Monitoring console using Virtual Reality for automotive industry

Abstract

One of the technologies used in Industry 4.0 is virtual reality and augmented reality in the industrial applications. These technologies allow: the introduction of the operator in the production process with minimal risk, in the training process (learn manufacturing), the realization of maintenance works with a much more detailed vision of the equipment and the process, the realization of consoles to monitor the manufacturing process and equipment with extended facilities compared to any type of console that has been used before. In this paper we will present an example of a monitoring console using virtual reality. As we will show, the virtual environment accessible through the virtual reality headset can be used as a console with an extended viewing angle in which indicators on the status of the monitored process can be displayed. The indicated values come from IoT equipment with current sensors and temperature sensors. Also, by navigating, using teleport tool, in the virtual environment you can get an overview from several angles of the monitored equipment (in our case a chassis welding workstation) with minimal risk. The environment contains both a modeled image (a 3D sketch of the equipment) and real images of the equipment captured through industrial cameras placed next to the real equipment. In the virtual environment the two “live” video streams are displayed as 2D screens. With this modern monitoring tool, the work standards will be developed that the operator can use in training and in the work process. The system presented in the paper is implemented with an Ocululs Rift kit with headset and touch consoles for capturing the movements of operators and their contacts with virtual objects. The virtual environment is fully implemented using Unity. The system will model workstation for chassis welding. Two IoT devices will be used: one with temperature sensor and the other with current sensor. Two industrial video cameras whit high resolution will also be used to capture images from the workstation. As a result, along with the presentation of the functional system will be presented a model of operational standard made by captures from Unity when exploring the virtual environment.