System for protecting and/or guiding persons in dangerous situations

• US 8,212,211 B2
• Filed: 12/04/2008
• Issued: 07/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Draeger Safety AG and Co KGaA (Draegerwerk AG & Co KGaA)
• Original Assignee: Draeger Safety Incorporated (FPS Vermögensverwaltung GmbH)
• Inventors: Drews, Ralf, Morley, Stefan
• Primary Examiner(s): Porta, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): VU, MINDY D
• Application Number:
  US12/327,997
• Publication Number:
  US 20090184244A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,307 Days
• Field of Search: 250/330, 359/356
• US Class Current: 250/330
• CPC Class Codes: A62B 3/00 Devices or single parts for facilitating escape from buildings or the like, e.g. protection shields, protection screens; Portable devices for preventing smoke penetrating into distinct parts of buildings A62B1/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A62C 99/009 Methods or equipment not provided for in groups A62C99/0009 - A62C99/0081
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 7/02 Indicating value of two or more variables simultaneously
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/20 for generating image signals from infrared radiation only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/33 Transforming infrared radiation cameras or camera modules for generating image signals from infrared radiation H04N23/20; circuitry of SSIS for transforming infrared radiation into image signals H04N25/20

Abstract

The invention provides a system and process in which more than only one category of information must be made available in an optically simultaneously recognizable form to a person in a portable system (17) for protecting and/or guiding persons in dangerous situations, firefighters or rescue teams in buildings. The system includes an infrared camera (12) for recording data, especially heat image data; an energy supply device, especially a battery; at least one interface (18) for transmitting data; and at least one display device (16), especially a monitor and/or a warning light, for visually displaying data. At least one exit finder (13) and/or at least one gas sensor (14) and/or at least one motion detector is also provided. The data determined by the at least one exit finder (13) and/or by the at least one gas sensor (14) and/or by the at least one motion detector and the heat image data of the infrared camera (12) can be displayed on the display of the at least one display device (16) such that the visually displayed data and visually displayed heat image data are visible by the person within a field of vision.

Claims

1. A portable system for protecting and/or guiding persons in dangerous situations, guiding firefighters or guiding rescue teams in buildings, the system comprising:

an infrared camera for recording data including heat image data;

an energy supply means including a battery;

a data interface for transmitting data;

a display means including at least one of a monitor and a warning light for providing a visual display of data; and

an optical motion detector, wherein the data determined by said motion detector and the heat image data of said infrared camera are displayed on said display of said display means such that visually displayed data and visually displayed heat image data are simultaneously visible by a person within a field of vision of said display of said display means, said optical motion detector identifying local motions within the heat image, said optical motion detector sends data identifying the local motions to said display means by said data interface, said display means visually identifies the local motions together with said heat image data within a single field of view of an individual person.

2. A portable system in accordance with claim 1, wherein:

said infrared camera includes an infrared camera housing; and

said display means displays data of said motion detector and is arranged on and/or in said infrared camera housing.

3. A portable system in accordance with claim 1, wherein said motion detector is an external assembly unit that is separate from said infrared camera.

4. A portable system in accordance with claim 3, wherein said motion detector forms a modular unit whereby said external assembly unit can be detachably connected to said housing of the infrared camera wherein the system forms a modular system.

5. A portable system in accordance with claim 4, wherein said motion detector can be connected to said housing of the infrared camera by means of a mechanical connection including a plug-in and/or snap-in connection.

6. A portable system in accordance with claim 1, wherein data of said motion detector can be transmitted to said display means by means of at least one of a wired and wireless interface.

7. A portable system in accordance with claim 1, further comprising:

a gas sensor being one of an electrochemical sensor, an optical sensor, a catalytic sensor and a semiconductor sensor, sensor data determined by said gas sensor and the heat image data of said infrared camera are displayed on said display of said display means such that visually displayed sensor data and visually displayed heat image data are simultaneously visible by a person within a field of vision of said display of said display means.

