ITMI20131030A1 - METHOD, DEVICE AND SYSTEM FOR THE TRACEABILITY AND VERIFICATION OF FITNESS FOR INDIVIDUAL PROTECTION DEVICES - Google Patents

Description

Description of the patent application for industrial invention entitled "Method, device and system for traceability and verification of suitability for personal protective equipment"

The present invention refers to a method which allows efficient traceability and verification of suitability of personal protective equipment. Furthermore, the invention refers to an individual protection device and a traceability and verification system.

With the name â € œPersonal protection devicesâ € (PPE) we refer to all those equipment or instruments that are intended to be worn or in any case carried by the worker in order to protect him from the risks he must face in his activity. PPE includes, for example, protective goggles, respiratory masks, ear muffs, gloves, protective and / or high visibility clothing (both complex garments and simple harnesses or wearable bands), etc.

Various workplace safety regulations define PPE and the characteristics it must possess.

For example, the Italian legislation provides, among other things, the Legislative Decree 81/08 which in art. 74 paragraph 1 reports as a definition of PPE: â € œ any equipment intended to be worn and kept by the worker in order to protect him against one or more risks likely to threaten his safety or health during work, as well as any complement or accessory intended to this purposeâ €.

It is clear that an individual protection device cannot be lacking in some features which guarantee its safety for the user and which depend on the type of device. For example, high visibility clothing must have parameters that define its visibility that are not lower than predetermined values.

Furthermore, there are structural characteristics (such as comfort, ergonomics, harmlessness and solidity, etc.) that PPE must satisfy and all PPE must naturally pass the specific `` stress tests '' and meet the standards. provided for the testing of work equipment.

New PPE are placed on the market with certifications that they meet all the characteristics required for them. Each PPE is also supplied with instructions for its storage, those relating to its use, cleaning and maintenance, as well as the expiry date.

However, there are various causes that can alter the degree of efficiency of a PPE.

For example, many PPE are subject to maintenance processes after which it is necessary to ensure that the characteristics of the PPE that are the basis of the certification process have not been altered. After maintenance, new conformity tests must therefore be performed at least for those parameters that can be altered by maintenance operations, and the test results that must be associated with the specific PPE and kept for future use.

Among the most commonly used PPE there are for example high visibility garments, for example equipped with reflective bands and fluorescent background material, whose requirements are specified by various standards, such as the European standard EN471: 2008 or the US standard ANSI. / SEA 107.

The visibility characteristics of these garments change over time, especially due to repeated washing. For this reason, manufacturers typically report the number of wash cycles garments can undergo before they need to be replaced.

However, it is often necessary to carry out a verification of the characteristics after each wash even if the maximum number of washes provided by the manufacturer has not yet been reached. This is also important in the case of specialized companies that carry out washing in high volumes on behalf of third parties.

Usually the person responsible for the compliance of the PPE with the regulations is the employer whose worker the PPE is provided to. However, the employer does not really have direct control of the washing operations and is not usually equipped to perform the tests, which are therefore performed by the company performing the washes.

Furthermore, both the worker who uses the PPE and the safety managers do not have the possibility to promptly verify whether the device that is supplied still meets the safety standards or not.

Companies that use high visibility clothing today tend to behave in two partially alternative ways:

1) rent the clothing that is supplied with a maintenance service (ie washing and the relative suitability check);

2) purchase the clothing and outsource only the maintenance service.

In both situations, however, it can be an external company that takes care of the service of checking the suitability of the garment after maintenance.

This external company or the company that carries out the washing internally must therefore, after washing, subject each individual PPE garment to an on-line suitability check for the implementation of any ordinary maintenance (minor repairs, replacement of buttons or hinges) always in compliance with the original characteristics of the PPE, and subject the PPE garment, through a validated system, to instrumental control of the established parameters (generally Reflection and Luminance) according to the provisions of the regulations, recording the identification of the garment and the outcome of the verification. In any case, the results of the instrumental check prevail over the number of washing treatments indicated on the maintenance label. In the event that the checks do not confirm the suitability of the PPE garment, it will be marked as â € discardedâ € and replaced with another identical and compliant one.

