Communication system
First Claim
1. In a personnel locating system for use in a facility having a plurality of rooms having doorways therein, a plurality of portable transmitters, each including a battery and each generating an infrared signal, a plurality of receivers, each room having a wall-mounted receiver positioned within the room to accept infrared radiation from a substantial portion of the volume of the room, each receiver in each room being capable of sensing and storing any of said infrared signals generated by said transmitters during any time said transmitters are located anywhere in said each room and means for polling said receivers to determine the actual location in real time of any transmitter in use in the facility independent of the previous location said any transmitter in the facility.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Personnel locating system for use in a facility having a plurality of rooms having doorways therein comprised of a plurality of portable transmitters. Each of the transmitters includes a battery and each generates an infrared signal. The system also comprises a plurality of fixed receivers positioned to cover different rooms at a facility. Each room has a receiver therein positioned to accept infrared radiation from a substantial portion of the volume of the room. Each receiver is capable of sensing and storing any of the infrared signals generated by the transmitters during any time the transmitters are located anywhere in the facility including when located within a room. The system also includes apparatus for polling the receivers to determine the location of any transmitter independent of the previous location of the transmitter.
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Citations
26 Claims
- 1. In a personnel locating system for use in a facility having a plurality of rooms having doorways therein, a plurality of portable transmitters, each including a battery and each generating an infrared signal, a plurality of receivers, each room having a wall-mounted receiver positioned within the room to accept infrared radiation from a substantial portion of the volume of the room, each receiver in each room being capable of sensing and storing any of said infrared signals generated by said transmitters during any time said transmitters are located anywhere in said each room and means for polling said receivers to determine the actual location in real time of any transmitter in use in the facility independent of the previous location said any transmitter in the facility.
- 16. In a method for locating personnel using infrared energy and for installation in premises including a plurality of rooms defined by walls impermeable to infrared energy and providing surfaces for reflecting infrared energy therefrom and having entrances through which personnel can pass by the use of a plurality of portable battery powered infrared transmitters with each transmitter emitting infrared energy and a plurality of infrared receivers, the method comprising the steps of causing each of the personnel to be located to carry an assigned transmitter, positioning one of said infrared receivers in each room on the wall of the room to accept infrared radiation from a substantial portion of the volume of said each room and so that it is capable of receiving infrared energy emitted by any of said infrared transmitters in said each room either directly by line-of-sight or by reflection from surfaces of objects in said each room or from surfaces of the walls of said each room, polling said plurality of receivers, utilizing the information obtained by polling said plurality of receivers for ascertaining the actual location in real time and identity of any transmitters in said each room independent of the previous locations of said transmitters in said each room.
- 19. In a personnel locating system of the type utilizing infrared energy and for installation in premises including a plurality of separate rooms defined by walls impermeable to infrared energy and providing surfaces for reflecting energy, the rooms having entrances thereto through which personnel can pass, a plurality of portable battery powered infrared transmitters, each transmitter having circuitry for emitting infrared energy to provide infrared signals at transmit intervals, said transmitters being of a size so that an assigned transmitter can be carried by each of the personnel, a plurality of infrared receivers, each of the rooms in the premises having a wall-mount infrared receiver therein exposed to the interior of the room positioned to accept infrared radiation from a substantial portion of the room, the receiver in said each room being capable of receiving infrared energy emitted by any infrared transmitter in the room either directly from the transmitter by line-of-sight and/or by reflection from the surfaces of the objects in said each room and/or from surfaces of the walls of said each room, each receiver having an ascertainable address, a control console and means establishing communication with each receiver in the system and the console, said console having associated therewith a computer memory for receiving and storing information received from the receivers, said control console including means for polling said receivers and for storing information in the computer memory, said control console having means associated therewith for indicating the actual location and identity of each transmitter by utilizing the information in the computer memory, said control console having means associated therewith for indicating the actual location and identify of each transmitter by utilizing the information obtained by polling the receivers by having each transmitter transmit at sufficiently frequent intervals and conduct polling at sufficiently frequent intervals whereby the location and identify of any transmitter in said each room is ascertained continuously and accurately independent of the previous location of said any transmitter in relationship to a two second time interval.
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26. In a personnel locating system for use in a facility having a plurality of rooms defined by walls and having doorways therein, a plurality of portable transmitters, each including a battery and each generating an infrared signal at transmit intervals, each of personnel carrying one of said transmitters, a plurality of infrared receivers each room having a receiver therein within the confines of the walls defining said each room and exposed to the interior of said each room for receiving infrared energy from anywhere in said each room, each receiver in said each room being capable of sensing and storing any of said infrared signals generated by any of said transmitters located within said each room and means for polling said receivers in the facility, each of said transmitters transmitting at sufficiently frequent intervals and said means for polling said receivers polling at sufficiently frequent intervals to provide an effectively continuous and accurate location of said plurality of transmitters.
Specification