SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ROBUST MAN-DOWN ALARMS

• US 20120194334A1
• Filed: 01/27/2011
• Published: 08/02/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Worthington, Stephen David, Evans, Jerry Wayne, Hogan, Patrick Gerard
• Granted Patent: US 10,685,554 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/521
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0024 for multiple sensor units attached to the patient, e.g. using a body or personal area network
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1117 Fall detection
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/043 detecting an emergency event, e.g. a fall
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0446 worn on the body to detect changes of posture, e.g. a fall, inclination, acceleration, gait
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0492 Sensor dual technology, i.e. two or more technologies collaborate to extract unsafe condition, e.g. video tracking and RFID tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/12 responsive to undesired emission of substances, e.g. pollution alarms
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/002 Generating a prealarm to the central station
• 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 29/188 Data fusion; cooperative systems, e.g. voting among different detectors

Abstract

A system including at least one detector and a central station in two-way communication with the detector is provided. The detector can include an ambient condition sensing element, a motion sensor, control circuitry, and two-way communications hardware. The control circuitry can determine an alarm event based on a first signal received from the ambient condition sensing element and can transmit an alarm signal to the communications hardware during the alarm event. The control circuitry can also determine a man-down event based on a second signal received from the motion sensor and transmit a man-down alarm signal to the communications hardware during the man-down event. The two-way communications hardware can transmit at least one of the gas alarm signal and the man-down alarm signal to a remote location, and the two-way communications hardware can receive a status inquiry from the remote location.

Claims

1. A detector comprising:

an ambient condition sensing element;

a motion sensor;

control circuitry; and

two-way communications hardware, wherein

the control circuitry determines an alarm event based on a first signal received from the ambient condition sensing element and transmits an alarm signal to the communications hardware during the alarm event,

the control circuitry determines a man-down event based on a second signal received from the motion sensor and transmits a man-down alarm signal to the communications hardware during the man-down event,

the two-way communications hardware transmits at least one of the gas alarm signal and the man-down alarm signal to a remote location, and

the two-way communications hardware receives a status inquiry from the remote location.

2. The detector of claim 1 wherein the ambient condition sensing element includes a gas sensor element.

3. The detector of claim 1 wherein the motion sensor includes an accelerometer.

4. The detector of claim 1 wherein the control circuitry includes at least one of a microcontroller, a sensor drive circuit, and a signal conditioning circuit.

5. The detector of claim 1 wherein the two-way communications hardware includes at least one of a radio module and an antenna.

6. The detector of claim 1 wherein the ambient condition sensing element transmits the first signal to the control circuitry when a predetermined threshold of a hazardous gas in the ambient atmosphere is sensed.

7. The detector of claim 1 wherein the motion sensor transmits the second signal to the control circuitry when the motion sensor does not detect movement for a predetermined period of time.

8. The detector of claim 1 wherein the two-way communications hardware communicates with the remote location wirelessly.

9. A system comprising:

at least one detector; and

a central station in two-way communication with the at least one detector, wherein the detector transmits at least one of an ambient condition alarm signal and a man-down alarm signal to the central station, and, based on signals received from the detector, the central station initiates one of a first alarm indicating an ambient condition alarm, a second alarm indicating an ambient condition alarm and a man-down alarm, a third alarm indicating a man-down alarm, or a fourth alarm indicating a miscellaneous alarm.

10. The system of claim 9 further comprising a plurality of detectors in two-way communication with the central station.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein at least one of the plurality of detectors includes a gas detector.

12. The system of claim 10 wherein at least one of the plurality of detectors is in wireless two-way communication with the central station.

13. The system of claim 10 wherein the central station correlates signals received from each of the plurality of detectors, and based on the signals received from each of the plurality of detectors, the central station initiates one of the first alarm, the second alarm, the third alarm, and the fourth alarm.

14. The system of claim 10 wherein, upon receipt of a man-down signal from a first of the plurality of detectors, the central station correlates the signals received from each of the plurality of detectors to determine whether the man-down signal received from the first detector is a false alarm.

15. The system of claim 9 wherein the central station includes a host computer.

16. The system of claim 9 wherein, based on the signals received from the detector, the central station initiates a rescue operation for a user of the detector.

17. A method comprising:

receiving an ambient condition alarm signal from a detector at a remote location;

receiving a man-down alarm signal from the detector at the remote location;

based on the received ambient condition alarm signal and the received man-down alarm signal, determining a likelihood of an incapacitated user of the detector at the remote location; and

determining a likelihood that the man-down alarm signal is a false alarm.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein determining a likelihood that the man-down, alarm signal is a false alarm includes correlating received ambient condition alarm signals and man-down alarm signals from a plurality of detectors at the remote location.

19. The method of claim 17 further comprising generating an alarm.

20. The method of claim 17 further comprising transmitting a status inquiry to the remote location.