Method of assembling plant

• US 6,244,015 B1
• Filed: 08/11/1998
• Issued: 06/12/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Sato, Hitoshi, Ito, Arata, Kyoda, Shigeru, Kimura, Motohiko, Hirono, Shuji
• Primary Examiner(s): CHILCOT, RICHARD E
• Application Number:
  US09/132,490
• Time in Patent Office: 1,036 Days
• Field of Search: 348/82, 348/86, 348/143, 527/411, 527/450.5, 527/491, 527/50
• US Class Current: 52/741.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/013 Eye tracking input arrangements G06F3/015 takes precedence

Abstract

A method of assembling a large-size plant and an assembling method for reducing a term of work are disclosed. Each of a crane operator in a crane operation room and site workers in a plant construction site is equipped with a picture I/O device and a voice I/O device. The crane operator and the site workers assemble the plant while sharing picture information of the picture I/O device and voice information of the voice I/O device with each other. A site remote control room vicinal to the plant construction site is connected via a radio transmission path to a host control center. The plant si assembled while the site workers, the crane operator room, the site remote control room and the central control room share the picture information and the voice information of their own with each other.

Claims

1. A method of assembling a plant in which a plurality of workers communicate with each other in order to assemble said plant, comprising:

a step of making each of a crane operator in a crane operation room and a site worker in a plant construction site equipped with a picture I/O device and a voice I/O device, the crane operator being provided for helping to assemble said plant;

a step of performing a work of assembling said plant while the crane operator shares picture information of said picture I/O device and voice information of said voice I/O device with the site worker;

a step of connecting a site remote control room proximal to the plant construction site to a host control center via a radio transmission path; and

a step of assembling said plant while the site worker, the crane operation room, the site remote control room and the control center share the picture information and the voice information of their own with each other, wherein the assembling of said plant is conducted based on the picture information and the voice information.

2. A method of communicating between workers according to claim 1, further comprising:

a step of making each of head parts of the crane operator and of the site worker fitted with a TV camera and a line-of-sight detector as said picture I/O devices and also said voice I/O device;

a step of attaching said TV camera to a crane for work to image from above a unit to be assembled;

a step of synthesizing line-of-sight position displays of the crane operator and of the site worker with a picture imaged by said TV camera fitted to the crane for work and a picture imaged by the site worker; and

a step of performing the assembling work using the voice information and the line-of-sight position information while sharing the synthesized picture information with each other.

3. A method of communicating between workers according to claim 2, further comprising:

a step of making each of the crane operator and the site worker wear a helmet;

a step of fitting to the helmet said voice I/O device including said TV camera and said line-of-sight detector and said voice I/O device including a microphone and a headphone; and

a step of thus performing the assembling work.

4. A method of communicating between workers according to claim 2, further comprising:

a step of obtaining a synthetic picture by synthesizing the picture imaged by said TV camera fitted to said crane with a picture imaged by the site worker; and

a step of performing the assembling work by sharing the synthetic picture between a monitor TV in the crane operation room and a portable monitor TV attached to an arm opposite to a dominant arm of the site worker.

5. A method of communicating between workers according to claim 2, further comprising:

a step of displaying the synthesized picture information as a synthetic picture, in the same layout as developing a three-dimensional body by a trigonometry and displaying this body, of a picture imaged by said TV camera fitted to the head part of the site worker with a picture imaged by said TV camera fitted to said crane with this picture centered, in a position where the site worker is originally projected.

6. A method of communicating between workers according to claim 5, wherein the operator of said crane puts a follow-up indication on the site worker projected in the synthetic picture in such a state that the operator is able to follow up the site worker, and

the operator identifies the worker in the picture by reading an identification indication put on the site worker.

7. A method of communicating between workers according to claim 5, further comprising:

a step of of setting a picture within a fixed range in the follow-up state among the pictures imaged by the site workers; and

a step of synthesizing the picture in the follow-up state range with the picture imaged by said TV camera fitted to said crane.

8. A method of communicating between workers according to claim 2, wherein the picture imaged by the site worker is changed over at a fixed interval or by a change indication with respect to the synthetic picture in which the picture imaged by the site worker is laid out with the picture imaged by said TV camera fitted to said crane being centered, and

the indications of the line-of-sight positions of the site worker and of the crane operator are smoothly shifted.