The maintenance company must therefore perform the following operations after washing:

- take out every single item;

- register a unique code made on the garment by the same company, to ensure uniqueness of the measurements;

- perform a measurement with a spectrophotometer, archive the data and verify its consistency with the limits imposed by the standards;

- carry out a measurement with a retroreflectometer, archive the data and verify its congruence with the limits imposed by the standards.

Usually, also given the high volumes handled, the company providing the maintenance service is not required to deliver the complete report of the measurements, which is provided to the user company of the maintenance service only upon request and / or for cases or agreements. details.

The current management of the process thus leaves room for many doubts and does not provide a certainty of the control process after maintenance.

Of course, the case of highly visible garments was taken as a particular example here, also given the high volumes of these types of PPE that are handled, but similar problems can also exist for other types of PPE, as is easily imaginable to the skilled technician.

The general purpose of the present invention is to provide a system and a method that allow easy traceability and verification of the suitability of personal protective equipment, and which preferably allow to associate and promptly retrieve information on the conditions of acceptability or otherwise of a specific device. of individual protection. Another purpose is to provide an individual protection device that contains in electronic format data regarding its suitability for use.

In view of these purposes, it was decided to implement, according to the invention, a method for the traceability and verification of the suitability of personal protective equipment, including the insertion of RFID tags in the individual protection devices, acceptability of the personal protective equipment, send the test result to a remote server and receive from the server a validation signature or not according to the test result and store this signature in the tag.

It was also thought of creating a system for the traceability and verification of the suitability of personal protective equipment, comprising: a server computer system with a database for storing data concerning the protective devices; at least one RFID tag comprising a rewritable memory and associated or associable with an individual protection device; at least one client station connected or connectable to the server through a network for exchanging data with the server and equipped with means for reading and writing data in the tag, means for entering test data concerning the individual protection and means of sending such data to the server for storage in said database; the server also having means for validating the test data sent by the client and means for producing a validation signature and for sending the validation signature to the client for storing such signature in the rewritable memory of the tag by means of said writing means of data.

Finally, it was decided to create an individual protection device characterized by the fact of including an RFID tag containing data validating its suitability or not for use.

To clarify the explanation of the innovative principles of the present invention and its advantages with respect to the known art, an exemplary embodiment applying these principles will be described below, with the help of the attached drawings. In the drawings:

figure 1 represents a schematic view of a test information information management system of a PPE;

figure 2 represents a block diagram of the flow of test information in a system according to figure 1;

-figure 3 is an example of first information displayed by a portable device according to the invention.

With reference to the figures, figure 1 schematically shows a system, generically indicated with 10, made according to the invention for the traceability and verification of suitability information in personal protective equipment (PPE).

The system comprises an electronic identification tag 11 inserted in each PPE 12. For example, the PPE can advantageously be a highly visible garment. However, it is understood that the system can also be used for other types of PPE.

Tag 11 is advantageously a known electronic tag with passive RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification) technology.

For the purposes of the present invention, the tag comprises a rewritable memory suitable for containing an electronic signature or verification code (for example encoded in the form of a string of bits), as will become clear below.

This memory can advantageously also have a very limited size (even just a few bytes), essentially having to contain only an electronic signature whose length will depend on the desired degree of security and on the little information that is desired to be immediately detectable by reading the tag.

For example, as will be seen, such information may also contain only the date of the last test carried out on the PPE with positive or negative result and which led to the writing of the coded signature on the tag.

Preferably, the tag also comprises a memory (advantageously not alterable or, at least, not readily alterable) containing a unique identifier of the tag.

The unique identifier of the tag can also include a part that encodes the type of PPE and possibly the manufacturer, according to some pre-established convention to allow the subsequent reading and possible representation of such information in clear text. The identification in the tag can be advantageously made according to an internationally recognized standard. The operating protocol of the tag can be advantageously chosen to be compatible with the NFC (Near Field Communication) specifications.

