First responder tracking breadcrumbs

• US 10,129,704 B1
• Filed: 06/27/2017
• Issued: 11/13/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Huseth, Steve, Petrovacki, Neb
• Primary Examiner(s): Rampuria, Sharad
• Application Number:
  US15/634,044
• Time in Patent Office: 504 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A62C 99/009 Methods or equipment not provided for in groups A62C99/0009 - A62C99/0081
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/206 specially adapted for indoor navigation
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/00 Beacons or beacon systems transmitting signals having a characteristic or characteristics capable of being detected by non-directional receivers and defining directions, positions, or position lines fixed relatively to the beacon transmitters; Receivers co-operating therewith position fixing by co-ordinating a plurality of determinations of direction or position lines G01S5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0231 Emergency, distress or locator beacons
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0833 Tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/10 Services
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0247 System arrangements wherein the alarm criteria uses signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0272 System arrangements wherein the object is to detect exact location of child or item using triangulation other than GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0277 Communication between units on a local network, e.g. Bluetooth, piconet, zigbee, Wireless Personal Area Networks [WPAN]
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0294 Display details on parent unit
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/009 Signalling of the alarm condition to a substation whose identity is signalled to a central station, e.g. relaying alarm signals in order to extend communication range
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/016 Personal emergency signalling and security systems emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 7/066 guiding along a path, e.g. evacuation path lighting strip
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/38 Transceivers, i.e. devices in which transmitter and receiver form a structural unit and in which at least one part is used for functions of transmitting and receiving
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/33 for indoor environments, e.g. buildings
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user

Abstract

Embodiments relate generally to systems and methods for tracking emergency responders. An emergency responder tracking system may comprise a beacon comprising a radio frequency module; a portable device, wherein the portable device is configured to receive a wireless signal from the beacon and transmit the wireless signal to a computer system, wherein the computer system comprises a user interface and is configured to receive the wireless signal from the portable device and provide a map, in the user interface, of a location of the beacon; wherein the wireless signal comprises a unique identifier, a location of the beacon, a last detected location of an emergency responder, and/or current time.

Claims

1. An emergency responder tracking system comprising:

a plurality of portable beacons comprising a radio frequency module having a first range for communication;

a portable device comprising a transceiver, wherein the portable device is configured to receive a wireless signal from a beacon of the plurality of beacons when within the first range and transmit the wireless signal to a computer system within a second range, wherein the portable device is mounted on a self-contained breathing apparatus of an emergency responder;

wherein the computer system comprises a user interface and is configured to;

receive the wireless signal from the portable device and determine a location of the beacon;

receive a description of a placement of each portable beacon of the plurality of portable beacons relative to a surrounding structure of a building;

draw a floor plan of the building based on the description;

draw an exit route for the building based on the description; and

display, in the user interface, the floor plan, the exit route, and location of each portable beacon of the plurality of portable beacons;

wherein the wireless signal comprises a unique identifier, the location of the beacon, a last detected location of an emergency responder, and/or current time;

wherein the second range is greater than the first range;

wherein the plurality of portable beacons is configured for attachment to a structure within the building.

2. The emergency responder tracking system of claim 1, further comprising a radio frequency relay station configured to receive the wireless signal from the portable device and transmit the wireless signal to the computer system over a distance of up to 20 miles.

3. The emergency responder tracking system of claim 1, wherein the beacon is waterproof and heat resistant up to about 600°

F.

4. The emergency responder tracking system of claim 1, wherein the computer system is configured to allow identification of at least one emergency responder within a predetermined vicinity of the building.

5. The emergency responder tracking system of claim 1, wherein the computer system comprises the user interface, and wherein the user interface is configured to display markers tracking movement of at least one emergency responder.

6. The emergency responder tracking system of claim 5, wherein the user interface is configured to indicate a predetermined vicinity, with a circular graphic, of the at least one emergency responder.

7. The emergency responder tracking system of claim 1, wherein the computer system is configured to use a signal strength between the beacon and the portable device to determine a distance between the beacon and the portable device.

