FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a mobile control centre and more specifically, but not exclusively, to a mobile control centre for use by law enforcement officers. BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

Control centres, or in some cases control rooms or operations rooms, are facilities used in many fields and industries where central command, coordination and/or control is required. An example of where control centres are useful is large industrial facilities such as factories or power plants, where the monitoring and control of the facility is conducted from a central control room which is staffed by appropriately skilled personnel.

Security forces will also use a form of control centre (more typically referred to as a tactical operations centre) from which to coordinate forces from a central point where information is analysed, decisions are made, and orders given to personnel in the field.

Temporary control centres may be erected, when necessary, for example in the case of a natural disaster or hostage situation. One of the problems of such temporary control centres is that all equipment which is necessary for full operation of thereof as well as the temporary physical structure which will house the control centre must be transported to the relevant location and set up for use. In addition, any communications links will have to be established once the structure and equipment has been set up. This is not only cumbersome, but also time consuming which may be particularly disadvantageous in emergency situations.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

It is accordingly an object of this invention to provide a mobile control centre which, at least partially, alleviates some of the problems associated with the prior art or provides a useful alternative thereto.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the invention there is provided a mobile control centre comprising:

- a wheeled chassis with a main body mounted on the chassis;

- the chassis and body being shaped and sized such that it is movable by a vehicle; a plurality of control units within the main body providing control centre functions and each including a computing node with at least one processor and associated memory for executing instructions to provide the control centre functions;

- each control unit being shaped, sized, and positioned to be used by an operator in either a sitting or a standing position; and

- each control unit including a number of operator interface devices for interacting with and controlling the computing node of the control unit.

The mobile control centre may include means for connecting to a power source. The means for connecting to a power source may include a socket and extension wire for connecting the mobile control centre to mains power.

The mobile control centre may include an integrated power source. The integrated power source may be an uninterruptible power supply (UPS). The UPS may include one or more batteries and inverters. The mobile control centre may include heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system. At least part of the HVAC system may be mounted on the chassis external to the main body.

The power source may power the control units. The chassis may include integrated retractable supports for supporting the chassis and main body in a stationary position.

Each control unit may include a display connected to the computing node.

The operator interface devices may include a keyboard and trackpad connected to the computing node of a control unit. Each control unit may include a housing which houses the, computing node, display, and operator interfaces. The housing may be made of injection moulded plastic. The housing may have a unitary construction, wherein the housing is a single moulded part. The housing may be made by assembling multiple moulded parts. A control unit may be a standing control unit or a sitting control unit. The housing of a standing control unit is shaped and sized such that the display and operator interfaces are operatively higher than the display and operator interfaces of a sitting control unit

The housing of a standing control unit is shaped and sized such that its associated display and operator interfaces are usable by an operator in a standing position.

The housing of a sitting control unit is shaped and sized such that its associated display and operator interfaces are usable by an operator in a sitting position.

The mobile control centre may include integrated chair storage for storing folding chairs which are used by operators of sitting control units. A control unit may be mounted to an inner wall of the main body.

The housing of the control unit may include an integrated storage compartment. The storage compartment may be lockable.

The main body may include doors for accessing the main body. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

An embodiment of the invention is described below, by way of example only, and with reference to the drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a schematic external perspective view of a mobile control centre;

Figure 2 is a schematic external rear perspective view of a mobile control centre with one door open;

Figure 3 is a schematic external perspective view of a mobile control centre with its main body hidden;

Figure 4 is a schematic external side perspective view of a mobile control centre with one side of the main body hidden;

Figure 5 is a schematic top view of a mobile control centre with a top side of the main body hidden; Figure 6 is a schematic perspective view of a first embodiment of a control unit;

Figure 7 is a schematic perspective view of a second embodiment of a control unit;

Figure 8 is a schematic perspective view of a third embodiment of a control unit; and

Figure 9 is a schematic perspective view of a fourth embodiment of a control unit.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

With reference to the drawings in which like features are indicated by like numerals, a mobile control centre is generally indicated by reference numeral 1.

