PERSONNEL PROXIMITY DETECTION AND TRACKING SYSTEM

• US 20160005300A1
• Filed: 07/02/2015
• Published: 01/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Valve Solutions Inc.
• Original Assignee: OSLA Technologies, LLC
• Inventors: Laufer, Zohar, Osborne, Charles Agnew Jr.
• Granted Patent: US 9,741,233 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/245 Reminder of hygiene compliance policies, e.g. of washing hands
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/20 for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/33 for indoor environments, e.g. buildings
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/38 for collecting sensor information

Abstract

Systems and methods for tracking, locating, identifying, or mapping movements of persons or personnel within a facility may include badges carried by selected persons or personnel through the facility, and these badges can each include a transmitter configured to transmit a series of signals including signature information identifying the badges and also identifying codes of each signal transmitted. In addition, a series of receivers can be positioned at selected locations of the facility and can receive the signals transmitted by the transmitters of the badges, and these receivers can be configured to identify each badge from which signals are received based upon signature information for identified badges and also to determine the proximity, range, distance, or zone between the badge identified and one or more receivers.

Claims

1. A system for identifying and mapping movements of personnel within a facility, comprising:

a plurality of badges carried by selected ones of the personnel through the facility, each badge comprising one or more transmitters each transmitting a series of signals, wherein the signals include signature information identifying each badge and at least one identifying code for each signal transmitted by the one or more transmitters of each identified badge;

a series of receivers positioned at selected locations within the facility and configured to receive one or more of the signals transmitted by the one or more transmitters of each badge, wherein at least a selected one of the receivers is configured to identify each badge from which signals are received based upon the signature information for the identified badge included in the received signals, and to determine a proximity, range, distance, or zone between the identified badge and selected receiver based on the identifying code included in the received signals from the identified badge.

2. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

one or more sanitation devices in communication with at least one of the receivers.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein the at least one receiver is configured to detect use of a selected sanitation device and transmit to a server information including the identity of ones of the personnel carrying the badge and indicating whether the identified ones of the personnel used the selected sanitation device.

4. The system according to claim 1,

wherein the at least one selected receiver is configured to transmit information including the proximity, range, or distance between each identified badge and the receiver and the signature information identifying each badge to a server.

5. The system according to claim 4, further comprising:

a database storing data including information on medical patients checked into the facility; and

a processor in communication with one or more of the receivers, the database, and the server, and configured to cross-reference the information on the medical patients stored in the database and the information including the proximity, range, or distance between each identified badge and the receiver, and the signature information identifying each badge, to alert the selected ones of the personnel to take a particular action or to allow or restrict access to the selected ones of the personnel to different areas of the facility.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the transmitters of each badge are configured to initiate transmission of their series of signals in response to a transmission received from at least one receiver, when the badges are within a prescribed proximity, distance, range, or zone of the at least one receiver.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the receivers are configured to transmit a series of initiating signals covering predefined zones of the facility.

8. A method of identifying and monitoring individuals in a facility, comprising:

as the individuals move through the facility, transmitting a series of varying signals from transmitters of a plurality of badges carried by the individuals, wherein each signal contains a signature identifier corresponding to each badge and one or more codes indicating an distance, range, or zone of intensity of each transmitted signal; and

receiving the transmitted signals of at least one receiver of a plurality of receivers positioned through the facility, identifying selected individuals approaching within a predetermined proximity, range, distance, or zone of the at least one receiver based on the signature identifier of the received signals; and

determining a proximity, range, distance, or zone of the selected individuals carrying the badges with respect to the at least one receiver receiving the signals based on the codes indicating a proximity, range, distance, or zone of intensity of each transmitted signal.

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

notifying the selected individuals within a predetermined proximity, range, distance or zone of the at least one receiver to use one or more sanitation devices in a selected area of the facility.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising:

determining whether the selected individuals activated one or more of the sanitation devices.

11. The method according to claim 8, wherein the at least one receiver is mounted in a selected position adjacent a patient'"'"'s bed in a predetermined area of the facility, and

wherein the determining further comprises determining a location on a patient positioned on the bed where the individual is within a certain proximity, distance, range, or zone thereof.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising:

retrieving the patient'"'"'s medical information from a database; and

cross-referencing the patient'"'"'s medical information retrieved from the database with the determined location of the patient'"'"'s body to determine whether the patient received treatment of the determined location.

13. The method according to claim 8, wherein transmitting a series of signals comprises transmitting at least one signal across an area sufficient to cover a series of predetermined zones with respect to each receiver.

14. A system for tracking, locating, and mapping movements of medical workers in a medical facility, comprising:

a series of badges carried by one or more selected medical workers, each badge comprising at least one transmitter configured to transmit a series of signals at varying intensities, each signal of the series of signals including signature information identifying the badges carried by each of the selected medical workers, and a signal identifier identifying each signal transmitted based on signal intensity or a selected code designation associated with each signal; and

one or more receivers positioned adjacent a patient treatment area of the medical facility, each of the receivers being configured to transmit an activation signal to cause badges in a desired proximity thereto to transmit their series of signals, and to receive and create records of one or more of the series of signals; and

transmit the records of the signals received from each badge, including the identity of each of the badges detected as coming in proximity to the receivers and information indicating each detected badge'"'"'s distance, range, proximity, or zone from one or more of the receivers to a server.

15. The system according to claim 14, wherein the badges each further comprise a badge receiver configured to receive the activation signal as each badge moves within the desired proximity to activate the badge and initiate the transmission of the series of signals.

16. The system according to claim 15, wherein at least one receiver is located at a position adjacent an entryway of the treatment area.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising a sanitation device in communication with one or more of the receivers and including one or more notification devices that notify the selected medical worker to perform a sanitation action in response to one or more of the receivers receiving at least one of the signals transmitted from one or more badges.