FR3071652A1 - DEVICE FORMING INDIVIDUAL EQUIPMENT FOR PROTECTING PEOPLE EVOLVING IN AN AREA OF ELECTRICAL RISK - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention presents a device forming an individual protection device for a person likely to evolve in an area of electrical hazard presence, comprising a main body incorporating an electronic circuit, at least one inductive sensor and at least one field sensor. electrical, remotely sensing the presence of an electromagnetic wave and an alarm triggering as soon as a predetermined electromagnetic threshold and / or a safety distance is exceeded, the inductive sensor being able to detect the direction of propagation of the electromagnetic wave the device comprising at least two wave propagation direction indicators connected to the sensor for providing the person with information on the direction of propagation of the detected wave and / or a reversing direction instruction for the person.

Description

DEVICE FORMING INDIVIDUAL PROTECTION EQUIPMENT

OF PEOPLE EVOLVING IN AN ELECTRICAL RISK AREA

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to the field of devices forming individual equipment for protecting people in an electrical risk zone.

The invention relates more particularly to the reuse of such devices by operators intervening in their professional context, in or near installations traversed by low or high voltages, or by persons intervening in the private context on installations. electric.

The invention also relates, particularly for operators working on electrical installations at high risk to their health, a safety management system.

STATE OF THE ART AND ITS DISADVANTAGES The interventions of people in a professional or private setting on or near electrical installations present risks which can prove to be serious for their health or even their life. Accidents of an electrical origin mainly occur during operations on low voltage or high voltage electrical installations (delivery station, cabinet, cabinet, socket outlet, circuit breaker, lighting, bare live parts ...) during reuse of portable power tools, or when working on or near overhead lines, transformer stations and buried pipelines.

Unfortunately, each year, several operators die electrocuted following an intervention on an electrical installation (4000 accidents in France declared in 2016).

It could be determined that the first minutes following an accident are very important for the chances of survival: action must be taken very quickly, on the one hand by cutting the current of the installation without touching the body of the victim , on the other hand by immediately notifying the emergency services. In addition, accidents related to electricity can cause fires or explosions, which can exacerbate the original accident exponentially.

-2 [007] There are several devices for checking the presence of voltage, such as the V.A.T "Voltage Absence Checker". It allows an audible and visual signal to indicate the presence of voltage.

In order to proceed with VAT, an operator must follow a strict 5-step procedure "according to French standard C18510" • Check PPE • Wear PPE • Test VAT • Check for voltage presence between phase, neutral & earth • Test the VAT [009] If there is no voltage detected, the technician can intervene safely.

In the event of detected voltage, the technician must put in place the means necessary for recording.

This VAT device gives relatively good satisfaction since it has been integrated by operators as part of their intervention process.

However, it has various drawbacks since it is entered before the intervention and not requested during the intervention when the surrounding conditions in terms of electrical voltage may have changed.

In addition, it does not have an emergency warning means in the event of the operator being exposed to an electrical risk, whereas the first minutes following an accident are very important for the chances survival; a victim traversed by an intensity of 30 mA for 30s, having significant risks of presenting ventilatory paralysis.

It is therefore necessary to act very quickly, on the one hand by cutting the current, without contact with the body of the victim to avoid electrocution of the person wishing to help, and

-3 on the other hand by immediately informing the emergency services.

However, faced with the distress of the electrified person, and given the stress that it generates for the person wishing to help, the latter is all the less able to identify the source of the current to be cut. , to be sufficiently operational to cut it, in a period of less than 30 seconds while preventing the emergency services.

Document US 2003 011 484 proposes an individual protection device which can complement the action of the VAT and which can be used by electricians, construction workers or other people working around or with low voltage lines. (i.e. generally less than about 600 volts). The personal electrical injury protection system according to this document includes both a proximity warning component which allows to warn about potential risks of electricity during a dangerous approach to the low voltage power line and d '' an electrical contact protection component which de-energizes the power line. The personal electrical protection system is based on a radiofrequency transmitter attached to the worker or the person to be protected and a radio receiver / controller connected to the electrical line to be cut. The radio frequency transmitter has a low frequency generator which is used for protection against electrical contact and a high frequency generator which is used for proximity warning.

