Condition responsive indication assembly and method

• US 9,538,801 B2
• Filed: 10/14/2015
• Issued: 01/10/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Guardhat, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Guardhat, Inc.
• Inventors: Dey, Saikat, Reepmeyer, Gerrit, Sengupta, Anupam, Zhavoronkov, Mikhail
• Primary Examiner(s): HUNNINGS, TRAVIS R
• Application Number:
  US14/883,157
• Publication Number:
  US 20160110992A1
• Time in Patent Office: 454 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A42B 3/046 Means for detecting hazards or accidents
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/02 Alarms for ensuring the safety of persons
• 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 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 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 25/016 Personal emergency signalling and security systems emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/10 using wireless transmission systems G08B25/009 takes precedence
• 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

Abstract

A communications assembly includes a central processing unit and a plurality of hardhat assemblies. The central processing unit transmits central signals and receives remote communications from the hardhat assemblies. The hardhat assemblies are operatively connected to the central processing unit in order to transmit the remote communications and receive the central communications. A communications hub is operatively connected between the central processing unit and each of the hardhat assemblies to control independent communication between the central processing unit and the hardhat assemblies. The central processing unit includes an incident identification module for receiving the remote communications and for identifying a portion of the remote communications from a portion of the hardhat assemblies as indicating a situation requiring a communication to be sent to the portion of the hardhat assemblies. The portion may include one or more than one hardhat assembly.

Claims

1. A communications assembly comprising:

a central processing unit for transmitting central communications and for receiving remote communications;

a plurality of hardhat assemblies operatively connected to said central processing unit to transmit the remote communications and receive the central communications; and

a communications hub operatively connected between said central processing unit and each of said plurality of hardhat assemblies to control independent communication between said central processing unit and each of said plurality of hardhat assemblies, wherein said communications hub includes central base stations to coordinate communication between said communications hub and said plurality of hardhat assemblies such that said central base stations may prioritize certain of the remote communications and respond thereto to eliminate the need for the remote communications to be transmitted all the way back to said central processing unit, wherein said central processing unit includes an incident identification module for receiving the remote communications and for identifying a portion of the remote communications from a portion of said plurality of hardhat assemblies as indicating a situation requiring a communication to be sent to said portion of said plurality of hardhat assemblies.

2. A communications assembly as set forth in claim 1 including a communication interface electrically connected to said central processing unit and each of said plurality of hardhat assemblies to control communications therebetween.

3. A communications assembly as set forth in claim 2 including an application programming interface to bidirectionally transmit communication between said central processing unit and discrete functional applications.

4. A communications assembly as set forth in claim 3 wherein said central processing unit includes a database for storing communications and data received and transmitted by said central processing unit.

5. A communications assembly comprising:

a central processing unit for transmitting central signals and for receiving remote communications;

a plurality of wearable communications assemblies in communication with said central processing unit to transmit the remote communications and receive the central signals; and

a communications hub operatively connected between said central processing unit and each of said plurality of wearable communications assemblies to control independent communication between said central processing unit and each of said plurality of wearable communications assemblies, wherein said communications hub includes central base stations to coordinate communication between said communications hub and said plurality of wearable communications assemblies;

an incident identification module for receiving the remote communications and for identifying a portion of the remote communications from a portion of said plurality of wearable communications assemblies as indicating a situation requiring a communication to be sent to said portion of said plurality of wearable communications assemblies; and

a plurality of remote base stations that communicate between said plurality of wearable communications assemblies and said central base stations such that said plurality of remote base stations may prioritize certain of the remote communications and respond thereto to eliminate the need for the remote communications to be transmitted all the way back to said central processing unit.

6. A communications assembly as set forth in claim 5 including a communication interface electrically connected to said central processing unit and each of said plurality of wearable communications assemblies to control communications therebetween.

7. A communications assembly as set forth in claim 6 including a plurality of remote base stations that communicate between said plurality of wearable communications assemblies and said central base stations.

8. A communications assembly as set forth in claim 7 including a remote communications bus extending between said remote base stations and said central base stations.

9. A communications assembly as set forth in claim 5 including an application programming interface to bidirectionally transmit communication between said central processing unit and discrete functional applications.

10. A communications assembly as set forth in claim 5 wherein said central processing unit includes an industry database for storing communications and data received and transmitted by said central processing unit.

11. A communications assembly as set forth in claim 5 wherein said communications hub includes central base stations to coordinate communication between said communications hub and said plurality of wearable communications assemblies.