Virtual Coordinate System for Remote Industrial Task Execution
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems face inefficiencies in allowing users to perform tasks across geographically remote locations without the need for constant movement, leading to reduced worker efficiency due to time and resource expenditure.
Innovation Solution
A system that associates a user's physical position with a corresponding virtual position in a virtual coordinate system, using a computing system to determine and update the user's virtual positioning based on physical movements, allowing for the presentation of virtual features and facilitating tasks across different environments without physical relocation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If users physically travel between different geographic locations to perform tasks, then they can directly access and interact with industrial systems at remote sites, but this results in significant time and resource expenditure that reduces worker efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a virtual copy of the physical industrial environment, including equipment and workspaces, in a virtual coordinate system. Users can interact with this virtual representation remotely through computing devices, eliminating the need for physical travel while maintaining access to system information and control capabilities. The virtual environment mirrors the physical layout, allowing users to navigate and perform tasks as if physically present.
2Productivity
If users remain at a fixed location and do not travel to remote sites, then time and resources are saved improving worker efficiency, but the ability to perform tasks at remote industrial systems is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a virtual coordinate system and computing devices as intermediaries between the user and the remote industrial systems. The user interacts with the virtual environment through a computing device, which serves as a mediator to execute tasks and manipulate physical systems remotely. This intermediary approach maintains full task execution capability while eliminating the need for physical movement.
3Loss of time
If a virtual environment is created to represent physical locations, then users can perform tasks remotely without traveling, but the system complexity increases due to the need for coordinate mapping and virtual positioning systems
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs computing devices with integrated cameras, processors, and display screens that serve multiple functions: capturing physical environment data, performing coordinate transformations, rendering virtual scenes, and providing user interaction interfaces. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate specialized components, thereby limiting the increase in overall system complexity while enabling remote virtual interaction.
Data Source
AI summary
A system includes a computing system configured to communicatively couple to a database configured to store a virtual coordinate system and a plurality of features associated with a representative environment associated with the virtual coordinate system. The computing system is configured to receive a first input indicative of a physical positioning of a user in a physical environment, determine a virtual positioning of the user in the virtual coordinate system based on the first input, receive a second input indicative of an updated physical positioning of the user in the physical environment, determine an updated virtual positioning of the user in the virtual coordinate system based on the second input, and output a first signal to a computing device in response to determining the updated virtual positioning of the user in the virtual coordinate system.