GB2120825A - Safety inspection monitoring system - Google Patents

Abstract

A system for monitoring a security guard on an inspection round comprises a terminal unit 10 at the start and coincident finish of the round and a portable unit 12 which is taken from and returned to the terminal unit. The portable unit includes switches which are actuated as the guard proceeds on his round. The terminal unit includes a timer and reports if the guard does not complete the round within a predetermined time or if upon completion of the round not all switches in the portable unit have been actuated. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Safety inspection monitoring system This invention concerns a system for monitoring a security guard making a security inspection round over a predetermined inspection route on a site under surveillance.

It is important for the guard's personal safety that an alarm is given if he is unduly delayed as might occur, for example, if he were to be attacked by an intruder during the course of his round. It is also important for the guard's employer to be sure that the round is in fact properly completed.

Various monitoring systems are known in which the guard carries a logging device containing a clock, which device must be engaged by mechanical keys at spaced locations around the route. Such systems are prone to abuse in various ways. The clock may be deliberately damaged or the keys may be duplicated or simply removed from their proper locations.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved security inspection monitoring system which is less prone to abuse than systems known hitherto.

According to the present invention there is provided a security inspection monitoring system comprising: a terminal unit adapted to be located at the coincident starting and finishing points of an inspection route, a portable unit adapted to accompany a security guard as he proceeds along the inspection route, reporting means, and a plurality of inspection point units adapted to be disposed at spaced locations along the inspection route, said terminal unit incorporating timing means and forming an interface between said portable unit and said reporting means, said portable unit incorporating individual switch means for each inspection point unit adapted to be actuated as the locations of the inspection point units are visited as the guard proceeds along the route, said timing means being adapted to be initiated when the guard commences the round by removal of the portable unit from the vicinity of the terminal unit, and said terminal unit being arranged to activate said reporting means if the portable unit is not returned to its vicinity after a predetermined delay or if returned within said delay without all of said switch means having been actuated.

The terminal unit may be located in a manned control centre such as the security lodge of a large industrial site and from which security guards leave to make their inspection rounds, when the reporting means may comprise a simple alarm device such as a bell or may be located at an unmanned location on the site under surveillance in which case the reporting means communicates with a central control which may be remote from the site and which may serve many different sites, by telephone or radio.

The reporting means may communicate signals indicating when a security round has commenced, when the round has been completed or not within the predetermined time, as the case may be, and which, if any, individual switch means in the portable unit have not been actuated upon completion of a round.

The invention will be further apparent from the following description, with reference to the several figures of the accompanying drawings, which show, byway of example only, one security inspection monitoring system embodying the invention.

Of the drawings: Figure 1 shows a diagrammatic lay-out of the entire system; Figure 2 shows a perspective view of the portable unit of the system; and Figure 3 shows a perspective view of one of the inspection point units of the system.

Referring firstly to Figure 1, it will be seen that the system comprises a terminal unit 10 which is located at an unmanned location on the site under surveillance and at a position corresponding with the start and coincident finish of an inspection route R, a plurality (in this example twelve) of inspection point units 11 and a portable unit 12. The portable unit 12 is normally resident with the terminal unit 10 when it is electrically connected therewith by means of multi-way jack-plugs 13 which extend from the casing of the unit 10 and which are removably engaged with complementary jack-sockets 14 in the unit 12.

The portable unit 12 may be disconnected from the terminal unit 10 to be carried by a security guard around the route R. The unit 12 contains a battery power supply and is conveniently located in a carrying case 15 equipped with a hand strap 16. The unit 12 incorporates a plurality of individual switch means, one for each of the inspection point units 11 around the route R. Each switch means is comprised by an electronic self-latching relay. Each switch mean is adapted to latch in an 'on' state when the unit 12 is engaged with its corresponding inspection point unit 11. Each inspection point unit 11 comprises a key member 17 which can be engaged with a socket 18 in the unit 12. Each key member 17 includes a plurality of electrical contacts 19 which are adapted to engage with complementary contacts in the socket 18.A coded pair of the contacts 19 are electrically connected uniquely identifying each of the units 11. Engagement of a key member 17 with the socket 18 completes a circuit within the unit 12 causing the corresponding switch means to latch in an 'on' state, at the same time illuminating a corresponding light-emitting diode 10 on a fascia panel to the unit 12 whereby proper actuation of the switch means can be verified. There are twelve diodes 20, one for each of the inspection point units 11.

