System and method for beacon broadcast with correlation range

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a system for providing location and information communication, comprising: a beacon in which the beacon transmits both information and data relating to a correlation range of the beacon; and a receiving device, wherein the receiving device determines whether the transmitted information is related on the basis of the received signal strength and the transmission data related to the correlation range.

Description

[0001] Claim for priority

[0002] This application claims the benefit of the following applications, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety: U.S. Serial No. 62 / 393,238 filed September 12, 2016 (ABLU-0001-P01) and U.S. Serial No. 62 / 412,156 filed October 24, 2016 (ABLU-0003-P01). Background Art

[0003] field:

[0004] The present invention relates to technologies for location and information transmission, and more particularly to systems of smart asset tags and data foraging devices designed to interact in challenging environments (including but not limited to industrial environments) without the need to remotely access servers for other data or processing.

[0005] Description of Related Technology

[0006] There are many situations where knowing the location of an asset (e.g., a person, a piece of equipment, a material, etc.) is important, but the environment presents challenges. For example, an industrial environment may be a large indoor facility constructed of metal and filled with pieces of equipment or an underground facility with a hazardous atmosphere. In addition, the industrial environment may include high levels of RF noise due to the equipment, further inhibiting signal reception. These types of environments can be challenging for typical positioning systems such as the satellite-based Global Positioning System (GPS) because reception of satellite signals may be inhibited by the structure of the building or other environmental shielding. Cell phone-based systems can use triangulation based on cellular phone signal strength and direction, such as received by at least three cellular phone towers. However, these systems have some of the same disadvantages in terms of efficacy in indoor environments.

[0007] Additionally, while these solutions can provide somewhat accurate outdoor locations on a map, remote location systems such as cellular telephone systems do not have insight into the internal layout of an industrial facility and may only provide latitude and longitude rather than the location of assets within the facility. This may require an additional step, requiring those who want to act based on the location information to reference a map or database to convert the latitude and longitude into an actionable location, such as "Building 1."

[0008] There are existing solutions for interior spaces based on triangulation or trilateral measurement of signal strength using Wi-Fi access points or other RF-based references. Although this description relates to Wi-Fi access points, it should be understood that other RF-based references can be used. The use of triangulation / trilateral measurement can be effective, and depending on the density and distribution of Wi-Fi access points, a high level of accuracy can be achieved. However, disadvantages of this solution may exist. For a high level of accuracy, Wi-Fi access points must be densely distributed in the space. For example, in order to achieve an accuracy of approximately + / - 20 feet, Wi-Fi access points must be located approximately every 50 feet. Each Wi-Fi access point may require wired infrastructure, such as power, Internet cables, etc. Therefore, installation may be expensive, particularly in industrial environments where power reduction may need to be installed for each access point. For similar reasons of density and cost, RSSI fingerprinting is not preferred.

[0009] Moreover, the level of location accuracy required or desired may not be uniform throughout the space of interest. For most of the space, it may be sufficient to simply locate the asset as existing within the space. For example, an industrial facility such as a manufacturing area may be an open area where visibility is high, and knowing which manufacturing area to look in for something may be sufficient information. However, for certain portions of the space, such as enclosed portions of the space, high security areas near hazardous equipment and materials, etc., a high degree of accuracy may be desired. Therefore, the specificity of the required location information may vary throughout the space based on the internal characteristics of the space. For this situation, in addition to being expensive to install and operate, a dense network of Wi-Fi access points may be too accurate in some areas of the space and not accurate enough in other areas.

[0010] An emerging approach for high accuracy in both interior and exterior spaces is the use of beacons. However, for many existing beacon protocols, such as iBeacon, EddyStone, AltBeacon, etc., the protocol relies on a remote server to provide context for the beacon. The beacon signal can provide limited information, such as a unique user identifier (UUID) or URL and the power level at 1 meter. To determine whether any action is required, the receiving device calculates the distance between the receiving device and the beacon using the received power and the power at one meter, and then transmits the UUID and distance to an external, possibly off-site server to understand the context for the beacon and whether it is relevant to the receiver at its current location. In addition, the system relies on the server to indicate what action, if any, may be required.

[0011] For example, a beacon may be located near a retail display. If a receiving device (such as a mobile phone) receives the beacon's signal, it sends the beacon's UUID to a remote server, such as a cloud-based server. The receiving device may calculate the distance between the receiving device and the beacon and transmit the distance along with the UUID. In other cases, the receiving device may transmit a received signal strength (RSSI) or similar signal strength indicator to a remote server, which may calculate the distance between the beacon and the receiving device. Once the remote server knows the UUID and the distance, if the mobile phone is close enough to the beacon and the retail display (within two feet in this example), the remote server can transmit the coupon to the mobile device. However, if communication with the remote server is interrupted, the system may not function as expected because the receiving device itself does not know how to respond to any particular UUID. Therefore, for environments without connectivity to a remote server, the system has limited utility, except perhaps for logging UUIDs.

[0012] There remains a continuing need for a low-cost, low-power location and information system that is capable of supporting multiple levels of location specificity and that is operable without the need for a remote server.

[0013] There are many situations where knowing the location and status of an asset (e.g., a piece of equipment, personal protective equipment (PPE), material, etc.) is important. Historically, inventory was counted manually, providing information such as the total amount of an asset in a given location at a given time. However, there was no good way to track status differences in inventory across counts (e.g., user, maintenance due, etc.) or to know the location at other times.

[0014] Recently, barcode labels have been used to simplify the tracking of assets. For each asset to be tracked, a barcode label with a unique identifier is attached to the asset. On a remote system, there may be a database that associates each unique identifier with information about the asset, such as when it was purchased, when maintenance is due, etc. During an inventory survey, each individual asset tag can be manually scanned using a barcode scanner, and the unique identifier uploaded to a data management system. The system can provide information to the individual scanning the label, such as a description of the item, when it was purchased, when its maintenance is due, instructions for the use of the asset, etc. However, printing barcode labels requires specialized equipment, and barcode labels may become dirty or blurred in certain environments. In those cases, the barcode label must be reprinted and reapplied. In order to overcome some of the shortcomings of barcode labels, there are systems being developed that use RFID tags or near field communication (NFC) tags in a manner similar to barcode labels. The system works in a similar manner, where the tag provides a unique identifier that can be read using an appropriate reader, and the unique identifier is used to find the corresponding information. However, these methods still require each asset to be handled and scanned individually to read the unique identifier. Furthermore, if there is a change in the state of an asset, such as a helmet being hit, there is no way to know that the helmet has been impacted and may need to be replaced. There is no automatic way to update the profile on the remote asset management system with the new information. Instead, if an asset needs to be recalled, all parts must be scanned to identify the recalled asset.

[0015] In some high-end pieces of equipment, some data logging may be performed, and the data is uploaded to the asset management system periodically. For example, a gas detector can record the measured gas levels throughout the shift, and then upload the logged data when the equipment is docked at the end of the shift. Other equipment can measure body temperature, noise level, heat stress, etc. However, for these systems, it is still necessary for individuals to initiate the extraction of information, such as placing an item in a dock or initiating the transmission of NFC data. Before that is completed, there is no way to know whether the state of the device has changed. Some high-end equipment may have limited two-way communication built into the equipment, which allows it to communicate directly with the cloud. Self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) equipment is one such example. However, for lower cost assets such as helmets, safety belts, etc., such a solution may not be feasible, where the cost of dedicated connectivity to the cloud may be too expensive.

[0016] There remains a continuing need for a low-cost, low-overhead asset management system that can provide tracking of items without individually initiating interaction with each asset to be tracked or extensive new infrastructure.

[0017] All documents mentioned herein are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. References to items in the singular should be understood to include the items in the plural, and vice versa, unless otherwise expressly indicated or clearly indicated by the text. Grammatical conjunctions are intended to express any and all transitional and conjunctive combinations of associated clauses, sentences, words, etc., unless otherwise indicated or clearly indicated by the context. Summary of the invention

[0018] The present disclosure describes a system, and the system according to a disclosed non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure may include multiple beacons, wherein each beacon broadcasts a message including information data and data about a relevant range, wherein each beacon may include a transmitter, a processor, a memory, and a power supply, and wherein when a receiving device determines that it is within the relevant range broadcast by the beacon, it processes (attend to) the information data. The data about the relevant range may include an indication of a minimum received signal strength. The minimum received signal strength may include a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) or a received channel power indicator (RCPI). The determination of whether the receiving device is within the relevant range is determined locally by the receiving device. At least one beacon in the multiple beacons may also include a sensor or an input port for sensor data. The information data may include sensor data. At least one beacon in the multiple beacons changes the information data based on the sensor data. The receiving device is a mobile device. Each beacon is associated with one of the following: a fixed location, a mobile asset, or a second receiving device in the same location. Each beacon may be broadcast continuously, periodically, or on a schedule. Multiple beacons may be broadcast in a mixture of periodic and scheduled broadcasts. Each beacon may broadcast at least two messages sequentially. At least two messages may have different correlation ranges. Each beacon may broadcast multiple information data in sequence. The receiving device may further include an indicator, such as a light, a speaker, or an actuator. Each beacon may be mobile and broadcast user information, the user information including one of the following: user name, user identification, user authorization, or user safety equipment. The beacon may be updated using a mobile device with NFC or BLE capabilities. At least one of the multiple beacons may also include a protective housing that provides dust or water resistance. The protective housing may be intrinsically safe. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] The following detailed description of the present disclosure and certain embodiments thereof may be understood by reference to the following drawings:

[0020] Figure 1A and 1B Depicts the environment of the beacon and receiving device.

