Beacon-Based Manufacturing Floor Monitoring With Mobile Process Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
In manufacturing environments, supervisors face delays in accessing critical information needed to manage production processes efficiently, as they often need to leave the production floor to retrieve data, leading to potential issues like increased costs, production downtime, and quality control problems.
Innovation Solution
A system utilizing beacon technology and proximity-based reporting software that allows supervisors to monitor and control manufacturing environments using mobile devices, providing real-time access to a corporate knowledge base, enabling them to adjust processes without leaving their location.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If supervisors leave the production environment to access the corporate knowledge base, then they can obtain necessary information, but this causes unacceptable delays in decision-making
Solution Approach 1:
A mobile computing device acts as an intermediary between supervisors and the corporate knowledge base. The device wirelessly connects to the knowledge base and presents information through a user interface, allowing supervisors to access data without leaving the production floor. This intermediary solution resolves the contradiction by providing information access (improving parameter 24) while eliminating travel time (improving parameter 25).
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical system of physical travel (walking to offices, retrieving information, returning to production lines) with an electronic/wireless information delivery system. Mobile devices receive and display corporate knowledge base data wirelessly at the supervisor's location, substituting physical movement with electronic transmission to eliminate decision-making delays.
2Ease of operation
If supervisors remain on the production floor to monitor activities, then they can personally monitor the situation, but they cannot access the corporate knowledge base efficiently
Solution Approach 1:
The mobile computing device serves multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as a monitoring tool for production activities and as an access point to the corporate knowledge base. The device's user interface can present both real-time production data from sensors and corporate knowledge base information, making the device universal enough to satisfy both monitoring and information access needs without requiring supervisors to choose one or the other.
Solution Approach 2:
The mobile device serves as an intermediary that bridges the gap between production floor monitoring and corporate knowledge base access. It receives data from production sensors and simultaneously connects to the corporate knowledge base, presenting integrated information to supervisors who remain on the production floor, thus maintaining both monitoring capability and information access.
3Strength
If the facility is enclosed in steel or metal structures, then structural integrity is maintained, but significant electromagnetic interference occurs affecting wireless communication
Solution Approach 1:
The patent acknowledges the electromagnetic interference from metal structures as an unavoidable environmental condition and designs the wireless communication system to operate within these constraints. By using appropriate wireless protocols and signal processing techniques that account for metal interference, the system converts this harmful environmental factor into a manageable parameter, allowing wireless communication to function effectively despite the structurally necessary metal enclosures.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables supervisors to quickly obtain relevant information and make decisions, reducing delays and improving productivity by providing real-time data access and control options directly on the production floor.
Implementation Method 1
beacons positioned around the production environment that are configured to work with software operating on a computer such as a mobile computing device. As a user carries the mobile computing device around the manufacturing environment, the beacons may broadcast identifying information to the mobile device
Data Source
AI summary
A system for monitoring and controlling a manufacturing environment is disclosed. Aspects discussed include beacons broadcasting identifying information for aspects of the manufacturing environment such as workstations, manufactured items, machines, equipment, and people. The identifying information may be used to generate reports about the operation of these and possibly other aspects, as well as provide control options for changing the manufacturing environment. Employees may move about the environment to visually monitor activities taking place, while the system may automatically query for additional information about the tools, equipment, people encountered in the environment. Control options for changing aspects of the manufacturing processes may also be automatically displayed as well.