Personnel proximity detection and tracking system

• US 9,972,193 B2
• Filed: 08/11/2017
• Issued: 05/15/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Valve Solutions Inc.
• Original Assignee: OSLA Technologies, LLC
• Inventors: Laufer, Zohar, Osborne, Jr., Charles Agnew
• Primary Examiner(s): Dsouza, Adolf
• Application Number:
  US15/674,957
• Publication Number:
  US 20170365159A1
• Time in Patent Office: 277 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/245 Reminder of hygiene compliance policies, e.g. of washing hands
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/20 for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms
• 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 4/33 for indoor environments, e.g. buildings
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/38 for collecting sensor information

Abstract

Systems and methods for tracking, locating, identifying, or mapping movements of persons or personnel within a facility may include badges carried by selected persons or personnel through the facility, and these badges can each include a transmitter configured to transmit a series of signals including signature information identifying the badges and also identifying codes of each signal transmitted. In addition, a series of receivers can be positioned at selected locations of the facility and can receive the signals transmitted by the transmitters of the badges, and these receivers can be configured to identify each badge from which signals are received based upon signature information for identified badges and also to determine the proximity, range, distance, or zone between the badge identified and one or more receivers.

Claims

1. A system for identifying and/or mapping activity of personnel throughout a facility, comprising:

a plurality of badges, each badge comprising one or more transmitters configured to transmit a series of differing signals, including a series of signals that are transmitted a predetermined distance from the badge and/or at a different signal strength, and wherein each signal of the series of the signals transmitted includes signature information identifying the badge transmitting the signal and an identifying code differentiating the signal from other ones of the plurality of signals transmitted by the badge;

a plurality of receivers positioned at selected locations throughout the facility, each receiver configured to collect one or more signals of the series of signals transmitted from each badge carried within a selected range of the receiver; and

a server or processor in communication with the plurality of receivers and as adapted to receive collected badge signals and receiver signature information identifying each receiver collecting the badge signals from the receivers;

wherein upon receiving the collected badge signals and receiver signature information associated therewith, the server or processor identifies each badge from which the signals are collected by each receiver based upon the signature information included in the received signals from each badge, and determines a plurality of positions or movements of each identified badge in relation to each of the one or more receivers collecting the signals therefrom, based on the differing signals collected from each badge associated with the identifying codes of the signals, and wherein the processor further comprises programming configured to identify and map the movements of each badge based on the plurality of determined positions for each badge moving throughout the facility.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of signals includes at least five signals each transmitted at a different predetermined distance.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein a variation between the predetermined distance at which each of the plurality of signals is transmitted is between about 5 in. to about 1 ft.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein one or more receivers are configured to emit an activation signal whereby as a badge is moved within a predetermined distance, proximity, range or zone relative to the one or more receivers, the badge is caused to activate and initiate transmission of its signals.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein each receiver of the plurality of receivers is configured to transmit a series of actuation signals covering a predefined zone within the facility.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein at least one selected of the receivers is configured to emit an alarm or warning signal in response to a transmission received from a badge moving within a prescribed proximity in relation thereto.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the signals transmitted by the badges comprise electromagnetic, radio frequency, infrared, or Bluetooth signals.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a database including information on medical patients checked into the facility, wherein the processor is in communication with the database and includes programming to cross-reference the information on medical patients within the database with the plurality of positions determined for each badge, and to provide signals so as to selectively alert personnel carrying selected badges to take a particular action and/or to allow or restrict access to different areas of the facility.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein the badges each further comprise a badge receiver configured to receive an activation signal from a receiver as each badge moves within the desired proximity of the receiver, in response to which the badge initiates its transmission of the series of signals.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein at least one receiver is located at a position adjacent an entryway of a patient treatment area.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising a sanitation device in communication with one or more of the receivers and including one or more notification devices that notify the selected medical worker to perform a sanitation action in response to one or more of the receivers receiving at least one of the signals transmitted from one or more badges.

12. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

one or more sanitation devices in communication with at least one of the receivers; and

wherein the at least one receiver is configured to detect use of a selected sanitation device by a person carrying a badge and transmit to the server or processor information indicating use of the selected sanitation device and the identity of the badge carried by the person using the sanitation device.

13. A method of monitoring personnel or equipment within in a facility, comprising:

assigning each badge of a plurality of badges to selected identified personnel or equipment, the badges each including at least one transmitter;

as the identified personnel or equipment move through the facility, transmitting a plurality of signals from the badges assigned thereto, wherein each signal of the plurality of signals transmitted by each badge is transmitted at a prescribed intensity, range or predetermined distance, and contains a one or more signal identifying codes;

receiving the signals transmitted from the badges at a plurality of receivers positioned at selected locations throughout the facility;

identifying the personnel or equipment according to a signature identifier corresponding to the badge from which the signal is transmitted; and

determining a plurality of positions of the identified personnel or equipment carrying each of the assigned badges from which signals are received in relation to the plurality of receivers based on the one or more received signal identifying codes indicating the predetermined distance of each transmitted signal.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising notifying selected personnel to use one or more sanitation devices in a selected area of the facility when the selected personnel are within a predetermined proximity of at least one receiver of the plurality of receivers.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising determining whether the selected personnel activated one or more of the sanitation devices.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein at least one receiver of the plurality of receivers is mounted substantially adjacent a patient'"'"'s bed in a predetermined area of the facility, and wherein determining a plurality of positions further comprises determining a location of a patient positioned on the patient bed and whether the identified personnel or equipment moved within a certain proximity in relation thereto.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising retrieving the patient'"'"'s medical information from a database and cross-referencing the patient'"'"'s medical information retrieved from the database with the determined location of the patient'"'"'s body to indicate whether the patient received treatment at the determined location.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein transmitting the series of signals from each of the badges comprises transmitting at least one signal across an area sufficient to cover a series of predetermined zones with respect to each receiver.

19. A system for identifying, tracking, and/or mapping movements of workers within a medical facility, comprising:

a plurality of badges, each assigned to a selected worker, and each badge comprising one or more transmitters configured to transmit a plurality of varying signals, wherein each signal of the plurality of signals includes signature information identifying the badge from which each signal is transmitted and a code differentiating each from the plurality of signals transmitted by each badge;

a series of receivers positioned in selected locations adjacent one or more patient treatment areas of the medical facility and configured to receive the signals transmitted by the badges, wherein one or more of the receivers transmits an activation signal configured to cause one or more badges of the plurality of badges coming within a desired proximity thereto to transmit their series of signals;

a processor in communication with each of the receivers, the processor including programming whereby when one or more of the receivers receives signals transmitted by one or more of the badges and communicates the received signals to the processor, the processor identifies each badge from which the signals were received based upon the signature information, and determines a plurality of positions of each badge within the patient treatment area based on the codes differentiating each signal received; and

a database in communication with the processor and adapted to store medical information for patients within the patient treatment area;

wherein the processor further comprises programming configured to cross-reference the information on the patients stored in the database with the plurality of positions of each badge within the patient treatment area.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the badges each further comprise a badge receiver configured to receive the activation signal as each badge moves within the desired proximity to activate the badge and initiate the transmission of the series of signals.