[0021] Figure 2 Depicted beacon.

[0022] Figure 3A Receiving equipment is depicted.

[0023] Figure 3B Depicts the SW stack on the receiving device.

[0024] Figure 4 Depicts the process for determining whether a beacon is within range.

[0025] Figure 5 An example of a receiving device within range of multiple beacons is depicted.

[0026] Figure 6 An example of an asset management system is depicted.

[0027] Figures 7A-7D Depicted is an example of a smart asset tag. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] The beacon information and location communication system can be deployed in an industrial environment with a large open interior space, such as a factory building 1002. Figure 1A-1B The area over which each beacon provides relevant information, such as the range of the beacon or the scope of relevance, can be selected, thereby allowing multiple beacons with different relevance ranges to provide spatial coverage using a non-uniform sparse deployment scheme.

[0029] The beacon may repeatedly transmit an information message or data, i.e., the payload of the beacon, followed by information about the range within which the information message is relevant, such as a relevant range. The information message (payload, range) may then be repeated continuously or when triggered based on an input from a beacon provided by a separate device such as a sensor. In an embodiment, the system does not rely on an application in the cloud to determine the relevance of a sensing message. Instead, the beacon transmits details about the range within which the accompanying information message or data is relevant. In an embodiment, the details may be related to the minimum received signal strength at which the received signal is relevant, such as a received signal strength indicator (RSSI), a received channel power indicator (RCPI), etc. For example, the beacon may transmit the minimum signal strength as an RSSI value, and the accompanying information message is relevant to the receiving device at this RSSI value. If the RSSI of the received signal is below a specified minimum value, the accompanying information message is irrelevant, and the receiving device may ignore the message. Although the method described herein relates to a beacon that transmits a specified minimum RSSI, the accompanying message may be ignored below the minimum RSSI, but other embodiments are also considered. In another embodiment, the transmission power for each beacon may be adjusted during installation so that the beacon signal will exceed a generally specified minimum value only within the area of ​​interest.

[0030] In an illustrative example, a receiving device may detect a signal with an RSSI of 80, where the received signal specifies a minimum signal strength of 100 RSSI. Because the RSSI of the incoming signal is below the specified minimum signal strength, the receiving device should ignore the corresponding information message. If the receiving device detects an incoming signal with an RSSI of 110 and the signal specifies a minimum RSSI of 100, the corresponding information message is relevant and the receiving device should process the message. In a non-limiting example, beacon 1002B may repeatedly transmit a minimum signal strength of 50 RSSI, followed by "factory building 30." The beacon may be transmitted with sufficient power so that the signal can be received anywhere within the factory building 1002 at an RSSI greater than 50.

[0031] Multiple short- to medium-range beacons may be deployed around locations or features of interest, while longer-range beacons may be deployed sparsely to provide general coverage of large open areas, such as beacons B1002A and B1002B, which may be positioned and programmed to provide coverage of large areas, such as factory buildings 1002. Beacons B1002A and B1002B may be designed to have ranges R1002A and R1002B corresponding to the interior spaces of factory buildings 1002. In some embodiments, multiple beacons B1002A and B1002B transmitting the same information may be deployed to provide adequate coverage of large open areas. Beacons may be omnidirectional or unidirectional so that coverage corresponds to an area of ​​interest.

[0032] Industrial spaces may include smaller, more restricted spaces within a larger space, such as a tank room 1004 located within a factory building 1002. A corresponding beacon B 1004 may be located in the small tank room, with a range R1004 corresponding to the range of the more restricted space of the tank room 1004 of this example. The ranges of the beacons may be further constrained to provide a finer level of detail. For example, there may be a third beacon B 1006 with a smaller range R1006 that is located by a specific object, such as a tank 1006 located in the tank room 1004. Figure 1B , may be a fourth beacon B 1008 having a range R 1008 located by a feature of an object such as a tank valve 1008. There may be sensors located throughout the industrial environment that may relay information to various beacons, such as sensor S 1008 located near the tank valve 1008.

[0033] This solution of a sparse beacon system can enable rapid setup in short-term situations, such as construction sites, drilling sites, mining sites, etc. There may be a large number of workers and equipment at a location for a short period of time. However, during this short period of time, monitoring of the workers and equipment may be important. Solutions that require installation of a dense number of access points or extensive site mapping may involve higher costs and longer installation times to meet short-term needs.

[0034] A user 301 may move through a plant building 1002, transporting one or more of a variety of equipment, such as an identification tag, a mobile device 101 running a beacon application 201, one or more pieces of personal protective equipment or safety equipment, such as hearing protection, a gas mask, a respirator, a safety belt, lighting, fall protection equipment, etc., or one or more tools 401, such as a saw, a gas sensor, a portable environmental sensing device, a gas detection instrument, a heat detector, a flame detector, a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive (CBRNE) detector, a chemical detection instrument, or any kind of industrial monitoring equipment that logs data about its operation, sensor parameters, users, etc. All of these devices may be in electronic communication with one or more of the beacons and receiving devices. There may be one or more sensors S301 associated with the user 301, such as on a wearable device or an identification device. There may be sensors S401 associated with the tool 401, such as NFC identification tags, proximity sensors, accelerometers, biometric or wearable sensors such as eye tracking sensors, heart rate sensors, blood pressure sensors, gait detection sensors, olfactory sensors, and galvanic skin response sensors, cameras / image sensors, microphones, infrared sensors, gas sensors, capacitive sensors, fingerprint sensors, signal detectors (e.g., Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, mobile phones, etc.), location detectors (e.g., GPS sensors), etc. The sensors may communicate with one or more beacons and one or more receiving devices.

[0035] Due to the sparse distribution and varying range of the location beacons, the installation may be more efficient than the installation of access points or RSSI triangulation systems. Initially, those beacons associated with the largest area, lowest accuracy are installed and calibrated to be "in range" within the space of interest. After these beacons are installed, beacons of progressively smaller range, higher accuracy may be installed. As identification of areas requiring higher accuracy location information occurs, such as installation of new equipment, new beacons may be added directly to the existing system without having to update existing beacons. The order above does not have to be followed. An aspect of this embodiment is that areas requiring lower resolution, such as buildings, may be equipped with beacons having a greater range, i.e., specificity, than areas requiring higher resolution, such as tank rooms within a building.

[0036] refer to Figure 2, beacon 200 may include a processor 202, a memory 204, and a transmitter 208. In some cases, beacon 200 may include a sensor 210 or an input port 212 for receiving input from a sensor. Beacon 200 may be battery 214 operated. Beacon 200 may broadcast information at regularly scheduled intervals using a standard wireless protocol (e.g., BLE). The frequency at which information is broadcast and the format in which it is broadcast may be based on a standard beacon format, such as iBeacon, Eddystone, AltBeacon, etc., or a custom format. Beacon 200 may include a near field communication (NFC) interface to facilitate secure communication for updates to beacons, etc.

[0037] The beacon 200 may be battery 214 operated, with a battery life of approximately 4 years. The beacon may operate over a wide temperature range, such as -40° to +50°C, has a protective housing, provides an ingress protection (IP) of 65 / 66 (protected from dust and water jets), and is therefore suitable for both indoor and outdoor use. The beacon 200 may also be certified for use in environmentally hazardous areas, such as those areas involving flammable gases and / or dust, etc. The beacon, or at least the housing of the beacon, may be intrinsically safe and / or explosion proof.

[0038] The beacon can be located in a fixed location, such as associated with an enclosed area in a facility. The beacon can be associated with a mobile asset (such as a piece of equipment), a user, a batch of materials, etc. The beacon can be associated with a receiving device in the same location or integrated in the same device. In some embodiments, the beacon can transmit more than one information message (payload, range) sequentially and repeat continuously. The range associated with each payload does not have to be the same. For example, a beacon can transmit ("tank room 3", 20RSSI) ("potential H2S hazard, 15RSSI"). The beacon can receive input from environmental sensors, tools, user sensors, equipment and equipment status sensors, etc., as described elsewhere in this document, and transmit the received input.

[0039] Referring to FIG3 , receiving device 300 may include processor 302, memory 304, and receiver 308. In some cases, receiving device 300 may include sensor 310 or input port 312 for receiving input from a sensor or sensor device directly or indirectly via another form of electronic communication. In some cases, receiving device may have indicator 318, such as a light or display, a speaker for audio alarm, and a vibration mechanism for tactile alarm. Receiving device 300 may be battery 314 operated. Components of receiving device may be implemented on a hardware chip or tag to provide a low-cost receiving device.

[0040] refer to Figure 3B, the software stack running on the receiving device 300 may include an API 352 for controlling the receiver hardware coupled to the standard beacon framework 354. The API for controlling the receiver hardware may be designed to support Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), ANT, or other low-power communication protocols. The API 352 for controlling the receiver hardware and the standard beacon framework 354 together handle the physical communication between the beacon 200 and the receiving device 300 and the details of how to handle the beacon at the operating system level, such as when the mobile device is in sleep mode, by causing an interrupt to be generated in the mobile device. The smart beacon application 358 interprets the data received from the beacon.