In use, a security guard withdraws the unit 12 from the terminal unit 10 at the commencement of his inspection round. This operation starts a timer housed within the unit 10 and sets all of the individual switch means within the unit 12 to their 'off' states. As the guard makes his round he visits each 6f the locations of the inspection point units 11 in turn and engages the keys 17 thereof with the socket 18 thus actuating the individual switch means in turn. Upon completion of the round the security guard returns the unit 12 and reconnects it with the terminal unit which senses the condition of the individual switch means.

The terminal unit 10 includes reporting means in the form of an automatic telephone dialling system adapted to call a remote central control indicated by the telephone 30 in Figure 1 but in practice comprised perhaps by a microprocessor adapted to receive coded signals from the unit 10 and prepare a printed report therefrom.

The terminal unit 10 calls and signals to the central control 30 whenever: - the unit 12 is removed indicating the start of an inspection round - the unit 12 is not returned within a predetermined time delay from its removal.

- the unit is returned without all of the individual switch means therein having been actuated.

The signals will normally include information identifying the reporting unit and time of commencement and completion of each inspection round.

in a more sophisticated system the unit 10 may send signals identifying which (if any) of the individual switch means have not been actuated at the completion of the inspection round.

Detailed circuitry for the units 10 and 12 is not described since such is within the ordinary skills and knowledge of an electronic engineer and may take numerous different forms.

It will be appreciated that it is not intended to limit the invention to the above example only, many variations, such as might readily occur to one skilled in the art, being possible, without departing from the scope thereof as defined by the appended claims.

Thus, for example, the unit 12 may communicate within the unit 10 and/or the units 11 remotely as for example by induction, radio or otherwise, thus avoiding the necessity of any direct connection.

Claims (16)

1. A security inspection monitoring system com prising: a terminal unit adapted to be located at the coincident starting and finishing points of an inspec tion route, a portable unit adapted to accompany a security guard as he proceeds along the inspection route, reporting means, and a plurality of inspection point units adapted to be disposed at spaced locations along the inspection route, said terminal unit incorporating timing means and forming an interface between said portable unit and said reporting means, said portable unit incorporating individual switch means for each inspection point unit adapted to be actuated as the locations of the inspection point units are visited as the guard proceeds along the route, said timing means being adapted to be initiated when the guard commences the round by removal of the portable unit from the vicinity of the terminal unit, and said terminal unit being arranged to activate said reporting means if the portable unit is not returned to its vicinity after a predetermined delay or if returned within said delay without all of said switch means having been actuated.

2. A system according to claim 1 wherein the terminal unit is adapted to be disposed in a manned control centre from which the security guard leaves to make his round and wherein said reporting means comprises an alarm device.

3. A system according to claim 2 wherein the alarm device comprises a bell.

4. A system according to claim 1 wherein the terminal unit is adapted to be disposed at an unmanned location on the site including the inspection route and wherein the reporting means comprises means for communicating with a remote manned control centre.

5. A system according to claim 4 wherein said communicating means comprises an automatictele- phone dialling unit.

6. A system according to claim 4 wherein said communicating means comprises a radio transmitter.

7. A system according to any one of claims 4 to 6 inclusive wherein said reporting means is additionally activated whenever the portable unit is returned at the completion of a normal round to give a signal indicating such.

8. A system according to claim 7 wherein said reporting means is additionally activated whenever the portable unit is removed at the start of an inspection round to give a signal indicating such.

9. A system according to any one of claims 4 to 8 inclusive wherein if the portable unit is returned without all of said switch means having been actuated said reporting means gives a signal indicating which of said switch means have not been actuated.

10. A system according to any preceding claim wherein each said inspection point unit comprises a key member adapted to be engaged with the portable unit to actuate the associated switch means.

11. A system according to claim 10 wherein said key member comprises a plurality of electrical contacts, two of which are interconnected whereby a particular circuit within the portable unit is completed upon engagement of the key member with the portable unit.

12. A system according to any preceding claim wherein each said individual switch means is com prised by an electronic self-latching relay.

13. A system according to any preceding claim wherein said portable unit may be engaged with and withdrawn from said terminal unit by means of a multi-way electrical plug and socket arrangement.

14. Asystem according to any preceding claim wherein the portable unit incorporates indicator means showing the state of each individual switch means whereby the guard can confirm proper actuation of the switch means as he proceeds along the route.

15. A system according to claim 14 wherein said indicator means comprises for each switch means a light-emitting diode.

16. A security inspection monitoring system substantially as described herein with reference to the figures of the accompanying drawings.