However, this device certainly allows to warn of the presence of the risk but is tacit on its importance.

Document US 6,329,924 relates to a medallion to be attached to the operator's helmet, which thus wears it continuously. This medallion is provided with a portable electric field detector and includes a detection circuit sensitive to an electric field to generate a signal which varies in proportion to the strength of the detected field and an alarm circuit coupled to the detection circuit to produce a intermittent audible alarm signal, which has a variable repetition rate proportional to the strength of the field and a visible alarm signal.

This medallion informs the operator about the strength of the detected voltage and therefore the importance of the risk to which it is exposed but leaves it without information allowing it to put itself outside the detected dangerous area.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION In order to overcome these drawbacks, the invention provides a device forming individual equipment for protecting a person liable to evolve in an area of presence of electrical risk, comprising a main body integrating a electronic circuit, at least one inductive sensor and at least one electric field sensor, remotely sensing the presence of an electromagnetic wave and an alarm that is triggered as soon as a predetermined electromagnetic threshold and / or a safety distance is exceeded.

To this end, and according to a first aspect, the inductive sensor is capable of detecting the direction of propagation of the electromagnetic wave, the device comprising at least two indicators of direction of propagation of the wave connected to the sensor to provide to the person information on the direction of propagation of the detected wave and / or a setback direction instruction for the person.

The invention can moreover present one and / or the other of the following interesting aspects:

the inductive sensor is of the three-axis inductive sensor type such as a Hall effect sensor and the direction of propagation of the electromagnetic wave indicators are connected to the sensor so as to indicate different information when the direction of propagation of the wave electromagnetic is detected as evolving along three axes.

the device comprises several inductive sensors arranged at different locations within the main body and the direction indicators are arranged at different corresponding locations so as to indicate the direction in which the wave is detected and / or a setback direction instruction for the 'operator.

the inductive sensors are four in number and arranged according to the cardinal points.

the wave propagation direction indicators are of the visual indicator type such as diodes.

The device comprises modules for signal processing and / or for triangulating the measurements carried out by the sensor (s) and / or sound sensors to refine the determination of the direction of propagation of the wave carried out by the sensors and / or measuring characteristic quantities thereof such as the speed of propagation

- 5 and / or the duration of exposure of the person to Tonde, the main body of the device is flexible so as to be able to follow the movements of a member of a person and the electronic circuit has a flexibility compatible with the flexibility of the main body the electronic circuit is molded onto the main body the electronic circuit is separable from the main body by being inserted without attachment to a pocket secured to the main body the main body is in the form of a glove the device comprises a storage battery of energy ensuring its operation, rechargeable by wireless energy transmission the device comprises a heart rate sensor projecting from one of the external faces of the main body so as to be able to come into contact with the person's skin in order to measure the person's heart rate.

the device includes a control unit to verify the correct installation of the device collecting and analyzing the measurements of the heart rate sensor and emitting a signal if the measured heart rate does not conform to a predetermined profile.

the device comprises a current sensor projecting from one of the external faces of the main body so as to be able to come into contact with the person's skin in order to measure if the current flowing through the person has exceeded a threshold value.

the device comprises geolocation means and means of remote communication with an external terminal for communicating to the terminal the coordinates of a person when the threshold value has been reached or a non-conforming heart rate profile has been detected.

The invention also relates to a safety management system in a zone including an installation traversed by an electric voltage and the electric current of which is likely to be interrupted by a circuit breaker with cut / reset handle, the system comprising the device and an independent module to be mounted on the circuit breaker for

-6 modify the state by acting on the cut-out / reset lever, the module integrating a movable actuator between a rest position and an active position for moving the handle of the circuit breaker to the cut-off position, and means of communication to distance from the device, so as to switch to the active circuit-breaker cut-off position when a current exceeding a threshold value is detected by the current sensor or a non-compliant heart rate profile has been measured by the heart rate sensor .