[0041] The smart beacon application 358 can maintain a list of active beacons that can be heard. If an active beacon is not heard within multiple scans, it can be removed from the list of active beacons. In an embodiment, the number can be a predetermined number of scans. In an embodiment, the number can be a predetermined number of consecutive scans. For each beacon, a normalized beacon strength can be calculated relative to the transmission range for that beacon. The difference between the received strength of the beacon signal and the transmission range (minimum received strength) can be normalized relative to the transmission range.

[0042]

[0043] The smart beacon application 358 may determine the average beacon strength over a specified number of samples. The smart beacon application 358 may identify the best beacon for a location beacon while listening to all relevant beacons for categories such as danger, alert, etc. The best place beacon for a location may be identified as the beacon with the highest average beacon strength. However, the newly determined best place beacon may need to exceed the average beacon strength of the current place beacons by a predetermined margin to avoid continued rollover of places at the margin.

[0044] The receiving device 300 may be the mobile device 101 ( Figure 1A), such as a laptop, smart phone, tablet computer, etc., which runs an application 201 designed to interpret and act on signals received from the beacon. The receiving device 300 can be a smart identification badge worn by the user, or a personal protective device worn by the user, such as a respirator mask, eye protection, hearing protection, protective shoes, hard hat, exposure tracker, personal protective equipment or safety equipment as described herein, etc. The receiving device can be a tool, such as a saw, electronic measurement equipment, portable environmental sensing equipment, gas detection instruments (such as multi-gas, single gas and combustible gas detectors), heat detectors, flame detectors, chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive (CBRNE) detectors, chemical detection instruments, etc. The receiving device can be attached to a batch of materials, such as chlorine, bleach, ammonia, etc. In addition to receiving signals from the beacon, the receiving device can also communicate electronically with sensors, equipment, smart identification badges, remote servers, etc.

[0045] The beacon may transmit an absolute location in terms of latitude and longitude, or the beacon may transmit a location name such as "Plant Building 30," "Tank Room 3," "Tank 1," "Valve 37," and the like. Beacon information (e.g., information message or information data) may include information typically seen on a sign specifying personal protection or safety equipment required in the area or safety clearances required in the area. Beacon information may include fault conditions and alarms based on sensor inputs, such as "Leak on Valve 37." Beacon information may include instructions to be followed within the beacon's range of influence, such as "No Cell Phones," "No Ammonia," and the like. Beacon information may include equipment available at the location, nearby gas detection instrument docks, fuel sources at the location, known hazards at the location, typical gas concentrations for the location, environmental conditions for the location, recent gas events, recent man down alarms, recent alarms, and the like.

[0046] In some embodiments, beacons may be used to broadcast information data regarding security clearances required within range of the beacon. Beacons located near a location may broadcast a specific security clearance level required. If the user's security level is not at or above the broadcasted minimum required security clearance, the instrument may issue a warning message audibly, visually, tactilely, or a combination thereof.

[0047] For example, a worker may attempt to enter a location by touching her instrument or device to an NFC location tag at the location. A beacon for the location may be transmitting a hazard alert signal, so once the instrument is associated with the location and receives a hazard alert signal from the beacon with the same location information as the location tag, the instrument or device may output a signal to move away from the location.

[0048] In another example, a beacon may broadcast information data including an authorization level that has changed. A worker may assign an instrument or device to themselves with an NFC tag that has information about their authorization level. A worker may arrive at a location with a beacon, and the worker's instrument or device will obtain the broadcast information about the changed authorization level from the beacon. If the authorization level being broadcast matches the information from the NFC assignment information, a message is sent back to the server requesting access. Access may be granted remotely, an access password may be sent back to the worker, etc.

[0049] In some embodiments, real-time information signs including integrated beacons can be used in conjunction with data collected from instruments. For example, real-time signs can communicate electronically with one or more instruments, devices, servers, or third-party devices, such as via WiFi, Bluetooth, RFID, etc. Real-time signs can be located in an area and can display data based on alerts from nearby instruments and can be used as remote alerts. Data can be transmitted directly to the sign using a wireless network, or the data can be transmitted to a cloud where the data is processed to determine whether the data should be displayed on the real-time information sign. In an embodiment, multiple instruments can transmit data (e.g., sensing data, allocation data, location data, calibration status, etc.) to a server at least in part via a wireless network, and the instrument can be enabled to communicate in a wireless network or can be NFC-enabled, where the data can be displayed by a real-time sign. In an embodiment, a real-time information sign uses its integrated beacon to broadcast additional information, such as more detailed instructions, the effective radius of the displayed message, etc.

[0050] Beacons can be used to count items in an area to provide an alarm. For example, a secondary alarm can be generated from an eyewash / shower pull, where the pull itself can generate a primary alarm. An inventory of items in the area may be needed to generate a secondary alarm, where the inventory is known at a remote location so that it is displayed to first and second responders on the eyewash / shower pull, or the inventory is collected by nearby instruments that communicate with beacons in the area and transmitted remotely. The inventory can include information such as: strong acid present, phosphine tank present, gas present, chemical present, combination of gas and chemical present, or any information that would be posted on a hazard placard.

[0051] Return to reference Figure 1A, it can be seen that the use of beacons allows for location determination with varying degrees of specificity. For example, two beacons B1002A and B1002B can be used to determine a location on the right side of a building (away from the tank room). The receiving device simply determines that it is in the location specified by the beacons. However, using the same system with a lower range but higher specificity, beacons can be used to enable a receiving device located in a tank room to determine whether it is in the tank room based on beacon B1004 or using beacon B1006 to determine whether it is near the tank.

[0052] like Figure 4 As shown in , when a receiving device receives a transmission (step 402), it determines the strength of the received signal (step 404). It then parses the beacon signal for range information / minimum signal strength (step 408). After obtaining the minimum signal strength, the receiving device compares the received signal strength to the minimum signal strength (step 410). If the received signal strength is less than the minimum signal strength, the transmission is ignored (step 412). If the received signal strength is equal to or greater than the minimum signal strength, the accompanying data is processed (step 414).

[0053] like Figure 5 As shown in , receiving device 300 can be within "range" of more than one beacon. Receiving device 300 can be positioned where it will receive signals from more than one beacon, and more than one of the signals can be received at a strength greater than a specified minimum. In addition, receiving device 300 can also receive information from other items in the environment, such as environmental sensors, wearable sensors 504, user equipment 502, etc., as described elsewhere herein. Figure 5 In the example of , the receiving device 300 has received 4 signals, all of which were received at a strength above the minimum value specified for that beacon. The receiving device 300 can then identify which information has a higher value / higher priority. For location information, the priority can be based on which beacon has a smaller area of ​​influence and therefore has a higher specificity. For example, Figure 5As shown in , a receiving device 300 located in a tank room 1004 may receive a signal from beacon B1002 indicating that the receiving device 300 is in "plant building 30", beacon B1004 indicating that the receiving device 300 is in "tank room 3", beacon B1006 indicating that the receiving device is near "tank 4", and beacon B1008 indicating that the receiving device is near "valve 37". It is possible to receive all beacon signals at a strength higher than the specified minimum strength of each corresponding beacon, which means that all beacons are associated with the receiving device. However, beacon B1008 with the smallest range (with a minimum signal strength of 5RSSI) has priority in location identification over beacons B1002 (minimum signal strength of 50RSSI), B1004 (minimum signal strength of 20RSSI), and B1006 (minimum signal strength of 15RSSI) with larger ranges because the smallest range provides greater specificity. Receiving device 300 not only knows that it is in "factory building 30" or in "tank room 3" near "tank 4", but also knows that it is near "valve 37". In addition, receiving device 300 can receive data from other beacons associated with wearable sensors 504, user equipment 502, environmental sensors, etc.

[0054] This system can enable many applications. In addition to receiving information from beacons that are believed to be in range, the receiving device can also receive information from other items in the environment, such as wearable sensors, environmental sensors, beacons, user equipment, etc., as described elsewhere in this document. The receiving device can then cause some relevant data to be displayed or some action to occur, such as shutting down a piece of equipment.

[0055] In some embodiments, beacons can be used to broadcast information about security clearances required within the range of the beacon. A user can receive his or her own NFC distribution tag that identifies the user, which can be attached to a name badge, employee ID, or other personal item. Then, every day, the employee can take out the instrument from the shared pool or tool bed at the beginning of his or her shift. When the instrument contacts the distribution tag, the distribution of the device to the user is completed. The device can be further configured according to the needs and / or specifications of the user, and can also include data about the user, such as name, size, weight, typical work position, job function, typical instruments used, pre-existing concerns, known languages, any machine certifications, previous alarms, previous gas or safety events, any previous radiation exposure levels, previous messages, and security clearances. A beacon located near the tank 1 can broadcast that a specific security clearance level is required. If the user's security level is not at or above the minimum required security clearance broadcast, the instrument can send a warning message audibly, visually, tactilely, or a combination thereof.

[0056] In some embodiments, beacons can be used to broadcast information about potential dangers, such as the potential presence of hydrogen sulfide (H2S). The receiving device may have identified the presence or absence of various protective devices or monitors as described elsewhere herein. If the receiving device is within the range of a beacon warning of a potential danger for which the user is not prepared, such as the potential presence of H2S, the receiving device can take a variety of actions based on the available equipment. If the user has a gas detector that can detect H2S but does not enable sensing, the receiving device can enable H2S sensing to be activated. If the user does not have a gas detector, the receiving device can send a warning message to the user audibly, visually, tactilely, or a combination thereof. If the receiving device is located near the entrance of a potentially dangerous location, a beacon associated with the receiving device can broadcast a command for locking the door.