The mobile control centre 1 includes a wheeled chassis 2. In the example shown in figures 1 to 4, the chassis is a ladder frame chassis with two axles and an A-frame 3 with a vehicle attachment member 4 (coupler) at a front side of the A-frame 3. The A-frame 3 and coupler 4 allow the mobile control centre to be towed by a vehicle. The chassis 2 also includes four integrated retractable supports 6 for supporting the chassis 2 and main body 5 in when the mobile control centre 1 is in a stationary position. The supports 6 are pivotable relative to the chassis 2 and also telescopically retractable and may be retracted and pivoted upward when the mobile control centre is being towed by a vehicle. Once the mobile control centre 1 is positioned at a desired location, the supports

6 may be pivoted downward and telescopically extended to support the chassis 2 and body 5 prior to decoupling the mobile control centre 1 from the vehicle. The supports may also be used to level the mobile control centre 1 on uneven terrain. At the front of the main body 5, an HVAC system 13 is located within an enclosure. The enclosure also houses the necessary equipment for connecting the mobile control centre 1 to mains power. In addition to using mains power, the mobile control centre 1 may also include an uninterruptable power supple (UPS) with associated batteries, inverters, and battery chargers. The mains power or UPS may power all the control units 7 and other equipment of the mobile control centre 1. The main body 5 is mounted atop the chassis 2 and has rectangular sides. At a rear side of the main body 5 are two pivoting doors to allow access to the interior of the body 5. Within the main body, a plurality of control units 7 are mounted on the inside walls of the main body 5. The control units 7 each have a computing node (not shown) with at least one processor and associated memory for executing instructions (software) to provide the control centre functions. The applicants envisage the software running on the computing nodes will primarily be used by law enforcement to assist with the duties of a dispatcher or field operations. In this case the software will typically receive and display various video and voice feeds from field officers, for example, body worn cameras, stationary cameras mounted on tripods at areas of interest, video feeds from sniper cameras, and communication radios of officers in the field and at headquarters. Further, location and tracking services relating to the positions and movement of field officers may also be received and displayed. The computing nodes will also include various forms of wireless communication (such as UHF, satellite, and other forms of encrypted digital communication) in order to receive the aforementioned information and signals. Each control unit 7 includes a display 8 and operator interface devices, which include a keyboard 9 and trackpad 10, connected to the computing node of a control unit 7. Each control unit 7 further includes a housing 11 which houses the computing node, display 8, and operator interfaces (9 and 10). The housing is typically made of injection moulded plastic and may have a unitary construction, wherein the housing 11 is a single moulded part. Alternatively, as is the case with the example shown in the figures, the housing 11 may be made by assembling multiple moulded parts. Depending on the configuration of the control unit 7, a control unit may have a different number of parts. For example, depending on the height of the display 8 and operator interface devices (9 and 10), the quantity of lower panels 12, which are panels located below a protrusion of the housing where the keyboard 9 and trackpad 10 is housed, may be adjusted as appropriate. This may be seen in the figures, with an embodiment of the control unit 7 shown in figure 6 having three lower panels 12, the embodiments shown in figures 7 and 8 having two lower panels 12, and the embodiment shown in figure 9 having one lower panel 12. The modularity of the housing 11 allows each control unit 7 to be shaped, sized, and positioned to be used by an operator in either a sitting or a standing position . The embodiments shown in figures 6 and 8 are intended to be used by operator in a standing position, and the embodiments shown in figures 7 and 9 and intended to be used by an operator in a sitting position. Where operators use the control unit 7 in a sitting position, a foldable chair (not shown) may be used, and the main body may include integrated storage for storing a plurality of folding chairs. A control unit 7 may be a standing control unit or a sitting control unit. The housing 11 of a standing control unit 7 is shaped and sized such that the display 8 and operator interfaces (9 and 10) are operatively higher than the display 8 and operator interfaces (9 and 10) of a sitting control unit 7. The housing 11 of a standing control unit 7 is shaped and sized such that its associated display 8 and operator interfaces (9 and 10) are usable by an operator in a standing position. The housing 11 of a sitting control unit 7 is shaped and sized such that its associated display 8 and operator interfaces (9 and 10) are usable by an operator in a sitting position. Each The housing 11 of the control unit 7 may include an lockable integrated storage compartment 14 for storing additional equipment.

In use, a mobile control centre 1 will be coupled to a vehicle using the coupler 4 located on the A-frame 3 of the chassis 2. The mobile control centre 1 may then be towed by the vehicle to an appropriate location. The supports 6 will be pivoted downward and extended such that the mobile control centre 1 is supported and levelled at the location.

The mobile control centre 1 may then be decoupled from the vehicle and connected to mains power. The mains power will power all equipment in the mobile control centre 1. Operators may then power on the control units 7 (and its associated computing nodes) and commence operations. Where an operator uses a sitting control unit 7, a foldable chair may be unfolded and positioned in front of the control unit.

It is envisaged that the invention will provide a mobile control centre which is easily and quickly deployable to remote locations and able to commence operations quickly and efficiently. The invention is not limited to the precise details as described herein. For example, instead of having two axles for the chassis, a single or triple-axle arrangement may be used. Further, instead of having five control units within the main body, two, three, or any other number of control units may be employed.