The invention also relates to a system comprising a vehicle moving in the area, such as a gondola cabin, the movements of which can be interrupted by an emergency stop button of the "gimbal stop" type, and an independent module with mount the emergency stop button on the vehicle to modify its state by acting on the cut-out / reset lever, the module incorporating a movable actuator between a rest position and an active position for moving the button to the position emergency stop, and means of remote communication with the device, so as to pass to the active position of emergency stop of the movements of the vehicle when a current exceeding a threshold value is detected by the current sensor or a non-compliant heart rate profile has been measured by the heart rate sensor.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear during the description which follows, given with reference to the appended figures, in which:

Figure 1 shows a front side view (a), rear side (b), top (c) and in perspective (d) a first embodiment of a device forming an individual protective equipment of a operator according to the invention in the form of a medallion, FIG. 2 represents the medallion of FIG. 1 seen from below, FIGS. 3 to 7 represent an independent module to be mounted on a circuit breaker or on a nacelle stop to cut the supply of the electrical source of an electrical installation on which an operator must intervene or to stop the progression of the gondola cabin if the operator is detected by the medallion

-7as having been electrified, seen in front perspective (Figure 3), seen in rear perspective (Figure 4), seen from rear side (Figure 5), seen from the side (Figure 6), seen from above (Figure 7), FIGS. 8 to 10 represent the cut-off module in place on a circuit breaker seen from the side (FIG. 8) seen in perspective slightly from the side (FIG. 9), and in place on a “stop-basket” button (FIG. 10) 11 and 12 illustrate diagrams of operation of the security management system according to two alternative embodiments, FIG. 13 shows a second alternative embodiment of a device forming an individual protective equipment of an operator according to the invention under the form of a medallion of the device according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES In relation to the appended figures, there is described a first aspect of the invention which relates to a device forming an individual protective equipment of an operator working in the professional context on an electrical installation at risk (figures 1 to 12) and a device for protecting a person working in a private setting on an electrical installation (Figure 13).

In the first case of protection of an operator intervening in the professional context on an electrical installation at risk, the device according to the invention may take the form of a medallion 1 to be preferably fixed on the wrist of the operator by means of a bracelet, but which can be fixed on the ankle, via an ankle brace, or on the operator's head via a safety helmet, at the waist of the latter via a belt.

The medallion is in the non-limiting form of a substantially parallelepipedic housing defining an upper control face 2, a lower face for contact with the operator 3 and lateral facets 4.

This box incorporates at least one electric field sensor (not shown) and at least one inductive sensor remotely sensing the presence of an electromagnetic wave, connected to an electronic circuit for acquiring the measurements made, integrating into a memory of

- 8 storage of reference threshold values for low voltage, high voltage, current and maximum exposure time to them. The electronic circuit is connected to a visual and / or audible and / or vibratory alarm integrated into the box, which is triggered when an electric field exceeding a threshold value is detected at a distance less than or equal to a minimum safety distance.

The housing comprises on its upper face an on / off button, and a button for selecting the voltage range to which the operator is likely to be exposed, so that the corresponding pre-recorded thresholds of safety distance and amplitude are selected.

According to the invention, the inductive sensor or sensors used are chosen capable of detecting the direction of propagation of the electromagnetic wave (for example of the Hall effect type), and the medallion comprises at least two indicators of direction of propagation of the wave connected to the inductive sensor to provide the operator with information on the direction of propagation of the detected wave and / or a setback direction instruction for the person.

More specifically, as visible in Figure le, the upper face of the medallion includes four visual indicators 6 which can be light emitting diodes (the acronym LED will be used), arranged according to the four cardinal points. Four inductive sensors of the Hall effect sensor type and thus intrinsically having the faculty of detecting the direction of propagation of the wave, are connected to the diodes via the electronic circuit of the medallion. The electronic circuit of the medallion performs a mathematical processing of the signals measured by the four hall effect sensors which makes it possible to determine the direction of propagation of the electromagnetic wave and this information of direction of propagation is converted into a visual indication by the diodes, which can selectively be lit according to the direction of propagation determined. A diode can be programmed to materialize by lighting up, the location of the danger, or on the contrary, materialize by lighting up the location of the least danger and the recommended direction of removal of the limb (arm, head or leg) from the operator .

