EP1492069A1 - Device for swimming pool surveillance assistance - Google Patents

Abstract

The device has a transmitter module (M) with an aquatic pressure detecting unit to activate a timer (TMP) when a water pressure exceeds a fixed value. A receiver module is placed under water in swimming pool. An alarm transmission unit transmits an alarm signal when a signal is received from the transmitter module. The receiver module has a selective detector to uniquely detect the signal transmitted by the transmitter module.

Description

The present invention relates to an assistance device for monitoring a swimming pool to ensure increased safety of bathers.

Pool means any public or private place equipped with a pool filled with water where a large number of people bathe or circulate around the basin by engaging in various activities.

• surveillance vidéo au moyen de caméras subaquatiques disposées à l'intérieur du bassin
• jets d'eau s'enclenchant lorsqu'un baigneur s'approche du bassin servant à éviter la noyade par hydrocution.
• balises portables émettant des signaux radioélectriques vers un récepteur en cas de chute accidentelle dans l'eau.
• dispositifs de détection de chutes basés sur l'écoute des ondes acoustiques se propageant dans l'eau.

In order to prevent drowning, which is one of the most common causes of accidents, especially among young people under the age of twenty, various means are used. Apart from the information campaigns broadcast regularly by the media, various devices can assist the guards in the monitoring of the basins and their surroundings, namely:

• video surveillance using underwater cameras inside the pool
• water jets triggering when a bather approaches the basin to prevent drowning by hydrocution.
• portable beacons transmitting radio signals to a receiver in the event of an accidental fall into the water.
• fall detection devices based on listening acoustic waves propagating in the water.

However, there are situations where certain devices become inoperative or difficult to use, especially when the number of bathers becomes important. For example, fall detectors do not make it possible to distinguish a voluntary jump in the water from an accidental fall. Guardian supervision becomes difficult and requires disproportionate numbers if they are not assisted by reliable and effective anti-drowning devices.

The surveillance using cameras observing the interior of a basin is quite effective but requires a complex and expensive installation that is not within the reach of all sports or leisure centers.

The object of the present invention is to provide a simple and effective pool monitoring assistance device that can be installed and used in any existing pool without significant costs.

This object is achieved by a device for assisting the monitoring of a swimming pool, in the form of a housing carried by each bather, characterized in that this housing comprises a module, called a transmitter module, comprising a power supply, an aquatic pressure sensor, a processing unit having time and pressure setpoints, a timer and a signal transmitter activating when the setpoint values are reached or exceeded.

The device further comprises at least one receiver module, preferably placed under water in the pool of the pool, comprising means for transmitting an alarm when receiving signals from one or more transmitter modules . This module comprises a selective detector capable of recognizing only the signals emitted by a transmitter module while remaining insensitive to parasitic signals present in and around the pool.

The transmitter's water pressure sensor activates the timer when the pressure exerted by the water corresponding to a given depth reaches or exceeds a predetermined threshold. The transmitter of said module transmits signals when the timer reaches a predetermined duration while the module is subjected to a pressure equal to or greater than the set threshold.

The stored setpoint values arriving at the treatment unit correspond on the one hand to a time limit and on the other hand to a maximum water pressure. These two values can be adapted to the physical capabilities of the wearer. For a child who can stay at a depth shorter than an adult, the recorded time and depth will have lower values.

According to one embodiment of the invention, it is possible not to use the timer and trigger the alarm when a certain depth is reached, especially for small children not likely to descend to a depth greater than their own. cut.

According to a preferred embodiment of the device according to the invention, the signals emitted by the transmitter module are acoustic waves of particular frequency and modulation to separate them from other sound sources. The receiver module would in this case be equipped with a hydrophone installed in the pool so as to receive the signals of the transmitters in the best possible conditions.

In an alarm situation, the bather carrying the transmitter module is at a depth such that the pressure exerted by the water is equal to or exceeds a limit value after an authorized duration programmed in the timer. For example, a bather may be in the water two meters deep for a period considered excessive if it is longer than one minute. This duration can be set as greater than that of voluntary apnea.

The efficiency of the device is measured among other things its ability to differentiate between false and real alarms. For example, a bather can dive to the bottom of the pool where the pressure is maximum without causing sound emission as long as the duration of the dive remains below the set threshold. Beyond, the bather is considered to be in danger, the module then emits an audible signal that will be picked up by the receiver which, in turn, transmits an alarm warning a guard who can, if necessary, out the diver water and save it from drowning.

The timer switches on as soon as the water pressure exceeds the fixed safety limit corresponding to a depth of one meter, for example. The alarm signal will only be issued when the timer reaches the limit value programmed for example at 60 seconds. If the bather carrying the module returns to a lower depth before the 60-second limit, the timer is automatically reset. Thus periods of peaks of consecutive pressure overruns are not accumulated as long as the timer remains below the set threshold.

