Indoor Workpiece Localization for Steel Process Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
In the metal processing industry, particularly in steel and sheet metal processing, the manual and time-consuming process of monitoring and controlling workpieces during manufacturing leads to errors and inefficiencies due to the complexity of managing various part shapes and processing steps across different areas within a manufacturing hall.
Innovation Solution
An interior localization system using transceiver units and mobile units that transmit and receive electromagnetic signals to determine the position of workpieces, integrating this data into a manufacturing control system for precise tracking and association with processing procedures, reducing manual search times and enhancing process control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual monitoring and control methods are used for workpieces, then operational flexibility is maintained, but time consumption and error rates increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical monitoring methods with an automated electromagnetic localization system. Transceiver units and mobile units use electromagnetic signals to automatically determine workpiece positions, eliminating the need for manual searching and tracking while significantly reducing time consumption and error rates in workpiece monitoring and control.
2Reliability
If visual comparison with paper-based documents is used for process control, then system complexity is minimized, but accuracy and reliability deteriorate due to human errors
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a digital copy of the physical workpiece location and status information through the localization system. The system generates digital representations of workpiece positions and processing states, which are then integrated into the manufacturing control system, replacing error-prone paper-based visual comparison with accurate digital data tracking.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a localization system as an intermediary between the physical workpieces and the manufacturing control system. This intermediary automatically captures and transmits workpiece position and status data, eliminating direct human intervention and the associated errors while maintaining systematic control.
3Measurement precision
If an interior localization system with multiple transceiver units is implemented, then workpiece positioning accuracy improves, but system complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs the localization system with multi-functional transceiver units that can serve multiple purposes: determining workpiece positions, tracking mobile units, and providing spatial information for process control. This universal approach allows a single system infrastructure to support various manufacturing control functions, reducing overall system complexity despite the presence of multiple transceiver units.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system enables accurate and efficient tracking of workpieces, reducing errors and increasing productivity by automating the localization and association of workpieces with processing steps, thereby improving manufacturing reliability and reducing throughput times.
Implementation Method 1
The transceiver units and the mobile unit are configured to transmit and receive electromagnetic signals
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is an interior tracking system for manufacturing control. The interior tracking system has multiple, fixedly installed transceivers for determining the position of multiple mobile units, the position being determined in particular by evaluating the propagation time of electromagnetic (radio) signals. The interior tracking system is used to assign one of the mobile units to one or more workpieces in an industrial manufacturing plant that processes steel and/or sheet metal, to determine the position of the assigned workpieces by localizing the assigned mobile unit using the interior tracking system and to integrate the interior tracking system into a manufacturing control system of the industrial manufacturing plant.