This avoids once the danger information has been communicated to the operator, that he reacts badly to it by being more exposed to this danger.

The determination of other parameters on the detected electromagnetic wave, such as its propagation speed can be obtained by processing the signal and / or be refined

-9thanks to triangulation.

Another solution of the invention for determining the direction of propagation of the electromagnetic wave is to use not several inductive hall effect sensors, but a single three-axis magnetic sensor. In this case, this three-axis magnetic sensor 7, preferably used for the alternative embodiment intended for the general public, and illustrated in FIG. 13, will be associated with three diodes respectively indicating the front / rear, lateral and above / below directions.

It is also possible to combine, within the same medallion, the different types of magnetic sensors:

For low voltage, the medallion will be equipped with four three-axis magnetic field sensors. Depending on the detection axis, an LED will light up to alert the operator and indicate the direction of the magnetic field (for example, a single LED which lights up when a live part is detected remotely and without contact, if LED 61 in the figure lights up, this means that the live part is opposite and that to avoid direct contact, the operator must back up). The sensors will be configured to ideally detect only electrical parts under low voltage at a distance less than 30 cm.

For high voltage, the medallion will be equipped with a 3-axis high-sensitivity magnetic field sensor and if detected, the four LEDs will light up. Or, the medallion will also be equipped for high voltage with several high-sensitivity magnetic field sensors to precisely indicate the direction of the danger. The sensor should ideally detect only high voltage electrical parts at a distance of less than 2 m.

The medallion's sensors will be of high sensitivity to detect electric cables under voltage at a distance according to standard NF C18-510:

Low voltage, 0 to 1000V: 30 cm

High voltage, 1000V to 50000V: 2 m On its underside, the medallion 1 comprises projecting therefrom, a current sensor 8 intended to come into direct contact with the operator's skin, passing to through an opening in the support (bracelet, ankle brace, helmet, belt ...) on which is

- 10 fitted the medallion, as well as a heart rate sensor 9 also projecting from the rear face, to come into contact with the operator and measure his heart rate.

The presence of the current sensor on the medallion and the fact of keeping it in contact with the operator makes it possible to detect whether the latter has been the victim of an electrical accident and has been traversed by a current, to measure the current to which it was exposed and the time of this exposure, which may be recorded in the memory of the electronic circuit or communicated to a remote database.

The current sensor and the local alarm of the medallion cooperate via the electronic circuit, to trigger the local alarm as soon as a predetermined current threshold and / or as soon as a safety distance and / or a time d exposure is / are crossed.

The medallion will also be provided with suitable telecommunication means, RF antenna type, bluetooth®, wifi to communicate as soon as the local alarm of the medallion is triggered due to detection of current exceeding the threshold, a remote alarm at a remote security terminal, such as a terminal or a guard station server, a mobile terminal of a site foreman or a terminal of emergency means.

According to Figures 3 to 9, an external module to the medallion can be mounted upstream of the operator's intervention on the circuit breaker of the electrical supply of the installation or the area in which it operates, in order to '' change the state by acting on the cut-out / reset lever to cut the power supply immediately or at the latest within five seconds of the detection of an electrical accident by the current sensor on the medallion.

This module is in the general form of an open box 11 defining in cross section a C shape whose ends 12 fit together above and below the circuit breaker (see Figures 8 and 9) and whose central part is provided with a projecting actuator 13 of the compression spring type movable between a high constrained rest position in which it leaves the lever 14 free to occupy the reset position (FIGS. 8 and 9), towards a low position released in which it forces the handle 14 of the circuit breaker to adopt a cut-off position thus cutting off the supply. Two L-shaped cross-section side tabs 16, better visible in FIGS. 5 and 7, allow lateral blocking of the module on the circuit breaker.

- 11 The medallion and the cut-off module communicate via intrinsic communication means of the RF wave type to trigger the displacement of the actuator when a critical current threshold has been measured by the current sensor of the medallion.

The module according to the invention may also be mounted on an emergency stop button of a vehicle such as a nacelle cabin moving in height as soon as a critical current threshold has been measured by the current sensor of the medallion.