8. A portable system in accordance with claim 1, wherein said system is equipped with an audio warning means for providing an audible warning.

9. A portable system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the system has only one single said display means.

10. A portable system in accordance with claim 1, wherein:

said infrared camera includes an infrared camera housing; and

said optical motion detector is integrated on and/or in said infrared camera housing.

11. A portable system for protecting and/or guiding persons in dangerous situations, protecting and/or guiding firefighters or protecting and/or guiding rescue teams in buildings, the system comprising:

an infrared camera for recording a heat image and converting the heat image into data including heat image data;

a signal interface means for passing data signals;

a display means for providing a display of data, said camera sending heat image data to said display means by said signal interface for visually displaying the heat image data with said display means;

a further data device comprising a motion detector, said further data device sending data of said further data device to said display means by said signal interface means, said display means visually displaying data of said further data device together with said heat image data by said display means within a single field of view of an individual person, said motion detector being an optical motion detector identifying local motions within the heat image, said optical motion detector sends data identifying the local motions to said display means by said signal interface means, said display means visually identifies the local motions together with said heat image data within a single field of view of an individual person.

12. A process for protecting and/or guiding persons in dangerous situations, protecting and/or guiding firefighters or protecting and/or guiding rescue teams in buildings, the process comprises the steps of:

recording a heat image with an infrared camera;

converting the heat image into data including heat image data;

providing a signal interface means;

providing a display means;

transmitting the heat image data by said signal interface to said display means;

visually displaying the heat image data with said display means;

providing a further data device comprising at least one of an exit finder, a gas sensor and a motion detector;

transmitting data of said further data device to said display means by said signal interface means;

visually displaying data of said further data device with said heat image data by said display means within a field of view of a person,

providing a computing unit, wherein the motion detector is an optical motion detector, and local motions within the heat image are identified from the heat image data by an algorithm stored in the computing unit.

13. A process in accordance with claim 12, wherein the further data device data and heat image data are displayed visually by only one display element of said display means.

14. A process in accordance with claim 12, wherein the data of said further data device are transmitted to said display means by means of a wired and/or wireless interface comprising said signal interface means.

15. A process in accordance with claim 12, wherein the data from the gas sensor are analyzed by the computing unit, so that a visual and/or audio warning is triggered beginning from a certain threshold value of the data from the gas sensor.

16. A process in accordance with claim 12, wherein a visual and/or audio warning is triggered in case of local motions within the heat image.

17. A process in accordance claim 12, wherein said further data device includes said exit finder and said gas sensor and said motion detector and the data of the exit finder and the gas sensor and the motion detector are displayed graphically by the display means.

18. A process in accordance claim 12, wherein the further data device includes each of the exit finder and the gas sensor and the motion detector with data of each of the exit finder and the gas sensor and the motion detector wherein the exit finder and the gas sensor and the motion detector and/or the infrared camera use the computing unit together.

19. A process according to claim 12, further comprising providing a computer program stored on a computer-readable data storage medium to carry out the process steps, the computer program being run or a computer or on the computing unit.

20. A process for protecting and/or guiding persons in dangerous situations, protecting and/or guiding firefighters or protecting and/or guiding rescue teams in buildings, the process comprises the steps of:

recording a heat image with an infrared camera;

converting the heat image into data including heat image data;

providing a signal interface means;

providing a display means;

transmitting the heat image data by said signal interface to said display means;

visually displaying the heat image data with said display means;

providing an optical motion detector;

transmitting data of said optical motion detector to said display means by said signal interface means;

visually displaying data of said optical motion detector with said heat image data by said display means within a field of view of a person;

providing a computing unit connected to the optical motion detector;

identifying local motions within the heat image by the optical motion detector and the computing unit;

transmitting data identifying the local motions to said display means by said signal interface means;

visually displaying the data identifying the local motions together with the heat image data by the display means within a field of view of a person.