Personnel authentication and tracking system

• US 10,223,888 B2
• Filed: 12/01/2016
• Issued: 03/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tyco Fire & Security GmbH (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Original Assignee: Tyco Fire & Security GmbH (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Inventors: Hall, Stewart E., Brewin, Robert F., Clements, Scott M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Phung
• Application Number:
  US15/366,036
• Publication Number:
  US 20170084146A1
• Time in Patent Office: 824 Days
• Field of Search: 340541, 340 101, 3405721-5729, 340 1326, 705 715, 235375
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0236 Assistance data, e.g. base station almanac
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0284 Relative positioning
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0294 Trajectory determination or predictive filtering, e.g. target tracking or Kalman filtering
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/027 Frames
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/20 involving the use of a pass
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/00 Burglar, theft or intruder alarms
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19613 Recognition of a predetermined image pattern or behaviour pattern indicating theft or intrusion
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19697 Arrangements wherein non-video detectors generate an alarm themselves
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/22 Electrical actuation
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2451 Specific applications combined with EAS
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2491 Intrusion detection systems, i.e. where the body of an intruder causes the interference with the electromagnetic field
• 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 25/10 using wireless transmission systems G08B25/009 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 7/062 indicating emergency exits
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 7/066 guiding along a path, e.g. evacuation path lighting strip
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/74 Address processing for routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 : Location-based management or tracking services
• 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 84/18 : Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 : Gateway arrangements

Abstract

Disclosed are techniques to authenticate tags passing through detection regions against an access control list, receive data that identifies a number of people passing through or within the detection regions, compare the number people identified by the received data with the number of tags identified by the system, and cause an alarm to be asserted when a discrepancy is detected in the number people identified with the number of tags in a detection region with personnel within the detection region.

Claims

1. A personnel authentication and tracking appliance comprises:

one or more processor devices;

memory operatively coupled to the one or more processor devices, with the memory executing a computer program that configures the one or more processor devices to;

receive image data;

read tags and other credentials within a corresponding detection zone associated with the personnel authentication and tracking appliance;

authenticate the tags against an access control list;

provide counts of the number of people in the corresponding detection zone by executing an analytic algorithm to count people detected in the received image data; and

receive real time analytic algorithms to authenticate or count people detected in the received image data to modify processing on the personnel authentication and tracking appliance.

2. The personnel authentication and tracking appliance of claim 1 further comprising:

a camera to capture the received image data.

3. The personnel authentication and tracking appliance of claim 1 further comprising:

an authentication and tracking tag reader that read portable access control token devices that include access control credentials for authentication and tracking by the personnel authentication and tracking appliance.

4. The personnel authentication and tracking appliance of claim 1 wherein the personnel authentication and tracking appliance is further configured to:

authenticate tags passing through detection regions against an access control list.

5. The personnel authentication and tracking appliance of claim 1 wherein the personnel authentication and tracking appliance is further configured to:

compare the number people identified with the number of tags identified by the system;

compare the location of personnel within the site against predefined rules; and

raise an alarm when a discrepancy with the predefined rules is detected.

6. The personnel authentication and tracking system of claim 1 wherein the personnel authentication and tracking system appliance comprises power management circuity that includes backup power provided from a fire detection network.

7. The personnel authentication and tracking appliance of claim 1 wherein the personnel authentication and tracking system appliance when deployed within a fire detection and notification system has the fire detection and notification system to provide battery backup to the personnel authentication and tracking system appliance.

8. A computer implemented method comprises:

authenticating and identifying by a personnel authentication and tracking appliance that includes a processor and memory, tags passing through detection regions with authenticating being performed with respect to an access control list;

receiving by the personnel authentication and tracking appliance video data;

processing the video data to count a number of people passing through or within one or more detection regions associated with the personnel authentication and tracking appliance;

comparing by the personnel authentication and tracking appliance the number people counted by the received video data with the number of tags authenticated and identified by the personnel authentication and tracking appliance; and

causing an alarm to be asserted when a discrepancy is detected within one or more of the detection regions.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

comparing the location of personnel against predefined rules to ensure compliance with rules.

10. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

receiving analytic algorithms that automatically update algorithms in the personnel authentication and tracking appliance.

11. A system comprising:

one or more processors devices; and

memory, in communication with the one or more processor devices, with the system configured to;

receive data from plural personnel authentication and tracking appliances that authenticate and identify tags passing through corresponding detection regions against an access control list stored in the system;

receive video data from one or more of the plural personnel authentication and tracking appliances, with each of the plural personnel authentication and tracking appliances associated with one or more detection regions;

processing the video data to determine a count of a number of people passing through or within the detection region or regions associated with the one or more of the plural personnel authentication and tracking appliances;

compare the number people identified by the received data with the number of tags identified by the system; and

cause an alarm to be asserted when a discrepancy is detected in the number people identified with the number of tags in a detection region with personnel within the detection region.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the system is further configured to:

produce paths of tags as the tags pass through various ones of the detection regions associated with the personnel authentication and tracking appliances; and

render the produced map on a rendering device of a schematic of the building or a floor plan depicting the various paths taken by the tags.

13. The system of claim 11 wherein the system is further configured to:

compare the location of personnel within the building against predefined rules to ensure that procedures are being followed.