Industrial VR/AR Visualization for Remote Maintenance Workflows
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Solution Overview
Problem
Industrial automation systems face challenges in providing effective data visualization and troubleshooting, requiring users to physically be near HMIs or controllers, which delays maintenance and lacks timely notification of issues.
Innovation Solution
A VR/AR presentation system that generates and delivers augmented or virtual reality presentations to a wearable device, integrating real-time data and video feeds from industrial facilities, allowing users to view and interact with plant data remotely, and guiding them to maintenance issues through interactive workflows.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If users physically approach HMIs or controllers for data visualization and troubleshooting, then they can access real-time industrial data, but it delays maintenance and reduces response time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a virtual copy of the industrial facility using VR/AR technology that replicates the physical environment and industrial data. Users can interact with this virtual representation remotely, eliminating the need to physically travel to the facility while maintaining full access to real-time operational data, thus resolving the contradiction between data access and response time
Solution Approach 2:
The VR/AR system acts as an intermediary between users and the physical industrial facility. It transmits and renders industrial data, video feeds, and operational information to create an immersive virtual representation, allowing users to monitor and troubleshoot remotely without physical presence, thereby reducing maintenance delays
2Loss of information
If traditional HMI systems are used for monitoring industrial facilities, then data can be visualized, but users must be physically near the equipment which reduces operational efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from traditional 2D HMI displays to immersive 3D VR/AR environments. This dimensional enhancement provides users with spatial awareness and contextual understanding of industrial facilities, enabling more effective monitoring and troubleshooting from remote locations, thus improving productivity without sacrificing data visualization quality
Solution Approach 2:
The VR/AR system serves multiple functions simultaneously: it visualizes industrial data, provides video feeds from multiple cameras, displays operational parameters, and enables interactive troubleshooting all within a single immersive interface. This multi-functionality consolidates what would otherwise require multiple physical devices and locations, enhancing operational efficiency
3Reliability
If multiple video capture devices are deployed throughout the facility, then comprehensive monitoring is achieved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates multiple video capture devices and their feeds into a unified VR/AR presentation. The system combines video data from numerous cameras throughout the facility with industrial data and graphical representations into a single cohesive virtual environment, maintaining comprehensive monitoring coverage while simplifying the user interface and reducing the perceived complexity through consolidation
Data Source
AI summary
An industrial visualization system generates and delivers virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) presentations of industrial facilities to wearable appliances to facilitate remote or enhanced interaction with automation systems within the facility. VR presentations can comprise three-dimensional (3D) holographic views of a plant facility or a location within a plant facility. The system can selectively render a scaled down view that renders the facility as a 3D scale model, or as a first-person view that renders the facility as a full-scale rendition that simulates the user's presence on the plant floor. Camera icons rendered in the VR presentation can be selected to switch to a live video stream generated by 360-degree cameras within the plant. The system can also render workflow presentations that guide users through the process of correcting detected maintenance issues.