The tag will naturally be chosen to be resistant to the maintenance treatments (for example washing) to which the associated PPE will normally be subjected.

In a garment the tag can be advantageously sewn into a suitable lining or pocket.

The system 10 also comprises one or more client stations 13 which will generally be available to the maintenance technicians. Each client station 13 comprises a control unit 14, for example advantageously a suitably programmed personal computer, which provides a suitable user interface and which communicates through a network 15 with a server computer system 16. The network can advantageously be the internet network to which the station 13 accesses through a suitable network interface 17. The client station also comprises a reading unit 18 for reading the tag and a writing unit 19 for the tag. Read and write units can of course be combined into a single read / write unit. The tag and the systems for its reading and writing are known per se and will therefore not be shown or described in detail here. In general, the tag usually includes a built-in antenna that allows both the transmission of data and the power supply of the tag itself by electromagnetic induction, by coupling the antenna of the tag to a corresponding antenna of a suitable external reading and / or writing device. . In fact, both the writing system and the reading system include an antenna that is coupled with the antenna of the tag and transfers by electromagnetic induction electrical power to the tag and at the same time establishes a bidirectional communication with the tag, according to a known standard. .

The client station 17 substantially comprises known input means 20, such as even just a simple manual input keyboard or an electronic communication interface between electronic instruments or devices, for the input of the results of suitable tests which are provided on the PPE in order to establish eligibility.

Known test means 40 are provided for carrying out the specific tests on the PPE to be treated. The test means 40 can form part of the client station 13 or be separate apparatuses known and the test results 31 can also be inserted at a later time in the station through said input means 20.

For example, in the case of a highly visible garment, said test means 20 can comprise a known spectrophotometer and a known retroreflectometer, connected to the input means (for example through a USB connection) or be read by an operator who then types the results on the keyboard of the client station.

The remote server 16 in turn comprises a network access interface 21, a test data storage database 22 (for example a known mass storage unit) a suitably programmed central processing unit 23 and, as will become clear from sequentially, means or modules for validation 24 and electronic signature 25. The modules or means 24 and 25 can be advantageously realized by means of appropriate programming of the same central unit 23, as will become clear in the following, instead of as separate elements communicating with it.

In a more advanced embodiment, the system 10 can also advantageously comprise portable peripheral devices or units 26, equipped with means 27 for reading the tags 11, processing means 28, means 29 for communicating with the network 15 to access the server 16 and means of user interface 30 (for example a display and a keyboard, also virtual on touchscreen).

Advantageously, the peripheral units 26 can be made in the form of smartphones and / or tablets or other similar portable devices, suitably programmed and equipped with NFC capabilities, as will become clear in the following, to receive data from the tag, process them and show them on the display of one's own. user interface. Furthermore, optionally the unit 26 will be able to communicate with its own means of internet access to connect to the server 16 (for example through a standard interface or browser for accessing a specific internet site made available by the server 23).

As easily imagined by the expert technician, it is possible to make APPs available developed for each mobile operating system and usable on any smart phone (Android, iOS, Windows mobile, etc.) with NFC device.

Portable devices can thus be available to a large number of people.

Figure 2 shows a block diagram of the operation of the system of figure 1.

During the verification phase of the characteristics of a PPE equipped with tags (indicated with 11a in figure 2) the client 13 sends the information 31 associated with the tests (for example containing the result of the suitability tests) carried out on the PPE associated with the tag. The tests carried out will depend on the specific characteristics of the associated PPE and / or on the type of maintenance performed. For example, in the case of a highly visible garment, the tests may concern the measurement of the retroreflection and the minimum luminance factor.

Preferably, the tag also comprises the identification information 50 that the client system reads from the memory 42 of the tag. Such information may include only the unique identifier (for example, a unique number stored in the tag at the factory). Advantageously, in an integration block 51 the identification information 50 is combined with the information of the tests so as to obtain univocal data 52 of the tests carried out.

