Application of personnel positioning systems in modern discrete production
Within a production facility such as a workshop, such a system becomes an important tool for improving efficiency and safety in modern discrete manufacturing.
Discrete manufacturing is a type of manufacturing process characterized by the production of discrete, distinct units of output or products. In discrete manufacturing, the raw material goes through a finite number of manufacturing and assembly operations, with interruptions in the process between stages. This type of manufacturing is widely used in industries such as mechanical engineering and automotive manufacturing, where each product goes through certain processing stages before becoming a finished product.
Prerequisites for the implementation of the positioning system
1. Difference in shift productivity
One of the key issues in manufacturing is the difference in productivity between shifts, especially between day and night shifts. Without proper monitoring, the night shift often shows lower productivity. The positioning system allows you to accurately track how much time employees spend on each shift at their workstations, which helps identify the causes of decreased efficiency.
2. Suboptimal equipment placement / Incorrect placement of machines, work tables, etc.
Incorrect placement of machines, work tables and other equipment can lead to increased time for personnel to move around the shop. The positioning system allows you to build employee movement routes, based on which you can optimize the placement of equipment. This helps reduce unproductive movements and improve overall work efficiency.
3. Control of dishonest employees
The system allows identifying employees who do not spend enough time at work. This helps management make informed decisions to improve discipline and work efficiency.
4. Safety in emergency situations
In the event of an emergency such as a fire or smoke, the positioning system allows you to quickly locate all employees. This is critical to ensuring their safety and conducting an effective evacuation.
5. Alert about being in dangerous areas.
The system can automatically warn employees about entering high-risk areas, for example, with high gas contamination. The employee's personal tag records his entry into a dangerous area and immediately signals the need to leave the premises, which significantly increases the level of industrial safety.
Positioning system components
The personnel positioning system consists of three main components
Anchors – are key elements of the positioning system infrastructure, which are radio frequency devices. They are placed on walls or other stationary objects of the production facility, forming a network for identifying and positioning controlled objects. Anchors act as a kind of “antennas” that interact with tags worn by employees or attached to tracked objects. They are able to determine the distance to the tags by measuring the signal travel time, which allows the system to calculate the exact location of objects in real time. These devices can be used to track a wide range of objects, including people, vehicles, moving mechanisms and various items. Due to their versatility, anchors are an indispensable component in modern positioning systems, ensuring high accuracy and reliability of the entire system.
Tags – These are small personal devices that are issued to each employee or attached to controlled objects (people, objects, vehicles, etc.). They are used to identify and track the location of an employee or object within a controlled area. Each tag has a unique identifier, which allows the system to accurately determine which object or employee is being tracked. Due to their small size, the tags are easy to use and do not interfere with the performance of work duties. Tags are personal devices that are issued to each employee. They are used to track the location of the employee within a controlled area.
Charging cabinet – is a specialized device that plays a key role in the personnel positioning system. It performs several important functions: – Storage and charging of tags: When employees are not on shift, their tags are stored and charged in this cabinet, ensuring their constant readiness for work. – Accounting for the issuance of devices: The cabinet is integrated with the access control system (ACS), which allows for the automation of the process of issuing and returning tags. – Personalized access: Each employee has access only to their own cell, which ensures security and personal responsibility for the device. Optimization of the number of tags: Using a charging cabinet allows for the number of tags equal to the number of employees on two shifts plus a small reserve, instead of providing each employee of the enterprise with a tag. The process of using the cabinet is as follows: at the beginning of the shift, the employee applies their ACS card to the reader, after which the cell with their tag opens. At the end of the shift, the procedure is repeated to return the tag back to the cabinet. This approach not only ensures the safety and charging of tags, but also makes the entire system more compact and cost-effective. This is especially important for businesses with a large number of employees and shift work schedules. The charging cabinet is used to store and charge tags when employees are not on shift.
Optimization of the number of tags: Using a charging cabinet allows you to have a number of tags equal to the number of employees on two shifts plus a small reserve, instead of providing a tag to each employee of the enterprise. The process of using the cabinet is as follows: at the beginning of the shift, the employee applies his ACS card to the reader, after which the cell with his tag opens. At the end of the shift, the procedure is repeated to return the tag back to the cabinet. This approach not only ensures the safety and charge of the tags, but also makes the entire system more compact and cost-effective. This is especially important for enterprises with a large number of employees and a shift schedule. The charging cabinet is used to store and charge tags when employees are not on shift.
Operating principles of the system
Zonal positioning
In this mode, the system simply determines which room the employee is in based on which anchor “sees” his tag.
Precise positioning
To determine the exact location of an employee, their tag must be “seen” by at least three anchors. The distance from the anchors to the tag is measured by determining the signal travel time. Then, using the triangulation method, the system calculates the exact position of the person. The triangulation method is based on geometric principles and works as follows: each anchor, having received a signal from the tag, determines the distance to it. This distance can be represented as the radius of a circle with the center at the location of the anchor. When three such circles intersect, the point of their intersection is the location of the tag (and, accordingly, the employee). The system, knowing the exact coordinates of the anchors and the distance from each of them to the tag, can mathematically calculate the coordinates of this intersection point, thereby determining the location of the employee with high accuracy.
Server and network infrastructure
Consolidation of anchors into a single network for centralized data collection.
Connecting a network of anchors to a central server
Installation and configuration of specialized software on the server for data processing, calculating coordinates and providing information to users.
Possibility of working with various vendors of positioning systems (RTLS, RealTech, etc.).
Design with system scalability in mind.
Ensuring the security of storage and transmission of confidential data on the location of employees.
This infrastructureura ensures uninterrupted operation of the system, allowing you to effectively collect, process and analyze data in real time.
Basic functions of the positioning system and their application
1. Online broadcast of the status of employees
The system provides real-time monitoring of personnel locations. This allows for prompt response to emergency situations, monitoring of employee presence at work places and evaluation of the efficiency of working time use.
2. Reports on presence in work zones
The function of generating reports on the presence of employees in specified zones for a selected period of time. Zones can be defined as individual rooms or groups of rooms.
Analyze the efficiency of working time use
Identify deviations from workstation attendance standards
Compare the productivity of different shifts
Plotting travel routes
The system is able to visualize employee movement routes for a selected period. This makes it possible to:
Optimize equipment layout to minimize unproductive movements
Analyze the efficiency of the current layout of production facilities
Identify atypical routes that may indicate violations of labor discipline
These functions together solve the main problems facing the positioning system:
Increasing labor productivity
Optimization of the use of production space
Strengthening control over compliance with labor discipline
Ensuring the safety of personnel in emergency situations
Integration of these functions allows the company's management to make informed decisions on improving production processes and increasing overall work efficiency. Implementation of personnel positioning systems in production is an effective way to increase productivity and labor safety. Such systems are especially useful for monitoring lower-skilled workers who require more careful guidance and support in the work process.
The system provides continuous and impartial monitoring, which helps improve work processes, strengthen discipline and use working time more efficiently. It is important not only to install the equipment, but also to properly organize work with it, training the staff. In modern conditions, when production increasingly relies on automation and digital technologies, positioning systems are becoming a necessary tool for maintaining the competitiveness of the enterprise.
