Systems and methods for enhancing monitoring of an industrial automation system

• US 9,898,001 B2
• Filed: 06/26/2015
• Issued: 02/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2015
• 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, Kelly A., Michalscheck, Jimi R., Korpela, Jessica L., Reissner, Kyle K., Vasko, David A., Fordenwalt, Matthew W., Jauquet, John J., Ericsson, Matthew R., Wilber, Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Previl, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US14/752,362
• Publication Number:
  US 20160282843A1
• Time in Patent Office: 970 Days
• Field of Search: 340540, 3406861, 3406866, 340 101, 340 33, 34082523, 340 51, 340 52, 34053913, 34042626, 3404262
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 31/00 Actuating devices; Operating means; Releasing devices regulating means G05D
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 35/00 Means to prevent accidental or unauthorised actuation
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 37/0025 Electrical or magnetic means F16K37/0075 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/042 using digital processors G05B19/05 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/406 characterised by monitoring or safety G05B19/19 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4183 characterised by data acquisition, e.g. workpiece identification
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4184 characterised by fault tolerance, reliability of production system
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4185 characterised by the network communication
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/41875 characterised by quality surveillance of production
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/21147 Time critical I-O shut off by I-O module, otherwise by processor
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31229 Supervisor, master, workstation controller, automation, machine control
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32368 Quality control
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/39251 Autonomous distributed control, joint and link is a subsystem, communication intensive
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/50193 Safety in general
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/18 for evaluating statistical data , e.g. average values, frequency distributions, probability functions, regression analysis forecasting specially adapted for a specific administrative, business or logistic context G06Q10/04
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 3/00 Registering or indicating the condition or the working of machines or other apparatus, other than vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00309 operated with bidirectional data transmission between data carrier and locks
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00896 specially adapted for particular uses
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/28 the pass enabling tracking or indicating presence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 4/00 Circuit arrangements for mains or distribution networks not specified as ac or dc
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 80/10 : Efficient use of energy, e.g. using compressed air or pressurized fluid as energy carrier
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 : Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/80 : Management or planning

Abstract

In one embodiment, a tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium includes computer instructions configured to receive image data from an apparatus, wherein the image data comprises a person within a proximity to an industrial automation device, determine whether the person is wearing a set of personal protection equipment (PPE) based on the image data, disable one or more operations of the industrial automation device when the person is not wearing the set of PPE, and track a usage of the set of PPE.

Claims

1. A tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising computer instructions configured to:

receive image data from an apparatus, wherein the image data comprises a person within a proximity to an industrial automation device;

determine whether the person is wearing a set of personal protection equipment (PPE) based on the image data;

disable one or more operations of the industrial automation device in response to determining that the person is not wearing the set of PPE by ignoring inputs received from the person, wherein the inputs are configured to control the industrial automation device; and

track a usage of the set of PPE.

2. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the computer instructions are configured to disable the one or more operations by disabling one or more functionalities of the industrial automation device presented on a graphical user interface (GUI) displayed on a device associated with the person.

3. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the computer instructions are configured to track the usage of the set of PPE by generating a score associated with the person based on the usage of the set of PPE and storing the score on the computer-readable medium, on a cloud-based computing system, or some combination thereof.

4. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the computer instructions are configured to enable the one or more operations of the industrial automation device in response to determining that the person is wearing the set of PPE.

5. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the computer instructions are configured to acknowledge receipt of the inputs received from the person.

6. A method comprising:

receiving, via a processor, image data from an apparatus, wherein the image data comprises a person within a proximity to an industrial automation device;

determining, via the processor, whether the person is wearing a set of personal protection equipment (PPE) based on the image data;

disabling, via the processor, one or more operations of the industrial automation device in response to determining that the person is not wearing the set of PPE, wherein disabling the one or more operations of the industrial automation device comprises disabling one or more functionalities of the industrial automation device presented on a graphical user interface (GUI) by the processor; and

tracking, via the processor, a usage of the PPE.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein tracking the usage of the set of PPE comprises generating a score based on the usage of the set of PPE and storing the score.

8. The method of claim 6, comprising enabling, via the processor, the one or more operations of the industrial automation device in response to determining that the person is wearing the set of PPE.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein enabling the one or more operations of the industrial automation device comprises enabling the one or more functionalities of the industrial automation device presented on the GUI by the processor.

10. A system, comprising:

an industrial automation device configured to perform an automated operation and to operate in an area of a facility;

an apparatus configured to detect whether a person within a proximity of the industrial automation device is wearing a set of personal protection equipment (PPE); and

a processor configured to;

disable operations of the industrial automation device in response to determining that the person is not wearing the set of PPE;

track usage of the set of PPE by the person by generating a score for the person based on the usage of the set of PPE and storing the score on a storage device, wherein the score comprises a quantification of the usage of the set of PPE by the person; and

store the usage of the set of PPE on the storage device.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the apparatus comprises a camera configured to obtain image data associated with the person within the proximity of the industrial automation device.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the processor is configured to receive the image data from the camera and determine whether the set of PPE is being worn by the person using recognition technology.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the apparatus comprises a receiver circuit configured to receive signals from a transmitter circuit disposed on the set of PPE.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the signals received by the receiver circuit comprise data related to whether the set of PPE is being worn, whether the set of PPE is being worn properly, a timestamp of when the set of PPE is worn, or some combination thereof.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the apparatus comprises a radio-frequency identification (RFID) reader configured to read an RFID tag disposed on each PPE of the set of PPE.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor is configured to disable the operations of the industrial automation device by disabling one or more functionalities of the industrial automation device presented on a graphical user interface (GUI) of a computing device.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein disabling the one or more functionalities comprises making one or more certain visual elements inoperable while continuing to detect whether the person within the proximity of the industrial automation device is wearing the set of PPE.

18. The system of claim 10, comprising a human impedance detector disposed on the industrial automation device, wherein the human impedance detector is configured to:

detect when the person is touching the industrial automation device; and

transmit one or more signals indicating that the person is touching the industrial automation device to a computing device including the processor, an automation controller connected to the industrial automation device, a cloud-based computing system, or some combination thereof.

19. The system of claim 10, comprising a beacon located on or proximate to the industrial automation device, wherein the beacon is configured to prevent a cellular phone from receiving calls within a different proximity to the beacon.

20. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor is configured to determine the quantification of the usage of the set of PPE by the person by summing a weighted variable associated with each PPE of the set of the PPE used by the person.