The data containing the information associated with the tests and any tag identifier are sent to the server 16 where they are stored in the database 22 for future documentation uses. Furthermore, a block 53 extracts its starting components from the data 52 and the results 31 of the tests are compared with reference results 54 which are required for the acceptability of the PPE. Such reference results 54 can be extracted for example from a reference database 55 (stored in a mass memory of the server) and containing the limit results allowed by the various reference standards.

A comparison block 56 compares the results 31 sent by the client with the reference results 54 and emits a signal or result of the comparison 57 which is either an acceptance or a non-acceptance, depending on whether the result of the comparison corresponds to a still acceptable DPI for use or not according to the comparison standards. The comparison block and the reference database make up the aforementioned validation module 24.

The result of the comparison 57 and any identifier 50 of the tag are sent to the signature module 25 which produces a signature 58 which is sent to the client 13 to be stored in the rewritable memory 42 of the tag. The signature can advantageously include in codified form the acceptance or non-compliance of the PPE and possibly the date of the test and the unique identification of the tag.

The signature can advantageously be encrypted to avoid forgery. Advantageously, the encryption can be of the known public and private key type, so that in the client 13 and in any portable devices 26 only the public decryption key is present while the private encryption key is available only in the server. In this way the possibility of reading the signature from the various devices is ensured, but not the production of it outside the validation server 16.

Figure 2 shows the data exchange between the server and any portable device 26. The portable device, advantageously existing, can read any identifier 50 and signature 58 contained in a tag (indicated with 11b in figure 2) to which it is approached and previously stored by a client 13. The device 26 can be, as mentioned above, also a simple tablet or smartphone suitably programmed and with NFC reading characteristics.

In this way, anyone who wants to verify that a PPE has passed the last test performed on it, only has to bring the portable device 26 close to the PPE so as to read the data of the memories 41, 42 present in the tag. The device 26 decrypts the data in the signature by means of its processing means 28 and displays the corresponding information in clear text on the display 30 (for example the acceptance or not and the date of the last test). Furthermore, the possible unique identifier of the tag may also be shown.

If the unique identification of the tag includes a part that identifies the type of PPE and the manufacturer, the device can also advantageously decode this additional information and show it in clear text on the display, as shown by way of example in figure 3.

Any user (for example, the person who must use the PPE) can with the system of the invention immediately have the evidence that the PPE can be used safely, simply by bringing the portable device 26 close to the tag in the PPE.

In a more complex embodiment of the invention, the device 26 can (automatically or, advantageously, at the request of the user, as also shown in figure 3) connect to the server 16 through a suitable wireless connection (for example the cellular network ), send the tag identification 50 to the server and receive from the server the additional information (or a subset of such additional information) previously stored by the server in the database 22 for that tag (and therefore for the specific DPI associated with it). The information received can thus also be displayed on the device display 26.

At this point it is clear how the intended purposes have been achieved. According to a first aspect of the invention, the personal protective device comprises an RFID tag containing validation data of its suitability or not for use, easily readable and verifiable.

Furthermore, thanks to the system according to the invention, the management of test data for PPE maintenance companies is simplified, as it is sufficient to read the PPE tag, send the test information to the server, receive a signature to validate or not the acceptability of the DPI and store it in the tag. If the PPE is rejected, just discard it, (and the signature in it will ensure that it is not used by mistake) otherwise the PPE with the signed tag can be sent to the user.

The user (also the person who physically has to use the PPE) can at any time read the signature in the tag and make sure that the PPE has passed the last tests and is therefore usable. Thanks to the fact that the tag reading device can be a simple smartphone, easily available to anyone, it is possible to easily check the suitability of a PPE at any time. For example, a software application can be downloaded from the site of the service manager to immediately adapt any smartphone or tablet with integrated NFC to reading the tag in the DPI. Instructions for doing this can easily be printed on the PPE itself.

Furthermore, the security of the system is very high since the validation data are stored in an external server and, advantageously, cannot be altered by those who carry out the tests after the maintenance of the PPE.

