AN AT HEIGHT SAFETY SYSTEM AND METHOD OF USE THEREOF

Abstract

An at height safety system and method of use thereof An at height safety system is provided including detection apparatus for location at at least one required position or in at least one pre-determined area that is to be monitored in use. Identification means are provided on or associated with an item that is to be monitored in use. The detection apparatus includes first detection means arranged for detecting the presence of a person in use and at least second detection means arranged for detecting the identification means in use. Processing means are provided for processing one or more signals and/or data received from the first and/or at least second detection means.

Claims

1. An at height safety system, said system including detection apparatus for location at at least one required position or in at least one pre-determined area that is to be monitored in use; identification means provided on or associated with an item that is to be monitored in use; and wherein said detection apparatus includes first detection means arranged for detecting the presence of a person in use; at least second detection means arranged for detecting the identification means in use; and processing means for processing one or more signals and/or data received from the first and/or at least second detection means, characterised in that the first detection means is arranged to verify a person has been detected at least partly based on any or any combination of a size and/or shape of a detected object within a pre-determined size and/or shape range; a temperature of a detected object within a pre-determined temperature range; or an image of a detected object within one or more pre-determined image parameters.

2-9. (canceled)

10. The at height safety system according to claim 1, wherein the item with which the identification means are provided on and/or associated with is any or any combination of a portable item, a safety equipment item, an at height safety equipment item, an item worn by a person in use; a helmet, a climbing harness, a carabiner, a torch, a tool, glasses, safety goggles, a climbing accessory item, an item of clothing, or an item of footwear.

11. The at height safety system according to claim 1, wherein the identification means is passive in that it is no powered and/or does not actively transmit data and/or one or more signals therefrom in use; the at least second detection means sensing, reading and/or detecting data associated with the identification means in use; or wherein the identification means is active in that it is powered and/or actively transmits data and/or one or more signals therefrom in use; the at least second detection means sensing, reading and/or detecting data associated with the identification means in use.

12. (canceled)

13. The at height safety system according to claim 1, wherein the identification means is any or any combination of a beacon, a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag, a bar code, an electronic chip, or a QR code.

14. The at height safety system according to claim 1, wherein the second detection means is any detection device, sensing device or reader that allows detection, sensing, reading and/or monitoring of the identification means in use; or is any or any combination of a beacon sensor, an RFID reader, a bar-code reader, a QR code reader or an electronic chip reader.

15. The at height safety system according to claim 1, wherein the first detection means is any or any combination of temperature sensing means; a heat sensor, a thermal imaging camera, a thermal infra-red sensor, or GRID-EYE sensor.

16-17. (canceled)

18. The at height safety system according to claim 1, wherein the system collects and/or communicates data in real time and/or timing means or a clock is provided, and the system collects and/or communicates data in association with a pre-defined time or time period.

19. The at height safety system according to claim 1, wherein the processing means provides one or more pre-defined responses according to any or any combination of the following criteria: on receipt and/or detection of one or more signals from the first and/or second detection means; on receipt and/or detection of one or more absolute values from the first and/or second detection means; in the absence of detection of one or more signals from the first and/or second detection means; or once a pre-determined threshold value has been identified by the first and/or second detection means.

20. The at height safety system according to claim 19, wherein the one or more pre-defined responses includes any or any combination of a recorded response, recording response, a download response, a warning response, an alarm response, or a data collection response.

21. (canceled)

22. The at height safety system according to claim 1, wherein warning means are provided on and/or associated with the system to warn or inform a user and/or third party of a particular status, response and/or condition relating to the system; and wherein optionally the warning means are arranged to provide a visual warning, an audible warning and/or a kinaesthetic warning.

23. (canceled)

24. The at height safety system according to claim 1, wherein different levels or tiers of warning means or responses can be generated by the system depending on the severity of a particular status detected by the system, first and/or second detection means in use.

25. The at height safety system according to claim 1, wherein the system includes communication means for allowing data and/or one or more signals to be communicated to and/or from the detection apparatus, the first and/or at lease second detection means and/or the processing means in use; and optionally -wherein the communication means includes at least one communication device separate to and remote from the detection apparatus to allow a third party remote to the detection apparatus to monitor the detection apparatus in use.

26. (canceled)

27. The at height safety system according to claim 1, wherein the system is an automatic belay safety system or a climbing tether safety system.

28. A method of using an at height safety system, said system including detection apparatus for location at at least one required position or in at least one pre-determined area that is to be monitored in use; identification means provided on or associated with an item that is to be monitored in use; and wherein said method includes the step of detecting the presence of a person using the system via first detection means; detecting the identification means using at least second detection means; and processing one or more signals and/or data received from the first and/or at least second detection means using processing means, characterised in that the first detection means is arranged to verify a person has been detected at least partly based on any or any combination of a size and/or shape of a detected object within a pre-determined size and/or shape range; a temperature of a detected object within a pre-determined temperature range; or an image of a detected object within one or more pre-determined image parameters.

