System and method for identifying, monitoring and evaluating equipment, environmental and physiological conditions

• US 6,995,665 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2003
• Issued: 02/07/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mine Safety Appliances Company (MSA Safety, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Fire-Eye Development, Incorporated
• Inventors: Appelt, Daren R., Brunson, Kevin K., Hibbs, James D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Trieu, Van T.
• Application Number:
  US10/610,013
• Publication Number:
  US 20040004547A1
• Time in Patent Office: 953 Days
• Field of Search: 340/521, 340/523, 340/584, 340/586, 340/573.1, 340/573.4, 128/204.22, 128/204.23, 128/202.19, 128/206.24, 128/206.26, 128/903, 128/201.27, 600/585
• US Class Current: 340/521
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/02 Alarms for ensuring the safety of persons
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/182 Level alarms, e.g. alarms responsive to variables exceeding a threshold

Abstract

A system and method are disclosed for identifying monitoring and evaluating hazardous or potentially hazardous conditions. The system may be worn by safety personnel to detect equipment conditions such as low power supply, environmental conditions such as ambient temperature and/or physiological conditions such as heart rate of a wearer. The system further includes a control unit having electronics operable to communicate signals associated with equipment, environmental and physiological conditions.

Claims

1. A system for identifying, monitoring and evaluating environmental and physiological conditions comprising:

a control unit stored within a housing, the control unit operable to;

communicate signals associated with environmental and physiological conditions;

determine whether an amount of power remaining in a system power source is sufficient to power the system for a predetermined amount of time; and

produce a visual low power warning if the amount of power remaining in the system power source is not sufficient to power a wearable temperature monitoring device for the predetermined amount of time;

an environmental sensor communicatively coupled to the control unit, the environmental sensor operable to be positioned within an ambient environment;

an equipment sensor communicatively coupled to the control unit, the equipment sensor operable to detect at least one condition of safety equipment associated with a person wearing the system; and

an indicator operable to provide an indication representing a hazardous or potentially hazardous condition.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a physiological sensor communicatively coupled to the control unit; and

the physiological sensor unit operable to detect at least one physiological condition of the person wearing the system.

3. A system for identifying, monitoring, evaluating and alerting a wearer of at least one critical condition comprising:

a control unit stored within a housing, the control unit operable to communicate signals associated with environmental and physiological conditions;

an environmental sensor communicatively coupled to the control unit, the environmental sensor operable to be positioned within an ambient environment;

an equipment sensor communicatively coupled to the control unit, the equipment sensor operable to detect and monitor at least one condition of safety equipment associated with the person wearing the system;

a physiological sensor communicatively coupled to the control unit, the physiological sensor unit operable to detect and monitor at least one physiological condition of a person wearing the system; and

an indicator operable to provide a first visual signal in response to a sensed environmental condition exceeding a first threshold for a first length of time and a second visual signal in response to the sensed environmental condition exceeding a second threshold for a second length of time.

4. The system of claim 3, further comprising the equipment sensor and the environmental sensor combined into a single unit.

5. A method for monitoring and evaluating environmental conditions and physiological conditions of a person exposed to hazardous or potentially hazardous conditions, comprising:

performing a field check prior to use;

sensing at least one environmental condition using at least a first sensing device;

sensing at least one physiological condition using at least a second sensing device;

monitoring and evaluating variable relationships between environmental conditions and physiological conditions to prevent serious injury or loss of life from overexposure to a critical condition;

determining an amount of power available to operate the sensing devices;

associating an operating time to the determined amount of power; and

altering a mode of operation in response to the associated operating time.

6. A method for monitoring and evaluating environmental conditions and physiological conditions of a person exposed to hazardous or potentially hazardous conditions, comprising:

performing a field check prior to use;

sensing at least one environmental condition using at least a first sensing device;

sensing at least one physiological condition using at least a second sensing device;

monitoring and evaluating variable relationships between environmental conditions and physiological conditions to prevent serious injury or loss of life from overexposure to a critical condition;

providing a solid light to indicate that the level associated with the at least one combination of sensed environmental and physiological conditions is increasing; and

activating a blinking light to indicate that the level associated with the at least one combination of sensed environmental and physiological conditions is decreasing.

7. A method to conduct a diagnostic check of a safety system used to monitor and evaluate environmental conditions associated with a person wearing the safety system, comprising:

initiating a calibration check of at least one temperature sensing device associated with the safety system;

placing the at least one temperature sensor in a mixture of water and ice;

measuring a temperature signal from the at least one temperature sensor;

comparing the measured temperature signal with a reference signal corresponding with zero degrees Centigrade;

providing a first visual indication if the measured temperature signal corresponds approximately with the reference signal for zero degrees centigrade; and

providing a second visual signal if the measured temperature signal exceeds the reference temperature signal by a selected value.