[0057] In some embodiments, beacons may be used to broadcast information about required safety equipment, such as required hearing protection. The receiving device may warn the user to put on hearing protection, or may instruct the user to leave the area if the receiving device does not detect the presence of hearing protection. In some embodiments, beacons may not broadcast continuously, but rather only in response to sensor input (internal or external) (in this example, if the input from the noise sensor exceeds a certain threshold). In some cases, beacons may broadcast sensed parameters, such as temperature, noise level, gas level, etc.

[0058] In some embodiments, beacons can be used to broadcast real-time conditions or real-time hazard information. Beacons can be connected to one or more sensors and broadcast the sensed parameters in real time. Examples of such sensed parameters can include temperature, humidity, air pressure, altitude, concentration of specific gases in the atmosphere, airflow, noxious odors, etc. In response to such information, the receiving device can sound an alarm, transmit the sensed parameters to a second receiving device, adjust calibration or calculations, log information, etc. A sensor can be attached to a piece of equipment and provide status information such as operating status (e.g., laser on), fault alarm, time before maintenance is due, recent users, recent safety or gas events, environmental information such as temperature, air pressure, etc. For example, when the laser is turned on, the beacon can repeatedly transmit a signal that the laser is repeatedly turned on. Upon receiving a message that the laser is turned on, the receiving device can warn the user not to enter the area, or wear protective glasses before entering the area. In another example, the beacon can repeatedly transmit a signal that the air conditioner is not working. Upon receiving this message, the receiving device can warn the user not to enter the area.

[0059] Beacons can be used to transmit emergency response information, such as a meeting place where each user should gather in the event that the facility is evacuated. Beacons can transmit the location of emergency equipment, such as first aid kits, portable defibrillators, fire extinguishers, and the like.

[0060] Beacons can be used to disable automatic responses in select areas. Some facilities may have a "man down" transponder or beacon that transmits a distress signal when a user has been stationary for a long period of time. However, users can also be stationary in a cafeteria. Currently, some users will manually disable their "man down" alarm to avoid being activated during a meal. However, they may forget to turn it on. Beacons located in the cafeteria can transmit commands to temporarily disarm the "man down" alarm. When within the range of the beacon, the receiving device can respond by disabling the "man down alarm". When the user moves out of the beacon range of that particular beacon, the receiving device will revert to the default value with an active "man down" alarm.

[0061] In some embodiments, beacons can be used to broadcast general information to users, similar to signs posted in an area. The information broadcast can be about the rules of the area, such as required safety glasses, required hearing protection, no entry signs, contact information for requesting input, etc. The information transmitted by the beacon can be dynamic in response to changing sensor inputs. In addition, the beacon can be programmable so that the information transmitted by the beacon in response to the sensor input can be changed. In an embodiment, the beacon can be updated from a mobile device such as a smart phone using short-range communications such as near field communication (NFC), Bluetooth low energy (BLE), etc. For example, the beacon can be updated by touching a smart phone, which has NFC capabilities to the beacon to transmit updates to the beacon. For example, this function can be used by Industrial Hygiene to enact new rules, such as reducing the noise level at which hearing protection is required. Initially, the beacon may have been programmed to broadcast "hearing protection required" when the noise sensor records 180dB or more. The beacon can be updated to broadcast "hearing protection required" when the noise sensor records 150dB or more.

[0062] In some embodiments, beacons may be used to broadcast instructions related to a piece of equipment, work required in an area, etc. For example, a beacon associated with a mining machine may broadcast a series of steps or items to be performed before starting the mining machine. For example, the beacon may broadcast the following instructions within a small area around the machine control: "Verify brake engagement before starting", "Ensure blades are disengaged before starting", etc.

[0063] In another example, a beacon may broadcast a work target for a particular shift in response to an external input. A beacon may broadcast a work target within a range associated with the manufacturing location to which the target applies, such as an assembly line where the work will be done. Separate beacons may broadcast different targets for different work areas, where the range would correspond to adjacent assembly lines.

[0064] In some embodiments, a beacon associated with a piece of equipment can be used to broadcast normal process parameters for that piece of equipment. The receiving device can display a message to the user using the machine to the effect of "normal parameter readings are 'A' RPM, 'B' temperature, etc." The user can then refer to the information received from the beacon to determine if the process is in control, if adjustments need to be made, etc.

[0065] In some embodiments, beacons may be used to broadcast calibration instructions to equipment. For example, in a location with a known altitude of 1000 meters, there may be a beacon that broadcasts "adjust barometer for 1000 meters." A "within range" receiving device associated with a piece of equipment with a barometer would then recalibrate the barometer to 1000 meters, potentially eliminating errors associated with changes in air pressure. In another example, a beacon associated with a temperature sensor may broadcast instructions such as "recalibrate your gas sensor for the sensed temperature." A "within range" receiving device associated with a gas meter may then adjust its calibration to account for the potentially changed volatility of the gas at the sensed temperature.

[0066] Beacons can broadcast information about potential adverse interactions. In some embodiments, beacons can broadcast the presence of chemicals or conditions with the possibility of adverse interactions, such as "there is chlorine", "there is ammonia", etc. When hearing such a broadcast, the receiving device will need to determine whether the presence of the broadcasted chemicals or conditions will affect their users or equipment. For example, if a user has a piece of equipment that may be damaged by chlorine, the receiving device may display a warning message or alarm. In an alternative embodiment, the beacon may warn the type of certain chemicals, equipment, etc., because it may be with the possibility of adverse interactions of something in the area covered by the beacon. For example, if there is chlorine in the area covered by the beacon, the beacon can broadcast "ammonia is not allowed". In another example, if the area contains certain volatile gases, the beacon can broadcast "spark prohibition".

[0067] The beacon can broadcast information about the availability of other equipment, services, conditions, items, people, etc. in the area. For example, the beacon can be used to broadcast the availability / status of a nearby automatic external defibrillator (AED), the availability / status of an eyewash station, the availability / status of an emergency laboratory shower, the availability / status of a fire extinguisher, the availability / status of a chemical shower, the availability / status of an adsorbent, etc., where the user instrument can display the broadcasted information. In an embodiment, the data broadcast by the beacon can be stored by the instrument. In an embodiment, the beacon broadcast includes information data about the availability or status of a security item and a relevant range of the information data. The information data may include any information, such as information about the status of an item, instructions for an item, the location of an item, the direction of an item, a graphic mark or map showing the location of an item and / or the direction of an item, etc. If the intensity of the beacon broadcast exceeds the relevant range, the beacon broadcast is identified as relevant and, once identified, is presented on the user device. When a user selects a security item on the user device, an alarm for the security item can be triggered.

[0068] In some embodiments, beacons can be mobile and associated with users. Beacons can broadcast "I am John Smith" or other relevant personal information in a small area around the user. Mobile beacons can broadcast user information including one of a user name, user identification, user authorization, or user safety equipment. This will allow equipment logs to record each user engaged with the device. In another example, when evacuating a facility, there may be a receiving device at a collection point (described elsewhere herein) that can obtain the number of people when people leave the building, thereby helping to ensure the safety of employees and any rescuers. In an embodiment, a receiving device can control access to a space or equipment, and can block or allow access based on the information received from the beacon. For example, if the personal information received from the beacon matches the information on the access list, access can be granted.

[0069] In some embodiments, the beacon can be mobile. The transceiver can be included in a smart asset tag that can be associated with an asset, such as a piece of personal protective equipment (PPE) (e.g., a helmet, a respirator, a steel-toed boot, etc.), a personal item such as prescription safety glasses, a laptop computer, a tool box, etc. The transceiver of the smart asset tag can broadcast a unique item identifier continuously or at periodic intervals. In addition to or in lieu of the unique item identifier, the transceiver of the smart asset tag can broadcast a range in which the beacon of the smart asset tag is associated, as described elsewhere herein, as well as information about the asset, such as the type of asset (e.g., "I am a helmet"), the status of the asset (e.g., "Service required"), the date of the last calibration, data collected, operational status (e.g., laser on), fault alarms, time until maintenance is due, recent users, recent safety or gas events, environmental information such as temperature, air pressure, etc. In asset management scenarios ( Figure 6 ), a plurality of personal protective equipment (PPE) assets 620 may each be tagged with a smart asset tag 610 having a unique item identifier. An asset management system 630 on a cloud server 618 may have a database with information associating each unique item identifier with data about the asset, such as the type of item, date of purchase, due maintenance date, any damage, any alarms, calibration records, data logs, most recent location, individuals using the asset, etc. This information may be updated by a user accessing the cloud server 618, or in those cases where data is provided by the asset, such as data logs, asset status, etc., may be added, the data may be downloaded by a data crawler device, downloaded using a docking station, near field communication (NFC) data exchange, etc.

