GB2329270A

GB2329270A - Mobile personnel protection system

Info

Publication number: GB2329270A
Application number: GB9719632A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Michael Gloster
Original assignee: Blick PLC
Current assignee: Stanley Security Solutions Europe Ltd
Priority date: 1997-09-15
Filing date: 1997-09-15
Publication date: 1999-03-17
Also published as: GB9719632D0; WO1999014721A1

Abstract

The mobile personnel protection system has a control centre (2) for receiving signals from and transmitting to a plurality of remote units (8). Each remote unit has at least one portable device (18) associated with it. The remote unit may transmit signals to and receive signals from each portable device associated with it. The portable devices each comprise alarm buttons to generate an alarm signal and a transmitter to transmit the alarm signal to the remote unit. The remote unit has means to transmit the alarm signal back to the control centre. The control centre is also capable of transmitting a message via the remote unit to the portable device for display.

Description

MOBILE PERSONNEL PROTECTION SYSTEM This invention relates to a mobile personnel protection system of the type which is typically used by people travelling in vehicles fitted with some form of radio system and who work away from their vehicles.

People travelling in vehicles which are provided with a radio system (e.g. packet radio, mobile radio, radio data networks, GSM, etc.) connecting them to a central controller, and can obtain assistance by initiating either an automatic alarm signal, typically by depressing a button provided on the radio system, or by sending a voice message. If the radio equipment is fitted to and powered by the vehicle, then once the person leaves the vehicle this capability of initiating an alarm is no longer available.

Usually, once a person has left his or her vehicle, he or she is much more vulnerable to attack or accident than when they are not in the vehicle. Furthermore, if the person is out of the vehicle, they are not able to receive incoming messages, some of which may be vital to their security if they are working on hazardous equipment, or the like.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention provides a method and apparatus by which a person having left a vehicle can still communicate and summon assistance over the radio network and can also receive vital messages from a central controller and can transmit back acknowledgements and further messages.

The invention is defined with more precision in the appended claims to which reference should now be made.

A preferred embodiment of the system will now be described in detail by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 shows a radio system embodying the invention; and Figure 2 shows a more detailed block diagram of the link between an in-vehicle radio and a portable unit embodying the invention.

Figure 1 shows a central call control unit(2) which is used to schedule messages to and from in-vehicle radios and other radios in a communication system. This is coupled to a fixed base transmitter receiver(4) which is provided for the vehicle radio system. This is provided with an antenna(6) for transmitting and receiving signals.

A vehicle(8) is provided with an in-vehicle radio(10). This receives signals from the fixed base station(4) via antenna(12) . It can be used by the person in the vehicle and also communicates by a serial communication link with an in-vehicle low power transceiver(14) . This is provided with a further antenna(16) for sending signals to and receiving signals from a portable alarm low power transceiver device(l8).

This is provided with a further antenna(20) to transmit signals from and receive signals from the in-vehicle low power transceiver(14).

When a person is away from a vehicle provided with this system, he takes the portable alarm transceiver(l8) with him. In the event that an emergency arises, the portable alarm is provided with at least one alarm button.

When this button is depressed, it sends an alarm signal via antennas(20) and (16) to the in-vehicle low power transceiver which communicates the alarm to the in-vehicle radio(10). This in turn sends the alarm signal back to the central call control unit(2) via the antennas(12) and (6) and the fixed base transmitter receiver(4). The central call control unit can then send an acknowledgement signal via the same route to the portable alarm transceiver to acknowledge that an alarm has been received and at the same time can send a message to a third party to send assistance to the person. Similarly, if the central call control unit has a message fcr a r.fl-ticular person, this can be transmitted via the same route to the in-vehicle radio or, if the person is not present in the vehicle, to the portable alarm transceiver.

The block diagram of Figure 2 shows the in-vehicle transceiver and the portable mobile alarm transceiver.

The portable alarm device has a microprocessor controller(22) controlling all its activities. It includes an audible alarm device coupled to the microcontroller for alerting the person carrying the portable alarm in response to signals received from the central call control unit (2). Also coupled to the microcontroller is an LCD display(26) to display messages from the central call control unit once the person carrying the device has been alerted.

In this embodiment, two alarm buttons(28) are coupled to the microcontroller(22) and can be depressed by the carrier of the device to cause the microcontroller(22) to generate an alarm signal which is then sent by a low power transmitter(30) and an aerial switch(32) to the antenna(l6) for transmission back to the in-vehicle transceiver(l0) and thence onward to the central call control unit. Two alarm buttons(28) are shown in this embodiment but in practice only one is required. An acknowledgement generated by the central call control unit is received back by the microcontroller and the audible device(24) can generate an audible acknowledgement and/or the LDC display(26) can display an acknowledgement. On the return path the signal passes via the aerial switch(32) to a receiver unit (34) and then on to the microcontroller(22).

In this embodiment, a motion detector(36) is also provided in the portable alarm. This could be replaced by some other type of monitoring device in dependence on the application for which the device is to be used. This detector can also be used to generate an alarm signal and send it to the central call control unit(2).

When detecting an alarm, the microcontroller(2) cause to be transmitted to the in-vehicle unit(l0) the identity of the portable alarm unit which it stores along with the type of alarm, i.e. an alarm generated by a button(28) or by a motion detector or similar device(36).

At the in-vehicle unit, a signal from the portable device is received on antenna(l2) and passes to aerial switch(38). This passes it on to a receive unit(40) and this in turn passes it to a microcontroller(42). Serial interface circuitry then passes the signal to the invehicle radio which causes the signal to be sent back to the call control unit. The serial interface circuitry is activated by the microcontroller. All the signals sent to the vehicle radio include the identity of the portable unit and the alarm type.

When an acknowledgement is received back by the vehicle radio from the call control unit(2), it is passed to the in-vehicle unit(l0) via the serial interface circuitry and then to the microcontroller(42). This passes the data to a low power transmitter(46) which applies the necessary type of modulation to it before sending it to the aerial(12) via antenna switch(38).

The use of the aerial switches(32) and (38) allow common antennas to be used for the portable alarm and for the in-vehicle unit.

Claims

- CLAIMS

1. A mobile personnel protection system comprising a control centre for receiving signals from and transmitting signals to a plurality of remote units, each remote unit having at least one portable device associated with it and which it may transmit signals to and receive signals from, each portable device comprising means to generate an alarm signal and means to transmit the alarm signal to the remote device, each remote device comprising means to transmit the alarm signal to the control centre.

2. A system according to claim 1 in which the control centre comprises means to generate an acknowledgement of an alarm signal and to transmit this to a remote unit for e:-~nsmlssion .n to a portable device.

3. A system according to claim 1 or 2 in which each portable device has a unique identity associated with it and the means to transmit an alarm signal, also transmits the unique identity of the portable unit with the alarm signal.

4. A system according to claim 2 in which the means to transmit an acknowledgement request transmits the acknowledgement to the in-vehicle unit from which the alarm signal was received and includes in the acknowledgement the unique identity of the portable device from which the alarm signal was received.

5. A portable alarm device comprising means for activating an alarm signal, means for transmitting an alarm signal along with an identification signal for the portable device, and means for receiving an alarm acknowledgement signal.

6. A mobile personnel protection system substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.