Method for controlling dissemination of instructional content to operators performing procedures at equipment within a facility

Abstract

One variation of a method for controlling dissemination of instructional content to operators performing procedures at equipment within a facility includes: at a computing device, accessing a digital procedure containing a first instructional block comprising a first instruction in a set of formats including a text format corresponding to a first degree of guidance, an audio format corresponding to a second degree of guidance different from the first degree, and a visual format corresponding to a third degree of guidance greater than the first and second degrees; accessing a minimum instruction guidance specification for a current instance of the digital procedure; and, in response to initiation of the first instructional block in the digital procedure, presenting the first instruction in a particular format, in the set of formats, corresponding to a particular degree of guidance approximating the minimum instruction guidance specification.

I claim: 
     
         1 . A method for controlling dissemination of instructional content to operators performing procedures at equipment within a facility, the method comprising:
 retrieving a time interval between a current instance of a first procedure, for a type of an equipment unit within the facility, and a preceding instance of the first procedure served to a user;   setting a minimum instruction guidance specification, for the current instance of the first procedure, for the user based on the time interval;   accessing a first instruction, for the first procedure, in a first format representing a first degree of guidance corresponding to the minimum instruction guidance specification;   in response to initiation of the first procedure at the equipment unit, presenting the first instruction in the first format to the user;   in response to selection of additional guidance for the first procedure, presenting the first instruction in a second format corresponding to a second degree of guidance greater than the first degree of guidance; and   in response to completion of the first procedure at the equipment unit, initiating a second procedure for the equipment unit.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein accessing the first instruction, for the first procedure, in the first format comprises accessing the first procedure corresponding to a process for the equipment unit, the first procedure containing a first instructional block containing the first instruction in the first format selected from a set of formats, the set of formats comprising:
 a text format corresponding to the first degree of guidance and comprising a textual description of a first process step in the first procedure;   an audio format corresponding to the second degree of guidance greater than the first degree and comprising an audio recording of a voice describing the first process step; and   a visual format corresponding to a third degree of guidance greater than the first degree and the second degree and comprising a video clip depicting performance of the first process step.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 :
 wherein presenting the first instruction in the first format to the user comprises playing back the audio recording by default according to the minimum instruction guidance specification; and   wherein presenting the first instruction in the second format comprises:
 during playback of the audio recording at a computing device corresponding to the user, receiving selection of further guidance for the first instruction; and 
 playing back the video clip in response to selection of further guidance for the first instruction. 
   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 :
 wherein accessing the first procedure corresponding to the process for the equipment unit further comprises the first procedure comprising the first instructional block containing an augmented reality overlay corresponding to a fourth degree of guidance greater than the third degree; and   further comprising:
 during playback of the video clip recording at the computing device, receiving selection of further guidance for the first instruction; and 
 in response to selection of further guidance for the first instruction, rendering the augmented reality overlay, aligned to features on a machine proximal the user, on an eyes-up display worn by the user. 
   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein setting the minimum instruction guidance specification comprises:
 accessing an historical record of instances of the first instruction executed previously by the user;   based on the historical record, detecting errors related to a first instructional block containing the first instruction during instances of the first instruction executed previously by the user; and   setting the minimum instruction guidance specification for the user, for the first instructional block in the current instance of the first instruction, proportional to a rate of errors related to the first instructional block during instances of the first instruction previously performed by the user.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising, at a computer system:
 identifying a subset of operators, in a population of operators affiliated with the facility, exhibiting characteristics similar to the user and associated with previous instances of the first instruction;   calculating an aggregate errors rate for a first instructional block containing the first instruction in previous instances of the first instruction executed by the subset of operators;   setting the minimum instruction guidance specification for the first instructional block for the subset of operators proportional to the aggregate errors rate;   assigning the minimum instruction guidance specification for the first instructional block to the user based on a similarity to the subset of operators; and   serving the minimum instruction guidance specification to a computing device associated with the user.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising appending an audit trail for the first procedure, the first procedure comprising a first instructional block containing the first instruction, and the audit trail comprising:
 a date of the current instance of the first procedure;   an identifier of the user;   an identifier of a current revision of the first procedure; and   the second format of the first instruction selected by the user during execution of the first instructional block.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 :
 wherein accessing the first instruction, for the first procedure, in the first format comprises accessing the first procedure corresponding to a process for the equipment unit, the first procedure containing a first instructional block containing the first instruction in the first format; and   further comprising:
 accessing a result of the first instructional block in the current instance of the first procedure; and 
 in response to the result excluding errors, reducing the minimum instruction guidance specification for the user, for a next instance of the first procedure. 
   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 :
 wherein accessing the first instruction, of the first procedure, in the first format comprises accessing the first procedure corresponding to a process for the equipment unit, the first procedure comprising a sequence of blocks comprising a first instructional block of a first instructional block type and a second instructional block of a second instructional block type; and   wherein setting the minimum instruction guidance specification assigned to the user comprises:
 accessing an historical record of instances of a set of digital procedures performed previously by a group of operators within the facility, the group of operators comprising the user, the set of digital procedures comprising the digital procedure; 
 based on the historical record, calculating a frequency of errors related to instructional blocks of the first type during instances of the set of digital procedures; and 
 setting the minimum instruction guidance specification for the group of operators, for blocks of the first type, proportional to the frequency of errors related to instructional blocks of the first type. 
   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 :
 wherein initiating the second procedure comprises initiating the second instructional block comprising a second instruction in a set of formats; and   further comprising:
 accessing a second minimum instruction guidance specification assigned to the user for blocks of the second type, the second minimum instruction guidance specification for blocks of the second type less than the minimum instruction guidance specification for blocks of the first type; and 
 in response to initiation of the second block in the digital procedure:
 selecting a second particular format from the set of formats corresponding to a second particular degree of guidance approximating the second minimum instruction guidance specification; and 
 presenting the second instruction in the second particular format to the user. 
 