[0070] In an embodiment, multiple people can act as data crawlers 602 to opportunistically conduct asset surveys while performing their normal duties, as will be described herein. A vehicle or piece of equipment moving throughout a facility can also act as a data crawler 602. Multiple data crawlers opportunistically conducting asset surveys while they perform their daily duties may help to obtain the status of personal protective equipment located throughout the facility. The data crawler 602 can wear or carry a data crawler device 604 that can actively or in the background receive signals from the transceiver of the smart asset tag and run a data crawler application 608. The data crawler device 604 can be a smart phone that can upload information received from the smart asset tag 610 to one or more cloud servers 618 running the asset management system 630. This will allow the data crawler to opportunistically collect data about assets in the facility without the need for a large number of infrastructure upgrades or a single smart asset tag with dedicated cloud connectivity. The data crawler device 604 can be a wearable smart device or a device on a piece of equipment or vehicle, or incorporated into a piece of equipment or vehicle. The data seeking device 604 may be capable of receiving wireless signals and forwarding received data and / or received information to the cloud via Wi-Fi or cellular phone connectivity (LTE, etc.), or storing received data and received information when there is intermittent network connectivity to the cloud or no network connectivity to the cloud. Data and / or received information from these data seeking devices 604 may be uploaded whenever the data seeking device 604 has network connectivity or when it comes into communication range of a data seeking device 604 that does have network connectivity. Additionally, data and / or received information from these data seeking devices 604 may be retrieved when the data seeking device 604 is in proximity to an upload location 635. The upload location may be a wireless access point that is capable of retrieving stored data and / or received information. The upload location 635 may then Will pass The data and / or received information is uploaded to the asset management system 630. The upload locations 635 may be located throughout the facility or at one or more selected areas that may be expected to be frequented by individuals acting as data crawlers 602, such as cafeterias, entrances, exits, restrooms, etc. For equipment and vehicles acting as data crawlers 602, docking stations where they are stored at the end of the day may serve as additional upload locations 635.

[0071] The data search device 604 may receive a signal from a smart asset tag 610. If the data search device 604, such as a mobile phone, receives a signal 612 from a smart asset tag, the data search application 608 may send a unique item identifier 614 of the smart asset tag and other received data to a remote server, such as a cloud server 618. In addition to sending the data received from the smart asset tag 610, additional detection information may be sent, such as the current location of the asset or other received information. The current location of the asset may be based on the location of the data search device (e.g., the location of a smart phone based on GPS, dead reckoning, etc.), data from a location beacon B6004 as described elsewhere herein, etc. As the data searcher 602 moves throughout the facility in the normal performance of its duties, the data search device 604 may scan and detect the presence of multiple smart asset tags 610 and transmit data from the multiple smart asset tags 610, location information about the data search device 604, etc. to the cloud server 618. The location data may be obtained from one or more beacons that transmit location information, as described elsewhere herein. In this way, surveys of assets in a location may be opportunistically accomplished using workers (or a portion of a vehicle or equipment) that periodically move and approach assets, without the need to install infrastructure-intensive systems and the time and expense involved in explicit asset surveys.

[0072] In some embodiments, it may be desirable for the smart asset tag 610 to receive confirmation that data that has been broadcast by the smart asset tag has been received by the cloud server. For example, a smart asset may need confirmation that broadcast data related to a fall, gas event, error condition, etc. has been received by the cloud server and incorporated into the asset management system. In those cases where confirmation of receipt is desired, the smart asset tag 610 may generate a random data handle to transmit with the data. The data search device 604, upon receiving a data message including a random data handle, may store the random data handle until it has had an opportunity to transmit the data associated with the random data handle to the cloud server, as disclosed elsewhere herein.

[0073] After receiving confirmation of receipt of the data from the cloud server, the data search device can broadcast a random data handle to alert the smart asset tag that the associated data was successfully received by the cloud server. The data search device can transmit the random data handle continuously, periodically, at predetermined intervals, or according to one of the lists of random data handles that have been successfully transmitted to the cloud server. The transmission of a particular random data handle by the data search device can be limited to a location near the place where the initial broadcast including the random data handle was received or can be location-independent. The smart asset tag, after receiving the random data handle associated with the data that the smart asset tag is broadcasting, can then stop broadcasting the data. The smart asset tag can stop broadcasting completely, start broadcasting new data to be transmitted to the cloud server, accompanied by the new data and the newly generated random data handle, or start broadcasting general information, such as information about the type of asset to which it is attached, a unique ID, real-time sensor data, etc., as discussed elsewhere in this document.

[0074] In other embodiments, instead of the smart asset tag 610 acting as a mobile beacon and the data collection device 604 scanning the smart asset tag 610, the smart asset tag 610 may act as a Bluetooth master device, with the data search device 604 acting as a peripheral device or slave device. In this embodiment, the smart asset tag 610 may scan the data search device 604 continuously, periodically, at predetermined intervals, or when certain conditions are met. Once the data search device 604 is identified, the smart asset tag 610 may connect to the data search device and briefly share data (bidirectionally) before terminating the connection. Alternatively, the smart asset tag 610 may act as a Bluetooth peripheral device or slave device, and the data search device 604 may act as a Bluetooth master device. In this embodiment, the data search device 604 may scan the smart asset tag 610 periodically, continuously, or at predetermined intervals. Once the smart asset tag 610 is identified by the data search device 604, the data search device 604 may connect to the smart asset tag 610 and briefly (bidirectionally) share information data, settings, alarms, etc. before terminating the connection. In this embodiment, the beacon includes an optional receiver for receiving the shared information data. Although Bluetooth wireless technology is used in the above examples described, other wireless technologies such as ANT Wi-Fi, ZigBee, IEEE 802.15.4, LoRa, Thread network protocol, etc. can be used.

[0075] In the above embodiment, the smart asset tag 610 can turn off its wireless communication when successfully communicating with the data search device 604, thereby saving power. The smart asset tag 610 can remain off until a state change is detected (e.g., movement (detected using an accelerometer or location beacon), temperature crossing a threshold, fall detection, gas overrun alarm, change in location beacon, NFC activation, ambient light level, detection of wear of PPE, such as a mechanical contact switch that detects wear of a helmet, etc.). Upon detecting a state change, the smart asset tag 610 can attempt to connect to the data search device 604. The frequency of connection attempts can be based on one or more of the detection state of the smart asset tag 610, how long it has been since the last successful communication, etc. For example, if an important state change is detected, the smart asset tag 610 can continuously scan until it finds the data search device 604 and is able to transmit the state change. For less important state changes, the smart asset tag 610 can only periodically scan the data search device 604. However, once data has been transmitted, the smart asset tag 610 can revert to a periodic or predetermined communication mode until another state change is detected. This approach may be beneficial for large-scale deployment of smart asset tags 610, such as when there are hundreds or thousands of smart asset tags 610 in a small area. Relative to smart asset tags 610 implemented using mobile beacons that can emit RF radiation on a regular basis, those embodiments in which the smart asset tags 610 only emit RF radiation when connected to the data search device 604 can reduce potential interference, as well as reduce the possible burden on the data search device 604, such as processing load, battery life, bandwidth, etc.

[0076] In embodiments where the smart asset tag 610 acts as a Bluetooth master, the smart asset tag 610 may passively scan for the presence of the data collection device 604 rather than transmitting a radio signal to facilitate detection of the smart asset tag 610 by the data seeking device 604. This communication topology may be beneficial when the smart asset tag 610 is deployed in locations where intentional RF radiation is restricted or prohibited, such as onboard an aircraft, in blasting areas, and other hazardous locations. A beacon-based smart asset tag 610 may require additional design elements, such as a mechanism to enable the transceiver to be shut down in such hazardous locations.

[0077] Once data about the various assets 620 associated with the smart asset tags 610 has been uploaded to the asset management system 630, the data may be accessible by or downloadable to the supervisory application 642, which may be viewable by the supervisor 640. The supervisory application 642 may be run on a computer, laptop, mobile device, smart phone, tablet computer, or other device having at least intermittent network connectivity and a display in an embodiment. The supervisory application 642 may allow a user, supervisor 640, or other individual to review the uploaded data, edit the data, enter instructions for the various smart asset tags 610, enter instructions for the various assets 620, enter instructions for the data search application 608, and the like.

[0078] In an embodiment, an individual may use an oversight application 642 to request or otherwise indicate an asset 620 to be brought in from the field. This may be an asset that should be maintained or an asset that is missing. The oversight application 642 may instruct the data search application 608, via the asset management system 630, to notify its user when it detects an asset to be brought in. The notification to the user may be a visual, audible, or tactile alarm on the data search device 604. The notification to the user may be a visual, audible, or tactile alarm on the smart asset tag 610, as discussed elsewhere herein. In addition to being requested by a user, the asset management system 630 may initiate a request to bring an asset in for purposes of maintenance, replacement, assembly, inventory verification, and the like.

[0079] In an embodiment, there may be various asset tag configurations ( Figures 7A-7D ). Smart asset tag 610 may be attached to an asset using adhesive, mechanical means, etc. Smart asset tag 610 may be incorporated into an asset such as a gas detector or other piece of equipment of value. Smart asset tag 610A ( Fig. 7A ) may include a transceiver 710, a near field communication (NFC) tag 702, a low power battery 714, a processor, and a data storage 718. The NFC tag 702 may be used to share data with the data seeker 604, download stored data to a dock or upload location, etc. The transceiver 710 may be a Bluetooth low energy transceiver configured to act as a beacon, a scanner, a BLE host, a BLE peripheral device, etc. The transceiver 710 may switch between roles. The transceiver 710 may broadcast data, such as a unique item identifier or other information associated with an asset, as described elsewhere herein. This form of the smart asset tag may be approximately one quarter in diameter and twice as thick.

