# US 10,872,514 B1 · Safety system for tracking movable objects during vehicle production > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,872,514 B1 - Document ID: US10872514B1 - Status: Granted - Kind: B1 - Application number: 16/540,554 - Filed: 2019-08-14 - Granted: 2020-12-22 - Earliest claimed: 2019-08-14 - Assignees: The Boeing Company - Applicants: The Boeing Company - Inventors: John William Glatfelter; Richard Patrick Meagher - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10872514B1 ## CPC - F16P 3/142: {using image capturing devices} - G08B 21/18: Status alarms (G08B21/02 takes precedence) - F16P 3/00: Safety devices acting in conjunction with the control or operation of a machine; Control arrangements requiring the simultaneous use of two or more parts of the body (F16P5/00 takes precedence) - F16P 3/147: {using electro-magnetic technology, e.g. tags or radar} - G01S 17/50: Systems of measurement based on relative movement of target - G08B 21/02: Alarms for ensuring the safety of persons - B25J 9/1676: {Avoiding collision or forbidden zones} - G01S 13/88: Radar or analogous systems specially adapted for specific applications (electromagnetic prospecting or detecting of objects, e.g. near-field detection, G01V3/00) - G01S 17/58: Velocity or trajectory determination systems; Sense-of-movement determination systems - G01S 17/89: for mapping or imaging - G05B 9/02: electric - G05B 2219/40202: Human robot coexistence - H04L 67/12: specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks - F16P: SAFETY DEVICES IN GENERAL; {SAFETY DEVICES FOR PRESSES} - G08B: SIGNALLING SYSTEMS, e.g. PERSONAL CALLING SYSTEMS; ORDER TELEGRAPHS; ALARM SYSTEMS - G01S: RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES - B25J: MANIPULATORS; CHAMBERS PROVIDED WITH MANIPULATION DEVICES ({manipulators specially adapted for use in surgery A61B34/70; manipulators used in cleaning hollow articles B08B9/04}; manipulators associated with rolling mills B21B39/20; manipulators associated with forging machines B21J13/10; {manipulators associated with picking-up and placing mechanisms B23P19/007}; means for holding wheels or parts thereof B60B30/00; {vehicles with ground-engaging propulsion means, e.g. walking members B62D57/02, B62D57/032; devices for picking-up and depositing articles or materials between conveyors B65G47/90, B65G47/91; manipulators with gripping or holding means for transferring packages B65H67/065}; cranes B66C; {manipulators used in the protection or supervision of pipe-line installations F17D5/00; walking equipment adapted for nuclear steam-generators F22B37/006}; manipulators specially adapted for, or associated with, nuclear reactors G21C; {apparatus used for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor H10P72/50}) - G05B: CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS OR ELEMENTS (systems for controlling or regulating non-electric variables G05D; systems for regulating electric or magnetic variables G05F; control devices or systems insofar as characterised by mechanical features only G05G) - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) ## 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. ## Claims ### Claim 1 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. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method as recited in claim 1, wherein step (c) further comprises estimating an actual distance separating the object from a hypothetical geometric boundary in physical space corresponding to the first virtual safety zone by calculating a virtual distance separating the virtual location of the object from the first virtual safety zone in the digital map. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising issuing a first alert in response to a determination in step (c) that the virtual location of the object is within the first virtual safety zone. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method as recited in claim 3, wherein the vehicle includes electrical equipment in a zone corresponding to the first virtual safety zone, the method further comprising blocking electrification of the electrical equipment in response to issuing the first alert. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The method as recited in claim 3, wherein the digital map constructed in step (a) further comprises a second virtual safety zone that is contiguous with and outwardly offset from the first virtual safety zone, further comprising issuing a second alert in response to a determination in step (c) that the virtual location of the object is within the second virtual safety zone. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method as recited in claim 5, wherein the first and second virtual safety zones are governed by programmable rules that act in safety response modes of increasing priority. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method as recited in claim 6, further comprising customizing and changing the programmable rules to meet one or more of changing needs, changes to safety procedures and vehicle engineering changes. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the digital map constructed in step (a) further comprises a second virtual safety zone that is not contiguous with the first virtual safety zone, further comprising issuing a first alert in response to a determination in step (c) that the virtual location of the object is within either one of the first and second virtual safety zones. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method as recited in claim 8, wherein the vehicle is an aircraft and step (a) further comprises creating the first and second virtual safety zones using data sorted using an Aircraft System/Component Code Table and then extracted from a three-dimensional model of the aircraft. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the vehicle is an aircraft and step (a) further comprises creating the first virtual safety zone using data sorted using an Aircraft System/Component Code Table and then extracted from a three-dimensional model of the aircraft. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) The method as recited in claim 8, wherein the vehicle includes electrical equipment in respective zones corresponding to the first and second virtual safety zones, the method further comprising blocking electrification of the electrical equipment in the one of the first and second virtual safety zones where the object is virtually located. ### Claim 12 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. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The system as recited in claim 12 wherein the proximity tracking computer system is further configured to estimate an actual distance separating the object from a hypothetical geometric boundary in physical space corresponding to the first virtual safety zone by calculating a virtual distance separating the virtual location of the object from the virtual safety zone in the digital map. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The system as recited in claim 12, wherein the proximity tracking computer system is further configured to activate the alarm system to issue a first alert in response to a determination in operation (c) that the virtual location of the object is within the first virtual safety zone. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The system as recited in claim 14, wherein the digital map constructed in step (a) further comprises a second virtual safety zone that is contiguous with and outwardly offset from the first virtual safety zone, and the proximity tracking computer system is further configured to issue a second alert in response to a determination in step (c) that the virtual location of the object is within the second virtual safety zone. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The system as recited in claim 15, wherein the first and second virtual safety zones are governed by programmable rules that act in safety response modes of increasing priority. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The system as recited in claim 16, wherein the programmable rules are customized to meet one or more of changing needs, changes to safety procedures and vehicle engineering changes. ### Claim 18 (depends on 12) The system as recited in claim 12, wherein the digital map constructed in operation (a) further comprises a second virtual safety zone that is not contiguous with the first virtual safety zone, and the proximity tracking computer system is further configured to issue a first alert in response to a determination in operation (c) that the virtual location of the object is within either one of the first and second virtual safety zones. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The system as recited in claim 18, wherein the vehicle is an aircraft and operation (a) further comprises creating the first and second virtual safety zones using data sorted using an Aircraft System/Component Code Table and then extracted from a three-dimensional model of the aircraft. ### Claim 20 (depends on 12) The system as recited in claim 12, wherein the proximity tracking computer system comprises a proximity calculations module which is configured to calculate the virtual location of the object in the coordinate system of the sensor network based on sensor inputs received from the sensor network and then calculate a proximity value equal to a distance separating the object from the first virtual safety zone.