System for remote operation of non-networked production equipment units

A system for remote operation of non-networked production equipment units comprises:

• a chassis configured to transiently install over a physical user interface of a production equipment unit, the physical user interface comprising a set of physical input fields;
• a set of actuators coupled to the chassis;
• a selector manipulated by the set of actuators and configured to interface with the set of physical input fields;
• an optical sensor arranged on the chassis, facing the physical user interface, and configured to capture an image feed depicting the physical user interface during a procedure at the production equipment unit;
• a communication module configured to broadcast the image feed for access by an operator portal remote from the production equipment unit;
• a controller configured to:
• access an the image feed from the optical sensor:
• access an image mask associated with the procedure:
• at the operator portal remote from the production equipment unit;
• a render the image feed:
• obfuscate a first region in the first image based on the image mask;
• receive a first command corresponding to a first virtual input and entered by the remote operator on a second region of the image feed outside of the first region:
• interpret a first set of motions of the selector based on the first command;
• and
• drive the set of actuators according to the first set of motions to manipulate the selector across a first physical input field, in the set of physical input fields, on the physical user interface and physically reproduce the first virtual input at the physical user interface of the production equipment unit.

A system comprising:

• a set of actuators coupled to a chassis of a production equipment unit;
• a selector:
• manipulated by the set of actuators;
• and
• configured to interface with a set of physical input fields at a physical user interface of the production equipment unit;
• an optical sensor defining a field of view intersecting the physical user interface and configured to capture images of the physical user interface;
• and
• a controller configured to:
• access an image mask associated with the production equipment unit;
• access an image from the optical sensor depicting the physical user interface;
• at a remote operator portal:
• render the first image;
• define an inactive region on the first image based on the image mask;
• and
• receive a first virtual input and entered by the remote operator on a second region of the image feed outside of the first region;
• interpret a first set of motions of the selector based on the first virtual input;
• and
• drive the set of actuators according to the first set of motions to:
• manipulate the selector across a first physical input field, in the set of physical input fields, on the physical user interface;
• and
• physically reproduce the first virtual input at the physical user interface of the production equipment unit.