9. A method of communicating between workers according to claim 2, wherein a picture is set in such a range as to be cut out of the picture imaged by said TV camera fitted to said crane so as to fix a projection range of the picture in which said crane is going to install an installation unit with respect to the synthetic picture in which the picture imaged by the site worker is laid out with the picture imaged by said TV camera fitted to said crane being centered.

10. A method of communicating between workers according to claim 2, wherein a name or a mark of the site worker is synthesized with the picture imaged by said TV camera fitted to the head part of the site worker in the synthesized picture information.

11. A method of communicating between workers according to claim 2, wherein a name or a mark of the site worker is synthesized with the picture of the site worker in the synthesized picture information.

12. A method of communicating between workers according to claim 2, further comprising:

a step of calculating a distance between a fixed-side and a moving side of said unit being installed, a parallel movement deviation quantity within the plane and a rotational deviation quantity from the picture imaged by said TV camera fitted to the head part of the site worker in the synthesized picture information; and

a step of making use of the calculation quantity for at least one of a display for enabling the calculation quantity to be used for operating said crane and automatic control of said crane.

13. A method of communicating between workers according to claim 1, further comprising:

a step of providing line-of-sight detectors for detecting line-of-sight positions of the manager of the site remote control room and the manager of the control center;

a step of synthetically displaying the line-of-sight positions detected by said two line-of-sight detectors on the synthetic picture of the plant construction site; and

a step of synthetically displaying the line-of-sight positions on the design data transmitted from the control center.

14. A method of communicating between workers according to claim 13, wherein the picture imaged by the site worker is changed over at a fixed interval or by a change indication with respect to the synthetic picture in which the picture imaged by the site worker is laid out with the picture imaged by said TV camera fitted to said crane being centered, and

the indications of the line-of-sight positions of the site worker, the crane operator and the manager are smoothly shifted.

15. A method of communicating between workers according to claim 1, wherein the site worker carries a self-position measuring device, and

said plant is assembled sharing self-position information of the site worker together with the picture information and the voice information.

16. A method of communicating between workers according to claim 1, further comprising:

a step of fitting said self-position measuring device to said installation unit handled by said crane;

a step of making the site workers carry said self-position measuring devices; and

a step of synthetically displaying the picture imaged by the site worker with the picture imaged by said TV camera fitted to said crane being centered by use of the self-position information obtained by said two self-position measuring devices.

17. A method of communicating between workers according to claim 16, further comprising:

a step of setting a picture within a fixed range in the follow-up state among the pictures imaged by the site workers; and

a step of synthetically displaying the picture in the follow-up state range with the picture imaged by said TV camera fitted to said crane.

18. A method of assembling a plant in which a plurality of workers communicate with each other in order to assemble said plant, comprising

a step of equipping a welding worker in a plant construction site with a picture I/O device, a voice I/O device and a self-positioning measuring device, the welding worker being provided for helping to assemble said plant;

a step of performing a welding work in the plant construction site while the welding worker shares picture information of said picture I/O device, voice information of said voice I/O device and self-position measurement information from said self-position measuring device with a site remote control room vicinal to the plant construction site;

a step of connecting the site remote control room vicinal to the plant construction site to a host control center via a radio transmission path; and

a step of conducting the welding work in the plant construction site while the welding worker, the site remote control room and the control center share the picture information and the voice information of their own with each other wherein the welding work for assembling the plant is conducted based on the picture information and the voice information.

19. A method of assembling a plant in which a plurality of site workers communicate with each other in order to assemble said plant, comprising

a step of equipping each of the plurality of site workers conducting an assembling work in cooperation by use of fastening tools with a picture I/O device, a voice I/O device and a self-positioning measuring device;

a step of performing the assembling work in the plant construction site while the site workers share picture information of said picture I/O device, voice information of said voice I/O device and self-position measurement information from said self-position measuring device with a site remote control room vicinal to the plant construction site;

a step of connecting the site remote control room vicinal to the plant construction site to a host control center via a radio transmission path; and

a step of conducting the assembling work in the plant construction site while the site workers, the site remote control room and the control center share the picture information and the voice information of their own with each other, wherein the assembling work for assembling the plant is conducted based on the picture information and the voice information.