System for supervising and guiding persons in construction

• US 4,709,330 A
• Filed: 10/04/1984
• Issued: 11/24/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/1983
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NGK Insulators Limited
• Original Assignee: NGK Insulators Limited
• Inventors: Kawaguchi, Toshiyuki, Isozaki, Takashi, Yokoi, Shigeo, Yamamoto, Ryuta
• Primary Examiner(s): Goldberg, E. A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): DONOVAN, LINCOLN D
• Application Number:
  US06/657,532
• Time in Patent Office: 1,146 Days
• Field of Search: 364/400, 364/516, 340/573, 340/539, 340/572
• US Class Current: 700/90
• CPC Class Codes: A62B 3/00 Devices or single parts for facilitating escape from buildings or the like, e.g. protection shields, protection screens; Portable devices for preventing smoke penetrating into distinct parts of buildings A62B1/00 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 25/014 Alarm signalling to a central station with two-way communication, e.g. with signalling back
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 7/066 guiding along a path, e.g. evacuation path lighting strip

Abstract

A system for supervising and guiding workers at various places in a construction such as an underground substation, underground market, building, or tunnel is disclosed which includes a number of receivers arranged in a number of sections of the construction for receiving infrared radiation emitted from workers to produce a detection signal, a detection device arranged in a central control room for processing the detection signals supplied from the receivers to detect positions of workers in the construction, and communication devices provided in each section and the central control room for providing the workers with various kinds of instructions, commands and messages for preventing a disaster and escaping an emergency.

Claims

1. A system for supervising and guiding persons in a construction divided into a plurality of sections comprising:

identifying means provided in each respective section for receiving radiation emitted from one or more persons located in one or more respective sections, each identifying means producing a signal representing the presence of one or more persons in a respective section, and supplying the signal to a central control room in such a way that the central control room can identify said respective section;

means arranged in the central control room for receiving signals supplied from identifying means in respective sections in which one or more persons are situated;

means provided in the central control room for displaying the detected position of said respective sections in which one or more persons are situated;

means provided in the central control room for sending information to persons in said respective sections in which one or more persons are situated;

means provided in each respective section for detecting an abnormal condition occuring in respective sections and producing a signal, and means provided in the central control room for responding to said detection signal;

means provided in the central control room for generating information adequate for emergency escape on the basis of the detected positions of persons and the positions of sections in which the abnormal condition has been detected, and means for displaying the information together with the detected positions of persons; and

means provided in each respective section for displaying said information adequate for emergency escape.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein said receiving means comprises an element for detecting infrared radiation emitted from a person.

3. A system according to claim 1, wherein said receiving means comprises an element for detecting radiation emitted from a transmitter possessed by a person.

4. A system according to claim 3, wherein said transmitter is conducted to emit infrared radiation.

5. A system according to claim 4, wherein said infrared radiation has a wavelength longer than 800 nm, preferably longer than 5 μ

m.

6. A system according to claim 3, wherein said transmitter is constructed to emit an electromagnetic wave.

7. A system according to claim 6, wherein said electromagnetic wave has a frequency within a range from 100 MHz to 10 GHz.

8. A system according to claim 3, wherein said transmitter possessed by the person is constructed to emit said radiation which is modulated in accordance with a person identifying signal having a frequency specific to said transmitter, and said central control room further comprises means for detecting the person identifying signal.

9. A system according to claim 3, wherein said transmitter is constructed to emit an ultrasonic wave.

10. A system according to claim 9, wherein said ultrasonic wave has a frequency higher than 20 KHz.

11. A system according to claim 3, wherein said transmitter is installed in a device possessed or worn by a person.

12. A system according to claim 11, wherein said device is a helmet worn by a person.

13. A system according to claim 12, wherein said helmet further comprises a communication device including a microphone and earphone, each section further comprising a transmitter-receiver, and said central control room further comprises a communication device for effecting an intercommunication between the central control room and respective persons.

14. A system according to claim 13, wherein said transmitter is commonly used to transmit said radiation and to transmit a speech signal supplied from the microphone.

15. A system according to claim 14, wherein said communication device provided in the helmet comprises means for modulating a carrier having a given frequency in accordance with the speech signal supplied from the microphone to produce a modulated carrier, and said transmitter comprises an oscillator for generating said carrier and an emitter for generating the radiation whose intensity is modulated in accordance wtih said modulated carrier.

16. A system according to claim 15, wherein said carrier has a frequency specific to said helmet, and said central control room further comprises means for discriminating the frequency of the carrier to identify respective persons.

17. A system according to claim 1, wherein said detecting means comprises a sensor for detecting smoke, flame or an abnormal temperature.

18. A system according to claim 17, wherein each section further comprises means for preventing the fire, and said central control room further comprises means for actuating said fire preventing means in response to said detection signal.

19. A system according to claim 1, wherein said central control system comprises means for indicating the detected abnormal condition in the construction.

20. A system according to claim 19, wherein the central control room further comprises means for displaying the identification of one or more sections in which the abnormal condition has been detected as well as the detected positions of persons in the construction.