Automated accountability locating system

• US 7,538,666 B2
• Filed: 09/06/2006
• Issued: 05/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GRACE INDUSTRIES, INC.
• Original Assignee: GRACE INDUSTRIES, INC.
• Inventors: Campman, Robert A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehmood; Jennifer
• Application Number:
  US11/515,836
• Publication Number:
  US 20080061962A1
• Time in Patent Office: 993 Days
• Field of Search: 3405391-53917, 340/825.36, 3405721-5729, 34235706-3571, 455/521, 455/404.1, 455/404.2
• US Class Current: 340/539.13
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/28 the pass enabling tracking or indicating presence

Abstract

An automated accountability system is achieved by a unique combination of at least one stationary, passive-infrared activated low-power wireless RF locator-transponder device, at least one personal issued “pager-like” RF transceiver device and a stationary transceiver contained in a stand-alone master command base monitor or a stationary transceiver connected to a personal computer with monitoring software. These three primary components form an automated accountability system for tracking and locating personnel. The locator-transponder device is capable of detecting the presence of a person or object. The person carries the adjustable level low power radio frequency transceiver device and as the transceiver passes the locator-transponder, a signal with at least identification, status and location information of person. The information is provided automatically without intervention to the automatic accountability system.

Claims

1. An automatic accountability system for locating and tracking personnel throughout an environment, said system comprising:

at least one locator transponder being positioned at various locations throughout the environment where the personnel pass by or through, said at least one locator transponder being assigned a RF power level and the at least one locator transponder having sensing means for detecting body heat of the passing personnel, a signal conditioning circuit for filtering and converting the detected body heat to an analog signal, an analog to digital converter for converting the analog signal of the body heat to a digital signal, a dipswitch being set to a unique code for identifying one of the various locations of the at least one locator transponder in the environment where the personnel pass by or through, a microcontroller for reading the digital signal and processing the digital signal with the unique code set by the dipswitch and reading the RF power level assigned to the locator transponder with pending battery conditions of the at least one locator transponder, the microprocessor encoding the digital signal, the RF power level, and the unique code into an encrypted data stream with error checking codes being added for insuring message integrity and security, a low power radio frequency transmitter being turned on by the microcontroller, and a power radio frequency transmitter modulating the digital signal according to the encrypted data stream and for transmitting the unique location code with the encrypted data stream and error checking codes for securely identifying a location of the at least one locator transponder;

at least one personal transceiver device being positioned on the passing personnel for receiving the location signal from the at least one locator-transponder as the personnel pass by the at least one locator-transponder, the at least one personal transceiver device transmitting a status signal having a received location code and an identification code, the identification code identifying the at least one personal transceiver device and status of the personal transceiver device; and

a command base monitor for receiving the transmitted status signal and for recording, storing and displaying the location of the personnel having the at least one personal transceiver device as the personnel passes throughout the building in which the at least one locator-transponder device is positioned.

2. The automatic accountability system, as claimed in claim 1 wherein said sensing means utilizing at least one of the following for sensing the passing personnel:

a passive-infrared activated, low-power RF means, heat means, ultrasonic means, RF-field means, magnetic field means, capacitive-sense means, visible light disturbance means, or a pressure floor mat.

3. The automatic accountability system, as claimed in claim 2, wherein said sensing means utilizing at least one of the following for sensing the passing personnel:

a passive infrared detector, mechanical switch input, electronic switch input, ultrasonic sonar sensor, optical sensor, radio-frequency field sensor for detecting the presence of the personnel.

4. The automatic accountability system, as claimed in claim 2, wherein the locator transponder having a multiple-element pyroelectric sensor for determining a direction of travel as the personnel passes by the at least one locator transponder.

5. The automatic accountability system, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one personal transceiver device having querying means for sending a querying signal to other personal transceiver devices being positioned on other personnel, said other personal transceiver devices receiving the query signal and automatically transmitting a location encoded signal containing location code and status back to the querying means of the at least one transceiver device that initiated the querying signal, and said at least one transceiver device determining the location of the other personnel wearing the at least one other personal transceiver device, wherein by querying each personal transceiver device, the at least one personal transceiver device obtaining a last location-transponder device code and determining from the location encoded signal received the distance between each personnel.

