Drilling Site Personnel Location Using Multi-Camera Vision Control
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current industrial settings face challenges in accurately measuring person locations for safety due to the reliance on classical instrumentation and person-in-the-loop sensing, which can lead to preventable injuries from automated machinery, as existing technologies like RFID and manual reporting require active participation from personnel.
Innovation Solution
A Personnel Video Monitoring system utilizing multiple calibrated video sources that perform person detection and triangulation to provide accurate, unobtrusive person location information, integrating it into automated system controls to inhibit hazardous automated actions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If automated machinery is used to improve speed and efficiency, then productivity increases, but safety risks to personnel increase due to lack of accurate person location information
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual safety monitoring and reporting systems with an automated computer vision system that uses video cameras and image processing algorithms to detect and track personnel locations. This substitution enables continuous automated monitoring without requiring personnel actions, allowing automated machinery to operate at full speed while maintaining safety through real-time person location awareness.
2Loss of information
If RFID or manual location reporting is used to track personnel, then person location information can be obtained, but personnel must take specific actions which create failure points and preventable injuries
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables personnel to be automatically tracked without any action required on their part. The computer vision system passively detects and monitors personnel locations through video cameras, eliminating the need for workers to wear RFID tags, carry key cards, or manually report their positions. This self-service approach removes human error and compliance issues entirely, as the system automatically gathers location data from all personnel in the area.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces computer vision technology as an intermediary between personnel and the safety monitoring system. Instead of direct interaction between workers and tracking devices (RFID, key cards), the vision system acts as an unobtrusive mediator that automatically detects and tracks personnel through image processing, providing continuous location information without requiring any intermediary actions from the personnel themselves.
3Measurement precision
If multiple video sources are used to improve person location accuracy, then measurement precision increases, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines data from multiple video cameras into a unified person location assessment through computer vision processing. The system merges video feeds from different camera angles and uses image processing algorithms to triangulate and confirm personnel positions. This merging approach resolves the complexity issue by integrating multiple data sources into a single coherent location assessment, improving accuracy while managing system complexity through centralized processing.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from two-dimensional camera images to three-dimensional person location assessment by using multiple camera angles and perspectives. Through stereo vision and triangulation algorithms, the system converts 2D image data from multiple sources into accurate 3D spatial coordinates of personnel, enabling precise location determination that accounts for depth and spatial relationships in the drilling environment.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for determining the location of personnel on a drilling site. A computer vision system can automatically identify and determine the locations of personnel on a drilling site, can generate a confidence map of the locations, and can display the locations of the personnel on a map of the drilling site. The system and methods also include taking corrective action when a person's location is determined to be unsafe, such as by inhibiting or causing automated actions with respect to machinery and equipment at the drilling site. The systems and methods may include the use of multiple cameras or video sources located at the drilling site and may be coupled to a control system to control machinery or equipment at the drilling site.