[0080] In another embodiment ( Figure 7B), the smart asset tag 610B may include a transceiver 710, an NFC tag 702, a low power battery 714, a processor and data storage device 718, and a user interface (UI) 704. The user interface 704 may include one or more of a visual alarm (e.g., an LED light), a text display, an audio alarm, a tactile alarm, and the like. When the data search device 604 receives the unique item identifier and other asset data from the transceiver 710, the data search application 608 may send the unique item identifier 614 of the smart asset tag to the cloud server 618. The asset management system 630 on the cloud server 618 may look up the unique item identifier 614 of the smart asset tag and determine a command for the smart asset tag 610B. For example, the asset management system 630 may indicate that maintenance is due for an asset associated with the smart asset tag 610B. This information may be transmitted back to one or more data search devices 604 in the vicinity of the smart asset tag 610B, which may cause the data search device 604 to instruct the user interface 704 on the smart asset tag 610B to display an alarm. This can provide a potential user of the asset associated with the smart asset tag 610B with a visual notification that it is not yet ready for use. Alternatively, the message broadcast by the transceiver 710 of the smart asset tag 610 can be updated to broadcast the error condition. In addition, the user interface 704 can include means for the user to confirm the message, such as a button, a toggle switch, a touch sensor, etc. When the user confirms the message, the confirmation can be logged, can be broadcast by the transceiver 710 and thus sent back to the asset management system 630, etc.

[0081] In another embodiment ( Figure 7C ), the smart asset tag 610C may include a transceiver 710, a readable and writable NFC tag 722, a low power battery 714, and a processor and data storage device 718. The smart asset tag 610C may be located on an asset 620 that uses a consumable 724, such as a durable personal protective equipment, for example, a breathing apparatus may use a consumable filter that should be replaced at periodic intervals, after a fixed time period, after cumulative exposure, etc. When a consumable 724 is replaced in an asset 620 such as a durable PPE, the NFC tag on the consumable 724 may be linked to a readable / writable NFC tag 722 on the durable piece of equipment. This may start a timer or countdown until the next time the consumable 724 needs to be replaced. Additionally, information about the type of consumable 724 (e.g., the type of filter in a breathing apparatus) may become associated with the piece of equipment.

[0082] In another embodiment ( Fig.7D), the smart asset tag 610D may include a transceiver 710, an NFC tag 702, a low power battery 714, a processor and data storage device 718, and one or more sensors 712. The one or more sensors 712 may provide additional information relayed via the transceiver 710 or the NFC tag 702 back to the asset management system 630 on the cloud server 618. In an illustrative example, for equipment such as a safety belt, the sensor 712 may be an accelerometer that can record sudden changes in acceleration due to a fall. This information may be provided to the asset management system 630 on the cloud server 618. As a result of receiving this information, the asset management system 630 may mark the safety belt as due for maintenance, or indicate that the safety belt should be replaced if the number of falls or the intensity of deceleration is exceeded. As a result of receiving this information, an investigation into the fall may be initiated. In another illustrative example, a safety helmet may include a smart asset tag 610D with a collision detector. Data about the collision can be transmitted to the data search device 604 via the transceiver 710, and from the data search application 608 to the asset management system 630. If the collision exceeds a threshold force, the helmet may no longer be considered safe and marked for replacement. In some embodiments, the beacon's message can be changed to include information about the status of the asset, such as "Helmet requiring maintenance. Do not use." Although four unique smart asset tag 610 configurations have been described, it should be understood that in addition to the transceiver 710, the smart asset tag can also have one or more of an NFC tag 702, a user interface (UI) 704, a sensor 712, a confirmation button, a processor, and a data storage device 718.

[0083] In an embodiment, the smart asset tag 610, the associated asset management system 630, and the data crawler 602 can be used to track the location and availability of various assets in an ongoing manner. If an asset 620 is moved or lost, its last known location, i.e., the most recent location where the data crawler 604 received a signal from the associated smart asset tag 610, can be easily retrieved using the supervision application 642. The availability of various assets can also be tracked. The percentage of a given PPE that is located in a storage device (not associated with users and other places in the facility) and within a code (e.g., maintenance is up to date) can be easily determined.

[0084] In an embodiment, a smart asset tag 610 can be used to facilitate compliance with security regulations for an asset. When a data crawler 602 or user uses a piece of protective equipment, the smart asset tag 610 can direct the user to a video showing instructions on the proper use of the asset. In response to detecting a smart asset tag 610 on an asset, instructions can be displayed on the data crawler device 604. The user can touch the device to an NFC tag on the smart asset tag and access the instructions in that manner.

[0085] In an embodiment, the smart asset tag 610 and the associated asset management system 630 can be used to facilitate asset 620 compliance, maintenance, calibration, replacement, recall, etc. The location of assets 620 that need maintenance can be shown in the supervision application 642. These assets 620 can be organized by expiration date, location grouping, etc. When the data search device 604 uploads the unique item identifier 614 and asset data, the asset management system 630 can cause the data search device 604 to send a signal to those smart asset tags 610 associated with assets 620 that need maintenance, calibration, replacement, etc. In some embodiments, the signal can cause the transceiver to change the message to include information about the status of the asset 620, such as "Helmet that needs maintenance. Do not use." The signal sent to the smart asset tag 610 can cause an indicator to be shown on those smart asset tags 610 with the user interface 704. The indicator can attract the user's attention, and according to the indication shown, the user can be notified that the asset is not in use, the asset should be taken to a maintenance location, the user should calibrate the asset before use, etc. In some cases, the user can be notified that the asset should be maintained on the spot. The smart asset tag 610 may begin broadcasting maintenance or calibration instructions, or the user may be able to touch a smart phone or other device to the NFC tag and download maintenance instructions that way.

[0086] In an embodiment, the smart asset tag 610 can be used to remotely monitor safety conditions. For example, upon detecting a hazardous gas level above a certain threshold, the smart asset tag 610 associated with and possibly incorporated into a gas monitor can scan for the presence of a data seeking device to send data about the hazardous gas level to the asset management system 630.

[0087] In an embodiment, the smart asset tags 610 can be used to ensure compliance with safety requirements, such as required assets 620, such as required personal protective equipment (PPE), for entering a restricted area in a facility, for working on a piece of equipment, etc. With each smart asset tag 610 broadcasting information such as a unique item identifier 614 or the type of item, the presence of the required asset 620 (e.g., PPE) can be confirmed and the user allowed to enter the area or activate the equipment. Verification of the presence of the required asset 620 can include verification of the appropriate type of consumables 724 deployed in the required asset 620 (e.g., the consumable 724 filter in the respirator is suitable for the type of gas expected in the restricted area). If all of the required PPE are not identified, or if one of the PPE is indicated as being out of maintenance, etc., the user can be prevented from entering the area or using the piece of equipment.

[0088] As part of using data from multiple smart asset tags 610 to ensure the presence of required PPE, it is important to ensure that all detected PPE is worn by a single individual. The asset management system 630 can compare the relative signal strength of the user ID tag and the signal strength and directional alignment of nearby smart asset tags 610. If the relative signal strength and alignment are consistent over time, it can be determined that the smart asset tag is associated with the personal protective equipment worn by the user identified by the user ID tag. In addition to signal strength and direction, other data from other sensors such as accelerometers, acoustic sensors, etc. can be compared, and if possible, commonalities in the sensed data identified as confirming that multiple smart asset tags are indeed associated with a single individual can be compared.

[0089] In an embodiment, smart asset tags can be used to facilitate compliance with single worker rules. In the case of single workers, smart asset tags 610 such as those associated with the user's identification device and associated personal protective equipment can periodically establish contact with one or more data search devices 604, requesting the transmission of a "user name / equipment ID is normal and at location X" message. These periodic updates can be part of a single worker "check-in" system, where an alert can be sent to the supervisor of the single worker if a periodic message of "everything is fine" is not received by the cloud server within a given time interval. At the same time, a request for sending an "everything is fine" message is made, and each contacted data search device 604 can be required to respond to the requested smart asset tag 610 with information about the time since the last successful contact of the data searcher with the cloud server 618. The difference in connectivity with the cloud server 618 may depend on location, operator, etc. This information can be used to sort the local data search devices 604 with respect to their expected connectivity with the cloud server 618. The closer the last successful connection, the higher the given data search device 604 can be sorted. A list of known local data seeking devices 604 with possible connectivity to the Internet, the cloud, a cellular network, etc. may be created.

[0090] When there is an alarm associated with a lone worker (e.g., a lone user presses an emergency button, there is an alarm associated with a piece of PPE associated with a lone worker such as a "man down" alarm, an equipment alarm such as high gas, etc.), an alarm may be sent to a cloud server 618 via a known data seeker 604. The known data seekers 604 may be contacted in order of expected connectivity in an attempt to ensure the fastest delivery of the alarm. Multiple data seekers 604 may transmit data to the cloud. This may facilitate a degree of redundancy in the system so that when, for example, a lone worker is out of range of network communications, a neighboring worker or data seeker 604 may have network connectivity. The cloud server 618 may have a database or other association method for identifying human monitors assigned to lone workers. If an alarm is received, the assigned monitor may be contacted via text, phone, etc., and provided with any known information about the lone worker, such as location, what triggered the alarm (e.g., an emergency button or a high gas concentration detected, etc.), environmental data such as gas levels, etc. The assigned monitor may then assess the situation, coordinate a response initiative, etc. In some embodiments, one or more users of a known mobile device may also be alerted.

