Personnel proximity detection and tracking system

• US 9,741,233 B2
• Filed: 07/02/2015
• Issued: 08/22/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Valve Solutions Inc.
• Original Assignee: OSLA Technologies, LLC
• Inventors: Laufer, Zohar, Osborne, Jr., Charles Agnew
• Primary Examiner(s): Dsouza, Adolf
• Application Number:
  US14/790,473
• Publication Number:
  US 20160005300A1
• Time in Patent Office: 782 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/245 Reminder of hygiene compliance policies, e.g. of washing hands
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/20 for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/33 for indoor environments, e.g. buildings
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/38 for collecting sensor information

Abstract

Systems and methods for tracking, locating, identifying, or mapping movements of persons or personnel within a facility may include badges carried by selected persons or personnel through the facility, and these badges can each include a transmitter configured to transmit a series of signals including signature information identifying the badges and also identifying codes of each signal transmitted. In addition, a series of receivers can be positioned at selected locations of the facility and can receive the signals transmitted by the transmitters of the badges, and these receivers can be configured to identify each badge from which signals are received based upon signature information for identified badges and also to determine the proximity, range, distance, or zone between the badge identified and one or more receivers.

Claims

1. A system for identifying and mapping movements of personnel throughout a facility that comprises:

a plurality of personal badges each assigned to and carried by a selected person and each comprising one or more transmitters that transmit a plurality of signals, including a series of different signal strength signals that are transmitted for a selected, predetermined distance from the badge, which predetermined distance is different for each different signal strength signal, and wherein each signal of the plurality of the signals includes signature information identifying each badge from which the signal is transmitted and an identifying code identifying the signal from other ones of the plurality of signals transmitted by the badge;

a plurality of receivers positioned at selected locations throughout the facility, each receiver of the plurality of receivers configured to receive one or more signals transmitted by each badge of the plurality of badges moving within a selected range of the receiver; and

a processor in communication with the plurality of receivers, wherein when one or more receivers of the plurality of receivers receives one or more signals of the plurality of signals transmitted by the badges, the processor identifies each badge from which the signals are received by each receiver based upon the signature information included in the received signals from each badge, and determines a plurality of positions or movements of each identified badge in relation to each of the one or more receivers receiving the signals therefrom based on the different signal strength signals received from each identified badge based upon identifying codes of the received signals, and wherein the processor is further configured to identify and map the movements of each personal badge as it moves throughout the facility based on the plurality of determined positions therefor.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of signals includes at least five signals.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein a variation between the predetermined distance at which each of the plurality of signals is transmitted is between about 5 in. to about 1 ft.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein each signal of the plurality of signals includes one signal type.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the one signal type includes an electromagnetic signal.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a database storing data including information on medical patients checked into the facility, wherein the processor is in communication with the database and is configured to cross-reference the information on the medical patients stored in the database and the plurality of positions determined for each badge, and is configured to alert personnel carrying each badge to take a particular action and/or is configured to allow or restrict access to different areas of the facility.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more transmitters of each badge are configured to initiate transmission of their plurality of signals in response to a transmission received from at least one receiver of the plurality of receivers, when the badges are within a prescribed proximity in relation thereto.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein each receiver of the plurality of receivers is configured to transmit a series of initiating signals covering a predefined zone of the facility.

9. A method of identifying and/or monitoring individuals in a facility, comprising:

assigning each of a plurality of badges to identified individuals moving about the facility;

as the selected individuals move through the facility, each carrying an assigned badge, transmitting a plurality of signals from one or more transmitters included in each assigned badge, wherein each signal of the plurality of signals is transmitted at a prescribed intensity that travels a predetermined distance from each assigned badge, and which contains a signature identifier corresponding to each assigned badge and one or more identifying codes indicating the predetermined distance of travel by each transmitted signal;

receiving the transmitted signals from the assigned badges at a plurality of receivers positioned throughout the facility;

identifying the individuals carrying the assigned badges based at least in part on the signature identifier of the received signals; and

determining a plurality of positions of the selected individuals carrying the assigned badges in relation to the plurality of receivers based on the one or more codes indicating the predetermined distance of each transmitted signal; and

logging the plurality of positions of the selected individuals.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

notifying the selected individuals to use one or more sanitation devices in a selected area of the facility when the selected individuals are within a predetermined proximity of at least one receiver of the plurality of receivers.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

determining whether the selected individuals activated one or more of the sanitation devices.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein at least one receiver of the plurality of receivers is mounted substantially adjacent to a patient'"'"'s bed in a predetermined area of the facility, and

wherein the determining further comprises determining a location on a patient positioned on the bed where the selected individuals are within a certain proximity in relation thereto.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

retrieving the patient'"'"'s medical information from a database; and

cross-referencing the patient'"'"'s medical information retrieved from the database with the determined location of the patient'"'"'s body to determine whether the patient received treatment at the determined location.

14. A system for tracking, locating, and/or mapping movements of medical workers in a medical facility, comprising:

a plurality of badges each assigned to and carried by a selected medical worker, and each comprising at least one transmitter configured to transmit a plurality of signals at varying intensities such that each signal of the plurality of signals is transmitted at a predetermined distance from its badge, wherein each signal of the plurality of signals includes signature information identifying the badge from which each signal is transmitted, and includes a specific code identifying the predetermined distance at which each signal is transmitted;

one or more receivers positioned adjacent a patient treatment area of the medical facility, wherein each receiver of the plurality of receivers transmits an activation signal to cause one or more badges of the plurality of badges within a desired proximity thereto to transmit their series of signals;

a processor in communication with the one or more receivers, wherein when the one or more receivers receives signals of the plurality of signals transmitted by the plurality of badges, the processor identifies each badge from which the signals are received based upon the signature information, and determines a plurality of positions of each badge within the patient treatment area based on the specific codes identifying the predetermined distance at which each signal is transmitted; and

a database in communication with the processor that stores data including information on one or more medical patients within the patient treatment area, wherein the processor cross-references the information on the medical patients stored in the database and the plurality of positions of each badge within the patient treatment area.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the badges each further comprise a badge receiver configured to receive the activation signal as each badge moves within the desired proximity to activate the badge and initiate the transmission of the series of signals.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein at least one receiver is located at a position adjacent an entryway of the treatment area.

17. The system of claim 14, further comprising a sanitation device in communication with one or more of the receivers and including one or more notification devices that notify the selected medical worker to perform a sanitation action in response to one or more of the receivers receiving at least one of the signals transmitted from one or more badges of the plurality of badges.