Personnel authentication and tracking system

• US 9,513,364 B2
• Filed: 08/20/2014
• Issued: 12/06/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tyco Fire & Security GmbH (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Original Assignee: Tyco Fire & Security GmbH (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Inventors: Hall, Stewart E., Brewin, Robert F., Clements, Scott M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Phung
• Application Number:
  US14/463,984
• Publication Number:
  US 20150287296A1
• Time in Patent Office: 839 Days
• Field of Search: 340/541, 340/10.1, 3405721-5729, 340/13.26, 705/7.15, 235/375
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0236 Assistance data, e.g. base station almanac
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0284 Relative positioning
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0294 Trajectory determination or predictive filtering, e.g. target tracking or Kalman filtering
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/027 Frames
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/20 involving the use of a pass
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/00 Burglar, theft or intruder alarms
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19613 Recognition of a predetermined image pattern or behaviour pattern indicating theft or intrusion
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19697 Arrangements wherein non-video detectors generate an alarm themselves
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/22 Electrical actuation
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2451 Specific applications combined with EAS
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2491 Intrusion detection systems, i.e. where the body of an intruder causes the interference with the electromagnetic field
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/009 Signalling of the alarm condition to a substation whose identity is signalled to a central station, e.g. relaying alarm signals in order to extend communication range
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/10 using wireless transmission systems G08B25/009 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 7/062 indicating emergency exits
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 7/066 guiding along a path, e.g. evacuation path lighting strip
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/74 Address processing for routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 : Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 : Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 : Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 : Gateway arrangements

Abstract

Disclosed are techniques to authenticate tags passing through detection regions against an access control list, receive data that identifies a number of people passing through or within the detection regions, compare the number people identified by the received data with the number of tags identified by the system, and cause an alarm to be asserted when a discrepancy is detected in the number people identified with the number of tags in a detection region with personnel within the detection region.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a processor; and

memory in communication with the processor, with the system configured to;

collect data from personnel authentication and tracking appliances covering detection regions in various points throughout a site;

authenticate tags passing through the detection regions against an access control list that list tags having access to specific detection regions;

receive data that identifies a number of people passing through or within the detection regions;

compare the number people identified by the received data with the number of tags identified by the system;

produce paths of tags as the tags pass through various ones of the detection regions associated with the personnel authentication and tracking appliances; and

render the produced map on a rendering device of a schematic of the site depicting various paths taken by the tags.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is further configured to:

compare people identified with tags identified by the system in a specific detection region against the access control list to detect a tag in a detection region where the tag is not authorized; and

cause an alarm to be asserted when an unauthorized tag is detected in the detection region.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the system is configured to monitor a building, and is further configured to:

retrieve a set of predefined rules corresponding to procedures to be followed by personnel in the building; and

compare locations of personnel within the building against the retrieved predefined rules.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is configured to monitor a building, and is further configured to:

cause an alarm to be asserted when a discrepancy is detected in the number people identified, as within or passing through a particular detection region in the building with the number of tags in or passing through the particular detection region in the building.

5. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

one or more of personnel authentication and tracking appliances that feed the personnel authentication control system and that receives analytic algorithms, with the personnel authentication and tracking appliances being in fixed physical locations in the site, and configured to;

read tags and other credentials within corresponding detection zones;

provide the data that identified the number of people in the respective detection zones; and

receive updated analytic algorithms to modify processing on either the personnel authentication control system and/or one more of personnel authentication and tracking appliances.

6. The system of claim 5 further comprising:

plural personnel authentication and tracking tags including portable access control token devices that include access control credentials and electronics for authentication and tracking via the personnel authentication and tracking appliances.

7. The system of claim 5, further configured to:

raise an alarm when a discrepancy is detected between the number of people passing against a number of people identified.

8. The system of claim 5 wherein the personnel authentication and tracking system appliances are deployed around the site at external entrances, internal traffic areas and secures areas of the site.

9. The system of claim 5 wherein the personnel authentication and tracking system appliances are deployed within a fire detection and notification system that provides battery backup to the personnel authentication and tracking system appliances.

10. A computer implemented method comprises:

collecting by a computing system comprising a processor and memory, data from personnel authentication and tracking appliances that cover detection regions throughout a building;

authenticating by the computing system tags passing through the detection regions against an access control list;

receiving by the computing system data that identifies a number of people passing through or within the detection regions;

comparing by the computing system the number people identified by the received data with the number of tags identified by the system;

producing data that conveys paths of the tags, as the tags pass through the detection regions associated with the personnel authentication and tracking appliances; and

rendering by the computing system on a rendering device, a map of a schematic of the building or a floor plan depicting the paths taken by one or more of the tags.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

authenticating tags passing through detection regions against an access control list;

comparing people identified with tags identified by the system in a specific detection area against the access control list to detect a tag in a location where the tag is not authorized; and

causing an alarm to be asserted when an unauthorized tag is detected in the location.

12. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

comparing the location of personnel within the building against predefined rules to ensure that procedures are being followed.

13. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

causing by the computing system an alarm to be asserted when a discrepancy is detected in the number people identified with the number of tags in a location with personnel within the location.