Personal hazard detection system with redundant position registration and communication

• US 9,721,456 B2
• Filed: 07/02/2015
• Issued: 08/01/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: USM Holdings Limited (Coats Group PLC)
• Original Assignee: Universal Site Monitoring Unit Trust
• Inventors: Thurlow, Andrew Charles, Tastula, Emil William, Earl, Timothy Clinton
• Primary Examiner(s): FILE, ERIN M
• Application Number:
  US15/323,136
• Publication Number:
  US 20170140637A1
• Time in Patent Office: 761 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0461 integrated or attached to an item closely associated with the person but not worn by the person, e.g. chair, walking stick, bed sensor
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/12 responsive to undesired emission of substances, e.g. pollution alarms
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/182 Level alarms, e.g. alarms responsive to variables exceeding a threshold
• 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 25/016 Personal emergency signalling and security systems emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/10 using wireless transmission systems G08B25/009 takes precedence
• 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 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]

Abstract

A system for monitoring the safety of personnel on a work site, by providing workers on the site with portable battery powered safety monitors equipped with alarms, sensors to detect hazardous conditions, at least two forms of geo-location and two forms of voice and data telecommunication and two CPU'"'"'s sharing the computation load, each CPU equipped to monitor and reset the other in case of failure to function, with each monitor capable of serving as a node in a mesh network and relaying information concerning alarms detected including location thereof to other monitors on the mesh network.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring the safety of personnel on an enterprise site, comprising:

a plurality of portable, position-aware, personal safety monitors capable of being carried by a user, each monitor having;

a programmable microprocessor module, including at least two microprocessors, each microprocessor being capable of determining whether the other is operative and initiating a reboot of the other;

an array of sensors operably connected to said programmable microprocessor module, including at least one atmospheric sensor capable of signals indicative of a hazard condition and a non-hazard conditions;

a human interface operably connected to said microprocessor module and being capable of displaying graphics and audible signals from one of said microprocessors as well as transmitting inputs to one of said microprocessors;

a communications module operably connected to said microprocessor module, said communications module being capable of at least;

data, text and half-duplex voice communication with at least a mesh network of functionally similar monitors;

serving as a node in a mesh network of monitors; and

cellular voice, text and data communications through a cellular network,

a geo-location module operably connected to said microprocessor module said geo-location module including;

GPS connectivity, and at least one signal distancing/angulation module chosen from the group consisting of;

signal transit time calculator;

an RSSI module, a time difference of arrival module;

a difference on arrival, and an angulation module;

said geo-location module being capable of substantially continuously estimating the position of the device at least;

directly via said GPS connectivity as well as via the device'"'"'s own mobile telephony providing assisted GPS capability; and

as derived from signals from other functionally similar monitors with known positions in mesh network connected communication therewith; and

said signal distancing/angulation module;

a radio frequency transceiver operably connected to said microprocessor module;

an antenna operatively connected to said radio frequency transceiver;

an alarm module, capable of;

alerting the user directly through the user interface via a sensibly perceptible signal of a hazard condition detected by its sensors;

automatically and reiteratively, transmitting data through said communication module concerning at least the alarm condition, geo-location and sensor data to other monitors connected to said mesh network for so long as a hazard condition is detected;

receiving a remote alarm condition is reported by another monitor connected to said mesh network, and responding by;

acknowledging receipt of the alarm condition transmission;

alerting the user of said monitor directly through the user interface via a sensibly perceptible signal of the alarm condition reported by said other monitor;

determining at least an estimated position of said other alarmed monitor;

automatically and reiteratively communicating with additional monitors on said mesh network concerning;

said other monitor'"'"'s alarm condition;

sensor data communicated by said other alarmed monitor;

data concerning the location of said alarmed monitor;

whether any users have indicated intent to respond to said hazard.

2. The system for monitoring the safety of personnel on an enterprise site of claim 1, wherein said geo-location modules also comprises:

an accelerometer and a gyroscope and wherein geo-location estimates derived by GPS and radio can be refined and augmented by known motion of the monitor as determined by the accelerometer and gyroscope.

3. The system for monitoring the safety of personnel on an enterprise site of claim 2, wherein said human interface further comprises a speaker, a microphone, a vibrating motor and an alarm light.

4. The system for monitoring the safety of personnel on an enterprise site of claim 3, further comprising:

a central safety network comprising a computer capable of wirelessly communicating with units.

5. The system for monitoring the safety of personnel on an enterprise site of claim 4, further comprising a plurality of wireless local access network points in communication with said computer, said wireless local access network points being capable of communicating with said units and transmitting information regarding the position of said wireless local access network points to them.