[0091] A number of methods may be used to incentivize data crawlers 602 to wear data crawler devices 604. This may be required as part of their job requirements. They may be given the opportunity to tag personal items as well as company inventory and thus gain the benefit of the system for their personal items (e.g., prescription safety glasses, keys, etc.).

[0092] In some embodiments, the beacon can be mobile and used to prevent collisions. The beacon can be located on a moving object, such as a vehicle, a forklift, a mobile equipment, a moving part of equipment (e.g., a crane), etc. There may be multiple beacons located at different locations on the moving object. When the object is in motion, the beacon can broadcast "collision danger" on an area associated with the leading edge of the moving object. Currently, there are audible backup alarms on some vehicles, but these alarms may be ineffective in high noise environments. In this example, the beacon message "collision danger" can be received by a receiving device, which can issue a warning message audibly, visually, tactilely, or a combination thereof. In an embodiment, the beacon can be programmed to have a relevant range that matches the desired collision warning distance. For example, for a relatively slow-moving vehicle, the relevant range may be small, but for faster objects, and larger objects that may have faster objects are more difficult to stop easily, the relevant range may be larger. In an embodiment, the beacon can receive sensor data from a speedometer that is integrated or separated from the beacon. For example, above a certain sensing speed, a beacon may broadcast messages having one correlation range while simultaneously broadcasting messages having a different correlation range below the certain sensing speed.

[0093] The system of beacons and receiving devices can facilitate responses to dangers or emergencies. Devices with smart beacon applications can communicate between them. In some dangerous environments, a piece of equipment such as a gas monitor or user identification device can periodically contact any local device, such as a mobile phone with a cellular connection, a 4G tablet computer, etc., or any local device with a connection to the Internet, requesting that the "user name / equipment ID is normal and at position X" message be transmitted to a remote server. While making this request, each local device in contact can be required to respond to the requested device with information about the time since the last successful contact between the local device and the remote server. The difference in connectivity with the server may depend on location, operator, etc. This information can be used to sort local devices with respect to the expected connectivity of the local device and the remote server. The closer the last successful connection, the higher the local device can be sorted. A list of known local devices can be created, and the known local devices have possible connectivity with the Internet, cloud, cellular network, etc.

[0094] When a dangerous situation is detected, an alert can be sent to a remote server through the use of a panic button, a "man down" alarm, an equipment alarm such as high gas, etc. The known local devices can be contacted in order of expected connectivity to try to ensure the fastest delivery of the alert. The remote server can have a database or other association method for identifying human monitors assigned to locations. If an alert is received, the assigned monitor can be contacted via text, phone, etc. and provided with any known information such as the user, location, what triggered the alert (e.g., a panic button or high gas concentration detected, etc.), environmental data such as gas levels, etc. The assigned monitor can then assess the situation, coordinate response initiatives, etc. In some embodiments, one or more users of known mobile devices can also be alerted.

[0095] In some embodiments, each time a new location beacon becomes the current place beacon, the gas detector can log data such as location, detected gas, gas concentration, and user. In the event of a hazardous event, this information can be transmitted as part of the content sent to the human monitor.

[0096] In an embodiment, a beacon may be associated with or integrated with a network gateway device in a particular location such that the beacon broadcasts information and, in an embodiment, responses to the information are sent to the cloud via the gateway. For example, a beacon may be used to broadcast that the location is a collection location and once at that location, registration of individuals at the collection location may be performed by the network gateway.

[0097] Additional Statements of the Disclosure

[0098] In some implementations, a system including a beacon may be described in the following clauses or otherwise described herein and as described in Figure 1A , 1B and as shown in 2.

[0099] Clause 1: A system comprising: a plurality of beacons, wherein each beacon broadcasts a message including information data and data about a relevant range, each beacon comprising: a transmitter; a processor; a memory; and a power source; wherein, when a receiving device determines that it is within a relevant range broadcast by a beacon, it processes the information data.

[0100] Clause 2: The system of clause 1, wherein the data regarding the associated range includes an indication of a minimum received signal strength.

[0101] Clause 3: The system of clause 2, wherein the minimum received signal strength comprises a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) or a received channel power indicator (RCPI).

[0102] Clause 4: A system as described in clause 1, wherein the determination of whether the receiving device is within the relevant range is determined locally by the receiving device.

[0103] Clause 5: The system of clause 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of beacons further comprises a sensor or an input port for sensor data.

[0104] Clause 6: The system of clause 5, wherein the information data comprises sensor data.

[0105] Clause 7: The system of clause 5, wherein at least one of the plurality of beacons changes the information data based on the sensor data.

[0106] Clause 8: The system of clause 1, wherein the receiving device is a mobile device.

[0107] Clause 9: The system of clause 1, wherein each beacon is associated with one of: a fixed location, a mobile asset, or a second receiving device in the same location.

[0108] Clause 10: The system of clause 1, wherein each beacon broadcasts continuously.

[0109] Clause 11: The system of clause 1, wherein each beacon is broadcast periodically.

[0110] Clause 12: The system of clause 1, wherein each beacon broadcasts on a schedule.

[0111] Clause 13: The system of clause 1, wherein the plurality of beacons are broadcast in a mix of periodic and scheduled broadcasts.

[0112] Clause 14: The system of clause 1, wherein each beacon broadcasts at least two messages sequentially.

[0113] Clause 15: The system of clause 14, wherein at least two messages have different correlation ranges.

[0114] Clause 16: The system of clause 1, wherein each beacon broadcasts a plurality of information data in sequence.

[0115] Clause 17: The system of clause 1, wherein the receiving device further comprises an indicator.

[0116] Clause 18: The system of clause 17, wherein the indicator is a light, a speaker, or an actuator.

[0117] Clause 19: The system of clause 1, wherein each beacon is mobile and broadcasts user information, the user information comprising one of: a user name, a user identification, a user authorization, or a user safety equipment.

[0118] Clause 20: The system of clause 1, wherein the beacon is updated using a mobile device with NFC or BLE capabilities.

[0119] Clause 21: The system of clause 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of beacons further comprises a protective housing that provides dust or water resistance.

[0120] Clause 22: The information and positioning system of clause 18, wherein the protective housing is intrinsically secure.

[0121] Clause 23: A beacon comprising: a transmitter adapted to broadcast a message including information data and data regarding a relevant range; and a memory wherein when a receiving device determines that it is within a relevant range broadcast by the beacon, it processes the information data broadcast by the beacon.

[0122] Clause 24: A beacon as described in clause 23, wherein the beacon is associated with a real-time sign and the message is related to information presented by the real-time sign.

[0123] In some implementations, methods for determining beacon relevance may be described in the following clauses or otherwise described herein and as described in Figure 4 and 5 as shown in .

[0124] Clause 1: A method comprising: receiving a beacon broadcast, thereby producing a received beacon broadcast, wherein the beacon broadcast includes a correlation range and information data; determining the strength of the received beacon broadcast; comparing the correlation range with the strength of the received beacon broadcast; and if the strength of the received beacon broadcast exceeds the correlation range, identifying the beacon broadcast as relevant.

[0125] Clause 2: The method of clause 1, further comprising averaging the determined strengths of multiple received beacon broadcasts from a particular beacon for comparison with the associated range.

[0126] Clause 3: The method of clause 1, wherein the correlation range includes an indication of a minimum received signal strength.

[0127] Clause 4: The method of clause 3, wherein the indication of the minimum received signal strength comprises a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) or a received channel power indicator (RCPI).

[0128] Clause 5: A method comprising: receiving a plurality of beacon broadcasts, thereby generating a plurality of received beacon broadcasts, wherein each beacon broadcast includes a correlation range and information data; determining the strength of each received beacon broadcast of the plurality of beacon broadcasts; comparing the correlation range with the strength of each received beacon broadcast in the plurality of received beacon broadcasts; for each received beacon broadcast in the plurality of beacon broadcasts, if the strength of the received beacon broadcast exceeds the correlation range, identifying the received beacon broadcast as relevant; and prioritizing the relevant received beacon broadcasts based on the correlation range.

[0129] Clause 6: The method of clause 5, wherein received beacon broadcasts having a smaller relevance range are prioritized higher than received beacon broadcasts having a relatively larger relevance range.

[0130] Clause 7: The method of clause 5, wherein the correlation range includes an indication of a minimum received signal strength.

[0131] Clause 8: The method of clause 7, wherein the indication of the minimum received signal strength comprises a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) or a received channel power indicator (RCPI).

[0132] In some implementations, systems and methods for creating a list of related beacons may be described in the following clauses or otherwise described herein and as described in Figure 5 as shown in .

[0133] Item 1: A system comprising: at least one receiving device, the receiving device comprising: a receiver adapted to receive beacon broadcasts from one or more of a plurality of beacons, thereby generating one or more received beacon broadcasts; a processor; a memory; and a smart beacon application, wherein, for each received beacon broadcast that includes information data and data regarding a relevant range for the beacon, the smart beacon application: 1) determines whether the beacon is relevant by comparing the strength of the received beacon broadcast to the relevant range in the beacon broadcast, and 2) creates a list of relevant beacons.

[0134] Clause 2: The system of clause 1, wherein the at least one receiving device is one of: a laptop, a smartphone, or a tablet computer.

[0135] Clause 3: The system of clause 1, wherein the at least one receiving device is a smart identification badge.

[0136] Clause 4: The system of clause 1, wherein the at least one receiving device further comprises a piece of personal protective equipment.

