Personal Multimedia Communication System and Network for Emergency Services Personnel

• US 20090023421A1
• Filed: 05/23/2008
• Published: 01/22/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Scott Technologies, Inc. (3M Company), Sti Licensing Corporation
• Original Assignee: Scott Technologies, Inc. (3M Company)
• Inventors: Malin, Jerald Robert, Barbee, Wesley McChord, Landis, Jeffrey Lynn, Shannon, Matthew, Parkulo, Craig Michael
• Granted Patent: US 8,755,839 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/404.200
• CPC Class Codes: A62B 7/04 and lung-controlled oxygen or air valves
• CPC Class Codes: A62B 9/006 Indicators or warning devices, e.g. of low pressure, contamination
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/02 Alarms for ensuring the safety of persons
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0269 System arrangements wherein the object is to detect the exact location of child or item using a navigation satellite system, e.g. GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0415 detecting absence of activity per se
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0453 worn on the body to detect health condition by physiological monitoring, e.g. electrocardiogram, temperature, breathing detecting, measuring or recording for diagnostic purposes A61B5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/16 Combustible gas alarms
• 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

Abstract

A personal multimedia communication system and network for emergency services personnel includes a plurality of personal communication systems linked together and to a base station in a network. Each personal communication system includes a PDA device mounted on a PASS control console, a video camera mounted on the PDA device, a GPS unit, a microphone, and other electronic devices. The various electronic devices are all communicatively connected to the PDA device. Data from the various devices may be collected in the PDA device and wirelessly transmitted to any other node or device in the network, including other personal communication devices. Each personal communication device may serve as a repeater, thus providing a wireless communications link between a device located out of range of the base station.

Claims

1-40. -40. (canceled)

41. A communications network for emergency personnel, comprising:

a first personal communication system (PCS) to be carried by a first emergency personnel, the first PCS including an onboard data gathering device and at least one wireless transceiver, the transceiver of the first PCS being configured to communicate with another PCS over a broadcasting network, the onboard data gathering devices collecting PASS data from a PASS system carried by the emergency personnel, the transceiver of the first PCS broadcasting PCS transmission signals including the PASS data associated with the first emergency personnel over the broadcasting network;

an imaging camera, carried by a second emergency personnel, the imaging camera detecting images of an environment where the second emergency personnel is located based on a direction in which the imaging camera is pointed; and

a display, carried by the second emergency personnel, for displaying the images detected by the imaging camera, the display presenting information based on the PCS transmission signal from the transceiver of the first PCS.

42. The portable device of claim 41, wherein the PCS transmission signal includes positional data, the information presented on the display being based on the positional data.

43. The portable device of claim 41, wherein the PCS transmission signal includes positional data, the first PCS determining the positional data based on at least one of ultra-wide band related information, GPS related information and dead reckoning related information.

44. The portable device of claim 41, wherein the first PCS includes a PCS display and memory, the memory storing at least one of map data and floor plan data associated with a hazardous environment, the PCS display displaying at least one of a map and floor plan associated with the hazardous environment.

45. The portable device of claim 41, wherein the first PCS broadcasts at least one of PASS and SCBA data that is received by a second PCS and wherein the second PCS rebroadcasts the at least one of PASS and SCBA data received.

46. The portable device of claim 41, wherein the imaging camera is at least one of a video camera and a thermal imaging camera and wherein the imaging camera includes a transceiver that broadcasts the images for reception at other PCS or a base station.

47. A portable device for use in a hazardous environment to determine how to reach an emergency personnel carrying a personal communications system (PCS), the PCS including an onboard data gathering device and at least one wireless transceiver, the onboard data gathering device collecting PASS data from a PASS system carried by the emergency personnel, the transceiver broadcasting a PCS transmission signal, including the PASS data associated with the emergency personnel, over a broadcast network, the portable device comprising:

a wireless receiver, carried by a user, the receiver receiving the PCS transmission signal from the transceiver of the PCS over the broadcast network;

an imaging camera, carried by the user, the imaging camera detecting images of an environment where the user is located based on a direction in which the imaging camera is pointed; and

a display, coupled to the imaging camera and to the wireless receiver, the display being carried by the user and displaying the images detected by the imaging camera, the display presenting information based on the PCS transmission signal from the transceiver of the PCS.

48. The portable device of claim 47, wherein the user is a firefighter carrying a PASS system and a PDA device, the receiver being housed in the PDA device that is releasably mounted on a PASS control console of the PASS system and electrically connected to the PASS control console such that data from a PASS unit may be transmitted to the PDA device via the PASS control console.

49. The portable device of claim 47, wherein the receiver is housed in a PDA device and the imaging camera is releasably mounted on the PDA device and electrically connected to the PDA device such that video data from the imaging camera is transmitted to the display on the PDA device.

50. The portable device of claim 47, wherein the PCS transmission signal includes positional data and the information presented on the display is based on the positional data.

51. The portable device of claim 47, wherein the PCS transmission signal includes positional data, the positional data being determined at the PCS based on at least one of ultra-wide band related information, GPS related information and dead reckoning related information.

52. A portable device for use in a hazardous environment to track a location of a emergency personnel carrying a personal communications system (PCS), the PCS including an onboard data gathering device and at least one wireless transceiver, the onboard data gathering device collecting position data approximating a location of the emergency personnel, the transceiver broadcasting a PCS transmission signal, including the position data associated with the emergency personnel, over a broadcast network, the portable device comprising:

a wireless receiver receiving the PCS transmission signal from the transceiver of the PCS over the broadcast network;

a memory storing at least one of map data and floor plan data associated with the hazardous environment; and

a display displaying at least one of a map and floor plan associated with the hazardous environment, the display presenting information representative of a location of the firefighter based on the position data in the PCS transmission signal from the transceiver of the PCS.

53. The portable device of claim 52, wherein the PCS transmission signal is rebroadcast between multiple PCS before being received by the receiver.

54. The portable device of claim 52, wherein the receiver receives over the broadcast network PCS transmission signals that include position data associated with corresponding multiple emergency personnel the position data being based on at least one of ultra-wide band related information, GPS related information and dead reckoning related information.

55. A method of communicating positional data from a personal communication system carried by a firefighter to a remote location, the method comprising:

providing a personal communication system, the personal communication system including at least a positional data gathering device and a wireless transmitter;

gathering, via the positional data gathering device, positional data indicative of the physical location of the personal communication system; and

transmitting the positional data to a remote location via the wireless transmitter.

56. The method of claim 55, wherein the positional data gathering device is a GPS unit.

57. The method of claim 55, wherein the positional data gathering device is a dead reckoning device.

58. The method of claim 55, further comprising:

providing, at the remote location, a base GPS unit;

receiving, at the remote location, the positional data transmitted from the personal communication system;

comparing the received positional data with positional data from the base UPS unit;

generating data indicative of the comparison; and

wirelessly transmitting the comparison data to the personal communication system.