PERSONNEL LOCATION AND MONITORING SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ENCLOSED FACILITIES
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A wireless time-of-flight distance measurement device a motion detector is used at each of a plurality of stations in a wireless network in an enclosed facility to accurately locate a badge-wearing person near the station. The location, badge number and time of detection are transmitted through the network and stored in a computer memory. In a healthcare facility, hand washing detectors are located at some of the stations and caused to energize a hand wash status indicator light on the badge when the wearer has washed his or her hands. The light remains “on” for only a certain length of time, but will be extinguished sooner by a monitor device near each patient when the healthcare worker leaves the vicinity of the patient. These events also are transmitted and stored so that a timed record of each worker'"'"'s hand washing and visits to patients is created.
185 Citations
51 Claims
-
1-36. -36. (canceled)
-
37. A system for locating personnel in an enclosed facility having a plurality of spaced-apart stations, said system comprising:
-
(a) a separate indicator badge or tag for each of said personnel; (b) at least one detector or monitor for detecting when one of said badges is located within a predetermined distance from one of said stations, and for reading information from the detected badge or tag at said station; (c) each of said detectors or monitors including first and second wireless transmitters for transmitting first and second wireless signals, the signals having transmission velocities different from one another; and (d) a device for detecting the difference in transmission times between said first and second signals and indicating when said difference is below a predetermined value. - View Dependent Claims (38, 39, 40, 41, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 51)
-
-
42. A method of locating personnel in an enclosed facility having a plurality of stations therein, the steps of:
-
(a) locating a detector at each of said stations for detecting the presence of a person when said person is within a predetermined distance from said detector by directing two signals of different velocities towards said person and measuring the time difference between the receipts of said signals by said person and comparing said difference with a predetermined value; and (b) developing and transmitting to said detector information identifying said person. - View Dependent Claims (43, 50)
-
Specification