Wearable IoT Work Analysis for Factory Time Measurement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for analyzing work content in factories require significant labor costs and equipment renovation, making it difficult to improve work efficiency across all factories, as they rely on manual stopwatch measurements and are not easily retrofittable with IoT solutions.
Innovation Solution
A work content analyzing apparatus that uses IoT sensors to collect and process state information from workers, including positional, motion, and equipment data, to estimate and analyze work content without the need for additional labor or equipment renovation, by storing and processing data on a database with modules for estimation, specification, and analysis.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If manual stopwatch measurement is used to analyze work content, then work process analysis can be performed, but labor costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-service measurement where the worker's own wearable sensor automatically collects work state data without requiring external measurers. The sensor detects motion, position, and equipment interaction to autonomously generate work content measurements, eliminating the need for manual stopwatch operations while maintaining measurement precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical stopwatch-based manual measurement system with an electronic sensor system that automatically detects and records work states. The wearable sensor uses accelerometers, gyroscopes, and other electronic components to substitute human-operated mechanical timing devices, achieving both automation and cost reduction.
2Productivity
If IoT sensors are provided to measure work time automatically, then labor costs are reduced, but equipment renovation is required
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the measurement function from the equipment itself by using separate wearable sensors that attach to workers rather than integrating sensors into factory equipment. This segmentation allows automated data collection without modifying existing equipment, as the sensing functionality is carried independently by portable devices on workers.
Solution Approach 2:
The wearable sensor device serves multiple functions: it measures work time, tracks worker position, monitors motion patterns, and detects equipment interaction states all through a single multi-functional device. This universality eliminates the need for separate measurement systems and reduces overall system complexity while achieving comprehensive automated data collection.
3Loss of information
If comprehensive IoT system is implemented for work analysis, then detailed work content data is obtained, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts only the essential work state information needed for analysis from the comprehensive sensor data. By focusing on key parameters such as work time duration, motion intensity thresholds, and equipment interaction states, the system obtains sufficient work content information without requiring complex processing of all possible sensor measurements, thereby reducing system complexity while maintaining information quality.
Data Source
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.