Emergency ingress/egress monitoring system

• US 20090079575A1
• Filed: 11/05/2008
• Published: 03/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intelligent Safety Solutions, LLC
• Original Assignee: Don L. Bouressa
• Inventors: Bouressa, Don L.
• Granted Patent: US 7,990,279 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/573.400
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/27 with central registration
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/28 the pass enabling tracking or indicating presence

Abstract

A system to monitor the entry and exit of individuals from a facility and to identify individuals who safely evacuated the facility and those who have entered, but apparently have not safely evacuated it and indicated safe evacuation by use of a card reader or similar device at an emergency reporting area. The system also indicates the most likely area of a facility in which an individual may be found. Such census information is made available to emergency workers and is of significant value in rescue efforts following facility evacuations. A modification of the systems allows an attendant to monitor the entry, exit, and re-entry of individuals traveling in two or more vehicles following stops. Finally, the system includes a head count census of individuals entering large facilities in which individual identity is effectively impossible to follow and a head count census of individuals evacuating the facility identified by specific parts of the facility.

Claims

1. An ingress/emergency egress monitoring system comprising:

a first function carried out by a first functional unit and producing two initial functionalities;

a second function depending on at least one of said two initial functionalities and generating at least one product functionality;

a third function comprising transmission of its functionality from one or more fixed locations to said second function, and

a fourth function comprising transmission of its functionality from one or more mobile locations to said second function;

wherein said two initial functionalities comprise collecting and transmitting ingress information to a base computer wherein a current occupancy census is generated and communicated to a second computer, and wherein under normal, non-emergency conditions said base computer continuously transmits a normal operations signal to said second computer, such that when said if said second computer fails to receive said normal operations signal, said second computer initiates emergency operation functions;

further, wherein under emergency operations functions, said third function is initiated and emergency egress information entered at said static readers located at emergency assembly locations is transmitted to said second function such that a continuous emergency egress census of the facility and reflecting such egress information is generated and maintained,

and still further, wherein under emergency operation conditions, said fourth function is activated and emergency egress information entered at said mobile readers is transmitted to said second function such that said emergency egress census of said facility occupancy is further adjusted for information entered at said mobile readers, and wherein said emergency egress census is variously displayed as the final functionality of the second function.

2. The ingress/emergency egress monitoring system of claim 1 wherein:

said first functional unit comprises identification reader devices located at normal points of ingress to a facility and said identification reader devices are functionally connected by wireless and wired means to a base computer;

wherein said base computer generates a continuous facility occupancy census, including adjustments for non-emergency egress from said facility and areas, and transmits by wireless and wired means said occupancy census to a second computer through a system interface, and further, wherein said base computer transmits a periodic normal operation signal through said system interface to said second computer;

said second unit comprises said second computer wherein said second computer is in wireless and wired communication through said system interface with said base computer whereby said second computer receives and maintains said current facility occupancy census, and wherein said second computer, through said system interface responds to failure to receive said periodic normal signal initiates emergency response functions;

said third unit comprises said static identification reader devices, wherein said static identification devices are in wireless and wired communication with said second computer and, wherein said static identification reader devices register egress information and transmit said egress information to said second computer;

said forth unit comprises mobile identification reader devices, wherein said mobile identification reader devices are in wireless and wired communication with said second computer, and wherein said mobile reader identification devices register and transmit egress information to said second computer; and

wherein said second computer continuously adjusts said facility occupancy census in response to egress information received from said static information reader devices and from said mobile information reader devices and displays said current facility and area census by various means.

3. An ingress/emergency egress monitoring system comprising:

head counting devices to monitor ingress positioned at the normal entry point to defined areas of a facility, said head counting devices being adapted to count the number of individuals passing through said entry point;

said head counting devices located at said normal entry points are further adapted to recognize emergency conditions and record as egress head counts the number of individuals exiting via said normal entry point.

a computer functionally in wireless and wired communication with each of said counting devices, whereby the number of individuals counted is transmitted for each device is transmitted to said computer such that count by each location of a counting device is maintained by said computer;

emergency evacuation counting devices located at regular, exit only points and at designated emergency exits and at service and employee only exits, wherein said emergency evacuation counting devices are in wireless and wired communication with said computer and egress counts, identified by location of said emergency evacuation counting device are transmitted to said computer; and

emergency evacuation counting devices located and positioned in pairs along designated evacuation halls, passageways, and corridors whereby said pairs of emergency egress counting devices are in wireless and wired communication with said computer and report number of individuals passing by designated points to estimate rate of egress along a given hall, passageway, or corridor; and

video cameras mounted in proximity to said pairs of emergency evacuation counting devices, said video cameras being in functional communication with display monitors accessible to rescue worker, and two way voice communications associated with said video cameras.

4. The ingress/emergency egress monitoring system of claim 3 wherein said counting devices recognize physiognomic traits and transmit trait information to said computer such that unidentified, but specific individuals can be followed from ingress through emergency egress.

5. The ingress/emergency egress monitoring system of claim 4, wherein individual, physiognomic identification information is entered into a base file in said computer, such that ingress and emergency egress of identified individuals can be followed.

6. A system to monitor facility ingress/emergency egress comprising:

a plurality of a personal recognition devices capable of communicating ingress/egress data to a computer;

said computer being capable of processing and storing sequential ingress and egress data so as to produce a record of census data of occupants of a facility at any time;

a means to warn attendants when egress census data do not agree with prior ingress data and to identify the missing individuals.