Apparatus, system and method for sensing to locate persons in a building in the event of a disaster

• US 7,859,418 B2
• Filed: 07/15/2008
• Issued: 12/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Morton Greene
• Original Assignee: Morton Greene
• Inventors: Greene, Morton
• Primary Examiner(s): MEHMOOD, JENNIFER
• Application Number:
  US12/218,392
• Publication Number:
  US 20100013640A1
• Time in Patent Office: 896 Days
• Field of Search: 340/3.1, 340/505, 340/506, 340/500, 340/502, 340/539.1, 34053911-53919, 340/573.1, 340/825.36, 340/825.49, 455/404.2
• US Class Current: 340/573.1
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/02 Alarms for ensuring the safety of persons
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 27/001 Signalling to an emergency team, e.g. firemen

Abstract

An apparatus, system and method that assesses the number and location of persons in a building. The invention may include none, one, two or more emitters, at least one sensor that senses reflected radiation indicative of a modification to the emitted radiation from multiple ones of the at least two emitters, and a communicative network, wherein sensing data from the at least one doppler sensor is forwarded to a remote central hub that manipulates the sensing data to an indication of the number and the location of the persons in the building. The sensors of the present invention may be, for example, doppler sensors, or any like sensor that senses biologically caused fluctuations within a monitored environment.

Claims

1. A system that assesses the number and location of persons in a building, comprising:

at least two emitters;

at least one doppler sensor entirely inside the building-that senses reflected radiation indicative of a reflection off of at least one person of emitted radiation from multiple ones of the at least two emitters; and

a communicative network, wherein sensing data from at least one doppler sensor at the building is forwarded to a remote central hub that manipulates an absence of the sensing data from ones of the at least one doppler sensor to an indication of the number and the location of the persons in the building;

wherein the remote central hub indicates to at least first responders the number and the location of the persons in the building.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the location further comprises an indication of a physical factor of each of the persons in the building.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the indication to first responders comprises a real time indication.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the building comprises one selected from the group consisting of an office building, a school, a library, and hospitals.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least two emitters and at least one sensor comprise a triangulation.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the triangulation comprises a horizontal plane triangulation.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the horizontal plane comprises a spread from each of the at least two emitters about the horizontal plane.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the spread comprises one degree.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication network comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of the internet, an intranet, an extranet, a cabled communications network, a fiber optic communications network, a cellular telephone communications network, and a satellite communications network.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensing data is forwarded to the remote central hub at least one of continuously, periodically, or by batch.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensing data forwarded comprises raw data.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensing data forwarded comprises processed data.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein one of the at least two emitters comprises one selected from the group consisting of a 24 GHz emitter and a 60 GHz emitter.

14. A system that assesses the number and location of persons in a building, comprising:

at least two biological fluctuation sensors solely within the building, wherein each of said at least two biological fluctuation sensors are located in at least two separate portions of the building; and

a communicative network, wherein sensing data from each of said at least two biological fluctuation sensors is forwarded to a remote central hub that manipulates an absence of the sensing data to an indication of the number and the location of the persons in the building;

wherein the remote central hub indicates to at least first responders the number and the location of the persons in the building.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the biological fluctuations comprise at least one of biomass, floor pressure, air pressure, heat, and emitted electromagnetic field.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the biological fluctuation comprises a reflection.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the sensing data comprises a time for the reflection to return to a sensor after emission from an emitter.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the sensing data comprises a phase variation in the reflection from an emission by an emitter.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the sensor data comprises a frequency variation in the reflection from an emission by an emitter.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the reflection comprises a doppler shift.

21. The system of claim 14, wherein the sensing data comprises a triangulation of at least two biological fluctuation sensors.

22. A system that assesses the number and location of persons in a building, comprising:

at least two emitters located within the building to provide coverage of a corridor;

at least one doppler sensor entirely inside the building that senses reflected radiation indicative of a reflection off of at least one person of emitted radiation from multiple ones of the at least two emitters; and

a communicative network, wherein sensing data from at least one doppler sensor at the building is forwarded to a remote central hub that manipulates an absence of the sensing data from ones of the at least one doppler sensor to an indication of the number and the location of the persons in the building;

wherein the remote central hub indicates to at least first responders the number and the location of the persons in the building, and

wherein absence of the sensing data from ones of the at least one doppler sensor is indicative of at least one person exiting the corridor.