An advantage of the device according to the invention lies in that it can easily integrate into an existing access control system. Indeed, in many pools or nautical centers, each bather receives as a ticket a badge, a bracelet or a collar often equipped with a key for a clothes rack and / or a chip used as a means of payment or identification . This object can also be equipped with the transmitter module which is in the form of a very compact waterproof housing.

The surveillance assistance device can be supplemented by a detection gantry limiting access to the pool to people with a valid transmitter module. A person without transmitter module or carrying a defective or invalid module will not be able to enter the enclosure of the basin without setting an alarm.

• la figure 1 représente un schéma bloc d'un module émetteur
• la figure 2 illustre une coupe d'un bassin d'une piscine avec différentes zones où peut se trouver un module émetteur.
• la figure 3 illustre une vue de dessus d'un bassin équipé d'un dispositif d'assistance à la surveillance
• la figure 4 illustre le bassin de la figure 3 entouré d'une enceinte avec un portique.

The invention will be better understood from the detailed description which follows and which refers to the appended drawings which are given by way of non-limiting example, in which:

• FIG. 1 represents a block diagram of a transmitter module
• Figure 2 illustrates a section of a pool pool with different areas where can be a transmitter module.
• FIG. 3 illustrates a view from above of a pool equipped with a device for assisting surveillance.
• Figure 4 illustrates the basin of Figure 3 surrounded by an enclosure with a portico.

The transmitter module M represented by the block diagram of FIG. 1 is constituted by a processor CPU provided with a memory MEM connected to a pressure sensor CP, a power supply in the form of a battery and / or solar cells BAT, a TMP timer or timer and an EM emitter of acoustic signals. (analog)

In a simple version, each module has the same setpoints. Nevertheless it will be preferable that the module is programmed according to the characteristics of each bather or rather those of a category of bathers. For example, we will distinguish children from adults and among these people those benefiting from more or less advanced sports training. The setpoint values such as the water pressure causing the start of the timer and the duration at which the alarm will be given will therefore be different for each type of bather.

In normal situation, the transmitter module is in the standby state. It permanently detects the pressure exerted by the water on the pressure sensor CP and as long as this pressure is below the set threshold, the timer TMP remains triggered.

• a) le niveau de pression baisse après une courte durée, c'est-à-dire lorsque le baigneur remonte à la surface de l'eau après avoir plongé, le temporisateur est revient à zéro et le module retourne à l'état de veille.
• b) le niveau de pression reste constamment élevé et le temporisateur à atteint la valeur de consigne correspondant à la durée maximale autorisée à une pression supérieure à la limite. Cela signifie que le baigneur se trouve à une certaine profondeur et probablement en situation de détresse. A ce moment, l'émetteur sonore s'enclenche et transmet un signal acoustique qui sera capté par un récepteur disposé dans le bassin. Ce récepteur transmet ensuite une alarme avertissant le service de surveillance du bassin.

When the pressure reaches or exceeds the threshold, the timer starts. In this situation, two cases may occur:

• a) the pressure level drops after a short time, ie when the bather rises to the surface of the water after diving, the timer is returned to zero and the module returns to the standby state .
• b) the pressure level remains constantly high and the timer reaches the setpoint corresponding to the maximum duration allowed at a pressure above the limit. This means that the bather is at a certain depth and probably in distress. At this moment, the sound transmitter engages and transmits an acoustic signal which will be picked up by a receiver arranged in the basin. This receiver then transmits an alarm warning the basin monitoring service.

A transmitter module in alarm state can only be neutralized by a suitable device available to the guards. It should be noted that, once such a module is out of the water, the sound signal emitted will no longer be received by the receivers located under water in the basin. Indeed, the same sound emitted by a source in the air will not be picked up by a hydrophone with the same characteristics as if it were emitted by a source in the water. This is due in particular to the speed of sound that is about five times higher in the water than in the air.

According to one variant, the transmitter module may comprise a light signaling (GIS) that switches on when the pressure level reaches the setpoint. The bather is thus warned that the duration of immersion at the corresponding depth is counted (the timer being switched on) and that it must rise to the surface if possible before the time limit. It is possible to transmit a second indication to the bather (either brightly or by a vibrator) shortly before the alarm starts. The bather will be able to react and rise to the surface to avoid triggering the alarm and seeing the guards come to him.

FIG. 2 shows a section of a basin equipped with a receiver R connected to an alarm AL divided into four zones (1, 2, 3, 4) defined as a function of the depth P and the time T.

In this example, the setpoint values of the transmitter module are fixed at 1.5 meters for the depth corresponding to a threshold pressure and at 60 seconds for the maximum duration before switching on the transmitter.