8. A personal situation awareness system operable to be coupled to a wearer for identifying, monitoring and evaluating hazardous or potentially hazardous conditions comprising:

a control unit operable to be coupled to the wearer having electronics operable to communicate signals associated with the at least one hazardous or potentially hazardous condition;

a physiological sensor mounted on a mechanical arm configurable to keep the sensor within a filed of view of the wearer, said physiological sensor operable to measure and evaluate at least one physiological condition of the wearer; and

a first indicator and second indicator operable to display within the field of vision of the wearer an indication representing the at least one hazardous or potentially hazardous condition.

9. The system of claim 8 further comprising:

an environmental sensor operable to be positioned with an ambient environment; and

the environmental sensor operable to evaluate the operating condition of safety equipment associated with the wearer.

10. The system of claim 9 further comprising the control unit operable to transmit environmental and physiological information to a base station.

11. The system of claim 9 further comprising the control unit operable to transmit real time information and historic information concerning identification and location of the safety system, environmental information and physiological information to a base station.

12. A method to conduct an automatic field diagnostic check of a safety system used to evaluate environmental or physiological conditions associated with a person wearing the safety system, comprising:

initiating a calibration check of at least one sensor element associated with the safety system in response to an action of the person wearing the safety system;

providing a standard environment for the at least one sensor element during the calibration check;

measuring a signal from the at least one sensor element during the calibration check;

comparing the measured value of the at least one sensor element being tested to an expected standard value;

providing a first indication if all of the measured values are within acceptable limits; and

providing a second indication if any of the measured values are outside of acceptable limits.

13. A temperature warning system, comprising:

a temperature indicator operable to provide visual signals in response to a detected temperature;

a temperature sensor operable to detect temperature; and

a control unit in communication with the temperature indicator and the temperature sensor, wherein the control unit performs operations comprising;

tracking exposure times for detected temperatures;

causing the temperature indicator to provide a first visual signal in response to detected temperatures exceeding a first threshold temperature for a first predetermined exposure time threshold; and

causing the temperature indicator to provide a second visual signal in response to detected temperatures exceeding a second threshold temperature for a second predetermined exposure time threshold.

14. A method of automatically monitoring safety conditions, the method comprising:

fixing a visual temperature indicator in a field of view of safety gear;

detecting temperatures with a temperature sensor attached to the safety gear, as the safety gear and the attached temperature sensor move through an environment;

in response to detecting temperatures that exceed different threshold temperatures, automatically causing the visual temperature indicator to provide different visual signals corresponding with the different threshold temperatures;

recording temperature information in a computer memory, based on the detected temperatures; and

recording positioning information in the computer memory, such that the recorded positioning information and the recorded temperature information can be used to map temperature gradients in the environment.

15. A method of controlling a wearable temperature monitoring device and visual temperature indicator that uses a portable power source, the method comprising:

in response to manual activation of the wearable temperature monitoring device, detecting an amount of power available in the portable power source;

automatically determining whether the detected amount of power suffices to power the wearable temperature monitoring device and the visual temperature indicator for a predetermined amount of time;

in response to determining that the detected amount of power suffices to power the wearable temperature monitoring device for the predetermined amount of time, detecting ambient temperature and providing a visual signal in response to the detected ambient temperature exceeding a threshold temperature; and

in response to determining that the detected amount of power does not suffice to power the wearable temperature monitoring device for the predetermined amount of time, automatically producing a visual low power warning.

16. A wearable safety device that monitors ambient temperature conditions for a person wearing safety gear that provides visual signals of corresponding temperatures in a field of view, the wearable safety device comprising:

a temperature indicator disposed on an arm;

the arm operable to keep the temperature indicator within the field of view provided by the safety gear;

a temperature sensor operable to detect ambient temperature;

a control unit in communication with the temperature indicator and the temperature sensor; and

a microprocessor in the control unit that causes the temperature indicator to provide different visual signals in response to detected ambient temperatures exceeding different threshold temperatures.

17. A personal situation awareness system operable to be coupled to a wearer for identifying, monitoring and evaluating hazardous or potentially hazardous conditions comprising:

a control unit operable to be coupled to the wearer having electronics operable to communicate signals associated with the at least one hazardous or potentially hazardous condition;

a physiological sensor mounted on a mechanical arm configurable to keep the sensor within a filed of view of the wearer, said physiological sensor operable to measure and evaluate at least one physiological condition of the wearer; and

a first indicator and second indicator operable to display within the field of vision of the wearer an indication representing the at least one hazardous or potentially hazardous condition.