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US 10,962,961 B2Granted
Systems and methods for tracking cutting implements in processing facilities
AssigneeWolff Industries, Inc.
InventorsDavid Wolff, Kalen Caple, John Petty
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A tracking computing system detects tracking indicia provided on or embedded within cutting implements to be deployed at a processing facility. Periodic implement scans can be performed by one or more mobile computing devices to detect tracking indicia and to determine state data associated with the cutting implements. The state data can be determined at different stages within a processing cycle. The absence of state data for a tracking indicium at one or more stages of the processing cycle may be detected and used to initiate a control action with respect to a potentially missing cutting implement.
Claims18
A computer-implemented method of tracking cutting implements in a processing facility, comprising:
- generating, by a computing system comprising one or more computing devices, state data for each of a plurality of cutting implements to be deployed in association with the processing facility, wherein the state data is based at least in part on a first implement scan that detects a respective tracking indicium of each of the plurality of cutting implements;
- generating, by the computing system, association data that associates the respective tracking indicium of each cutting implement of the plurality of cutting implements with a respective operator identifier for one of a plurality of operators to which such cutting implement is assigned, wherein the association data is based at least in part on a second implement scan of the plurality of cutting implements, wherein the association data includes data indicative of an association between the respective tracking indicium for each cutting implement of the plurality of cutting implements and a respective line identifier for one of a plurality of processing lines to which such cutting implement is assigned;
- generating, by the computing system, additional state data for each of subset of the plurality of cutting implements, wherein the additional state data is based at least in part on a third implement scan that detects the respective tracking indicium of each of the subset of the plurality of cutting implements;
- detecting, by the computing system, an absence of at least a portion of the additional state data associated with the respective tracking indicium of a first cutting implement of the plurality of cutting implements;
- determining, by the computing system, the respective operator identifier associated with the respective tracking indicium of the first cutting implement based on the association data;
- and
- initiating, by the computing system, a control action associated with the first cutting implement based at least in part on the respective operator identifier that is associated with the respective tracking indicium of the first cutting implement wherein initiating, by the computing system, the control action comprises:
- transmitting, by the computing system, one or more control messages including data indicative of the one or more of the plurality of processing lines to which such cutting implement assigned.
5 more elements
A computing system, comprising:
- one or more mobile computing devices associated with a processing facility, each of the one or more mobile computing device including one or more processors, a user interface, and one or more sensors configured to generate sensor data in response to physically scanning one or more of a plurality of cutting implements to be deployed at the processing, wherein the processing facility includes a plurality of processing lines;
- and
- a tracking computing system including one or more processors and one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media, the non-transitory computer-readable storage media storing instructions that when executed by the one or more processors of the tracking computing system cause the one or more processors of the tracking computing system to perform operations, the operations comprising:
- determining state data for each of a plurality of cutting implements to be deployed in association with the processing facility, wherein the state data is based at least in part on a first implement scan that detects a respective tracking indicium of each of the plurality of cutting implements;
- generating association data that associates the respective tracking indicium of each cutting implement of the plurality of cutting implements with a respective operator identifier for one of a plurality of operators to which such cutting implement is assigned, wherein the association data is based at least in part on a second implement scan of the plurality of cutting implements, wherein the association data includes data indicative of an association between the respective tracking indicium for each cutting implement of the plurality of cutting implements and a respective line identifier for one of a plurality of processing lines to which such cutting implement is assigned;
- generating, by the computing system, additional state data for each of subset of the plurality of cutting implements, wherein the additional state data is based at least in part on a third implement scan that detects the respective tracking indicium of each of the subset of the plurality of cutting implements,
- detecting, by the computing system, an absence of at least a portion of the additional state data associated with the respective tracking indicium of a first cutting implement of the plurality of cutting implements;
- determining, by the computing system, the respective operator identifier associated with the respective tracking indicium of the first cutting implement based on the association data;
- and
- initiating, by the computing system, a control action associated with the first cutting implement based at least in part on the respective operator identifier that is associated with the respective tracking indicium of the first cutting implement, wherein initiating, by the computing system, the control action comprises:
- transmitting, by the computing system, one or more control messages including data indicative of the one or more of the plurality of processing lines to which such cutting implement assigned.
8 more elements
One or more non-transitory computer-readable media that store instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations, the operations comprising:
- generating state data for each of a plurality of cutting implements to be deployed in association with a processing facility, wherein the state data is based at least in part on a first implement scan that detects a respective tracking indicium of each of the plurality of cutting implements;
- generating association data that associates the respective tracking indicium of each cutting implement of the plurality of cutting implements with a respective operator identifier for one of a plurality of operators to which such cutting implement is assigned, wherein the association data is based at least in part on a second implement scan of the plurality of cutting implements, wherein the association data includes data indicative of an association between the respective tracking indicium for each cutting implement of the plurality of cutting implements and a respective line identifier for one of a plurality of processing lines to which such cutting implement is assigned;
- generating additional state data for each of subset of the plurality of cutting implements, wherein the additional state data is based at least in part on a third implement scan that detects the respective tracking indicium of each of the subset of the plurality of cutting implements;
- detecting an absence of at least a portion of the additional state data associated with the respective tracking indicium of a first cutting implement of the plurality of cutting implements;
- determining the respective operator identifier associated with the respective tracking indicium of the first cutting implement based on the association data;
- and
- initiating a control action associated with the first cutting implement based at least in part on the respective operator identifier that is associated with the respective tracking indicium of the first cutting implement, wherein initiating the control action comprises:
- transmitting one or more control messages including data indicative of the one or more of the plurality of processing lines to which such cutting implement assigned.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.