FACILITY OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT USING AUGMENTED REALITY

• US 20160035246A1
• Filed: 07/29/2015
• Published: 02/04/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2014
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Peter M. Curtis
• Original Assignee: Peter M. Curtis
• Inventors: CURTIS, PETER M.
• Application Number:
  US14/812,712
• Publication Number:
  US 20160035246A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 7/066 guiding along a path, e.g. evacuation path lighting strip
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/003 Repetitive work cycles; Sequence of movements
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/24 Use of tools
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46

Abstract

A wearable device is provided that is configured to guide a user to perform a procedure in a facility. The device includes a wearable element; a display area; a sensor; and a controller. The controller is configured to control the sensor to capture sensor data, identify equipment from the sensor data, and present an image on the display area. The image includes information indicating how to perform a current step of a procedure associated with the determined equipment. The controller includes a transceiver that enables the controller to wirelessly receive the information from a remote device.

Claims

1. A wearable device configured to guide a user to perform a procedure in a facility, the device comprising:

a wearable element;

a display area;

a sensor; and

a controller configured to control the sensor to capture sensor data, identify equipment from the sensor data, and present a first image on the display area, the first image including information indicating how to perform a current step of a procedure associated with the determined equipment,

wherein the controller comprises a transceiver that enables the controller to wirelessly receive the information from a remote device.

2. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein the wearable element is one of a band or an eyeglass frame.

3. The wearable device of claim 1, further comprising a projector, where the display area includes a prism and the controller is configured project the first image onto the prism.

4. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein the remote device is configured to download the entire procedure from a central server and the current step upon the remote device establishing a connection to a network attached to the central server.

5. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein the sensor is a camera, the sensor data is a second image captured by the camera, and the equipment is identified from the second image.

6. The wearable device of claim 5, wherein the second image includes a bar code and the controller determines a code from the bar code and uses the code to identify the equipment.

7. The wearable device of claim 5, wherein the controller sends the second image to the remote device, the remote device performs image recognition on the second image to detect an object, and the remote device compares the detected objects against pre-stored images to identify the equipment.

8. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein the sensor includes a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader, the sensor data is RFID data, the controller determines a code from the RFID data and uses the code to identify the equipment.

9. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein the sensor comprises a plurality of infrared (IR) cameras, the IR cameras controller scan geometries to retrieve metadata, the controller sends the metadata to the remote device, and the remote device uses the metadata to identify the equipment.

10. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein the first image includes text of the current step and text identifying a room the equipment is housed within.

11. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein the wearable element includes a physical button and the controller determines that the current step has been completed in response to a user depressing the physical button.

12. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein the wearable element includes a physical button and the controller sends a message to the remote device indicating the current step has been completed in response to a user depressing the physical button.

13. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein the wearable element includes a physical button and the controller presents a second image on the display area including information indicating how to perform a next step of the procedure in response to a user depressing the physical button.

14. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein the first image is transparent and overlays the equipment.

15. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein the equipment comprises a plurality of components and the first image is disposed closest to one of the components that is part of the current step.

16. A wearable device configured to guide a user safely through a facility, the device comprising:

a wearable element;

a display area;

a sensor; and

a controller comprising a transceiver that enables the controller to wirelessly receive information from a remote device,

wherein the controller configured is configured to control the sensor to capture sensor data, identify equipment from the sensor data and the received information, and present an image on the display area representing a safe path through the equipment using the sensor data and the received information.

17. The wearable device of claim 16, wherein the path comprises at least one line that is spaced a distance away from the equipment.

18. The wearable device of claim 17, wherein the distance is based on a range of an arc flash predicted for the equipment.

19. The wearable device of claim 17, wherein the controller dynamically adjusts a position of the line according to a distance determined between the user and the equipment using the sensor data.

20. The wearable device of claim 17, wherein the path comprises a plurality of different adjacent sub-paths, where each sub-path represents a different amount of energy the user would be exposed to when the arc flash occurs.

21. The wearable device of claim 16, further comprising a vibration motor that vibrates when the controller determines that the user is approaching a boundary of the path.

22. A wearable device configured to manage a facility using a remotely controllable device, the device comprising:

a wearable element;

a display area; and

a controller configured to wirelessly control the remotely controllable device to capture sensor data, identify equipment from the sensor data, determine whether the equipment is malfunctioning using the sensor data, and present an image on the display area representing the equipment and providing information indicating whether the equipment is malfunctioning.

23. The wearable device of claim 22, wherein the controller is configured to receive temperature data from the remotely controllable device to determine whether a temperature of the equipment is abnormal.

24. The wearable device of claim 23, wherein the temperature data comprises infrared scans of the equipment performed by the remotely controllable device.

25. The wearable device of claim 22, wherein the remotely controllable device includes a rotatable or extendible extension and the controller enables a user to transmit a command to the remotely controllable device to rotate or extend the extension.