Patent ID: 11860603
Assignee: ILLINOIS TOOL WORKS INC.
Field: Control (Instruments)
Classification: CPC G  B | IPC B  G

Claim 10:
11. A system for optimizing manufacturing utilization during a work period comprising:
a plurality of manufacturing apparatus configured to:
perform manufacturing operations in association with a manufacturing process;
measure start times and end times of periods during which the manufacturing apparatus are in use for the manufacturing operations; and
transmit first electronic messages indicating apparatus time periods when the manufacturing apparatus are in use;

a plurality of sensors disposed in corresponding work cells associated with the manufacturing apparatus, the sensors configured to transmit second electronic messages indicating operator time periods within the work cell; and
a computing device configured to:
receive the first and second electronic messages and accumulate one or more of each of the apparatus time periods and the operator time periods;
determine, using the second electronic messages, a number of operators in a manufacturing facility during the work period by determining numbers of overlapping active ones of the work cells;
determine utilization of the plurality of manufacturing apparatus based on the number of operators and based on the operator time periods and the work period; and
determine a total number of operators present in a work shift, wherein the work shift comprises a plurality of work periods that includes the work period,
wherein the number of operators determined to be present in the work shift is a number of work cells each with operator activity in more than a pre-determined percentage of work periods in the work shift,
wherein the total number of operators is a number of work cells with operator activity in more than a pre-determined percentage of the plurality of work periods, and
wherein the work period is determined automatically for each activity detected in the work cell.