Vision Technology

Offentlig prosjektsammendrag

Today the drill floor is an open area where personnel can enter at any time through one or more access areas. The drill floor is one of the most dangerous places on drilling rigs and initiatives to increase safety are important. There is no strict control over who can enter and exit, only a verbal acknowledgment through radio communication between the operator and personnel. Vision technology has been used to detect people in other industries for some time. However, applying existing vision solutions onboard a drilling rig is not straight forward; the drilling rigs' combination of safety requirements, environmental characteristics and human physical behavior is unprecedented in existing vision solutions. Thus, explicit solutions for these conditions must be explored and thoroughly validated. The purpose of the project is to develop a holistic system which detects people in machine operating zones. This system will interface to NOVs exsisting drilling control system as an information system for people detection and localization. The project is led by National Oilwell Varco (NOV), the world's largest supplier of drilling rig equipment. As part of the project, a pilot system will be installed on a drilling rig, which is crucial in ensuring the system is sufficiently tested for all the operational variations onboard a rig.