Modular safety monitoring and warning system and methods for use thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10845775-B2
Application number	US-202016838020-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 1, 2020
Priority date	May 12, 2017
Publication date	Nov 24, 2020
Grant date	Nov 24, 2020

Abstract

Situational-awareness controllers and methods to increase situational-awareness for an actor associated with a triggering event are described. An example method includes in response to receiving a notification of a triggering event generated by at least one sensor, a computing device accessing information that includes related to an actor associated with the triggering event. The computing device correlates the information to a compilation of historical information by (i) determining whether the actor's location is associated with one or more safety events stored as part of the compilation of historical information and (ii) determining a risk level of the actor based on whether the one or more associated safety events occurred within a predetermined range of time from the time associated with the triggering event. The computing device generates a command based on a result of the correlating and sends the command to at least one controllable device.

First claim

We claim:

1. A method, comprising:
in response to receiving, by a computing device, a notification of a triggering event generated by at least one sensor, accessing information comprising an identification of an actor associated with the triggering event, a location of the actor, and an associated date and a time of the triggering event;
correlating, via the computing device, the information to a compilation of historical information from a plurality of actors by (i) determining whether the location of the actor is associated with one or more safety events stored as part of the compilation of historical information and (ii) in response to determining that the location of the actor is associated with one or more safety events, determining a risk level of the actor based on whether the one or more associated safety events occurred within a predetermined range of time from the time associated with the triggering event, wherein correlating the information to the compilation of historical information from the plurality of actors further comprises:
in response to receiving, by the computing device, the notification of the triggering event generated by the at least one sensor, accessing information comprising an action count of an activity for the actor associated with the triggering event;
determining, via the computing device, whether the action count of the activity for the actor associated with the triggering event exceeds a quantity associated with a high-risk threshold; and
in response to determining the action count of the activity for the actor associated with the triggering event exceeds the quantity associated the high-risk threshold, assigning the information associated with the triggering event as a safety event in the compilation of historical information; and

generating, via the computing device, a command, based on a result of the correlating, and sending the command to at least one controllable device.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining the risk level of the actor further based on a previously-assigned risk level for each of the one or more associated safety events.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein correlating the information to the compilation of historical information from the plurality of actors further comprises:
determining that a predetermined number of safety events associated with the location of the actor have occurred within the predetermined range of time from the time of the triggering event over a predetermined number of days; and
increasing a previously-assigned risk level for each of the one or more associated safety events.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
in response to determining the risk level of the actor,
determining whether the risk level of the actor exceeds an alert threshold;
after determining that the risk level of the actor exceeds the alert threshold,

determining whether the risk level of the actor exceeds an actuator threshold;
in response to a determination that the risk level of the actor does not exceed the actuator threshold, determining that the command comprises a command to activate an alert indicator of a communication device configured to be carried, worn or associated with the actor; and
in response to a determination that the risk level of the actor exceeds the actuator threshold, determining that the command comprises a command (i) to activate the alert indicator of the communication device configured to be carried, worn or associated with the actor and (ii) to activate an alert indicator and an actuator of a response device in communication with an operator-controlled device.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the action count corresponds to repetitive movements of the actor, wherein the actor is a human actor, the method further comprising:
determining that the risk level of the actor does not exceed the actuator threshold; and
generating and sending a command to the alert indicator to alert the human actor to take a break or that the human actor is approaching an ergonomic limit for the repetitive movements.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the actor associated with the triggering event is a human actor, the method further comprising:
determining the risk level of the actor exceeds the actuator threshold; and
generating and sending a command to a response device corresponding to an object actor and the human actor to activate an actuator.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the action count corresponds to repetitive movements of the actor, further comprising:
in response to activating the actuator, operating the object actor in a safe-mode or ceasing operation of the object actor; and
causing the human actor to modify the repetitive movements or to cease the repetitive movements.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining the risk level of the actor further based on one or more of a type of the one or more associated safety events, a type of the actor associated with the triggering event and a type of the activity for the actor associated with the triggering event that the actor is engaged in.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising in response to determining the risk level of the actor, determining that the command comprises a command to display the risk level of the actor on an alert indicator.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein correlating the information to the compilation of historical information from the plurality of actors further comprises:
in response to receiving, by the computing device, the notification of the triggering event generated by the at least one sensor, accessing information to identify any other actors within a predetermined distance of the location of the actor associated with the triggering event; and
in response to identifying at least one other actor within the predetermined distance of the location of the actor associated with the triggering event, sending the command to a controllable device corresponding to the actor associated with the triggering event and to a controllable device of the at least one other actor within the predetermined distance of the location of the actor associated with the triggering event.

11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining the risk level of the actor further based on the action count of the activity for the actor associated with the triggering event.

12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
configuring the command to cause the at least one controllable device to activate an alert indicator, wherein the controllable device is a communication device comprising the alert indicator and configured to be carried, worn or associated with the actor.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:
receiving, at the communication device, the command; and
in response to receiving the command, activating, via the communication device, the alert indicator of the communication device.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein activating, via the communication device, the alert indicator comprises issuing a visual, an auditory, or a tactile alert.

15. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
configuring the command to cause the at least one controllable device to activate an actuator to cause an automated system to either cease operation or to operate in a safe-mode, wherein the controllable device is a response device in communication with the automated system, wherein the response device comprises the actuator.

16. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
configuring the command to cause the at least one controllable device to activate at least one of an alert

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Georgeson Gary E
• Troy James J
• Lea Scott W
• Wright Daniel J

Classifications

• G05B9/02 Primary

  electric · CPC title

• G05B19/048 Primary

  Monitoring; Safety · CPC title

• G08B21/02

  Alarms for ensuring the safety of persons · CPC title

• G05B2219/24015

  Monitoring · CPC title

• G05B2219/49141

  Detect near collision and slow, stop, inhibit movement tool · CPC title