SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ERGONOMIC MONITORING IN AN INDUSTRIAL ENVIRONMENT

• US 20170344919A1
• Filed: 05/24/2017
• Published: 11/30/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/2016
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Lumo LLC
• Original Assignee: LUMO BodyTech, Inc.
• Inventors: Chang, Andrew Robert, Wang, Chung-Che Charles
• Application Number:
  US15/603,906
• Publication Number:
  US 20170344919A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2503/20 Workers
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0219 Inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt switches
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1116 Determining posture transitions
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1118 Determining activity level
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/112 Gait analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0633 Workflow analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06398 Performance of employee with respect to a job function
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/003 Repetitive work cycles; Sequence of movements
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/02 with visual presentation of the material to be studied, e.g. using film strip
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/04 with audible presentation of the material to be studied sound recording or reproducing G11B

Abstract

A system and method for ergonomic monitoring in an industrial environment that includes tracking task properties of tasks performed by a worker; for a set of tasks, tracking kinematic activity of a worker during each task instance, which includes collecting kinematic data, processing the kinematic data and generating at least one biomechanical measurement of a task associated kinematic activity; and generating an ergonomic model that associates task properties and kinematic activity.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

tracking task properties of tasks performed by a worker;

for a set of tasks, tracking kinematic activity of a worker during each task instance, comprising;

at an inertial measurement unit attached to the worker, collecting kinematic data;

processing the kinematic data and thereby generating at least one biomechanical measurement of a task associated kinematic activity; and

generating an ergonomic model that associates task properties and kinematic activity.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising tracking location of the worker through a positioning system;

associating the biomechanical measurement with the location; and

wherein generating an ergonomic model comprises generating an ergonomic risk map presenting an ergonomic analysis of biomechanical measurements plotted by location.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising triggering preemptive feedback for the worker on initializing a task assignment based on current location of the worker relative to the ergonomic risk map.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein tracking location of the worker comprises tracking a location of the worker within a defined environment through a local positioning system.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein tracking location of the worker comprises tracking a location of the worker within a global positioning system.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein tracking task properties comprises retrieving a task assignment from a work assignment system, the task assignment comprising task attributes.

7. The method of claim 6, predicting a biomechanical measurement of a task by analyzing tasks of similar task attributes in the ergonomic model.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising triggering preemptive feedback for the worker on initializing a task assignment, the triggering of the preemptive feedback being based on analysis of tasks of similar attributes in the ergonomic model.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising presenting coaching feedback after completion of a task when the biomechanical measurement of a task satisfies a coaching condition;

and disabling preemptive feedback and coaching feedback when the worker completes a training condition.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising delivering a task assignment to a second worker, wherein an ergonomic risk assessment accompanies the task assignment based on the ergonomic model.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising presenting coaching feedback after completion of a task when the biomechanical measurement satisfies a coaching condition.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein processing the kinematic data and thereby generating at least one biomechanical measurement comprises generating a posture measurement, generating a gait biomechanical signals, and detecting a lifting action and generating a lifting measurement.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein tracking kinematic activity of a worker during a task instance further comprises selecting at least one of a set of kinematic activities, the selection based in part on the task properties;

and wherein processing the kinematic data comprises selectively processing the kinematic data according to the selected kinematic activities.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising tracking location of the worker with a positioning system;

and wherein the selection of at least one of a set of kinematic activities comprises selecting a kinematic activity based on a current location of the worker.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the inertial measurement system comprises a three-axis accelerometer.

16. A method for ergonomic monitoring of a workforce comprising:

tracking task properties of tasks performed by workers of the workforce;

for a set of tasks performed by workers of the workforce, tracking kinematic activity of the set of workers during tracked task instances, where the tracking of kinematic activity for a task instance of a particular worker comprises;

at an inertial measurement unit attached to the worker, collecting kinematic data;

processing the kinematic data and thereby generating at least one biomechanical measurement of a task-associated kinematic activity; and

generating an ergonomic model that associates task properties and kinematic activity across a workforce.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising, tracking location of the workers;

associating the biomechanical measurements with the location of a worker at the time of the biomechanical measurement; and

wherein generating an ergonomic model comprises generating an ergonomic risk map presenting an ergonomic assessment of biomechanical measurements plotted by location.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising triggering preemptive feedback for a worker on initializing a task assignment based on current location of the worker relative to the ergonomic risk map.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein processing the kinematic data and thereby generating at least one biomechanical measurement comprises generating a posture measurement, generating a gait biomechanical signals, and detecting a lifting action and generating a lifting measurement.

20. The method of claim 16, further comprising predicting safety across the workforce from the ergonomic model;

and individually directing tasks of workers according to predicted safety.

21. A system comprising:

worker activity system that includes an inertial measurement system with at least a three-axis accelerometer, the inertial measurement system configured to collect kinematic data, the worker activity system attached to a worker;

processor module that is configured to for a plurality of tasks performed by a worker;

track task properties of tasks performed by a worker,

process the kinematic data and thereby generate at least one biomechanical measurement of a task associated kinematic activity, and

generate an ergonomic module that associates task properties and kinematic activity; and

a user application configured to deliver feedback to the worker.