The tag can also be used as a unique univocal identification system of the garment and, preferably, all suitability tests are performed only after having identified the tag and therefore the garment, and the measurements performed are associated with the code of the tag. to avoid possible erroneous assignments, both random and fraudulently desired. Furthermore, the electronic signature or encrypted verification code, allows a safe and reliable verification of the data.

Thanks to the possibility of reading the tags even in the case of a large number of PPE in a confined space, it is also possible to carry out a final mass check of PPE after maintenance and testing (for example at the exit of the industrial laundry). This reduces (especially in the case of large quantities of PPE, for example as in the case of highly visible garments) the possibility of an erroneous sending to the user who commissioned the maintenance of PPE that did not pass the tests.

The use of the remote server on the Internet also allows the use of a â € œcloudâ € environment. In this way, when the test cycle is completed, all the information is sent to a cloud environment and stored on a cloud DB. The possibility of alteration or loss of data is thus further reduced.

Advantageously, the server will create an institutional WEB platform (possibly affiliated and certified by the relevant bodies) with a double informative and analytical function. The platform could be unique for many producers, maintainers and users in order to centralize the management of information on a large number of PPE and make it easier to find information.

Naturally, access to reserved areas for the uploading of data by producers and maintainers may be provided. Protected access can also be performed using simple personal computers connected to the internet.

Advantageously, the first loading of the data, with association of the initial test data, the type of PPE, the name of the manufacturer, the specific characteristics to be satisfied in the tests, etc. they can be uploaded by the producers themselves, who can enter a unique identification code of the product in the tag. These data will then be updated during subsequent maintenance interventions, as described above.

In addition to the data accessible by the user through a device 26, the database 22 of the server may contain further information, test reports, etc. accessible to the respective companies that have performed the maintenance, so that the latter can also easily create a protected historical archive and access reports on the uploaded data.

This additional information will be able to constitute an analytical part of the system with advantageously protected and personalized access to the single company participating in the service.

The informative part of the site may also contain all the information on the service and the names of the maintenance companies that adhere to the service and that will be available to upload the data in the â € œcloudâ € environment.

At each download of the information in the â € œcloudâ € environment, it will be recorded in the environment that the information has been checked and the verification information will be available to the maintenance company, while each user company will be able to easily access the WEB to the information related to their PPE, thus making sure that correct maintenance has been carried out.

The user interested in reading the information of the individual PPE will have easy access to the data of interest to him, such as the suitability of the PPE in his possession, thanks to the immediate reading of the tag in the PPE in his possession. In practical use, thanks to the possibility of using any smartphone equipped with an NFC reading device and with an appropriate APP installed, it is possible to read immediately with the mobile phone the verification code or signature in the tag of a PPE. Reading the code will allow you to immediately view the suitability status by decrypting the code, for example also displaying the last suitability test date or, if the garment is new, the date of purchase or production.

The APP will then ask the user if they want more details and that those details will require an internet connection. Upon confirmation, the APP will connect to the cloud environment and download further information relating to the PPE from the server based on the identification code read. The user can view the additional information chosen and decide, for example, whether to save it on the phone for future use and / or to compare it with other measurements.

Naturally, the above description of an embodiment applying the innovative principles of the present invention is given by way of example of such innovative principles and must therefore not be taken as a limitation of the patent scope claimed herein.

For example, the same tag can be used on different garments, and therefore can be reinitialized if the garment is deleted, in order to reduce costs.

Each garment can be initialized in the system, associating all the mandatory information in the CE marking to the univocal code, as well as the manufacturer, the name of the user company, the name of the company that takes care of the maintenance pro-tempore, etc. The information of the company that takes care of maintenance can be rewritten at each test cycle, so as to ensure the consistency of the information even in the event of a change of maintenance.

Among the information that can be saved in the database 22 and possibly readable by the user, there may therefore be the personal characteristics of the garment, the CE data, the manufacturer, the maintenance technician, the number of checks carried out to date, the date of the last check, the latest measurements carried out after, if necessary, the expiry date indicated by the manufacturer has been exceeded, etc.

As now easily imagined by the technician, all or part of the client and / or server structure can be made with software modules or blocks instead of hardware.

