Object Tracking with Emergency Equipment

• US 20090243836A1
• Filed: 02/13/2009
• Published: 10/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: En-Gauge, Inc.
• Original Assignee: MIJA Industries, Inc.
• Inventors: McSheffrey, Brendan T.
• Granted Patent: US 8,981,927 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/524
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3904 External heart defibrillators [EHD]
• CPC Class Codes: A62C 13/76 Details or accessories
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/08 using communication transmission lines G08B13/19658, G08B21/0286, G08B25/016 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/12 Manually actuated calamity alarm transmitting arrangements emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm, activators, e.g. details of alarm push buttons mounted on an infrastructure
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/26 by updating and storing reference thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 7/062 indicating emergency exits

Abstract

A system including a network of emergency equipment stations is described. The network includes at least one emergency equipment station. The emergency equipment station includes an emergency assistance device, a first sensor configured to detect an object within a vicinity of the emergency equipment station and a second sensor configured to sense at least one selectable predetermined internal condition. The system may further include a central station that is remotely located from the emergency equipment station. The central station is configured to communicate with the emergency equipment station as well as the network and receive data from the first and the second sensors.

Claims

1. A system for communicating information comprising:

a network of emergency equipment stations including at least one emergency equipment station, the emergency equipment station comprising;

an emergency assistance device,

a first sensor configured to detect an object within a vicinity of the emergency equipment station, and

a second sensor configured to sense at least one selectable predetermined internal condition; and

a central station remotely located from the emergency equipment station and configured to communicate with the emergency equipment station and the network of emergency equipment stations, the central station also configured to receive data from the first sensor and the second sensor.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

at least one receiver, remotely located from the central station, and configured to receive information from the central station.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the at least one receiver is deployed in at least one of a building, a vehicle, and a hand-held device.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the second sensor is configured to sense an ambient temperature.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the first sensor is further configured to sense a movement of the object.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the emergency assistance device comprises at least one of a fire extinguisher, a fire pull alarm, an emergency lighting device and a defibrillator.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the network of emergency equipment stations includes a mesh network configuration.

8. The emergency equipment station of claim 1, further comprising:

communication circuitry configured to communicate with the central station.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a third sensor configured to sense a selectable predetermined external condition.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the selectable predetermined external condition includes an ambient temperature, a presence of an obstruction and a removal of the emergency assistance device.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the first sensor is configured to couple with a module of the object.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the central station is further configured to track movement of the object.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the central station further comprises:

a database to store a location of the emergency equipment station.

14. The system of claim 2, wherein the central station is further configured to identify a location of the object to the at least one receiver.

15. A method for communicating information, the method comprising:

sensing, by a first sensor at an emergency equipment station, a presence of an object;

sensing, by a second sensor at the emergency equipment station, one or more selectable predetermined internal conditions of the emergency equipment station;

transmitting, data sensed by the first and second sensors from the emergency equipment station to a central station by way of a network of emergency equipment stations; and

transmitting information representing the data by the central station to at least one receiver remotely located to the central station.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the sensing by the first sensor is provided, at least in part, by a mutual coupling between the first sensor and an identification module of the object.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the network of emergency equipment stations is connected in mesh configuration.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the one or more selectable predetermined internal conditions include a pressure in a fire extinguisher and a remaining life of a part of the emergency equipment station.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

sensing, by a third sensor, a selectable predetermined external condition.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the selectable predetermined external condition includes an ambient temperature, a presence of an obstruction and a removal of an emergency assistance device.

21. A system for communicating information comprising:

a network of emergency equipment stations including at least one emergency equipment station, the emergency equipment station comprising;

a plurality of sensors, wherein each of the plurality of sensors is configured to detect one of an object within a vicinity of the emergency equipment station and at least one selectable predetermined condition;

a central station located remotely from the emergency equipment station, configured to receive data sensed by the plurality of sensors from the network of emergency equipment stations; and

at least one receiver, remotely located from the central station, configured to receive information from the central station.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the central station is configured to track movement of the object.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the central station is configured to maintain a database representative of all locations of the plurality of sensors.

24. The system of claim 21, wherein the central station is configured to produce a map of at least one of the predetermined conditions and a representation of the locations of the plurality of sensors.