Machine procedure simulation

• US 9,778,643 B2
• Filed: 06/22/2016
• Issued: 10/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Allen-Bradley Co., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Allen-Bradley Co., Inc.)
• Inventors: Michalscheck, Jimi, Michalscheck, Kelly
• Primary Examiner(s): Ly, Anh
• Application Number:
  US15/189,677
• Publication Number:
  US 20160306334A1
• Time in Patent Office: 468 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/05 Programmable logic controllers, e.g. simulating logic interconnections of signals according to ladder diagrams or function charts
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/13174 Pc, computer connected to plc to simulate machine
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2443 Stored procedures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/27 Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/20 Design optimisation, verification or simulation optimisation, verification or simulation of circuit designs G06F30/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0631 Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/20 Administration of product repair or maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/018 Certifying business or products
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/00 Teaching not covered by other main groups of this subclass teaching or practice apparatus for gun-aiming or gun-laying F41G3/26
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/065 Combinations of audio and video presentations, e.g. videotapes, videodiscs, television systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

For machine procedure simulation, a method synchronizes a plurality of equipment procedures to a mobile device. The method receives a first equipment reference code for a first equipment instance at the mobile device. The method retrieves a first equipment procedure of the plurality of equipment procedures that is indexed to the first equipment reference code at the mobile device, the first equipment procedure including a machine simulation for the first equipment instance. The method receives a procedure step that includes a lockout decision indicating that the first equipment procedure requires a lockout of the first equipment instance. The procedure step is directed to the machine simulation. The method displays a simulated result for an operator simulation that shows a simulated operator interacting with the machine simulation in response to the procedure step lockout decision.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

synchronizing, by use of a processor, a plurality of equipment procedures to a mobile device, wherein each equipment procedure corresponds to an equipment instance of a plurality of equipment instances of specific equipment and each equipment instance corresponds to an equipment reference code;

receiving a first equipment reference code for a first equipment instance at the mobile device;

retrieving a first equipment procedure of the plurality of equipment procedures and indexed to the first equipment reference code at the mobile device, the first equipment procedure comprising a machine simulation for the first equipment instance;

receiving a procedure step comprising a lockout decision indicating that the first equipment procedure requires a lockout of the first equipment instance, wherein the procedure step is directed to an operator simulation interacting with the machine simulation;

wherein the operator simulation is organized as a data structure and comprises an element model of a body part scaled based on a height of an operator corresponding to a simulated operator, a motion matrix for the body part describing motion of the body part, and a texture map for the body part generated as an image of the body part from an image of the operator and the machine simulation comprises at least one articulated element for the first equipment instance, a motion matrix for each articulated element describing motion of the articulated element, and at least one texture map generated from an image of each articulated element and applied to each articulated element; and

displaying a simulated result of the operator simulation that shows the simulated operator interacting with the machine simulation in response to the procedure step lockout decision.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the operator simulation shows consequences to the simulated operator from the first equipment instance for the procedure step lockout decision.

3. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising receiving a step answer directed to a step question about the procedure step.

4. The method of claim 3, the method further comprising generating a progress report based on at least one of the procedure step and the step answer.

5. The method of claim 3, the method further comprising generating a process certification in response to at least one of the procedure step and the step answer exceeding a certification threshold.

6. The method of claim 3, the method further comprising storing at least one of the procedure step and the step answer on a remote server.

7. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising communicating a step instruction for the first equipment procedure.

8. An apparatus comprising:

a processor;

a memory storing code executable by the processor to perform;

synchronizing a plurality of equipment procedures to a mobile device, wherein each equipment procedure corresponds to an equipment instance of a plurality of equipment instances of specific equipment and each equipment instance corresponds to an equipment reference code;

receiving a first equipment reference code for a first equipment instance at the mobile device;

retrieving a first equipment procedure of the plurality of equipment procedures and indexed to the first equipment reference code at the mobile device, the first equipment procedure comprising a machine simulation for the first equipment instance;

receiving a procedure step comprising a lockout decision indicating that the first equipment procedure requires a lockout of the first equipment instance, wherein the procedure step is directed to an operator simulation interacting with machine simulation;

wherein the operator simulation is organized as a data structure and comprises an element model of a body part scaled based on a height of an operator corresponding to a simulated operator, a motion matrix for the body part describing motion of the body part, and a texture map for the body part generated as an image of the body part from an image of the operator and the machine simulation comprises at least one articulated element for the first equipment instance, a motion matrix for each articulated element describing motion of the articulated element, and at least one texture map generated from an image of each articulated element and applied to each articulated element; and

displaying a simulated result of the operator simulation that shows the simulated operator interacting with the machine simulation in response to the procedure step lockout decision.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the operator simulation shows consequences to the simulated operator from the first equipment instance for the procedure step lockout decision.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, the processor further receiving a step answer directed to a step question about the procedure step.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, the processor further generating a progress report based on at least one of the procedure step and the step answer.

12. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium that stores code executable by a processor, the executable code comprising code to perform:

synchronizing a plurality of equipment procedures to a mobile device, wherein each equipment procedure corresponds to an equipment instance of a plurality of equipment instances of specific equipment and each equipment instance corresponds to an equipment reference code;

receiving a first equipment reference code for a first equipment instance at the mobile device;

retrieving a first equipment procedure of the plurality of equipment procedures and indexed to the first equipment reference code at the mobile device, the first equipment procedure comprising a machine simulation for the first equipment instance;

receiving a procedure step comprising a lockout decision indicating that the first equipment procedure requires a lockout of the first equipment instance, wherein the procedure step is directed to an operator simulation interacting with the machine simulation;

wherein the operator simulation is organized as a data structure and comprises an element model of a body part scaled based on a height of an operator corresponding to a simulated operator, a motion matrix for the body part describing motion of the body part, and a texture map for the body part generated as an image of the body part from an image of the operator and the machine simulation comprises at least one articulated element for the first equipment instance, a motion matrix for each articulated element describing motion of the articulated element, and at least one texture map generated from an image of each articulated element and applied to each articulated element; and

displaying a simulated result of the operator simulation that shows the simulated operator interacting with the machine simulation in response to the procedure step lockout decision.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the operator simulation shows consequences to the simulated operator from the first equipment instance for the procedure step lockout decision.

14. The computer program product of claim 12, the processor further receiving a step answer in response to a step question about the procedure step.