29. An item including identification means for use in an at height safety system according to claims 1.

Description

[0090] Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the following figures, wherein:

[0091] FIG. 1 is a simplified schematic of an at height safety system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0092] FIG. 2 is a simplified schematic of an at height safety system according to a further embodiment of the present invention;

[0093] FIGS. 3a and 3b show one example of use of the at height safety system on a vertical climbing wall when a climber is a) out of range of the detection unit and b) in range of the detection unit, respectively;

[0094] FIG. 4 shows an example of use of the at height safety system on a horizontal rope system that might be used in a tree top adventure park;

[0095] FIGS. 5s and 5b show examples of use of the at height safety system for rope access work in an industrial setting

[0096] Referring to FIG. 1, there is illustrated an at height safety system 2 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The system 2 is designed to monitor and/or warn a user of the system about whether they, or another user, are undertaking a particular activity safely and/or are whether they are wearing the correct safety equipment while undertaking an at height application.

[0097] System 2 includes a detection unit 4, which in one example can be wall mounted using suitable fixture means, such as screws, nuts and bolts and/or the like.

[0098] The detection unit 4 includes a housing 6 containing first detection means in the form of a thermal imaging camera 8 and second detection means in the form of an RFID tag reader 10. Processing means in the form of a micro-processing device 12 is also located in the housing 6 and communicates with camera 8 and reader 10 to transmit, receive and/or process one or more signals and/or data with the same.

[0099] The detection unit 4 can also optionally include warning means for warning a user or third party of a particular condition being detected by the system, such as a safe or unsafe condition being detected. In this example, the warning means is in the form of warning lights, wherein a green light 14 is lit to show that a safe condition is being detected by the detection unit, or a red light 16 is lit to show that an unsafe condition is being detected by the detection unit. However, other warning means could be provided, such as an audible alarm and/or the like.

[0100] An RFID tag 18 is locatable on an item and/or person in use which can be detected and read by the reader 10 when located within a pre-determined distance of the reader 10.

[0101] The item or person to which the tag 18 is attached is typically portable and movable relative to the detection unit, whereas the detection unit is typically fixed in a required position during use in one example.

[0102] The micro-processing device 12 can be arranged so as to generate a pre-determined response following any detection of a person and/or tag 18 in use. Alternatively, the micro-processing device 12 can be arranged so as to generate a pre-determined response only once pre-determined conditions or a pre-determined value has been met or detected by the camera 8 and/or reader 10 in use. For example, the processing device 8 could be arranged to generate a positive response only once a certain sized thermal image has been generated or a thermal image of a certain average temperature has been detected by camera 8. This removes the risk of generating a positive response in error if, for example, a small bird were to pass in front of the camera 8. The processing device 8 could be arranged to generate a negative response only once an RFID tag has been detected that the system is not programmed to detect, such as for example the presence of an unauthorised user of the system.

[0103] FIG. 2 shows a similar system 102 to that of system 2 shown in FIG. 1 but with the addition of a communication device 104. (Similar reference numerals are used to denote similar features used in FIG. 1.)

[0104] The communication device 104 in one example is in the form of a pager having a display screen 106 for the display of data relating to the status and/or one or more detected conditions of the system 102. The detection unit 4 can communicate with the communication device 104 via one way or two way communication as required, and as shown by arrow 108. A transmitter 110 is provided on the communication device 104 for transmitting one or more signals to the detection unit 4 and receiver 112 is provided for receiving one or more signals from the detection unit 4 in use. Micro-processing means and/or data storage is provided in the communication device as required.

[0105] A transmitter 114 for transmitting one or more signals to the communication device 104 and a receiver 116 for receiving one or more signals from the communication device 104 can also be provided on detection unit 4 as required.

[0106] It is noted that reference to a transmitter and/or receiver herein covers any device capable of transmission and/or receiving one or more signals in use.

[0107] The communication device 104 can be used to remotely program the detection unit 4, to send or extract data therefrom, to communicate a detected condition or status of the detection unit and/or the like.

[0108] The communication device 104 is typically portable to allow it to be carried on a person in use. This allows a person to be informed of the status of the system even if they are remote from the system. However, the communication device could be a fixed device if required. For example, a member of staff at a climbing wall could carry the communication device on their person and a warning could be sent to the device 104 if an unsafe condition is detected. The staff member can then act appropriately based on the warning received.

[0109] It is to be noted that the detection unit 4 could provide different responses depending on the condition being detected. For example, it will be appreciated that some detected conditions could warrant being dealt with in an urgent manner and so a high level warning may be generated by the detection unit and/or communication device. Other detected conditions could warrant being dealt with in a less urgent manner and so a low or lower level warning may be generated by the detection unit and/or communication device in this situation. The number of warning levels or tiers could be determined depending on the user and/or application of use of the system.

[0110] Referring to FIGS. 3a and 3b, there is illustrated an example of how the detection system according to the present invention can be used for a climbing wall application. A climbing wall 202 protrudes vertically upwards from a ground surface 204. The climbing wall 202 includes a plurality of hand and foot hold members 206 located at spaced apart intervals on the wall 202 to help a climber 208 climb the wall 202.