Zone 1, known as the security zone, is located at a depth between 0 and 1.5 meters. In this zone, the transmitter module remains in the standby state, the pressure being below the threshold value. The bather can also stay within 1.5 meters without time limit (zone 3).

The bather can dive beyond 1.5 meters to the bottom of the pool as long as he does so in less than 60 seconds (zone 2). In this case the timer starts from 1.5 meters and returns to zero when the bather returns to the safety zone in less than 60 seconds.

Zone 4 corresponds to the danger zone where a sound signal is emitted by the module. In fact, when the bather is at a depth of more than 1.5 meters for more than 60 seconds, the timer has started from 1.5 meters and the transmitter starts when the timer reaches 60 seconds. The receiver receives the signal from the transmitter and transmits the alarm outside the pool by means of a buzzer and / or visual.

The figure illustrates a variant of the device according to the invention where receivers (R1, R2, R3, R4) are installed in the four corners of a large rectangular basin (BAS). A bather in danger carrying a transmitter module M is in the basin and the alarm transmitted by the module M is picked up by each receiver in a different manner according to its position in the basin. The advantage of this type of configuration allows a rapid location of a bather in distress, especially in case of high attendance. In this example, a central receiver R4 concentrates the signals picked up by the other three, calculates the position (POS) of the emission source and transmits these data to an alarm center (AL) via a radio link.

According to another variant, the alarm data can be transmitted by radio to individual alarm receivers worn by the custodians responsible for monitoring circulating around the basin. The position of the bather in distress can, for example, be displayed on a screen of the alarm receiver in graphic form in a frame simulating the shape of the pool thus allowing the guardian closest to this position to intervene in a minimum time .

According to another variant, the transmitter module may comprise a miniaturized radiofrequency transmitter for transmitting data making it possible to define the position of a bather in the event of an alarm via the Global Positioning System (GPS). This position data is then transmitted to the alarm receivers worn by the guards.

Figure 4 shows the basin of Figure 3 with an additional level of security. A fence equipped with a gantry (POR) surrounds the basin (BAS). The role of the gantry (POR) consists in filtering the accesses to the pool to carriers of predefined transmitter modules.

This portico is presented according to a first variant, as sensors such as one finds for anti-theft systems in stores. The passage of a module comprising electromagnetic communication means allows a dialogue between the gantry and the module.

This gantry advantageously comprises a detection by light beam to establish that a person is in his reading field. If no electromagnetic signal is detected, it means that a person who does not have a transmitter module is accessing a pool. An alarm can be triggered.

If the data read in the transmitter module indicates that it is a child, it will also be possible to trigger an alarm if the pool is reserved for good swimmers.

In a second variant, the gantry can physically prohibit access for example by a turnstile gate.

Claims (12)

Device for assisting the monitoring of a swimming pool, in the form of a housing carried by each bather, characterized in that this housing comprises a module, called a transmitter module, comprising an electric power supply, an aquatic pressure sensor, a processing unit having time and pressure setpoints, a timer and a signal transmitter activating when the setpoint values are reached or exceeded. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the water pressure sensor activates the timer when the pressure exerted by the water corresponding to a given depth reaches or exceeds the pressure setpoint. Device according to claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the signal transmitter transmits when the timer reaches the time setpoint while the module is under pressure equal to or higher than the pressure setpoint. Device according to claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the timer is reset when the value of the pressure returns to a value lower than the set value after having reached or exceeded said setpoint value for a time shorter than that set by the time setpoint. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the signal emitted by the transmitter is of the acoustic type of frequency and modulation determined and distinct from those that can be produced by other sound sources. Device according to claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the transmitter module comprises signaling means to the bather when the pressure reaches or exceeds the setpoint. Device according to claim 6, characterized in that the bather signaling means further indicate when the duration reaches a duration close to the setpoint. Device for assisting the monitoring of a pool frequented by bathers, said bathers each carrying a transmitter module according to claims 1 to 7, characterized in that it comprises at least one receiver module, preferably arranged under water in a pool of the pool, comprising means for transmitting an alarm when receiving signals from one or more transmitter modules, said receiver module comprises a selective detector capable of recognizing only the signals emitted by a module transmitter while remaining insensitive to parasitic signals present in and around the basin. Device according to claim 8, characterized in that the receiver module comprises a hydrophone sensing the acoustic waves emitted by a transmitter module. Device according to claims 8 and 9, characterized in that a plurality of receiver modules are distributed in the pool, each receiving module receiving a signal from a transmitter module and transmitting to a central receiver module data for calculating the position of said transmitter module in the basin. Device according to Claim 10, characterized in that the central receiver module transmits the data over the air to an alarm center. Device according to claims 10 and 11, characterized in that the central receiver module transmits the data over the air to individual alarm receivers carried by the guardians of the surveillance service.

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