Always as now easily imagined by the technician, the tag memories containing the signature and any unique identifier can be both distinct memories and a single memory with distinct areas, suitably managed by the controller contained in the tag to have rewritable and non-rewritable (or non-immediate rewritability through, for example, a password protection system or similar).

To have a greater security of write access to the databases stored in the server, the client or a part of it can be equipped with a suitable key (advantageously hardware) that can be verified by the server before allowing write access to the databases . The server can, for example, keep a list of keys enabled for write access and for client access to the server (also through the use of a user account and password) to download test data to the server, the server can check the presence of the key in the client requesting access and deny access if the key is missing or not enabled. The enabling of a key can also be subordinated, for example, to the subscription to the service and / or to the payment of a fee.

The key can be advantageously inserted in the tag reader / writer device, so that, for example, it is easy to create the customer station using a normal personal computer, by purchasing or renting the necessary software and the reader / device from the system supplier. writer with the key.

Claims (20)

CLAIMS 1. Method for tracing and verifying the suitability of personal protective equipment (12), including inserting RFID tags (11) in personal protective equipment, performing acceptability tests of personal protective equipment (12), send the result of the tests to a remote server (16) and receive from the server (16) a validation or non-validation signature according to the test result and store this signature in the tag (11). Method according to claim 1, in which the server compares the test result with acceptable results and produces a validation signature depending on the comparison result. Method according to claim 1, according to which the validation signature is formed to contain encrypted data of acceptability or not of the device. Method according to claim 1, according to which data in the validation signature are read by at least one portable device (26) equipped with a display and shown on the display to confirm the acceptability of an individual protection device associated with the tag. Method according to claim 4, in which the portable device communicates with the server (16) to obtain and display further information stored in the server and associated with the read tag. Method according to claim 1, wherein the portable device is a smartphone or tablet. 7. Method according to claim 1, in which the personal protective device (12) is a highly visible garment. 8. Method according to claim 7, in which the tests are carried out on the high visibility garment to ascertain whether or not its suitability for use after its washing. Method according to claim 1, in which a unique identifier is also stored in the tag (11). 10. Method according to claim 9, in which the unique identifier is associated with the test results sent to the server and the server stores the test result to make it available through the use of the unique identifier. 11. System for traceability and verification of the suitability of personal protective equipment (12), comprising: - a server computer system (16) with a database (22) for storing data concerning the protection devices (12); - at least one RFID tag (11) comprising a rewritable memory (42) and associated or associable with an individual protection device (12); - at least one client station (13) connected or connectable to the server (16) through a network (15) for exchanging data with the server and equipped with means (18, 19) for reading and writing data in the tag (11), means (20) for entering test data concerning the personal protective device (12) and means (17) for sending such data to the server for storage in said database (22); the server (16) also having means (24) for validating the test data sent by the client and means (25) for producing a validation signature and sending the validation signature to the client (13) for storing such signature in the rewritable memory (42) of the tag by means of said data writing means (19). System according to claim 11, characterized in that the validation means (24) comprising a database (55) of acceptable test data values and means (56) for comparing such data with the test data sent by the client. System according to claim 11, characterized in that the means (25) for producing a validation signature comprise means for encrypting the data in the signature. System according to claim 11, characterized in that it comprises at least one portable device (26) equipped with a display and means (27) for reading data from the RFID Tag and for viewing said data on the display. System according to claims 13 and 14, characterized in that the portable device comprises means (28) for decrypting the data in the signature in the tag for their clear display on the display. 16. System according to claims 14, characterized in that the portable device comprises means of communication with the server (16) for obtaining information contained in the database (22) and associated with the read tag. System according to claim 14, characterized in that the portable device is a smartphone or a tablet. 18. System according to claim 14, characterized in that the personal protective device (12) is a highly visible garment. 19. System according to claim 11, characterized in that the tag (11) comprises a memory containing a unique identification of the tag. 20. Personal protective equipment (12) characterized by the fact that it includes an RFID tag (11) containing data to validate its suitability for use or not.