6. An automatic accountability system for use by emergency first responders, said system including a personal alert safety system being carried by each emergency first responder, each said personal alert safety system having condition responsive sensor means and alarm means indicative of personal safety conditions comprising:

a small size portable semi-transparent casing, said semi-transparent casing being a watertight sealed cavity and having a sound resonating cavity with surrounding walls including at least one sound port providing a passage from said cavity;

electric and electronic control and operating circuitry means disposed in said casing including a source of electric power, two series connected, single pole, push button control switches each having “

on” and

“

off”

positions and being spring biased to the “

oft”

position, and flip-flop electronic switching means controlled by said control switches to enable said circuitry means to be turned “

on” and

“

off”

respectively by a sequence of simultaneous operations of said two control switches;

a thin flat sound generating piezoelectric transducer device electrically connected to said circuitry means;

a motion detector, and means rigidly mounting said motion detector within said chamber, said motion detector being responsive to motion of said casing; and

said circuitry means further including a tone oscillator, a rate oscillator and an amplifier, connected between said motion detector and said sound generating piezoelectric transducer and responsive to the output of said motion detector and said sound generating piezoelectric transducer to cause a specific high intensity sweeping alarm signal to be emitted when the circuitry means is turned “

on” and

in the event that the casing is motionless, wherein said improvement comprising;

at least one personal transceiver device being positioned in said personal alert safety system and on each of the first emergency responders, the at least one personal transceiver device transmitting a status signal having a received location code and an identification code, the identification code identifying the at least one personal transceiver device and status of the personal transceiver device; and

a command base monitor for receiving the transmitted status signal and for recording, storing and displaying the location of the first emergency responders having the at least one personal transceiver device.

7. The automated accountability system of claim 6, wherein the system identifying by name, location and ID number, each said at least one personal transceiver device and indicating a safety status of each said at least one personal transceiver device;

and the system identifying a presence of a specific group of emergency first responders, such as fire fighters and police.

8. The automated accountability system of claim 6, wherein the system generating and displaying a Personal Accountability Report or PAR check and providing a roll-call feature, wherein the PAR check is initiated from the command base monitor.

9. The automated accountability system of claim 8, wherein the system being configured to automatically perform the PAR check on a periodic basis or on demand wherein said command base unit initiating the PAR request by transmitting a specially encoded RF signal to the personal alert safety system having the personal transceiver device, wherein once, the PAR request being received by the personal alert safety system having the personal transceiver device, the device immediately responding by automatically transmitting back a PAR request acknowledgement to the command base monitor to provide information that indicates that the personal alert safety system having the personal transceiver device has received the PAR request, the personal alert safety system having the personal transceiver device gathering status data and transmitting the PAR information in an RF signal containing identity and status data of the personal alert safety system having the personal transceiver device to the command base monitor for displaying wherein the displayed date includes motion or movement of the personal alert safety system having the personal transceiver device carried by a particular emergency responder, temperature of the environment surrounding the personal alert safety system having the personal transceiver device, location of the personal alert safety system having the personal transceiver device, air pressure of a breathing apparatus air tank, an elapsed time of operation of the breathing apparatus air tank, the amount of air remaining in the breathing apparatus air tank, motion alarm activated, panic alarm activated and recall or evacuate signal activated or acknowledged.

10. The automated accountability system of claim 8, wherein the personal alert safety system having the personal transceiver device being attached to the emergency responder provides location and status of other emergency responders by way of each of the personal alert safety system having the personal transceiver device as requested through the personal alert safety system having the personal transceiver device.

11. An automatic accountability system for locating and tracking personnel throughout an environment, in combination with an automatic accountability system for use by, said emergency first responder system including a personal alert safety system being carried by each emergency first responder, each said personal alert safety system having condition responsive sensor means and alarm means indicative of personal safety conditions comprising:

a small size portable semi-transparent casing, said semi-transparent casing being a watertight sealed cavity and having a sound resonating cavity with surrounding walls including at least one sound port providing a passage from said cavity;

electric and electronic control and operating circuitry means disposed in said casing including a source of electric power, two series connected, single pole, push button control switches each having “

on” and

“

off”

positions and being spring biased to the “

off”

position, and flip-flop electronic switching means controlled by said control switches to enable said circuitry means to be turned “

on” and

“

off”

respectively by a sequence of simultaneous operations of said two control switches;

a thin flat sound generating piezoelectric transducer device electrically connected to said circuitry means;

a motion detector, and means rigidly mounting said motion detector within said chamber, said motion detector being responsive to motion of said casing; and

said circuitry means further including a tone oscillator, a rate oscillator and an amplifier, connected between said motion detector and said sound generating piezoelectric transducer device and responsive to the output of said motion detector and said sound generating piezoelectric transducer device to cause a specific high intensity sweeping alarm signal to be emitted when the circuitry means is turned “

on” and

in the event that the casing is motionless, wherein said systems comprising in combination;

