Manufacturing monitoring system
Inventors
Bosworth, William Robert • Jensen, Devin Richard • FETFATSIDIS, KONSTANTINE
Assignees
Interested in licensing this patent?
MTEC can help explore whether this patent might be available for licensing for your application.
Publication Number
US-10996754-B2
Publication Date
2021-05-04
Expiration Date
Abstract
A manufacturing monitoring system is disclosed. The manufacturing monitoring system comprises a manufacturing workspace. Technicians wearing force sensor and/or motion capture marker equipped gloves may work within the manufacturing workspace. Motion capture cameras may ring the manufacturing workspace. Motion data from the cameras and/or force data from the gloves may be sent to a remote workstation where they may be processed and analyzed. The workstation may produce quality assessment and/or training outputs based on the motion and/or force data.
Core Innovation
A system for monitoring a user during a manufacturing process uses a glove sized and shaped to be worn on a hand. The glove is coupled to a force sensor configured to measure a force imparted on the glove during the manufacturing process, and the glove is also coupled to a motion capture marker configured to provide a beacon for a motion capture camera to track during the manufacturing process.
A remote workstation operatively couples with the force sensor and the motion capture camera. The remote workstation tracks, via the motion capture camera, a motion of the user during the manufacturing process, processes force data from the force sensor and motion data from the motion capture cameras, and performs an analysis of force data and position data to generate an output based on the analysis.
The output comprises a manufacturing quality assessment generated from the analysis. The method monitors a technician during a manufacturing process via the glove by measuring force with a plurality of force sensors and tracking motion via one or more motion capture cameras using a plurality of motion capture markers positioned on the glove, transmits force data and motion data to a workstation, processes the force data and motion data, stores the force data and motion data in a database, performs an analysis, and provides an output based on the analysis.
Claims Coverage
This document includes three independent claims covering a glove-and-tracking system that produces a manufacturing quality assessment, a corresponding monitoring method that includes database-backed analysis based on prior data, and a composite-manufacturing oriented system using a transmitter/receiver and database storage of force and position data with an analytics engine output.
Force-measuring glove with motion capture beacon
A glove sized and shaped to be worn on a hand of the user during the manufacturing process, the glove including a force sensor coupled to the glove and configured to measure a force imparted on the glove during the manufacturing process, and a motion capture marker coupled to the glove and configured to provide a beacon for a motion capture camera to track during the manufacturing process.
Remote workstation combining tracked motion and measured force
A remote workstation operatively coupled with the force sensor and the motion capture camera, wherein the remote workstation is configured to track, via the motion capture camera, a motion of the user during the manufacturing process, process force data from the force sensor and motion data from the motion capture cameras, and perform an analysis of the force data and position data and generate an output based on the analysis.
Manufacturing quality assessment output from analyzed force and position data
The output comprises a manufacturing quality assessment.
Database-backed quality assessment using prior force and motion data
A method wherein analysis comprises assessing a quality associated with the manufacturing process based at least in part on prior force data and motion data stored in the database, after measuring force via the plurality of force sensors, tracking motion via one or more motion capture cameras via the plurality of motion capture markers, transmitting force data and motion data to a workstation, processing, and storing the force data and motion data in the database, and performing an analysis of the data.
Composite manufacturing glove with force sensor and motion capture marker for a camera beacon
A glove having a force sensor configured to measure a force on the glove during composite manufacturing and a motion capture marker configured to provide a beacon for a first camera to track during composite manufacturing.
Camera-based position tracking tied to motion capture marker movement
The first camera configured to track a position or a change in position of the glove as a function of a position or change in position of the motion capture marker during manufacturing.
Transmitter/receiver and database storage of force and position data
A transmitter configured to transmit force data representative of the force measured by the force sensor; a receiver configured to receive the force data; and a database configured to store force data representative of the force measured by the force sensor and position data representative of the position or change in position tracked by the camera.
Analytics engine producing an output based on analyzed force and position data
An analytics engine configured to perform an analysis of the force data and position data and generate an output based on the analysis.
Across the independent claims, the core structure is a force-measuring glove that also carries motion capture markers, with a camera and remote workstation or system electronics that collect and process force and position data. The analysis generates an output including a manufacturing quality assessment, with the method claim specifying quality assessment based at least in part on prior stored force data and motion data.
Stated Advantages
Generates an output comprising a manufacturing quality assessment.
Assesses a quality associated with the manufacturing process based at least in part on prior force data and motion data stored in the database.
Documented Applications
Monitoring a user or technician during a manufacturing process, including manufacturing quality assessment.
Monitoring during composite manufacturing, with output generated from analyzed force and position data.
Interested in licensing this patent?