Systems and methods for safety and proximity sensing in industrial environments

• US 9,652,962 B1
• Filed: 12/21/2015
• Issued: 05/16/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Current Lighting Solutions, LLC (f/k/a GE Lighting Solutions, LLC) (American Industrial Partners)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Bulumulla, Selaka Bandara, Dell'Anno, Michael Joseph, Maricic, Danijel
• Primary Examiner(s): File, Erin
• Application Number:
  US14/977,036
• Time in Patent Office: 512 Days
• CPC Class Codes: F16P 3/14 the means being photocells or other devices sensitive without mechanical contact
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/22 responsive to presence or absence of persons
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 7/06 using electric transmission , e.g. involving audible and visible signalling through the use of sound and light sources
• 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

Abstract

A system includes a first electronic device configured to attach to an industrial machine or one or more areas of an industrial facility. The first electronic device is configured to transmit a signal indicative of a potentially hazardous condition with respect to personnel of the industrial facility. The system also includes a second electronic device communicatively coupled to the first electronic device and configured to attach to a hardhat of the personnel of the industrial facility. The second electronic device is configured to receive the signal from the first electronic device, determine whether a parameter of the signal is above a threshold, and generate an alarm when the parameter of the signal is above the threshold. The alarm is configured to indicate the potentially hazardous condition to the personnel.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a first electronic device configured to monitor an industrial machine or one or more areas of an industrial facility, wherein the first electronic device is configured to transmit a signal indicative of a potentially hazardous condition with respect to personnel of the industrial facility wherein the first electronic device is configured to transmit one or more Bluetooth®

advertising packets as the signal indicative of the potentially hazardous condition; and

a second electronic device communicatively coupled to the first electronic device and configured to attach to a hardhat of the personnel of the industrial facility, wherein the second electronic device is configured to;

receive the signal from the first electronic device;

determine whether a parameter of the signal reaches a threshold; and

generate an alarm when the parameter of the signal is above the threshold, wherein the alarm is configured to indicate the potentially hazardous condition to the personnel.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first electronic device comprises a Bluetooth®

low energy (BLE) beacon device, and wherein the second electronic device comprises a Bluetooth®

low energy (BLE) receiver device.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the second electronic device is configured to determine whether a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) is above the threshold as the parameter of the signal.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the second electronic device is configured to generate the alarm by causing a light emitting diode (LED) device to change color.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the second electronic device is configured to generate the alarm by causing the LED device to change from a white light to a red light.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the LED device comprises an LED lamp, an LED lighting system, a plurality of LED devices, or a combination thereof.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the industrial machine comprises an automatic mining machine, a launch vehicle, a conveyor belt of a launch vehicle, a storage vessel, a steam turbine, a gas turbine, a hydroelectric turbine, a generator, an expander, a compressor, a chemical reactor, a gasifier, a gas treatment system, an air separation unit (ASU), a boiler, a furnace, a water treatment system, a heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) system, or any combination thereof.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the industrial facility comprises a mining industrial facility, a power generation industrial facility, a petroleum refinery industrial facility, a manufacturing facility, a building construction site, or a combination thereof.

9. A system, comprising:

a first electronic device configured to monitor an industrial machine or one or more areas of an industrial facility, wherein the first electronic device is configured to transmit a signal indicative of a potentially hazardous condition with respect to personnel of the industrial facility; and

a second electronic device communicatively coupled to the first electronic device and configured to attach to a hardhat of the personnel of the industrial facility, wherein the second electronic device is configured to;

receive the signal from the first electronic device;

determine whether a parameter of the signal reaches a threshold; and

generate an alarm when the parameter of the signal is above the threshold, wherein the alarm is configured to indicate the potentially hazardous condition to the personnel,

wherein the first electronic device and the second electronic device each comprises an ultra wide band communication circuit, and wherein the second electronic device is configured to determine whether a time of flight (TOF) is below the threshold as the parameter of the signal.

10. A system, comprising:

a first electronic device configured to monitor an industrial machine or one or more areas of an industrial facility, wherein the first electronic device is configured to transmit a signal indicative of a potentially hazardous condition with respect to personnel of the industrial facility personnel, wherein the first electronic device is configured to transmit a signal indicative of the potentially hazardous condition based at least in part on a media access code (MAC) address; and

a second electronic device communicatively coupled to the first electronic device and configured to attach to a hardhat of the personnel of the industrial facility, wherein the second electronic device is configured to;

receive the signal from the first electronic device;

determine whether a parameter of the signal reaches a threshold; and

generate an alarm when the parameter of the signal is above the threshold, wherein the alarm is configured to indicate the potentially hazardous condition to the personnel.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer executable code stored thereon, the code comprising instructions to:

cause a processor to receive a signal from a first electronic device, wherein the signal comprises an indication of a potentially hazardous condition with respect to personnel of an industrial facility;

cause the processor to determine whether a parameter of the signal is above a threshold; and

cause the processor generate an alarm when the parameter of the signal is above the threshold, wherein the alarm is configured to indicate the potentially hazardous condition to the personnel, wherein the code comprises instructions to cause the processor to receive one or more Bluetooth®

advertising packets as the signal indicative of the potentially hazardous condition.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the code comprises instructions to cause the processor to determine whether a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) is above the threshold as the parameter of the signal.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the code comprises instructions to cause the processor to generate the alarm by causing a light emitting diode (LED) device to change from a white light to a red light.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the code comprises instructions to cause the processor to transmit a signal comprising a command to temporarily disable one or more industrial machines within the industrial facility when the parameter of the signal is above the threshold.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer executable code stored thereon, the code comprising instructions to:

cause a processor to receive a signal from a first electronic device, wherein the signal comprises an indication of a potentially hazardous condition with respect to personnel of an industrial facility;

cause the processor to determine whether a parameter of the signal is above a threshold; and

cause the processor generate an alarm when the parameter of the signal is above the threshold, wherein the alarm is configured to indicate the potentially hazardous condition to the personnel,

wherein the code comprises instructions to cause the processor to determine whether the parameter of the signal is above the threshold based at least in part on a media access code (MAC) address associated with the signal.

16. A system, comprising:

a hardhat, comprising;

a light emitting diode (LED) headlamp assembly, comprising;

a processor configured to;

receive a first signal comprising advertising packets, wherein the advertising packets comprise one or more unique identification codes configured to indicate a potentially hazardous condition with respect to personnel of an industrial facility;

determine whether a signal strength indicator (RSSI) of the first signal is above a threshold value; and

generate an alarm when the RSSI of the signal is above the threshold value, wherein the alarm is configured to indicate the potentially hazardous condition to the personnel.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the processor is configured to generate the alarm by causing the LED headlamp to change from a white light to a red light to indicate the potentially hazardous condition.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the processor is configured to generate the alarm by causing one or more components of the hardhat to vibrate to indicate the potentially hazardous condition.