[0111] An automatic belay system 210 is provided on the wall 202 which the climber 208 is required to be attached to for safety reasons so as to prevent the climber from falling off the wall in use. The automatic belay system 210 includes a sprung reel 212 located at the top of the wall to which a rope 214 is attached to. A carabiner located at an end of the rope 214 nearest the ground surface 204 is required to be clipped to a harness 216 worn by the climber 208 to allow the automatic belay system to function correctly in use.

[0112] In accordance with the present invention, detection system 2 is also used with the climbing wall arrangement to warn a climber if they have not correctly clipped onto the automatic belay system. More particularly, detection unit 4 is fixed to the climbing wall 202 a pre-determined distance above the ground surface 204. RFID tag 18 is located on the carabiner for clipping the climber onto the belay system 210.

[0113] In FIG. 3a, when the climber 208 is only a short distance off the ground, both the climber 208 and the RFID tag 18 are out of range of the thermal imaging camera 8 and RFID reader 10 in detection unit 4. The range of the detection unit 4 is shown by lines 218. No signal is initiated by the detection unit 4 and the climber 208 is sufficiently close to the ground surface 204 that they are unlikely to injure themselves if they were to fall when not connected to the automatic belay system 210.

[0114] With reference to FIG. 3b, as the climber 208 moves vertically upwards on the wall 202, the climber 208 comes into range 218 of the detection unit 4 and camera 8 detects that a person is within range of unit 4. At the same time, RFID reader 10 detects the presence of RFID tag 18. The detection unit 4 processes the signals generated from the reader 10 and camera 8 and determines that a person is climbing the wall and the person has the carabiner of the auto belay system attached to their harness. This is a safe condition and so the system can positively signal this, such as by illuminating a green light for example. If the detection unit 4 processes the signals and determines there is a person but no RFID tag, the unit determines that the carabiner is not clipped to the detected person’s harness. This is an unsafe condition and so the system can positively signal this, such as by illuminating a red light for example or sounding a warning alarm. A warning signal could also be communicated by unit 4 to the communication device 104 of a staff member to let the staff member know that a climber is climbing in unsafe conditions. The staff member can then go and speak with the climber to correct the situation.

[0115] Where a plurality of climbing pathways are provided on a climbing wall with an automatic belay system associated with each pathway, it will be appreciated that a plurality of different RFID tags can be provided; one tag associated with each automatic belay system. Each RFID tag can provide a unique identification and the detection unit can be arranged so as to detect any number of different tags and/or determine whether a tag has been detected that should not be associated with a particular pathway. For example, this could detect whether a climber has strayed into the climbing pathway of another climber. It also allows a staff member to monitor a number of different climbing pathways at any time and understand the status of each individual climbing pathway without being present in person at the climbing wall.

[0116] Referring to FIG. 4, there is illustrated an example of how the detection system according to the present invention can be used for a tree top rope adventure application. Unlike the example given in FIGS. 3a-3b where the system is arranged to detect the safety of a climber when moving in a vertical direction, the example in FIG. 4 provides an at height safety system which detects the safety of a user when moving in a horizontal direction. In this example, the user typically largely maintains their height above a ground surface while moving between various rope activities. However, since the activities take place high up in the trees above a ground surface, there is still a safety risk to the user if they do not correctly apply their safety rope to their harness 216.

[0117] A rope 302 is located between two tree structures 304. Platforms 306 are provided on each tree 304 above the ground surface to allow a user to stand on the same at the start and end of the activity. The user is required to use the rope 302 to traverse between the two platforms 306 for the activity. A sliding mechanism is attached to rope 302 to allow a user to slide along rope 302 between the two trees. An attachment rope 310 is provided with a carabiner 312 at the end of and a user uses this carabiner to attach their harness 216 to the same. An RFID tag 18 is provided on the carabiner 312.

[0118] Detection unit 4 is located a pre-determined horizontal distance away from one end of the rope 302. The pre-determined distance is such that if a user is detected by camera 8 as being at the edge of the platform 306 without the carabiner clipped onto their harness (i.e. the RFID reader 10 in detection unit 4 is not able to detect tag 18) then an audible alarm is sounded. This prevents the user from stepping off the platform 306 without correctly being attached to the attachment rope 310.

[0119] Although the FIGS. 3a-4 illustrate use of the at height safety system for leisure applications, such as climbing walls or tree top adventure parks, it will be appreciated that the present invention could have many different uses in industrial applications, such as in monitoring the safety of workers on electrical pylons, wind turbines, construction sites and/or the like.

[0120] FIGS. 5a and 5b show how the present invention could be used on a rope access system. A user is required to be clipped to a safety system associated with a ladder in use in these examples. FIG. 5b shows the user being clipped to an automatic belay system 400.

[0121] The present invention could also be used to collect data rather than solely acting as a warning system. For example, the identification means could be used on safety items which can only be used a certain number of times before they are disposed of, repaired, serviced and/or the like. The detection system of the present invention can be used to detect and monitor the usage of the items with which the identification means are associated with, thereby allowing an accurate record to be kept of the items usage.

[0122] The system can also be used to track one or more of a plurality of workers, their equipment, safety of the workers, safety of the equipment, the time workers spend on a particular activity and/or the like.