at least one locator transponder being positioned at various locations throughout the environment where the personnel pass by or through, said at least one locator transponder having sensing means for detecting the passing personnel and transmitting means for transmitting a location signal having a location code for identifying a location of the at least one locator transponder;

at least one personal transceiver device being positioned on the passing personnel for receiving the location signal from the the at least one locator transponder as the personnel pass by the at least one the at least one locator transponder, the at least one personal transceiver device transmitting a status signal having a received location code and an identification code, the identification code identifying the at least one personal transceiver device and status of the personal transceiver device; and

an environment command base monitor for receiving the transmitted status signal and for recording, storing and displaying the location of the personnel having the at least one personal transceiver device as the personnel passes throughout the environment in which the at least one locator transponder is positioned;

at least one personal transceiver device being positioned in said personal alert safety system and on each of the emergency responders, the at least one personal transceiver device transmitting a status signal having the received location code and an identification code, the identification code identifying the at least one personal transceiver device and status of the personal transceiver device; and

an emergency responder command base monitor for receiving the transmitted status signal and for recording, storing and displaying the location of the emergency first responders having the at least one personal transceiver device and the personnel having the personal transciever as the emergency first responders and the personnel pass throughout the environment in which the at least one locator transponder is positioned at various locations in the environment.

12. The automatic accountability system, as claimed in claim 11, wherein said sensing means utilizing at least one of the following for sensing the passing personnel:

a passive-infrared activated, low-power RF means, heat means, ultrasonic means, RF-field means, magnetic field means, capacitive-sense means, visible light disturbance means, a pressure floor mat, or other mechanical means.

13. The automatic accountability system, as claimed in claim 12, wherein said sensing means utilizing at least one of the following for sensing the passing personnel:

a passive infrared detector, mechanical switch input, electronic switch input, ultrasonic sonar sensor, optical sensor, radio-frequency field sensor for detecting the presence of the personnel.

14. The automatic accountability system, as claimed in claim 12, wherein the locator transponder has a multiple-element pyroelectric sensor for determining a direction of travel as the personnel passes by the at least one locator transponder.

15. The automatic accountability system, as claimed in claim 12, wherein said sensing means comprising an adjustable and selectable means for controlling the radiated RF transmitter power output to limit propagation of detectable radiated RF signals from a range of several inches to several hundred feet, and having a settable unique identity code contained within the radiated RF signals to identify the at least one locator transponder and the radiated RF transmitter power output.

16. The automatic accountability system, as claimed in claim 11, wherein the at least one personal transceiver device having querying means for sending a querying signal to other personal transceiver devices being positioned on other personnel, said other personal transceiver devices receiving the querying signal and automatically transmit a signal containing location code and status back to the querying means of the at least one transceiver device that initiated the querying signal, and said at least one transceiver device determining the location of the other personnel wearing the at least one other personal transceiver device, wherein by querying each personal transceiver device, the at least one personal transceiver device obtaining a last location-transponder device code and determining from the location code signal received the distance between each personnel.

17. The automated accountability system of claim 11, wherein the system identifying by name, location and ID number, each said at least one personal transceiver device and indicating a safety status of each said at least one personal transceiver device;

and the system identifying a presence of a specific group of emergency first responders, such as fire fighters and police.

18. The automated accountability system of claim 11, wherein the system generating and displaying a Personal Accountability Report or PAR check and providing a roll-call feature, wherein the PAR check is initiated from the command base monitor.

19. The automated accountability system of claim 13, wherein the system being configured to automatically perform the PAR check on a periodic basis or on demand wherein said command base unit initiating the PAR request by transmitting a specially encoded RF signal to the personal alert safety system having the personal transceiver device, wherein once, the PAR request being received by the personal alert safety system having the personal transceiver device, the device immediately responding by automatically transmitting back a PAR request acknowledgement to the command base monitor to provide information that indicates that the personal alert safety system having the personal transceiver device has received the PAR request, the personal alert safety system having the personal transceiver device gathering status data and transmitting the PAR information in an RF signal containing identity and status data of the personal alert safety system having the personal transceiver device to the command base monitor for displaying wherein the displayed date includes motion or movement of the personal alert safety system having the personal transceiver device carried by a particular emergency responder, temperature of the environment surrounding the personal alert safety system having the personal transceiver device, location of the personal alert safety system having the personal transceiver device, air pressure of a breathing apparatus air tank, an elapsed time of operation of the breathing apparatus air tank, the amount of air remaining in the breathing apparatus air tank, motion alarm activated, panic alarm activated and recall or evacuate signal activated or acknowledged.