Wireless location-based system and method for detecting hazardous and non-hazardous conditions

• US 9,978,251 B2
• Filed: 01/28/2010
• Issued: 05/22/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Gonia, Patrick, Kolavennu, Soumitri
• Primary Examiner(s): Terrell, Emily C
• Application Number:
  US12/695,736
• Publication Number:
  US 20110161885A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,036 Days
• Field of Search: 340521, 340532, 34053913, 340 18, 340 22, 340 26
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 17/10 Actuation by presence of smoke or gases , e.g. automatic alarm devices for analysing flowing fluid materials by the use of optical means
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/12 responsive to undesired emission of substances, e.g. pollution alarms
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/14 Toxic gas alarms G08B21/16 takes precedence
• 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 25/14 Central alarm receiver or annunciator arrangements

Abstract

A wireless location-based gas detection system and method includes a gas detector for wirelessly detecting location information associated with a hazardous gas event. The gas detector includes one or more remote gas sensors that monitor for the occurrence of a gas event and wirelessly communicates information with respect to the location of the event in association with time information to a server or location manager. A wireless communication device in association with one or more location anchor points periodically and under event conditions, transmits the location information and the gas concentration level. A location engine calculates an estimated location of the gas detector based on information received from the wireless communication device and provides the location data to the location manager. The location manager records the gas concentration level, the estimated location, and the time information and stores this information within a database. A graphical user interface is provided for visualizing the current and historical information.

Claims

1. A method for reporting the detection of a potentially hazardous condition, the method comprising:

preconfiguring data into a portable detector, the data comprising at least one of a detector device ID;

measuring, by the portable detector, data related to a presence or an absence of the potentially hazardous condition in a location;

measuring, by the portable detector, information including the received RF signal strength level from RF signals received from a plurality of location anchors at the location, wherein the plurality of location anchors are stationary;

sending the data related to the presence or absence of the potentially hazardous condition and the information including the received RF signal strength level from the RF signals received from the plurality of location anchors at the location to at least one server via a location anchor of the plurality of location anchors that includes an access point function, wherein the at least one server comprises pre-configured location anchor data comprising geographic coordinates for each location anchor of the plurality of location anchors and an RF transmission power tier each location anchor of the plurality of location anchors;

estimating a geographic position of the location based on the information including the received RF signal strength level from RF signals received from the plurality of location anchors at the first location, the geographic coordinates for each location anchor of the plurality of location anchors, and the RF transmission power for each location anchor of the plurality of location anchors; and

recording the estimated geographic position and the data related to the presence or the absence of the potentially hazardous condition in the estimated geographic position in a database associated with the at least one server for subsequent retrieval, display, and review for use in detecting the presence or the absence of the potentially hazardous condition.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

retrieving a particular subset of the data related to the potentially hazardous condition, the subset comprising gas detection status information and the estimated geographic position related to the presence or the absence of the potentially hazardous condition in the location; and

displaying the particular subset of said potentially hazardous condition, the subset comprising the gas detection status information and the geographic position related to the presence or the absence of the potentially hazardous condition in the location.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

measuring the data related to the presence or the absence of the potentially hazardous condition in the location utilizing a gas detector, wherein the gas detector periodically reports a gas concentration level to the at least one server; and

creating a heat map of the potentially hazardous condition if the potentially hazardous condition is present, wherein the heat map comprises a color-coded contour plot of gas concentrations over an area inclusive of the estimated geographic position at a particular time.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

estimating the geographic position of the detection of the potentially hazardous condition including longitude and latitude coordinates by receiving signals from a global navigation satellite system; and

sending, to the at least one server, the estimated geographic position.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the data related to the presence or the absence of the potentially hazardous condition in the location is based on a measurement of a wireless RF signal strength level received at a location anchor of the plurality of location anchors;

and

wherein estimating the geographic position of the location is further based on the measurement of the wireless RF signal strength level received at the location anchor.

22. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

measuring a time of flight of a wireless RF signal between at least one location anchor of the plurality of location anchors and the portable detector; and

wherein estimating the geographic position of the location is further based on the measurement of the time of flight.

23. The method of claim 2, wherein displaying the particular subset of the data further comprises graphically and interactively displaying the data via a GUI for a user.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

graphically displaying via the GUI, an icon that when selected, generates alarm origin area information, including at least one of;

an alarm reporting time, area priority data, alarm priority information, a number of gas concentration detectors within the alarm origin area at the time of alarm, and a number of gas concentration detectors within the alarm origin area at the current time.

25. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

graphically displaying via the GUI, the estimated geographic position of the location of the portable detector and the data related to the presence or the absence of the potentially hazardous condition measured by the portable detector as a function of time.

26. The method of claim 23, further comprising graphically displaying via the GUI, a heat map of gas concentration at a particular time derived from the data reported to the at least one server, wherein the heat map comprises a color-coded contour plot of gas concentrations over an area inclusive of the estimated geographic position of the location at a particular time.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising graphically displaying via the GUI, a time series of the heat maps.

