AR Asset Identification Using Single Fiducial Markers in Plants
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Solution Overview
Problem
Industrial plants face inefficiencies in maintenance and operation due to the need for extensive labeling with fiducial markers for augmented reality applications, which is time-consuming and costly, and existing location technologies are not accurate enough for providing augmented views of assets in industrial settings.
Innovation Solution
A method using a single fiducial marker per asset area to reduce the number of markers required and employing a 3D model of the plant to determine asset locations, allowing for accurate augmented reality views without relying on external location information, and using dead-reckoning techniques for device tracking.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If fiducial markers are placed on each asset for augmented reality identification, then asset identification accuracy is improved, but the time and cost for marker placement increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple assets into a single asset group and places one fiducial marker representing the entire group. The system then identifies individual assets within the group through software processing of spatial relationships, rather than requiring separate physical markers on each asset. This combining approach dramatically reduces marker placement time while maintaining identification accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a virtual copy or digital twin of the physical asset group with associated identification data stored in a database. When a marker is detected, the system retrieves information about assets in that group from the digital model, allowing identification without physical markers on each asset. This virtual representation replaces the need for extensive physical labeling.
2Reliability
If fiducial markers are placed on each asset, then asset identification reliability is improved, but the cost of marker placement increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple assets are grouped under a single fiducial marker, reducing the total number of markers needed from hundreds or thousands to just a few. The system maintains reliable identification by using software to distinguish individual assets within each group based on their spatial relationships and stored digital information.
Solution Approach 2:
A single fiducial marker serves multiple functions: it identifies the asset group, provides location information, and enables the system to access information about multiple individual assets within that group. This multi-functional approach eliminates the need for separate dedicated markers for each asset while maintaining identification reliability.
3Ease of operation
If markers are placed on individual assets, then augmented reality views can be provided for each asset, but markers may not be visible or too far away to be properly recognized
Solution Approach 1:
The patent places fiducial markers in elevated or centralized positions within asset groups, such as on overhead structures or at higher vantage points, rather than at ground level on individual assets. This vertical dimensionality change allows workers to detect markers from a distance and at various angles without needing to be in immediate proximity to each asset, improving both accessibility and detection accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses an intermediary computational layer that processes marker detection data and correlates it with digital asset information. When a marker is detected, the intermediary software determines which assets in the associated group are relevant to the worker's current context and displays appropriate augmented reality information, even when the marker itself is not in direct line of sight of individual assets.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems, apparatuses, and methods are described for determining the location of a worker in a plant, such as a petrochemical manufacturing or refining facility in order to render an augmented view of at least one asset in the vicinity of a fiducial marker. A field worker mobile device may scan the fiducial marker and render operating values for a measurable element of the assets in the field of view of the mobile device. Location of the mobile device with respect to the assets in the vicinity of the fiducial marker may be determined based upon the known location and orientation of the fiducial marker and/or the known location and orientations of the assets relative to the fiducial marker.