HELMET AND SYSTEM FOR MONITORING PERSONS ENGAGED IN HAZARDOUS ACTIVITY

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to a helmet to be worn by persons while engaged in hazardous activity.

In another aspect, the invention pertains to a multi -component system that actively monitors the location and physiological data of personnel engaged in hazardous activity.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Personnel exposed to hazardous or potentially hazardous conditions typically use a wide variety of protective equipment as appropriate for each respective condition. For example, firefighters, when fighting a fire, generally wear a coat, boots, gloves and other clothing specially created to protect against fire and heat, as well as self-contained breathing equipment. Although such clothing and equipment provides some protection, firefighters still face significant dangers including disorientation, heat stroke, and heart attack. Today, firefighters are so well insulated they do not realize the environment has become extremely hot while engaged in strenuous physical activity.

Personnel working in hazardous or potentially hazardous conditions must be made aware of their respective physiological conditions. A decrease in cerebral oxygenation or change in body temperature may become extremely hazardous for a firefighter.

To alleviate some of the dangers involved in firefighting, various electronic devices have been developed to provide warnings to firefighters. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,640,148 discloses a dual activation alarm system for a personal alert safety system (PASS).

U. S. Pat. No. 5,635,909 discloses a temperature monitoring assembly that is incorporated into a garment such as a coat.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,541,549 discloses a personal alarm safety system that is designed as part of the firefighter's belt.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,137,378 discloses an integrated firefighter safety monitoring and alarm system that provides a number of warnings to a firefighter. This system includes temperature monitoring, an audible alarm and a display to provide additional information including a visible warning.

A wide variety of detectors, sensors and monitors are commercially available to warn personnel about potentially dangerous hazards. Such detectors, sensors and monitors may be installed at fixed locations, hand held or attached to clothing and other safety equipment associated with personnel working in hazardous or potentially hazardous conditions.

Even with such conventional devices, firefighters are still injured or killed due to heart attack and disorientation. The complexity of conventional devices, the difficulties of firefighting environments and the type and location of the warnings often cause firefighters not to hear audible warnings or not to see visible warnings of dangerous situations. It is often even more difficult for workers to recognize and take appropriate action when exposed to hazardous or potentially hazardous conditions.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect, the invention relates to a helmet for a person in a hazardous environment. The helmet is shaped and adapted to protect the person's head from physical injury. A physiologic sensor is carried by the helmet for generating data signals characteristic of a physiologic function of the wearer. functions. Also, a location sensor is carried by the helmet for generating data signals characterisic of the person's geographical location. A transmitter is carried by the helmet for wirelessly transmitting these data signals to a remote receiver.

According to another aspect of the invention, I provide a system for monitoring a physiologic function and the location of a person located in a hazardous

environment. The system comprises one or more physiologic sensors carried by said person for generating data signals characteristic of one of the person's physiologic functions. Also , a location sensor is carried by the person for generating data signals characteristic of the person's geographical location. A transmitter is carried by the person for wirelessly transmitting the data signals to a receiver at a remote location, a receiver at the remote location for receiving the data signals, and a display responsive to the data signals for indicating a physiological condition of the wearer, with alarms indicating when the person is in unacceptable or potential danger.

Thus, the present invention provides a multi-component system that actively monitors at least one physiological parameter of firefighting or military personnel engaged in a hazardous or dangerous activity. The system includes transmitting units that provide for the transmission of each wearer' s physiological data to a receiver unit for calculation, recording and/or storage. The transmitting unit can be installed with each wearer's protective equipment. Since most emergency or military operations involve multiple personnel, the system can simultaneously measure, record and transmits the data on the physiological conditions for all personnel wearing a transmitting unit throughout the operation or incident, including a real emergency or training. The system is especially well suited for firefighters, emergency and military personnel or athletes required to wear helmets to reduce the potential head impacts and injuries, for example, structure fires and collapses, military combat activity or contact or inherently dangerous sports. Since the system can be employed with every person involved in the operation, the system can simultaneously measure, transmit and/or record location and physiological data from each person throughout the course of the operation or training session.

One aspect of the system actively monitors and tracks the physical location of the wearer while engaged in physical activity, such as during a structure fire or military operation. This location data is transmitted to a remote receiver unit where another person is tracking the location of each person. To assist with future monitoring and evaluation, a system database can store the location tracking data for each wearer monitored.

In yet another aspect of the invention, the system actively measures and calculates each wearer's body temperature, pulse and/or blood oxygen levels during physical activity. When the calculated body temperature, pulse rate and/or blood

oxygen levels exceed a predetermined level, the system receiver unit transmits a signal to the signaling device to notify incident command personnel that one of their personnel has experienced a significant increase in body temperature and/or pulse rate increase and/or decrease in blood oxygen level.

