Wearable alarm system incorporating phased-array radar water sensing

• US 10,422,873 B2
• Filed: 06/24/2018
• Issued: 09/24/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Charlotte Ann Watkins, Paul Lockwood
• Original Assignee: Charlotte Ann Watkins, Paul Lockwood
• Inventors: Watkins, Charlotte Ann, Lockwood, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Garcia, Carlos
• Application Number:
  US16/016,629
• Publication Number:
  US 20190004169A1
• Time in Patent Office: 457 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/886 for alarm systems alarms with electrical actuation G08B13/22
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/0245 Radar with phased array antenna
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/003 Transmission of data between radar, sonar or lidar systems and remote stations
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0222 Message structure or message content, e.g. message protocol
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0225 Monitoring making use of different thresholds, e.g. for different alarm levels
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0227 System arrangements with a plurality of child units
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0236 Threshold setting
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0238 adding new units to the system
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0247 System arrangements wherein the alarm criteria uses signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0294 Display details on parent unit
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/088 by monitoring a device worn by the person, e.g. a bracelet attached to the swimmer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2272 using phase locked loops H04L27/2273 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/16 Half-duplex systems; Simplex/duplex switching; Transmission of break signals non-automatically inverting the direction of transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/0015 one node acting as a reference for the others

Abstract

A safety system comprised of safety devices each worn by a caretaker and up to three people requiring minding, that alerts using color coded LED lights and audible tones when a monitored person is in danger. The device alerts if the person is beyond a preset distance, is close to or is in a body of water, or signals they are in trouble, using phased-array radar coupled with image processing.

The phased-array radar allows the remote sensing of water in either daylight or night. The phased-array radar comprises multiple antenna elements including an independent antenna element phase shifter allowing beamsteering. The device scans an object using a preset beamsteering algorithm independent of movement. The multiple antenna elements and beamsteering improve image data accuracy which is then interpreted and correlated with a body of water characteristics. The phased-array radar is also used for caretaker-monitored person communications.

Claims

1. A wearable safety device comprising:

a) a housing assembly,

b) a set of antenna elements,

c) a multi-element phased-array radar system,

d) one or more water sensors,

e) a power detector,

f) a notify button,

g) a range button,

h) a synch button,

i) a power on and off button,

j) a frequency converter,

k) a set of transmission circuits comprising;

i. one or more RF switches,

ii. one or more amplifiers,

iii. one or more phase shifters, and

iv. one or more optimized power dividers; and

l) a set of intermediate frequency circuits comprising;

i. one or more filters,

ii. one or more amplifiers,

iii. one or more transformers, and

iv. one or more data converters.

2. The wearable safety device of claim 1, wherein:

a) the safety device is configurable as a parent or as a child device;

b) the parent device communicates with a plurality of child devices; and

c) each child device communicates with the parent device.

3. The wearable safety device of claim 1, wherein the housing assembly is waterproof and further comprises:

i. a visual display assembly; and

ii. one or more water sensors embedded in the sides of the housing assembly.

4. The wearable safety device of claim 1, wherein the set of antenna elements transmit and receive condition sequence codes:

a. from the child safety device to the parent safety device; and

b. from the parent safety device to the child safety device.

5. The wearable safety device of claim 1, wherein the multi-element phased-array radar system:

a. is integrated with a transceiver operating in the same frequency band; and

b. comprises more than one radar element wherein each radar element comprises a transmit/receive module connected to a patch antenna.

6. The wearable safety device of claim 5, wherein the multi-element phased-array radar system:

a. interprets radar reflections to identify a nearby body of waters sending an audible and a visual alert communication to the parent safety device when water is identified;

b. senses water in either daylight or at night; and

c. operates in either the 5 GHz or 2.4 GHz ISM bands.

7. The wearable safety device of claim 1, wherein submersion in water:

a) causes a submersion condition sequence code to be sent from the child safety device to the parent safety device; and

b) produces an audible and a visual alert on the parent safety device.

8. The wearable safety device of claim 1 wherein the power detector determines when the child safety device is beyond a pre-selected distance from the parent device creating:

a distance condition sequence code that is sent from the child safety device to the parent safety device; and

the parent safety device produces an audible and a visual alert when the condition sequence code is received.

9. The wearable safety device according to claim 1, wherein the frequency converter transmits and receives data:

a. in half-duplex between each safety device at the same set of frequencies without the transmitting circuits interfering with the receiving circuits;

b. in a 2.4 GHz band or a 5 GHz ISM band.

10. The wearable safety device of claim 4, wherein the condition sequence code comprises:

a. a 4-bit network ID data which is provided by the parent safety device when setting up and synching with the child safety device;

b. a 2-bit device ID data provided by the parent safety device when setting up and synching with the child safety device to identify a data source when the child safety device sends data;

c. a 1-bit frequency band data set by the child safety device;

d. a 3-bit condition code which is generated by the sending child safety device and contains status information on whether the safety device is beyond a set distance, is near water, is in water or said monitored child has requested help; and

e. a 1-bit stop bit.

11. The wearable safety device of claim 1, wherein pressing the notify button on the child safety device signals the child is in trouble and causes an alert condition sequence code to be sent from the child safety device to the parent safety device generating a visual and audio alert.

12. The wearable safety device of claim 1, wherein the phased-array radar system further comprises:

a. a set of transmission circuits operating in an unlicensed V-Band or a lower frequency band; and

b. power dividers optimized for 57/57.05 GHz.