6. The system for monitoring the safety of personnel on an enterprise site of claim 5, wherein each monitor comprises a plurality of atmospheric sensors adapted to detect at least oxygen, hydrogen sulfide, carbon monoxide and volatile hydrocarbons and wherein the user of said unit is provided a radio transmission unit having a plurality sensors responsive to the user including at least heartbeat, respiration rate and body temperature operatively connected thereto and communicating wirelessly with said user'"'"'s unit.

7. The system for monitoring the safety of personnel on an enterprise site of claim 1, wherein each monitor comprises a plurality of atmospheric sensors adapted to detect at least oxygen, hydrogen sulfide, carbon monoxide and volatile hydrocarbons and wherein the user of said unit is provided a radio transmission unit having a plurality sensors responsive to the user including at least heartbeat, respiration rate and body temperature operatively connected thereto and communicating wirelessly with said user'"'"'s unit.

8. The system for monitoring the safety of personnel on an enterprise site of claim 7, wherein said geo-location modules also comprises:

an accelerometer and a gyroscope and wherein geo-location estimates derived by GPS and radio can be refined and augmented by known motion of the monitor as determined by the accelerometer and gyroscope.

9. The system for monitoring the safety of personnel on an enterprise site of claim 8, further comprising a wireless safety network having a central server operatively connected thereto, said central server having a software/firmware update module thereupon capable of determining whether said personal safety monitor has the appropriate software and firmware thereupon and downloading the appropriate software and firmware to said personal safety monitor and wherein each safety monitor comprises a software/firmware maintenance module, operative upon recharging of said personal safety monitor to communicate the version of the software and firmware contained therein to said central server and to update said the software and firmware contained thereupon in response to a download from said central server.

10. The system for monitoring the safety of personnel on an enterprise site of claim 9, wherein said software/firmware update module of central safety server can detect when a safety monitor requiring a software/firmware update has been removed from charging before its software/firmware update has been completed and sounding an alarm to prevent said personal safety monitor from being taken from the charging area.

11. The system for monitoring the safety of personnel on an enterprise site of claim 10, wherein said alarm module of said personal safety monitor maintains a list of safety related addresses and is operative to disconnect all voice communications over said personal safety monitor except communication directed to safety related addresses upon receipt of a hazard alarm from any other personal safety monitor in communication therewith.

12. The system for monitoring the safety of personnel on an enterprise site of claim 9, wherein said alarm module of said personal safety monitor maintains a list of safety related addresses and is operative to disconnect all voice communications over said personal safety monitor except communication directed to safety related addresses upon receipt of a hazard alarm from any other personal safety monitor in communication therewith.

13. The system for monitoring the safety of personnel on an enterprise site of claim 12, wherein said alarm module of said personal safety monitor monitors the output voltage of the battery during use and is operative to sound an alarm when the output voltage of said battery drops below a predetermined level.

14. The system for monitoring the safety of personnel on an enterprise site of claim 11, wherein said alarm module of said personal safety monitor monitors the output voltage of the battery during use and is operative to sound an alarm when the output voltage of said battery drops below a predetermined level.

15. The system for monitoring the safety of personnel on an enterprise site of claim 14, wherein an emergency call button is provided on said monitor which when depressed and held depressed for at least 2 seconds by the user thereof is operative to initiate an emergency alarm even in the absence of sensor data indicating an alarm situation and initiate:

connection of said monitor to the safety network through a cellular network, if available,

connection of said monitor to the mesh network if available; and

recording of an optional alarm message from the user to be stored in the monitor'"'"'s memory for later transmission; and

transmission of a pre-recorded emergency message along with said optional alarm message, if recorded, when said monitor can connect to either the cellular network or the mesh network.

16. The system for monitoring the safety of personnel on an enterprise site of claim 5, wherein said emergency call button on said monitor must be depressed and held depressed for at least 5 seconds by the user thereof to initiate an emergency alarm.

17. The system for monitoring the safety of personnel on an enterprise site of claim 1, wherein an emergency call button is provided on said monitor which when depressed and held depressed for at least 2 seconds by the user thereof is operative to initiate an emergency alarm even in the absence of sensor data indicating an alarm situation and initiate:

connection of said monitor to the safety network through a cellular network, if available,

connection of said monitor to the mesh network if available; and

recording of an optional alarm message from the user to be stored in the monitor'"'"'s memory for later transmission; and

transmission of a pre-recorded emergency message along with said optional alarm message, if recorded, when said monitor can connect to either the cellular network or the mesh network.

18. The system for monitoring the safety of personnel on an enterprise site of claim 17, wherein said emergency call button on said monitor must be depressed and held depressed for at least 5 seconds by the user thereof to initiate an emergency alarm.