Tool-Worker Association via Proximity Sensors for Construction Safety
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Solution Overview
Problem
Construction workers often use power tools without proper training or supervision, leading to health and safety risks due to improper usage, wear, or extended use, which existing systems fail to adequately monitor.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that associate tools with workers based on proximity and working conditions, using tags with sensors and communication interfaces to track tool usage, monitor compliance with health regulations, and ensure workers are certified to use the tools, with a cloud-based system for centralized data management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If workers freely access and use power tools without monitoring, then ease of operation is improved, but health and safety risks increase due to improper usage by untrained workers
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables automatic tool-worker association through proximity detection sensors and RFID tags, eliminating the need for manual registration or worker intervention. The system self-monitors usage parameters, automatically tracks exposure limits, and triggers warnings or stoppages without requiring worker action, thus maintaining ease of operation while ensuring safety compliance
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors tool usage parameters and provides real-time feedback to workers through warnings when exposure limits are approached. The system also provides feedback to supervisors through automated reporting, enabling corrective actions before safety violations occur, thus resolving the contradiction between free access and safety compliance
2Reliability
If the system monitors all tool usage parameters and associations, then health and safety compliance is improved, but device complexity increases due to multiple sensors, tags, and data processing requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs multi-functional components that perform multiple tasks: proximity sensors detect both tool presence and worker identity, RFID tags store both tool identification and usage data, and the central processing unit handles association logic, exposure calculation, warning generation, and reporting functions. This consolidation reduces the number of separate components needed, thereby managing complexity while maintaining comprehensive safety monitoring
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces intermediate components such as RFID tags and proximity sensors that mediate between the tool and the monitoring system. These intermediaries simplify the architecture by handling data collection and preliminary processing at the tool level, reducing the computational burden on the central system and enabling scalable deployment without proportionally increasing complexity
3Measurement precision
If the system automatically associates tools with workers based on proximity, then measurement precision of tool usage is improved, but loss of time occurs due to continuous distance monitoring and association processing
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by continuously monitoring proximity and pre-establishing tool-worker associations before actual tool usage begins. RFID tags are read in advance, and associations are confirmed during approach phases, so that when the tool is activated, the association is already established and recorded, minimizing processing delays during critical usage periods
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses periodic proximity checks at optimized intervals rather than continuous monitoring. The association logic is triggered periodically based on motion detection or time intervals, balancing measurement precision with time efficiency. This periodic action reduces processing load while maintaining accurate tracking of tool usage events
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a method (1000) of tracking a usage of a tool (12) used by a construction worker (18). The method comprises at least a step of associating a tool (12) to a worker (18), so that a tool-worker pair is determined, based at least on a distance between the tool (12) and the worker (18). Furthermore, the invention relates to a worker-tag (200) and a system (10) for tracking the usage of a tool (12). The method (1000) and the devices contribute to the health and safety of workers (18) on construction sites (20).