28. The method of claim 26, further comprising graphically displaying via the GUI, data that includes images of said heat maps indicative of a future time in association with a mapping of predicted gas concentrations, wherein the predicted gas concentrations are based, at least in part, on the data reported to the at least one server.

6. A system for porting the detection of a potentially hazardous condition, the system comprising:

at least one portable device configured to measure a presence or an absence of the potentially hazardous condition and generate a measurement thereof, wherein the at least one portable device is further configured to measure information related to a location including a received RE signal strength level from RF signals received from a plurality of location anchors, wherein the at least one portable device is further configured to send data related to the presence or absence of the potentially hazardous condition and the information elated to the location to at least one server via a location anchor of the plurality of location anchors that includes an access point functionality, wherein the at least one portable device is preconfigured with data comprising device ID;

the at least one location anchor of the plurality of location anchors with the access point functionality, wherein the at least one location anchor is configured to wirelessly communicate with the at least one portable device to receive the measurement information and the information related to the location and forward both to the at least one server;

at least one location engine configured to receive information related to the location of the at least one portable device, wherein the at least one server comprises pre-configured location anchor data comprising geographic coordinates for each location anchor of the plurality of location anchors and an RF transmission power for each location anchor of the plurality of location anchors, and wherein the at least one location engine is further configured to calculate an estimated geographic position of the location of the at least one portable device based on the information related to the location of the at least one device, the pre-configured location anchor data, and the RF transmission power for each location anchor of the plurality of location anchors; and

the at least one server for collecting, logging, and displaying server data, the server data comprising the information related to the measurement of the presence or the absence of the potentially hazardous condition and the estimated geographic position of the location.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the server data further comprises a location time associated with a time that the information related to the location was generated and a measurement time associated with a time of the measurement of the presence or the absence of the potentially hazardous condition.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the plurality of location anchors are configured to communicate wirelessly with the at least one portable device.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein at least one location anchor of the plurality of location anchors comprises at least one receiver.

10. The system of claim 8,

wherein the information related to the location further includes location anchor identification information;

wherein the at least one portable device is configured to send the information related to the location wirelessly by the at least one portable device to the at least one location anchor with access point functionality; and

wherein the at least one server is configured to plots a heat map of the hazardous condition if the potentially hazardous condition is present, wherein the heat map comprises a color-coded contour plot of gas concentrations over the geographic position at a particular time.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one portable device is configured to estimate a global location of at least one portable device including at least longitude and latitude coordinates by receiving signals from a global navigation satellite system, and wherein the information related to the location further comprises an estimate of the global location of the at least one portable device.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein:

the at least one location anchor with access point functionality comprises a receiver, and wherein the at least one location anchor with the access point functionality is configured to measure a wireless received signal strength level of at least one signal from the at least one portable device, and wherein the at least one signal includes device identification information associated with the at least one portable device; and

the information related to the location comprises a measured received signal strength level and identification information for the at least one portable device and identification information for the at least one location anchor.

13. The system of claim 6, wherein the at least one portable device includes time stamp information corresponding to a time of the measurement of the presence or the absence of the hazardous condition, and wherein the information related to the measurement further comprises the time stamp information.

14. The system of claim 6, wherein the at least one portable device is configured to periodically report the information related to the measurement and the information related to the location and receive an acknowledgement from the at least one server with respect to at least a subset of the reports.

15. The system of claim 6, wherein said at least one portable device is configured to periodically report the information at a particular reporting interval and change a reporting interval to a shorter interval when the hazardous condition is detected.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the at least one portable device is further configured to:

temporarily log-in the report information in the at least one portable device if the report is not acknowledged by the at least one server, wherein the at least one portable device continues to periodically send a report; and

send the logged information to the at least one server when access to the at least one server is confirmed by an acknowledgement received with respect to a report.

17. The system of claim 6, wherein the at least one location anchor with the access point functionality is configured to at least one of:

receive and response to a probe request as specified in IEEE Std 802.11-2007;

or

generate a beacon frame as specified in IEEE Std 802.11-2007.

18. The system of claim 6, wherein the at least one portable device and the at least one server are configured to transmit text messages in at least one direction between the at least one server and the at least one device.

19. The system of claim 6, wherein the at least one portable device includes a battery configured to provide electrical power to the at least one portable device, wherein the at least one portable device is configured to not perform actions necessary to provide information related to a location when the at least one portable device detects a lack of motion.

20. The system of claim 7, wherein the at least one portable device includes time stamp information corresponding to a time of the measurement of the presence or the absence of the hazardous condition, and wherein the information related to the measurement further comprises the time stamp information;

and

wherein the at least one portable device is configured to periodically report the information related to the detection and the information related to a location and receive an acknowledgement from the at least one server with respect to at least a subset of the reports.

21. The system of claim 6, wherein the at least one location engine is resident in the at least one device, and wherein the at least one location engine is configured to prepare data indicative of location estimates.