Heavy equipment proximity alert system

• US 9,836,941 B2
• Filed: 02/03/2016
• Issued: 12/05/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TAC Insight, LLC
• Original Assignee: TAC Insight, LLC
• Inventors: Mendiola, Michael J., Rasmussen, Steven B
• Primary Examiner(s): Lieu, Julie
• Application Number:
  US15/014,413
• Publication Number:
  US 20160232771A1
• Time in Patent Office: 671 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: F16P 3/14 the means being photocells or other devices sensitive without mechanical contact
• CPC Class Codes: F16P 3/147 using electro-magnetic technology, e.g. tags or radar
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0205 Specific application combined with child monitoring using a transmitter-receiver system
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/22 responsive to presence or absence of persons

Abstract

A proximity alert system for tracking one or more persons in proximity of heavy equipment is provided. The proximity alert system includes a database configured to store identifying data and an identification code of an asset in a worksite, one or more beacons configured to transmit a low energy transmission including an identification code, and one or more receiving units attached to one or more pieces within a worksite configured to detect and transmit data related to the one or more beacons to the database. When an asset is detected as being in dangerous proximity to a piece of equipment, an alert is emitted from the receiving unit.

Claims

1. A proximity alert system for detecting hazardous conditions within a worksite comprising:

a database including identifying data, a plurality of identification codes, and a safe proximity related to one or more assets within the worksite;

one or more beacons including a transmitter configured to broadcast a low energy transmission at a regular interval, the transmission including a unique identification code of the one or more beacons, the one or more beacons secured to assets within the worksite;

one or more receiving units attached to one or more pieces of equipment within the worksite comprising a processor, an antenna in communication with the processor, a communications module in communication with the processor, and a transmitter configured to broadcast a low energy transmission at a regular interval, the transmission including a unique identification code of the one or more receiving units, the one or more receiving units configured to;

detect the broadcasted transmission from the transmitter of the one or more beacons with the antenna;

detect the unique identification code of the broadcast transmission of the one or more beacons;

measure a strength of the detected transmission to determine a distance to the detected beacon; and

transmit the unique identification code of the one or more beacons to the database via the communications module;

wherein the transmitted unique identification code of the one or more beacons is analyzed by a database processor against the plurality of identification codes stored on the database to determine an identity and safe proximity of an asset;

wherein when the detected distance from the receiving unit to the beacon is less than the safe proximity for the asset identified by the database, the receiving unit emits an alert warning of a dangerous proximity, and

wherein the transmission of the at least one receiving unit including the unique identification code of the one or more receiving units is detected by another of the one or more receiving units.

2. The proximity alert system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more beacons is identified as an operator beacon on the database such that when a receiving unit of a piece of equipment operated by an asset wearing the operator beacon is detected as being in close proximity the receiving unit does not emit an alert warning of dangerous proximity.

3. The proximity alert system of claim 1, wherein the one or more receiving units attached to the one or more pieces of equipment within the worksite further includes a GPS module in communication with the processor, wherein the receiving unit transmits a geographic location of the receiving unit to the database via the communications module.

4. The proximity alert system of claim 1, wherein a plurality of safe proximities are stored on the database, wherein each of the plurality of safe proximities corresponds to a type of equipment within the worksite.

5. The proximity alert system of claim 1, wherein the beacon is configured to emit an alert to the asset when the detected distance from the receiving unit to the beacon is less than the safe proximity for the asset identified by the database.

6. The proximity alert system of claim 1, wherein the beacon is configured to emit a Bluetooth LE transmission.

7. A method of detecting and alerting of an unsafe proximity of an asset to a piece of equipment within a worksite, the method comprising:

providing a processor, a computer readable storage medium, and a database, the database in communication with a network;

storing identifying data related to an asset within the worksite on the database, the identifying data including an identification code associated with the asset;

storing identifying data related to one or more pieces of equipment within the worksite on the database, the identifying data including an identifying of the piece of equipment and a safe proximity distance around the piece of equipment;

providing one or more beacons including a transmitter and a power source, the one or more beacons secured to assets within the worksite;

broadcasting a low energy transmission from the transmitter of the one or more beacons at a regular interval, the transmission including a unique identification code of the one or more beacons;

providing one or more receiving units attached to one or more pieces of equipment within the worksite, the one or more receiving units comprising a processor, an antenna in communication with the processor, and a communications module in communication with the processor;

broadcasting a low energy transmission from the one or more of the receiving units at a regular interval, the transmission including a unique identification code of the one or more receiving units detected by another of the one or more receiving units;

detecting the broadcasted transmissions from the transmitter of the one or more beacons with the receiving units;

detecting the unique identification code of the broadcast transmission of the one or more beacons;

measuring a strength of the detected transmission to determine a distance to the detected beacon based on the measured strength of the transmission;

transmitting the unique identification code of the one or more beacons to the database via the communications module of the receiving unit;

analyzing the transmitted unique identification code of the one or more beacons against identification codes stored on the database with the processor to determine an identity of an asset detected by the receiving unit;

emitting an alert on the receiving unit when an identified asset is determined to be less than a safe proximity distance to the piece of equipment in the worksite.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising designating at least one of the one or more beacons as an operator beacon for a particular piece of equipment on the database such that when the operator beacon is detected as being in proximity to the piece of equipment an alert is not emitted on the receiving unit of the piece of equipment.