Personal wearable system that detects hazardous voltages and indicates direction of the source

• US 10,006,953 B2
• Filed: 07/10/2015
• Issued: 06/26/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Rachakonda, Nagaraju, Vitucci, Antonio, Shaik, Mehabube Rabbanee, Rahman, Ataur
• Primary Examiner(s): Fan, Hongmin
• Application Number:
  US15/327,885
• Publication Number:
  US 20170205454A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,082 Days
• CPC Class Codes: F16P 3/147 using electro-magnetic technology, e.g. tags or radar
• CPC Class Codes: F16P 3/148 using capacitive technology
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 29/085 for detecting presence or location of electric lines or cables fault detection G01R31/50; fault location G01R31/08
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 29/0857 Dosimetry, i.e. measuring the time integral of radiation intensity; Level warning devices for personal safety use nuclear radiation dosimetry G01T
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/182 Level alarms, e.g. alarms responsive to variables exceeding a threshold
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 3/10 using electric transmission; using electromagnetic transmission
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 5/22 using electric transmission; using electromagnetic transmission
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 5/36 using visible light sources
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions

Abstract

A personal voltage detection system comprises a garment to be worn by a user and carrying a plurality of electric field sensors each facing a different direction. Each sensor comprises a transducer sensing electric field in transmitting a wireless signal representing field strength for an associated direction. An alert device is in operative communication with the plurality of sensors and comprises a control configured to monitor field strength for each sensor and determine existence of an alarm condition responsive to field strength being above a pre-select level and to generate an alarm signal indicating the associated direction of the alarm condition.

Claims

1. A personal voltage detection system comprising:

a plurality of wearable electric field sensors each adapted to be worn on an outer side of a user'"'"'s body each facing a different direction, each sensor comprising a transducer sensing electric field and transmitting a wireless signal representing field strength for an associated direction; and

an alert device in operative communication with the plurality of sensors and comprising a control configured to monitor field strength for each sensor and determine existence of an alarm condition responsive to field strength being above a preselect level and to generate an alarm signal indicating the associated direction of the alarm condition.

2. The personal voltage detection system of claim 1 wherein the alert device further comprises an audio output generating an audio signal responsive to the alarm condition.

3. The personal voltage detection system of claim 1 wherein the alert device comprises an indicator associated with each direction and the control illuminates the indicator for the associated direction of the alarm condition.

4. The personal voltage detection system of claim 3 wherein the alert device comprises a video display including a graphic display with the indicators for each direction.

5. The personal voltage detection system of claim 1 wherein the alert device comprises a smart phone.

6. The personal voltage detection system of claim 1 wherein the alert device includes an indicator to indicate communication status with the plurality of sensors.

7. The personal voltage detection system of claim 1 wherein the alert device comprises an indicator associated with each sensor and the control varies each indicator to indicate communication status for the associated sensor.

8. The personal voltage detection system of claim 1 wherein the sensors and the alert device communicate using short-wavelength radio waves.

9. The personal voltage detection system of claim 1 wherein the sensors and the alert device are battery powered.

10. A personal voltage detection system comprising:

a garment to be worn by a user and carrying a plurality of electric field sensors each facing a different direction, each sensor comprising a transducer sensing electric field and transmitting a wireless signal representing field strength for an associated direction; and

an alert device in operative communication with the plurality of sensors and comprising a control configured to monitor field strength for each sensor and determine existence of an alarm condition responsive to field strength being above a preselect level and to generate an alarm signal indicating the associated direction of the alarm condition.

11. The personal voltage detection system of claim 10 wherein the alert device further comprises an audio output generating an audio signal responsive to the alarm condition.

12. The personal voltage detection system of claim 10 wherein the alert device comprises an indicator associated with each direction and the control illuminates the indicator for the associated direction of the alarm condition.

13. The personal voltage detection system of claim 12 wherein the alert device comprises a video display including a graphic display with the indicators for each direction.

14. The personal voltage detection system of claim 10 wherein the alert device comprises a smart phone.

15. The personal voltage detection system of claim 10 wherein the alert device includes an indicator to indicate communication status with the plurality of sensors.

16. The personal voltage detection system of claim 10 wherein the alert device comprises an indicator associated with each sensor and the control varies each indicator to indicate communication status for the associated sensor.

17. The personal voltage detection system of claim 10 wherein the sensors and the alert device communicate using short-wavelength radio waves.

18. The personal voltage detection system of claim 10 wherein the sensors and the alert device are battery powered.