Yet another aspect of the invention, the system actively monitors and tracks the physical location, and measures and calculates the wearer's physiological condition during physical activity. Thus, the system can actively monitor location and multiple physiological conditions for each of the many emergency personnel engaged in physical activity.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following specification, taken in conjunction with the following drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a firefighter helmet, to which a transmitting unit is attached;

FIG. 2 is a helmet suspension assembly, to which the physiological sensors are attached, and which is attached to the interior of the helmet;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the system of the invention, showing the system configured for use with firefighter helmets; and

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the system of the invention;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In FIG. 1 , transmitting unit 12 is attached to and removable from helmet 1 1 by a slide and lock bracket attached to helmet 11. Transmitting unit 12 automatically and continuously collects and processes the wearer's location and physiological data and transmits this data to the receiving unit 35. Hard wire or wireless technology electrically connects each sensor 22 and 23 with the transmitting unit 12. The transmitting unit 12 can include a locator module 12a, a signal conditioner 12b, a filter 12c, a microprocessor 12d, an encoder 12e, a telemetry element 12f, and a power

source 12g. The transmitting unit 12 processes the input data from sensors 22 and 23, including filtering and conditioning as necessary, and then converts the data to signals. Next, the encoder 12e of the transmitting unit 12 encodes the signals with a unique identifier, and the telemetry element 12f wirelessly transmits (as represented by the lightning bolts in FIG. 3) the encoded signals to the remote receiving unit 35 which recognizes the encoded signals for further processing. The telemetry element 12f can be a transceiver, or a separate receiver and transmitter. The power source 12g can be a rechargeable battery or a disposable battery. The data transmitted from the transmitting unit 12 to the receiving unit 35 can be encrypted to increase the security of the data.

In FIG. 2, the in-helmet suspension assembly 21 includes a flexible forehead band 24 that houses the sensors 22 and 23. The flexible band 24 is integrated into the suspension assembly of the helmet 11, wherein the sensors 22 and 23 are positioned about the wearer's forehead or skull. In this manner, the in-helmet suspension assembly 21 is removable from the helmet 1 1 to allow for testing and maintenance. The band 24 is dimensioned such that the sensors 22 and 23 are carried close to or in contact with the outer surface of the wearer's head. While FIG. 2 depicts two sensors 22 and 23 within the suspension assembly 21 , the precise number of sensors varies with the design of the system. The temperature sensor 22 and can be placed within the forehead band 24 of the helmet suspension assembly 21. The pulse oximetry (pulse and cerebral oxygen saturation) sensor 23 can be placed within a padded rigid flexible tab attached to the flexible forehead band 24. Sensor 22 can be an infrared technology sensor which detects the heat naturally emitting from the skin surface near the temporal artery region. In addition, the method and/or apparatus of the invention can incorporate temporal artery thermometry, an arterial heat balance system that automatically account for the effects of ambient temperature on the skin. Sensor 23 can be an infrared or near infrared technology such as a pulse oximetry sensor which detects the cerebral tissue oxygen saturation level and heart rate. A decreased level of oxygen and/or a change in heart rate indicate impending disorientation or loss of consciousness.

A location sensor may also be carried by the suspension assembly 12, the output data from which is transmitted by the transmitting unit 12. In the presently preferred embodiment, the location sensor is a high-sensitivity GPS with integrated pedestrian dead reckoning, the oxygenation sensor is a transflectance pulse oximetry sensor which measures arterial oxygen saturation and pulse rate, and the temperature

sensor is an infrared temporal artery thermometry sensor or a continuous monitoring temperature contact probe.

FIG. 3 depicts a multi-component system 30 for actively monitoring location and physiological conditions of numerous firefighters engaged in a high hazard activity, wherein the firefighter's data is transmitted to a receiving unit 35 for monitoring and recording. Since most firefighter activities involve multiple personnel, the system 30 simultaneously measures, records and transmits the data on the location and physiological conditions for all personnel throughout the course of the activity. The system 30 is especially well suited for helmeted operations where personnel are susceptible to head impacts and injuries; for example, firefϊghting and military operations. Therefore, the system 30 represents a platform for actively monitoring the location and physiological conditions of firefighting personnel engaged in dangerous activities.