The actuator 13 while moving to its active position will engage the emergency stop button 16 to control the stopping of the cabin in accordance with FIG. 10.

The module 11 may also be provided with a "test" button 17 mechanically connected to the actuator to pass it when it is activated, from the inactive pretensioned position to the active position, and which will allow check the correct operation of the actuator manually and reset it before intervention.

Referring to FIG. 11, the security management method implemented by the system according to the invention is described:

In accordance with insert a) prior to its operation, the operator sets up a first security module 11 on the circuit breaker of the power supply of the installation where it must intervene, and if necessary, a second module on the emergency stop button for the movement of the cabin (for example a gondola) which it must use during the intervention.

At the start of the intervention in an electrical medium (insert b) the operator provided with his medallion as described above 1 selects the voltage range of his intervention by activating the medallion button provided for this purpose (low voltage or high tension).

This selection will establish the critical voltage thresholds, and the minimum safety distances to be observed which will be used as instructions for triggering alarms during the intervention (box c).

The correct positioning of the medallion will first be verified (insert 1) by following the measurements provided by the heart rate sensor 9: if no heart rate is detected at this stage, it is because the rear panel and the current and / or heart rate sensors are not in contact with the operator and an alert can be provided

- 12 local (LED, audible signal or buzzer of the medallion) will sound until the operator has repositioned the medallion correctly.

Throughout the intervention, the measurements of the heart rate sensor will be followed (insert m) and if a low or high threshold is reached or exceeded, a remote alert will be issued via the medallion's communication means to security coordinators provided for this purpose (Supervisor, prevention officer, nearby operator, rescue) with sending of the operator's GPS position according to the geolocation means of the medallion.

At the same time, the monitoring of compliance with the safety zone will be monitored in real time by taking the measurements of the electric field, the amplitude of the magnetic field and the direction of the electromagnetic wave, and by deducing the current distance from it. operator with respect to a voltage source. If a set safety distance is not respected, a local alert will be triggered on the medallion (inserts d and h) to warn the operator of the presence of the danger. In addition, the LEDs provided on the upper face of the medallion will inform him of the location of the danger and / or the direction of withdrawal / retreat to be adopted (the operator having been previously trained to interpret the signals from the LEDs).

As soon as an alert of this type has been locally triggered, the magnetic field, distance and exposure time measurements will be recorded in a database (insert i) and notifications including this information and the coordinates of the operator as provided by the medallion, will be sent to safety assistants provided for this purpose, via the medallion's communication means.

At the same time, if the medallion's current sensor detects a current exceeding a threshold value, a local alert is triggered (inset d), the evolution of the current recorded to know the duration and the amplitude of the exposure ( box g) and a notification sent to safety coordinators and prevention officers, with the operator's geolocation data. The modules installed on the circuit breaker and on the nacelle cutter possibly will cut the electrical supply of the installation / the part and that of the nacelle cabin in a reduced time (less than 5 seconds).

FIG. 12 illustrates more precisely the way in which alert information notifications are communicated depending on whether there is a 4G type network or not. If there is one, the medallion will communicate with the security assistant terminals via this network the notifications and GPS coordinates (box j) relating to electrification accidents as detected by the

- 13 current sensor (inserts d-g) and / or in the event of non-compliance with the safety zone (inserts d, h, i above), and / or in the event of an abnormal heart rate detected (not shown).

Ideally, the medallion can use a mobile terminal of the operator as a communication relay with the terminals of the assistants. Operator terminals may have a mobile application that will collect notifications and important information (GPS coordinates in real time), and those of security assistant terminals with a corresponding mobile application, using a protocol Secure HTTPS guaranteeing the confidentiality of the data which will pass between these terminals via a dedicated secure server. The application loaded on the terminals of the security assistants will be able to restore the data collected in the form of tables, graphs and geographical maps. It will thus be possible to follow the number of incidents over a given period and to consult the details communicated during each incident. It will also be possible to follow in real time (at a defined rate) the position of the medallions and their status (connected or not) if the mobile application communicates this data. It is also possible to configure the sending of emails / sms to security managers when receiving certain alerts (electrification, entry into a perimeter ...).

