Owner controlled evacuation system

• US 10,657,797 B2
• Filed: 10/19/2017
• Issued: 05/19/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: oneEvent Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: oneEvent Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Wedig, Kurt J., Parent, Daniel Ralph
• Primary Examiner(s): Burgdorf, Stephen R
• Application Number:
  US15/787,917
• Publication Number:
  US 20180040232A1
• Time in Patent Office: 943 Days
• Field of Search: 340 61, 340 81, 340321, 340501, 340502, 340506, 340521, 340522, 34053913, 34053926, 340577, 340628, 4554041, 4554042, 701423, 701533
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/206 specially adapted for indoor navigation
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 17/10 Actuation by presence of smoke or gases , e.g. automatic alarm devices for analysing flowing fluid materials by the use of optical means
• 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 25/10 using wireless transmission systems G08B25/009 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 7/066 guiding along a path, e.g. evacuation path lighting strip

Abstract

A method includes receiving, by a user device, information regarding a sensed condition in a structure. The sensed condition is sensed by a sensory node. The method also includes providing, by the user device, a notification identifying the sensed condition to a user of the user device, and receiving, by the user device, information regarding navigable pathways of the structure. The method further includes determining, by the user device, a location of the user device, and identifying, by the user device, a first evacuation route based at least in part on the information regarding the sensed condition, the information regarding navigable pathways of the structure, and the location of the user device. The method also includes displaying, by the user device, the first evacuation route.

Claims

1. An evacuation system comprising:

a plurality of sensory nodes installed within a first structure and a second structure, wherein a first subset of the plurality of sensory nodes in the first structure are configured to detect a first evacuation condition and a second subset of the plurality of sensory nodes in the second structure are configured to detect a second evacuation condition; and

a user device configured to receive an indication of the first evacuation condition and the second evacuation condition from the plurality of sensory nodes, and in response;

determine that a location of the user device is within a predetermined distance from the first structure associated with the first evacuation condition and not within the predetermined distance from the second structure associated with the second evacuation condition;

alert a user of the user device of the first evacuation condition and not of the second evacuation condition responsive to determining that the location of the user device is within the predetermined distance from the first structure and not within the predetermined distance from the second structure;

determine an evacuation route for exiting the first structure;

monitor the evacuation route and location of the user device to determine that an update condition is satisfied in response to detecting that the user device is moving toward a location of the first structure that is unsafe based on ambient sound sensed by the user device;

update the evacuation route based upon the update condition being satisfied wherein the updated evacuation route directs the user of the user device away from the unsafe location.

2. The evacuation system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of sensory nodes is configured to communicate with one another and with a system server of the evacuation system.

3. The evacuation system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of sensory nodes comprises:

a sensor configured to detect the first evacuation condition or the second evacuation condition;

a memory configured to store identity information of the plurality of sensory nodes and routing information configured to facilitate communication with other ones of the plurality of sensory nodes; and

a processor configured to

transmit information of the first evacuation condition or the second evacuation condition to the user device based upon information received from the sensor and the memory.

4. The evacuation system of claim 1, wherein the user device is further configured to adjust a setting of the user device prior to notifying a user of the user device of the first evacuation condition.

5. The evacuation system of claim 1, wherein the user device is further configured to transmit the location of the user device to an emergency personnel device.

6. The evacuation system of claim 1, wherein the user device is configured to determine that the user is moving along the evacuation route.

7. The evacuation system of claim 1, wherein the user device is further configured to:

determine that the user has not responded to a notification; and

communicate with an emergency responder indicating that the user is incapacitated.

8. A method comprising:

receiving, by a user device associated with an evacuation system, an indication of a first evacuation condition in a first structure and of a second evacuation condition in a second structure;

determining that a location of the user device is within a predetermined distance from the first structure associated with the first evacuation condition and not within the predetermined distance from the second structure associated with the second evacuation condition;

alerting a user of the user device of the first evacuation condition and not of the second evacuation condition responsive to determining that the location of the user device is within the predetermined distance from the first structure and not within the predetermined distance from the second structure;

determining, by the user device an evacuation route for exiting the first structure;

monitoring, by the user device, the evacuation route and location of the user device for determining that an update condition is satisfied in response to detecting that the user device is moving toward a location of the first structure that is unsafe based on ambient sound sensed by the user device;

updating, by the user device, the evacuation route based upon the update condition being satisfied wherein the updated evacuation route directs the user of the user device away from the unsafe location.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising prompting, by the user device, the user for an action comprising at least one of acknowledging an alert on the user device, indicating that the alert is a false alarm, or agreeing to contact an emergency personnel, in response to the alerting.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising adjusting, by the user device, a setting of the user device prior to notifying the user of the first evacuation condition.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising prompting, by the user device, the user to contact emergency personnel.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

determining, by the user device, a pathway from a plurality of pathways that is not navigable; and

excluding, by the user device, the pathway in determining the evacuation route.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising transmitting, by the user device, the location of the user device to another device.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the another device is an emergency personnel device, a system server, or a sensory node associated with the evacuation system.

15. The method of claim 8, further comprising receiving, by the user device, the indication of the first evacuation condition from a sensory node associated with the evacuation system, wherein the sensory node is installed within the first structure.

16. The method of claim 8, further comprising receiving, by the user device, the indication of the first evacuation condition from a system server associated with the evacuation system.