IoT Sensor Work Analysis for Factory Time Measurement Without Retrofit

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional methods for analyzing work content in factories are labor-intensive and require significant labor costs, as well as costly renovations to factory equipment, making it difficult to improve work efficiency across all factories.

Innovation Solution

A work content analyzing apparatus that uses IoT sensors to collect and analyze state information such as positional, motion, and equipment operating data to estimate and specify work content, allowing for efficient analysis without additional labor or equipment renovation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If conventional stopwatch method is used to measure work time, then work content analysis can be performed, but labor costs increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvework time measurementVSAvoidlabor cost efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces the mechanical stopwatch method with an automated sensor-based measurement system. Sensors attached to workers automatically collect state information (position, motion, equipment operation) and transmit it to a server, eliminating the need for manual stopwatch operation while maintaining measurement precision.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The measurement system operates autonomously without requiring external measurers. The sensors self-collect data, the server automatically processes the information, and the system generates work content analysis reports automatically, making the entire measurement process self-service oriented.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

2Productivity

If IoT sensors are deployed to automate work time measurement, then labor costs are reduced, but factory equipment renovation is required

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvelabor cost efficiencyVSAvoidequipment renovation requirement
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The system divides the measurement functionality into separate wearable sensor units attached to individual workers, rather than requiring integration into the factory equipment itself. This segmentation allows the measurement system to be added independently without renovating existing equipment.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces wearable sensors as an intermediary between the worker and the measurement system. These sensors act as mediators that collect state information from the worker's actions and transmit them to the server, eliminating the need to modify the actual factory equipment.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Measurement precision

If comprehensive state information is collected from workers, then accurate work content estimation is achieved, but data processing complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvework content estimation accuracyVSAvoiddata processing system
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The server implements a universal processing framework that handles multiple types of state information (position, motion, equipment operation) through a single integrated system. The work content estimation unit uses a unified algorithm that processes different sensor data types simultaneously, reducing overall system complexity despite the diversity of input data.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentEP3929837A1Work content analyzing apparatus, work content analyzing method, program, and sensor
Publication Date: 2021.12.29 TOSHIBA DIGITAL SOLUTIONS CORP
  • EP3929837A1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3929837A1 patent drawingFigure 2A~2B
  • EP3929837A1 patent drawingFigure 2C~4B

AI summary

A work content analyzing apparatus of the present embodiment includes a first database storing state information indicating a state of each of one or a plurality of workers in association with time information and identification information of the worker, an estimation unit estimating the work content executed by the worker on the basis of at least two pieces of state information associated with same time in the state information stored in the first database, a specification unit specifying work time spent for the estimated work content on the basis of the state information stored in the first database and the time information associated with the state information, and an analysis unit analyzing the work content on the basis of the estimated work content and the specified work time.