The medallion can be powered by a battery, a rechargeable battery or by wireless transmission of surrounding energy (heat, movements, light rays), via a cigarette lighter or sector thanks to a micro port. usb.

Figure 13 shows a consumer version of the device according to the invention in the sense that the device is not connected to a power supply / gimbal module, or to safety assistants. This device is in the form of a flexible glove 20 made of electrical insulating material so as to be able to enhance the comfort and dexterity of the wearer.

The electronics with the exception of magnetic field sensors and electric field sensors, and their connections, will be carried by a part attached to the glove, forming a sleeve 21 which is joined in a reversible manner (for example by a scratch ) at the lower end of the glove. This sleeve will carry the electronic circuit which will ideally present a flexibility compatible with the flexibility of the glove, the LEDs, the on / off button. Separating most of the electronics from the rest of the glove will allow for single material recycling.

According to another embodiment, the flexible printed circuit can be inserted into a pocket and molded onto the glove during its manufacture.

Claims (10)

1. Device forming an individual protection device for a person likely to evolve in an area of presence of electric voltage, comprising a main body integrating an electronic circuit, at least one inductive sensor and at least one electric field sensor, sensing remotely the presence of an electromagnetic wave and an alarm triggered as soon as a predetermined electromagnetic threshold and / or a safety distance is exceeded, the inductive sensor being able to detect the direction of propagation of the electromagnetic wave, the device comprising at least two wave propagation direction indicators connected to the sensor to provide the person with information on the direction of propagation of the detected wave and / or a setback direction instruction for the person. 2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the inductive sensor is of the three-axis inductive sensor type and the indicators of direction of propagation of the electromagnetic wave are connected to the sensor so as to indicate different information when the direction of propagation of the electromagnetic wave is detected as evolving along the three axes. 3. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises several inductive sensors arranged at different locations within the main body and the direction indicators are arranged at different corresponding locations so as to indicate the direction in which the wave is detected and / or a reversing direction instruction for the operator. 4. Device according to one of the preceding claims, comprising modules for signal processing and / or for triangulating the measurements made by the sensor (s) and / or sound sensors to refine the determination of the direction of propagation of the wave. carried out by the sensors and / or measure quantities characteristic of it such as the speed of propagation and / or the duration of exposure of the person to the wave. 5. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the main body is flexible so as to be able to follow the movements of a member of a person and the electronic circuit has a flexibility compatible with the flexibility of the main body. 6. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a heart rate sensor projecting from one of the external faces of the main body so as to be able to come into contact with the skin of the person in order to measure the person's heart rate. 7. Device according to the preceding claim, comprising a control unit for checking the correct installation of the device collecting and analyzing the measurements of the heart rate sensor and emitting a signal if the measured heart rate does not conform to a predetermined profile. . 8. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a current sensor projecting from one of the external faces of the main body so as to be able to come into contact with the skin of the person in order to measure if the current flowing through the person has exceeded a threshold value. 9. Safety management system in an area including an installation traversed by an electric voltage and whose electric current is likely to be interrupted by a circuit breaker with cut-off / reset lever 14, the system comprising the device according to one any of the three preceding claims and an independent module to be mounted on the circuit breaker to modify the state by acting on the cut-out / reset handle, the module integrating a movable actuator between a rest position and an active position for moving the handle from the circuit breaker to the cut-off position, and means of remote communication with the device, so as to switch to the active cut-out position of the circuit breaker when a current exceeding a threshold value is detected by the current sensor or a profile non-compliant heart rate was measured by the heart rate sensor. 10. System according to the preceding claim, comprising a vehicle moving in the area, such as a nacelle cabin, the movements of which can be interrupted by an emergency stop button of the "nacelle stop" type, and an independent module. to be mounted on the emergency stop button of the vehicle to modify its state by acting on the cut-out / reset lever, the module incorporating a movable actuator between a rest position and an active position for moving the button at the emergency stop position, and means of remote communication with the device, so as to switch to the active emergency stop position of the vehicle movements when a current exceeding a threshold value is detected by the current or a non-compliant heart rate profile was measured by the heart rate sensor.