Wireless mesh network system for monitoring worksite events including detecting false events

• US 10,692,024 B2
• Filed: 01/30/2017
• Issued: 06/23/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Triax Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Triax Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Morgenthau, Justin J., Eppler, Jr., William G., Hollingsworth, William D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jarrett, Scott L
• Application Number:
  US15/419,794
• Publication Number:
  US 20170270463A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,240 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063114 Status monitoring or status determination for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/103 Workflow collaboration or project management
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/04 responsive to non-activity, e.g. of elderly persons G08B21/06 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/043 detecting an emergency event, e.g. a fall
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0446 worn on the body to detect changes of posture, e.g. a fall, inclination, acceleration, gait
• 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 29/188 Data fusion; cooperative systems, e.g. voting among different detectors
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 using location based information parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/026 using orientation information, e.g. compass
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0216 using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A system and associated interfaces are provided that permit the monitoring of workers within the workplace environment. In one aspect, a monitor having various sensing capabilities may be assigned to a monitored subject that records various parameters that are personal to the worker. For instance, it is appreciated that there may be sensor that can be attached to the monitored subject that is adapted to monitor certain parameters associated with the worker'"'"'s environment. For instance, a sensor assigned to the monitored subject may be capable of determining the location of the subject, along with motion, impacts, altitude, and other environmental parameters that could affect the health or other condition of the worker.

Claims

1. A communication system comprising:

a plurality of communication nodes configured in a wireless mesh network at a worksite, the plurality of communication nodes including a plurality of router nodes; and

a plurality of sensor nodes in communication with one or more of the plurality of router nodes,

wherein at least one sensor node communicates event data for at least one workplace event over the wireless mesh network to a management system by communicating with one or more of the plurality of router nodes which relay the event data to the management system, the at least one sensor node being worn by a monitored subject who experienced the at least one workplace event from a group comprising a fall event, a jump event, a slip and fall event, and a false event, the false event selected from a group comprising a sensor throw event and a sensor drop event, the sensor throw event being detected from the event data, based on, during a first time period, an acceleration of the at least one sensor node being greater than a first threshold amount, and the sensor drop event being detected from the event data, based on, during a second time period subsequent to the first time period, a rotation of the at least one sensor node having a peak angular velocity greater than a second threshold amount, and

wherein at least one router node provides its location data to the management system for determining a location of the at least one workplace event.

2. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one router node relays the event data to the management system via a gateway node.

3. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of router nodes are positioned at fixed locations within the worksite, and wherein location data for one or more of the plurality of router nodes are used by the management system to determine the location of the at least one workplace event.

4. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of communication nodes and the plurality of sensor nodes are adapted to transmit information using a plurality of communication channels, wherein each transmitter of the plurality of communication nodes and the plurality of sensor nodes has specific time slots in which to transmit the information.

5. The communication system according to claim 4, wherein the communication system is adapted to utilize a Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) scheme to dynamically assign time slots for each transmitter of the plurality of communication nodes and the plurality of sensor nodes.

6. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of sensor nodes and the plurality of communication nodes communicate by utilizing a time division multiple access scheme wherein each transmitter of the plurality of communication nodes and the plurality of sensor nodes has an assigned time slot in which the respective transmitter is allowed to transmit.

7. The communication system according to claim 6, wherein each sensor node in the plurality of sensor nodes, when not communicating in the sensor node'"'"'s assigned time slot, operates in a low power mode.

8. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein each sensor node in the plurality of sensor nodes communicates to the plurality of communication nodes on a predetermined frequency.

9. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein no two adjacent router nodes in the plurality of router nodes transmit on the same communication channel.

10. The communication system according to claim 3, wherein the management system determines the location of the at least one workplace event based on detected signal strength between the at least one sensor node and one or more of the plurality of router nodes.

11. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of router nodes and the plurality of sensor nodes are adapted to transmit information using a plurality of communication channels, wherein each transmitter of the plurality of router nodes and the plurality of sensor nodes has specific time slots in which to transmit information.

12. The communication system according to claim 11, wherein the communication system is adapted to dynamically assign time slots for each transmitter of the plurality of router nodes and the plurality of sensor nodes.

13. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the communication system further comprises a check-in system that assigns the at least one sensor node to the monitored subject, the check-in system including a reader that is adapted to scan an identifier associated with the at least one sensor node, and to create a record of an association between the at least one sensor node and the monitored subject.

14. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor node is adapted to determine the location of the at least one workplace event based on detection of one or more of the plurality of communication nodes in the wireless mesh network.

15. The communication system according to claim 14, wherein the determination of the location of the at least one workplace event is responsive to detected signal strength of the one or more of the plurality of communication nodes in the wireless mesh network.

16. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the management system is adapted to determine an altitude of at least one of the plurality of sensor nodes.

17. The communication system according to claim 16, wherein the management system is adapted to determine the location of the at least one workplace event within the worksite of the monitored subject associated with the at least one sensor node based on a detected altitude of the at least one sensor node and a geographic location of the at least one sensor node.

18. The communication system according to claim 17, wherein the management system stores for the worksite, a map of signal strengths and altitudes to particular worksite locations.