranging (LIDAR).

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the local safety shield component is further configured to determine the trajectory the wearer of the system, and to generate the notification in response to further determining that the trajectory is indicative of a risk of collision with the obstacle.

9. The system of claim 3 , wherein the device communication component is configured to send the control signal to the industrial controller via at least one of a wireless network, near field communication, or a server that routes the control signal to the industrial controller.

10. A method, comprising:
scanning, by a system comprising a processor, a space surrounding the system;
generating, by the system based on the scanning, mapping data that models objects and surfaces within the space surrounding the system;
defining, by the system, a three-dimensional virtual safety shield around the system based on a defined minimum safe distance, wherein the defining comprises increasing a size of the virtual safety shield in response to determining that a velocity or an acceleration of a wearer of the system increases in excess of a defined velocity threshold or in response to determining that a trajectory of the wearer of the system satisfies a defined criterion;
identifying, by the system based on a result of an analysis performed on the mapping data, an obstacle within the space surrounding the system; and
in response to determining that the virtual safety shield overlaps with the obstacle, generating, by the system, a notification.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the system is integrated into at least one of an augmented reality wearable appliance, a hard hat, a bump cap, safety glasses, a safety glove, arc flash protective clothing, safety shoes, earplugs, a forklift, an automated guided vehicle, or a body suit.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein
the identifying the obstacle comprises identifying an industrial machine controlled by an industrial controller, and
the method further comprises:
in response to determining that the virtual safety shield overlaps with the industrial machine, sending, by the system, a control signal to the industrial controller, wherein the control signal transitions the industrial machine to a safe state.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the sending the control signal comprises generating the control signal to set the safe state based on a role of the wearer of the system.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein the sending the control signal comprises:
determining, by the system, an identity of the industrial machine based on at least one of object recognition analysis performed on the mapping data, a location context, a scannable code associated with the industrial machine, or a marker associated with the industrial machine;
determining an identity of the industrial controller associated with the industrial machine based on a recorded association between the identity of the industrial machine and the identity of the industrial controller; and
sending the control signal to the industrial controller selected based on the identity of the industrial controller.

15. The method of claim 10 , wherein the generating the notification comprises generating at least one of an augmented reality graphic rendered on a wearable appliance, a visual indication, an audible indication, or a tactile indication.

16. The method of claim 10 , wherein the scanning comprises scanning using at least one of radio frequency identification, wireless networking, near field communication, cellular communication, global positioning system tracking, a depth camera, an inertia measurement unit, a red-green-blue (RGB) camera, stereoscope cameras, radio detection and ranging (RADAR), or light detection and ranging (LIDAR).

17. The method of claim 10 , further comprising determining, by the system, the trajectory of the wearer of the system,
wherein the generating further comprises generating the notification in response to further determining that the trajectory is indicative of a risk of collision with the obstacle.

18. The method of claim 12 , wherein the sending the control signal comprises sending the control signal to the industrial controller via at least one of a wireless network, near field communication, or a server that routes the control sig

Assignees

• Rockwell Automation Tech Inc

Inventors

• Nguyen Thong T
• Schmirler Paul D
• Crum Kyle
• Vasko David A

Classifications

• G08B21/02 Primary

  Alarms for ensuring the safety of persons · CPC title

• B25J9/1676

  Avoiding collision or forbidden zones · CPC title