Modular safety monitoring and warning system and methods for use thereof

• US 10,409,252 B2
• Filed: 05/12/2017
• Issued: 09/10/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Georgeson, Gary E., Troy, James J., Lea, Scott W., Wright, Daniel J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah, Tanmay K
• Application Number:
  US15/593,541
• Publication Number:
  US 20180329384A1
• Time in Patent Office: 851 Days
• Field of Search: 3405731
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/048 Monitoring; Safety
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/24015 Monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/49141 Detect near collision and slow, stop, inhibit movement tool
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 9/02 electric

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.

Claims

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;

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

5. 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 activity the actor associated with the triggering event is engaged in.

6. 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 the alert indicator of the communication device.

7. 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;

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.

8. 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 comprising an identification of the at least one sensor and a location of the at least one sensor;

determining, via the computing device, whether a distance between the location of the at least one sensor and the location of the actor is less than a high-risk threshold distance; and

in response to determining the distance between the location of the at least one sensor and the location of the actor is less than the high-risk threshold distance, assigning the information associated with the triggering event as a safety event in the compilation of historical information.

9. 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 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.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining the risk level of the actor further based on an action count of an activity for the actor associated with the triggering event.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

configuring the command to cause the controllable device to activate the alert indicator of the communication device, wherein the controllable device is the communication device comprising the alert indicator and configured to be carried, worn or associated with the actor.

12. The method of claim 11, 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.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein activating, via the communication device, the alert indicator comprises issuing a visual, an auditory, or a tactile alert.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

configuring the command to cause the at least one controllable device to activate the actuator to cause an automated system to either cease operation or to operate in a safe-mode, wherein the at least one controllable device is the response device in communication with the automated system, wherein the response device comprises the actuator.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

configuring the command to cause the at least one controllable device to activate at least one of the alert indicator and the actuator of the response device, wherein the at least one controllable device is the response device in communication with an operator-controlled device, wherein the response device comprises the alert indicator and the actuator.

16. A situational-awareness controller, comprising:

a processor in communication with a controllable device, the processor configured to receive a notification of a triggering event generated by at least one sensor; and

data storage, storing instructions that, upon execution by the processor, cause the processor to perform situational-awareness functions comprising;

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 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;

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; and

after determining that the risk level of the actor exceeds an actuator threshold, determining that the command comprises a command (i) to activate an alert indicator of a 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; and

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

17. The situational-awareness controller of claim 16, further comprising:

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 the alert indicator of the communication device configured to be carried, worn or associated with the actor.

18. The situational-awareness controller of claim 16, wherein the functions further comprise:

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.

19. The situational-awareness controller of claim 16, wherein the functions further comprise:

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.

20. An article of manufacture, comprising a tangible computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, upon execution by a processor of the article of manufacture, cause the article of manufacture to perform functions comprising:

in response to receiving, by the article of manufacture, a notification of a triggering event generated by at least one sensor, accessing, via the article of manufacture, 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 article of manufacture, 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;

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; and

after determining that the risk level of the actor exceeds an actuator threshold, determining that the command comprises a command (i) to activate an alert indicator of a 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; and

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