   
     
     
         11 . method of  claim 1 , wherein setting the minimum instruction guidance specification assigned to the user comprises:
 accessing a historical record of instances of a set of digital procedures performed previously by a group of operators within the facility, the group of operators comprising the user, the set of digital procedures comprising a digital procedure containing a first instructional block comprising the first instruction; and   in response to detecting a deviation event in the historical record, the deviation event related to the first instructional block during a previous instance of the digital procedure, setting the minimum instruction guidance specification for operators in the facility, for the first instructional block, for a predefined time interval.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 :
 further comprising:
 at a computer system, accessing an electronic document for a procedure in the facility; 
 identifying a sequence of steps specified in the electronic document; 
 for each step in the sequence of steps:
 extracting an instruction in a text format for the step; 
 initializing a block, in a set of blocks, for the step; and 
 populating an instructional block with the instruction in the text format for the step; 
 
 compiling the set of blocks, comprising the first instructional block, into a digital procedure, the first instructional block comprising the first instruction; 
 serving the digital procedure to a second computing device associated with an operator for completion of a first instance of the digital procedure in the facility; 
 at the second computing device, recording a media file of completion of the first instance of the digital procedure at a machine in the facility; 
 segmenting the media file into a set of media clips; and 
 populating each block in the set of blocks with a corresponding media clip in the set of media clips; and 
   wherein accessing the first procedure comprises accessing the digital procedure comprising the set of blocks comprising instructions in the text format and the set of media clips.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising, for the first instructional block in the set of blocks:
 transforming the first instruction in the text format into a first audio clip of an automated voice reciting the first instruction in the text format; and   storing the first audio clip as the first instruction in the audio format in the first instructional block.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein accessing the first instruction, for the first procedure, in the first format comprises, at a computing device associated with the user:
 accessing a digital procedure corresponding to a process for the equipment unit;   tracking a location of the computing device within the facility;   detecting a set of machines proximal the computing device based on the location of the computing device within the facility;   retrieving a list of digital procedures associated with the set of machines;   rendering the list of digital procedures on a display of the computing device; and   loading the digital procedure from a database to the computing device in response to selection of the digital procedure, from the list of digital procedures, by the user.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 1 :
 wherein initiating the second procedure in response to completion of the first procedure comprises initiating a second capture instruction, for the second procedure, configured to record data in a set of capture formats comprising:
 manual data entry into a computing device associated with the user; 
 manual image capture at the computing device; and 
 automatic image capture by the computing device; 
   further comprising:
 accessing a capture mode specification assigned to a current instance of the second instruction; and 
 during the second capture instruction, prompting the user to record data in capture formats, in the set of capture formats, based on the capture mode specification. 
   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein accessing the capture mode specification assigned to the current instance of the second instruction comprises:
 accessing an historical record of instances of a digital procedure performed previously by the user, the digital procedure comprising the first instruction and the second instruction;   based on the historical record, detecting errors related to the second capture instruction during instances of the digital procedure performed previously by the user; and   defining the capture mode specification for the user to specify a quantity of capture formats for the second capture instruction in the current instance of the digital procedure proportional to a rate of errors related to the second capture instruction during instances of the digital procedure previously performed by the user.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 recording a user-elected format, in a set of formats of the first instruction, for the first procedure, selected by the user during a first instance of the first procedure; and   during a second instance of the digital procedure succeeding the first instance of the digital procedure at a computing device associated with the user:
 accessing an updated minimum instruction guidance specification assigned to the user for the second instance of the digital procedure; and 
 in response to the user-elected format corresponding to a degree of guidance less than the updated minimum instruction guidance specification, presenting the first instruction in a second particular format, in the set of formats, corresponding to a second particular degree of guidance approximating the updated minimum instruction guidance specification. 
   
     
     
         18 . A method for controlling dissemination of instructional content to operators performing procedures at equipment within a facility, the method comprising:
 accessing a first step for an equipment unit in the facility;   extracting a first instruction in a first format, corresponding to a first degree of guidance, for the first step;   at a first time, serving the first step to a first computing device associated with a first operator for execution of an initial instance of the first step for the equipment unit in the facility;   at the first computing device, recording a first media clip during execution of the initial instance of the first step by the first operator;   accessing the first instruction in a second format corresponding to a second degree of guidance different from the first degree;   accessing the first instruction in a third format corresponding to a third degree of guidance greater than the first degree of guidance and the second degree of guidance;   appending a first instructional block corresponding to:
 the first instruction in the second format; and 
 the first instruction in the third format comprising loading the first media clip into the first instructional block; 
   setting a minimum instruction guidance specification, defining the third degree of guidance for the first instruction, for the first instructional block; and   at a second time preceding the first time, serving the first instruction to a second device in the third format, by default over the first instruction in the first format and the first instruction in the second format, during execution of a subsequent instance of the first step in the facility.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 :
 wherein accessing the first step for the equipment unit in the facility comprises:
 at a computer system, accessing an electronic document for a procedure in a facility; and 
 identifying a sequence of steps, comprising the first step, specified in the electronic document; 
   wherein extracting the first instruction in a first format, corresponding to a first degree of guidance, for the first step, comprises extracting the first instruction in a text format, corresponding to the first degree of guidance, for the first step; and   further comprising, populating the first instructional block with the first instruction in the text format for the first step.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 :
 wherein accessing the first instruction in the second format comprises accessing the first instruction in an audio format corresponding to the second degree of guidance greater than the first degree;   wherein accessing the first instruction in the third format comprises accessing the first instruction in a video format corresponding to the third degree of guidance; and   further comprising, at the first device:
 initiating a current instance of the first step; 
 accessing the minimum instruction guidance specification; 
 in response to initiation of the first instructional block for the first step:
 selecting a first particular format, from a set of formats depicting the first instruction in the first instructional block, corresponding to a first particular degree of guidance approximating the minimum instruction guidance specification; and 
 presenting the first instruction in the first particular format to the user; 
 
 in response to selection of additional guidance for the first instruction, presenting the first instruction in a second particular format, in the set of formats, corresponding to a degree of guidance greater than the first particular degree; and 
 in response to completion of the first instructional block, initiating a second instructional block.