The system 30 is generally comprised of multiple transmitting units 12, a receiving unit 35, a signaling device 31 , a database 32, and software that enables the various components of the system 30 to communicate and interact. While the system 30 is described below in the context of a helmeted personnel activity, the system 30 can be utilized in connection with other activities that do not require a helmet. Consequently, the system 30 can be configured for use with other protective gear.

Because a firefighting operation can include numerous personnel, in some cases exceeding one hundred personnel, each firefighter has a transmitting unit 12 that communicates with the receiving unit 30. Therefore, the transmitting units 12 continuously and collectively measure and transmit location and physiological data to the receiver for monitoring of the firefighting personnel. While a significant portion of the measuring and monitoring occurs during the physical activity, the system 30 continues to measure relevant physiological data, such as the wearer's body temperature and pulse oximetry when personnel are at a reduced activity level as well, to establish baseline values and/or monitor possible undesirable changes even after the physical activity has been completed.

The transmitting unit 12 processes the data signals and transmits them to the incident command post receiving unit 35 for calculation and monitoring of the firefighter's location and physiological condition. As part of the processing step, the transmitting unit 12 conditions and filters the signals, as necessary, and then encodes

the signals with a unique identifier for transmission to the receiver unit 35. To support simultaneous transmissions from multiple transmitting units 12, the signals sent from each transmitting unit 12 can be divided with time division multiple access (TDMA), code division multiple access (CDMA), or frequency division multiple access (FDMA) technology. Encoding the signals with a unique identifier enables the receiving unit 35 to properly decode information from the various transmitting units 12 transmitting data. With the aid of the signaling device 31 , the incident command post personnel using the system 30 can then monitor the location and physiological condition of select personnel based upon the calculated parameter result.

The receiving unit 35 receives the data transmitted by the transmitting units 12 and processes the data for meaningful analysis or use. The incident command post receiving unit 35 is comprised of a portable microprocessor 34 (laptop or portable computer), including a display screen, and a telemetry element 33 connected to the microprocessor 34. The receiving unit 35 is a mobile apparatus that can be transported in a case 36.

Telemetry element 33 includes an antenna 33a, a transceiver 33b, and an encoder 33c. Consistent with that explained above, the telemetry element 33 decodes the encoded signals sent from each transmitting unit 12. The receiving unit 35 recognizes the identifier provided by each transmitting unit 12 and organizes the results for each wearer. The receiving unit 35 is a memory device for storing data received from the transmitting units 12. The receiving unit 35 can be equipped with software that includes management information and communication with a centralized database 32.

The receiving unit 35 receives the encoded signal from the transmitting unit 12 and processes the data within the signal to calculate a result for analysis and use. The incident command post can be comprised of a portable microprocessor (laptop or portable computer, including the display scene and a telemetry unit 33 connected to the microprocessor. The receiving unit 35 is a mobile apparatus that can be transported in a case 36. When the result reaches or exceeds a predetermined level, the receiving unit 35 communicates with the laptop display and signaling device 31, thereby alerting the incident command post personnel wearing the device 31. For each alert event, the receiving unit 35 displays the affected person's identity, for example by name, the measured result, and the time of the alert event. At this time, the personnel in question can be alerted and evaluated.

The signaling device 31 and laptop 34 communicates with the receiving unit 35 and alert the command post personnel or other personnel when data is outside of acceptable limits. The signaling device 31 can be a pager, a personal digital assistant (PDA), or a portable electronic device, such as a cell phone, that is capable of receiving data and displaying results. Typically, the device 31 is worn or held by incident command post personnel. The signaling device 31 can vibrate or sound an audio alarm when a suspect event is measured and recorded, and inform the wearer of the device 31 or persons near the event personnel of the alert event. An alert event is detected, measured and recorded the nature of the alert event, the device 31 and laptop 35 can advise : the identity of personnel affected, the nature of the suspect event alert, including the a change in physiological status such as elevated body temperature or pulse or decreased cerebral oxygenation and record the time of the incident and other data related to the incident management.

The system 30 includes a server 32, preferably a database server 32. The central database 32 stores data from all remote sites, including information stored on the receiving unit 35 and the signaling device 31. The database 32 is internet enabled to provide remote access to authorized users.

The system 30 may be configured to adjust its monitoring, sensitivity and/or calculations based upon various types of information. Thus, the operational parameters and standards of the system 30 components, including the transmitting units 12, the receiving unit 35 and the (PDA) signaling device 31, can be adjusted for future monitoring of personnel considering each individual's recent data and history.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram , showing the components of system 30 and how each component relates to the others.

Having disclosed my invention is such terms as to enable a person skilled in the art to understand and practice it and, having identified the presently preferred embodiments thereof, I CLAIM: