US 10,872,514 B1 · Safety system for tracking movable objects during vehicle production

Abstract

Safety systems and methods for tracking objects such as personnel and tools during a vehicle build process and activating an alarm when the tracked object is within a safety zone where such presence is not permitted under the current circumstances. The safety system includes a multiplicity of active positioning sensors configured to detect the presence of an object at a particular distance from or within a particular area or volume of space and a controller configured to use sensor data to calculate the virtual location of each sensed object relative to a virtual computer-aided design map of the as-built aircraft design. In response to detection of the presence of an object in unacceptable proximity to or within a particular safety zone of the vehicle, an alarm is activated and the planned build process is altered.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A method for tracking objects in a vehicle production environment, the method comprising:

(a) constructing a digital map including virtual boundaries of a vehicle and a first virtual safety zone positioned in accordance with a coordinate system of a sensor network using vehicle model data and safety specifications;
(b) receiving sensor inputs from the sensor network;
and
(c) determining a virtual location of the object on the digital map based on sensor inputs which locate the object in the coordinate system of the sensor network.

1 more element

A system for tracking objects in a vehicle production environment, the system comprising a vehicle model database, a sensor network having a coordinate system, an alarm system and a proximity tracking computer system communicatively coupled to receive sensor inputs from the sensor network and send alert signals to the alarm system, wherein the proximity tracking computer system is configured to perform operations comprising:

(a) constructing a digital map including virtual boundaries of a vehicle and a first virtual safety zone positioned in accordance with the coordinate system of the sensor network using vehicle model data and safety specifications;
(b) receiving sensor inputs from the sensor network;
and
(c) determining a virtual location of an object on the digital map based on sensor inputs which locate the object in the coordinate system of the sensor network.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Safety system for tracking movable objects during vehicle production

Life of this patent

Safety system for tracking movable objects during vehicle production

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20