8. The emergency responder tracking system of claim 1, wherein the beacon is configured to be mounted to structures by screws, bolts, straps, adhesive, or combinations thereof.

9. The emergency responder tracking system of claim 1, wherein the beacon comprises a dial to activate the beacon.

10. The emergency responder tracking system of claim 1, wherein a wireless protocol for communication between the beacon and the portable device is BLUETOOTH low energy, low power wide area network, 802.15.4, or combinations thereof.

11. A method for tracking an emergency responder comprising:

during an active incident, attaching a plurality of portable beacons within a building at a plurality of locations, wherein each beacon of the plurality of portable beacons comprises a radio frequency module having a first range for communication;

activating each beacon;

communicating to a computer system a description of a placement of each beacon;

detecting one or more portable devices that are moving within the building, wherein at least one of the one or more portable devices is mounted on a self-contained breathing apparatus that is associated with an emergency responder of a plurality of emergency responders, wherein each of the one or more portable devices has a second range for communication, and wherein each of the one or more portable devices is mounted on a self-contained breathing apparatus of one or more emergency responders;

transmitting information from each beacon to the one or more portable devices within the first range;

transmitting the information from the one or more portable devices to the computer system within the second range;

drawing a floor plan, by the computer system, of the building based on the description;

drawing an exit route for the building, by the computer system, based on the description;

displaying in a user interface, the floor plan, the exit route, and locations of each beacon;

tracking a location of the one or more portable devices based on the information transmitted from the one or more portable devices to the computer system;

wherein the second range is greater than the first range.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

setting, with a dial, an address of a location of a beacon of the plurality of portable beacons, wherein the dial is positioned on the beacon;

wherein the information comprises a unique identifier, the location of the beacon, a last detected location of one of the plurality of emergency responders, and/or current time.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the activating comprises turning a dial, wherein the dial is positioned on the beacon;

wherein the attaching and activating the plurality of portable beacons is performed by a first emergency responder;

wherein the moving one or more portable devices is performed by one or more subsequent emergency responders moving within the building.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

transmitting the information from the one or more portable devices to a radio frequency relay station.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising throwing an activated beacon into the building to locate a lost emergency responder.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising indicating, with the user interface, a presence of the lost emergency responder based on a signal strength between the activated beacon and a self-contained breathing apparatus mounted portable device of the lost emergency responder.

17. A method for directing an emergency responder comprising:

during an active incident, attaching a plurality of portable beacons within a building at a plurality of locations, wherein each beacon of the plurality of portable beacons comprises a radio frequency module having a first range for communication;

activating each beacon;

communicating to a computer system a description of a placement of each beacon relative to surrounding structures of the building;

detecting one or more portable devices that are moving within the building, wherein each of the one or more portable devices is associated with a different emergency responder of a plurality of emergency responders and has a second range for communication;

transmitting information from each beacon to the one or more portable devices within the first range, wherein at least one of the one or more portable devices is mounted on a self-contained breathing apparatus that is associated with an emergency responder of the plurality of emergency responders;

transmitting the information from the one or more portable devices to the computer system;

drawing a floor plan, by the computer system, of the building based on the description;

drawing an exit route for the building, by the computer system, based on the description;

displaying in a user interface, the floor plan, the exit route, and location of each beacon; and

directing at least one emergency responder from the plurality of emergency responders to the exit route based on a signal strength between each beacon and a portable device associated with the at least one emergency responder;

wherein the information, transmitted from each beacon, comprises a unique identifier, a location of a beacon from the plurality of portable beacons, a last detected location of one of the plurality of emergency responders, and/or current time;

wherein the second range is greater than the first range.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising identifying the at least one emergency responder in the user interface.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising indicating, by the computer system, a vicinity of the at least one emergency responder.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising selecting, by the computer system, the at least one emergency responder from the plurality of emergency responders to display, in the user interface, an estimated region of the at least one emergency responder.