Automated monitoring and control of contamination in a production area

• US 9,189,949 B2
• Filed: 12/09/2010
• Issued: 11/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sealed Air Corporation US (Sealed Air)
• Original Assignee: Sealed Air Corporation US (Sealed Air)
• Inventors: De Luca, Nicholas, Sato, Koichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Lau, Hoi
• Application Number:
  US12/928,362
• Publication Number:
  US 20120146792A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,804 Days
• Field of Search: 340/568.1, 340/10.1, 340/500, 340/540, 340/573.1, 340/686.1, 340/686.2, 340/686.6, 382/103, 382/115, 382/100, 382/182, 382/286, 382/291, 348/143, 348/77, 348/94
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/52 Surveillance or monitoring of activities, e.g. for recognising suspicious objects recognising microscopic objects G06V20/69
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1427 with transmitter-receiver for distance detection
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/12 responsive to undesired emission of substances, e.g. pollution alarms
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/22 responsive to presence or absence of persons
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/245 Reminder of hygiene compliance policies, e.g. of washing hands
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 3/10 using electric transmission; using electromagnetic transmission

Abstract

In an automated process for monitoring and controlling contamination in a production area, captured image data is processed to determine whether an individual is to wearing an article of contamination control equipment (e.g., gloves, face mask, etc) and whether the equipment is properly positioned on the individual. A determination that the contamination control equipment is not present or not properly positioned automatically activates a contamination control device such as contamination control means (e.g., shutting off power to machine) or an alarm or generates and sends a report of the contamination control protocol violation. An automated system for monitoring and controlling contamination includes a computer, an imaging sensor in communication with the computer, and a computer-readable program code disposed on the computer.

Claims

1. An automated process for monitoring and controlling contamination in a production area, comprising:

(A) capturing image data from the production area;

(B) processing the image data to determine;

(i) whether an individual is present within the production area in which the individual is to be wearing an article of contamination control equipment; and

(ii) whether the article of contamination control equipment is present and properly positioned on the individual while the individual is working in the production area; and

(C) activating a contamination control device if the article of contamination control equipment is not present and properly positioned on the individual while the individual is working in the production area; and

wherein;

the image data is captured over a time period; and

the processing of the image data is carried out to find an image of at least a portion of an individual in motion, using a stabilization algorithm to determine whether the image data satisfies a threshold image value for a threshold time period, with the threshold image value being a pre-determined minimum image value correlating with an absence of the contamination control equipment properly positioned on the individual, and the threshold time period being a pre-determined minimum time period that the threshold image value is satisfied, with the contamination control device being activated if the threshold image value is satisfied for the threshold time period.

2. The automated process according to claim 1, wherein the activating of the contamination control device comprises activating at least one member selected from group consisting of:

(i) a means for contamination control;

(ii) an alarm to notify the individual that the at least one article of contamination control equipment is not present or is not properly positioned;

(iii) the generation of a report that the article of contamination control equipment was not present while the individual was present in the production area, or was not properly positioned while the individual was present in the production area.

3. The automated process according to claim 2, wherein the report includes an image of the individual in the production area while the threshold image value is satisfied for the threshold time period, and a notation of a time at which the image was captured.

4. The automated process according to claim 1, wherein the contamination control equipment comprises at least one member selected from the group consisting of a glove, a face mask, a suit, a gown, and a hair net.

5. The automated process according to claim 1, wherein the image data is captured by scanning at least a portion of the production area with a camera.

6. The automated process according to claim 1, wherein at least one member selected from the production area, the individual and the article of personal protective equipment has an RFID tag thereon.

7. The automated process according to claim 1, wherein the activating of the contamination control device comprises activating at least one member selected from group consisting of:

(i) be contamination control;

(ii) an alarm to notify the individual that the at least one article of contamination control equipment is not present or is not properly positioned;

(iii) the generation of a report that the article of contamination control equipment was not present while the individual was present in the production area, or was not properly positioned while the individual was present in the production area.

8. The automated process according to claim 7, wherein the means for contamination control comprises at least one member selected from the group consisting of:

(i) cutting off power to at least one machine in the production area, and (ii) interjecting physical restraint or barrier between the individual and the machine in the production area.

9. The automated process according to claim 7, wherein activating the contamination control device comprises setting off the alarm, and the alarm comprises at least one member selected from the group consisting of an audible alarm, a visual alarm, and a vibratory alarm.

10. The automated process according to claim 7, further comprising the transmission of the report, with the transmission of the report comprising at least one member selected, from the group consisting of transmission of an electronic, report and transmission of a hard copy report.

11. An automated system for monitoring and controlling contamination in a production area, the system comprising:

(A) as computer;

(B) an imaging sensor in communication with the computer, the imaging sensor configured and arranged to capture image data of at least a portion of the production area;

(C) computer-readable program code disposed on the computer, the computer-readable program code comprising;

(i) a first executable portion for processing image data and creating an image of the production area,

(ii) a second executable portion for processing image data to find an image of an individual or a portion of an individual in the production area,

(iii) a third executable portion for processing image data and determining whether an article of contamination control equipment is present in association with the image of the individual or the image of the portion of the individual,

(iv) a fourth executable portion for processing image data and determining if the article of contamination control equipment is properly positioned on the individual while the individual is in the production area,

(v) a sixth executable portion for activating a contamination control device if the article of contamination control equipment is not present and properly positioned on the individual while the individual is present in the production area; and

(vi) a seventh executable portion comprising a stabilization algorithm to determine whether the image data satisfies a threshold image value for a threshold time period, with the threshold image value being a pre-determined minimum image value correlating an absence of the contamination control equipment properly positioned on the individual, and the threshold time period being a pre-determined minimum time period that the threshold image value is satisfied.

12. The automated system according to claim 11, wherein the imaging sensor is a first imaging sensor and the system further comprises a second imaging sensor in communication with the computer, with the computer-readable program code disposed on the computer being provided with executable first, second, third, and fourth executable portions for creating and processing image data of at least a portion of the production area from the second imaging sensor, with the creating and processing of the image data from the second imaging sensor being carried out in a manner corresponding with the executable portions for capturing and processing image data from the first imaging sensor.

13. The automated system according to claim 11, wherein the imaging sensor is a scanning imaging sensor configured and arranged to scan a production area.

14. The automated system according to claim 11, further comprising a data entry device that is in communication with the computer.

15. The automated system according to claim 11, further comprising a primer that is in communication with the computer and is capable of printing a report of a determination of whether contamination control equipment is properly positioned on the individual in the production area.