[0137] Clause 5: The system of clause 4, wherein the at least one receiving device comprises one of: hearing protection, eye protection, protective footwear, a gas mask, a respirator, a safety belt, a lighting device, an exposure tracker, a hard hat, or a fall protection device.

[0138] Clause 6: The system of clause 1, wherein the at least one receiving device comprises a tool.

[0139] Clause 7: The system of clause 6, wherein the at least one receiving device comprises one of: a saw, a gas sensor, a portable environmental sensing device, a gas detection instrument, a heat detector, a flame detector, a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive (CBRNE) detector, a chemical detection instrument, or industrial monitoring equipment.

[0140] Clause 8: The system of clause 1, wherein a beacon is removed from the list of related beacons if no broadcast from a beacon on the list of related beacons is received within a predetermined number of scans.

[0141] Clause 9: The system of clause 1, wherein if a beacon on the list of relevant beacons is determined not to be relevant for a predetermined number of consecutive scans, it is removed from the list of relevant beacons.

[0142] Clause 10: The system of clause 1, wherein a beacon must be determined to be associated with a predetermined number of consecutive scans in order to be added to the list of associated beacons.

[0143] Clause 11: The system of clause 1, wherein the at least one receiving device is in electronic communication with one of: a sensor, a piece of equipment, a smart identification badge, or a remote server.

[0144] Clause 12: A system comprising: at least one receiving device, the receiving device comprising: a receiver adapted to receive beacon broadcasts from one or more of a plurality of beacons, thereby generating one or more received beacon broadcasts; a processor; a memory; and a smart beacon application, wherein, for each received beacon broadcast that includes information data and data regarding a relevant range for the beacon, the smart beacon application calculates a normalized average strength of the received beacon broadcast over a predetermined number of samples, determines whether the beacon is relevant by comparing the normalized average strength of the received beacon broadcast to the relevant range in the beacon broadcast, and creates a list of relevant beacons.

[0145] Clause 13: The system of clause 12, wherein the smart beacon application further identifies the best beacons for identifying the location (premises beacons) based on the highest normalized average strength of received beacon broadcasts for those beacons whose information data includes location information.

[0146] Clause 14: A system as described in clause 13, wherein if a new beacon whose information data includes location information is identified as having a higher normalized average strength of received beacon broadcasts than a venue beacon, the normalized average strength of the received beacon broadcasts of the new beacon must exceed the normalized average strength of the received beacon broadcasts of the venue beacon by a predetermined margin in order to become the new venue beacon.

[0147] Clause 15: The system of clause 12, wherein the at least one receiving device is one of: a laptop, a smartphone, or a tablet computer.

[0148] Clause 16: The system of clause 12, wherein the at least one receiving device is a smart identification badge.

[0149] Clause 17: The system of clause 12, wherein the at least one receiving device further comprises a piece of personal protective equipment.

[0150] Clause 18: The system of clause 17, wherein the at least one receiving device comprises one of: hearing protection, eye protection, protective footwear, a gas mask, a respirator, a safety belt, a lighting device, an exposure tracker, a hard hat, or a fall protection device.

[0151] Clause 19: The system of clause 12, wherein the at least one receiving device comprises a tool.

[0152] Clause 20: The system of clause 19, wherein the at least one receiving device comprises one of: a saw, a gas sensor, a portable environmental sensing device, a gas detection instrument, a heat detector, a flame detector, a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive (CBRNE) detector, a chemical detection instrument, or industrial monitoring equipment.

[0153] Clause 21: The system of clause 12, wherein a beacon is removed from the list of related beacons if a broadcast from a beacon on the list of related beacons is not received over a predetermined number of scans.

[0154] Clause 22: The system of clause 12, wherein if a beacon on the list of related beacons is determined not to be related for a predetermined number of consecutive scans, it is removed from the list of related beacons.

[0155] Clause 23: A system as in clause 12, wherein a beacon must be determined to be associated with a predetermined number of consecutive scans in order to add it to the list of associated beacons.

[0156] Clause 24: The system of clause 12, wherein the at least one receiving device is in electronic communication with one of: a sensor, a piece of equipment, a smart identification badge, or a remote server.

[0157] Clause 25: A system comprising: at least one receiving device, the receiving device comprising: a receiver adapted to receive beacon broadcasts from one or more of a plurality of beacons, thereby generating one or more received beacon broadcasts; a processor; a memory; and a smart beacon application, wherein, for each beacon that broadcasts a message including information data and data regarding a relevant range for the beacon, the smart beacon application calculates an average strength of received beacon broadcasts from the beacon over a predetermined number of samples, determines whether the beacon is relevant by comparing the average strength of the received beacon broadcasts to the relevant ranges in the beacon broadcasts, and creates a list of relevant beacons.

[0158] Clause 26: The system of clause 25, wherein the smart beacon application further identifies the best beacons for identifying the location (premises beacons) based on the highest average strength of received beacon broadcasts for those beacons whose information data includes location information.

[0159] Clause 27: The system of Clause 25, wherein the at least one receiving device is one of: a laptop, a smartphone, or a tablet computer.

[0160] Clause 28: The system of clause 25, wherein the at least one receiving device is a smart identification badge.

[0161] Clause 29: The system of clause 25, wherein the at least one receiving device further comprises a piece of personal protective equipment.

[0162] Clause 30: The system of clause 29, wherein the at least one receiving device comprises one of: hearing protection, eye protection, protective footwear, a gas mask, a respirator, a safety belt, a lighting device, an exposure tracker, a hard hat, or a fall protection device.

[0163] Clause 31: The system of clause 25, wherein the at least one receiving device comprises a tool.

[0164] Clause 32: The system of clause 31, wherein the at least one receiving device comprises one of: a saw, a gas sensor, a portable environmental sensing device, a gas detection instrument, a heat detector, a flame detector, a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive (CBRNE) detector, a chemical detection instrument, or industrial monitoring equipment.

[0165] Clause 33: The system of Clause 25, wherein a beacon is removed from the list of related beacons if a broadcast from a beacon on the list of related beacons is not received over a predetermined number of scans.

[0166] Clause 34: The system of Clause 25, wherein if a beacon on the list of relevant beacons is determined not to be relevant for a predetermined number of consecutive scans, it is removed from the list of relevant beacons.

[0167] Clause 35: The system of clause 25, wherein a beacon must be determined to be associated with a predetermined number of consecutive scans in order to be added to the list of associated beacons.

[0168] Clause 36: The system of clause 25, wherein the at least one receiving device is in electronic communication with one of: a sensor, a piece of equipment, a smart identification badge, or a remote server.

[0169] Clause 37: A method comprising: sensing a characteristic of personal protective equipment, thereby generating a sensed characteristic; providing the sensed characteristic to a smart asset tag; and broadcasting the sensed characteristic and an ID of the personal protective equipment using a beacon of the smart asset tag.

[0170] Clause 38: The method of clause 37, further comprising updating a status of the personal protective equipment in an asset management system using the sensed characteristic.

[0171] Clause 39: The method of clause 38, further comprising using a supervisory application to enable a user of the asset management system to review sensed characteristics, edit data related to personal protective equipment, enter instructions for a smart asset tag, or enter instructions for one or more data search devices.

[0172] Clause 40: The method of claim 39, further comprising: transmitting input instructions from the surveillance application to the smart asset tag.

[0173] Clause 41: The method of clause 40, wherein inputting the instruction comprises issuing an alarm.

[0174] Clause 42: The method of clause 41, wherein the alarm comprises a visual alarm, an audible alarm, or a tactile alarm.

[0175] Clause 43: A method as described in Clause 39, wherein the instructions for one or more data search devices include notifying a user of the data search device when a smart asset tag is detected or notifying the user of the data search device to relocate one or more of the personal protective equipment associated with the smart asset tag.

[0176] Clause 44: The method of clause 43, wherein relocating the personal protective equipment comprises obtaining the personal protective equipment for maintenance, replacing the personal protective equipment, or obtaining the personal protective equipment for inventory verification.

[0177] Clause 45: The method of clause 43, wherein notifying the user comprises a visual alarm, an audible alarm, or a tactile alarm.

[0178] Clause 46: The method of clause 45, wherein the visual alert includes instructions to a user of the data seeking device.

[0179] Clause 47: A system comprising: a smart asset tag associated with an asset, the smart asset tag comprising: a beacon, wherein the beacon transmits a message including a sensing characteristic of the asset and an asset ID; and an alarm mechanism; a data search device in communication with the smart asset tag and a remote server; and a monitoring application on the remote server.

[0180] Clause 48: The system of clause 47, wherein the data search device transmits the sensed characteristic and the asset ID to a supervisory application on a remote server.

[0181] Clause 49: The system of clause 48, wherein the supervisory application is configured to enable a user of the supervisory application or a supervisor to review sensed characteristics, edit data associated with the asset, input instructions for the smart asset tag, and input instructions for one or more data search devices.

[0182] Clause 50: The system of clause 49, wherein the instructions for one or more data search devices include notifying a user of the data search device when a smart asset tag is detected or notifying a user of the data search device to relocate one or more of the assets associated with the smart asset tag.

[0183] Clause 51: The system of clause 50, wherein relocating the asset comprises acquiring the asset for maintenance, replacing the asset, or acquiring the asset for inventory verification.

[0184] Clause 52: The system of clause 50, wherein notifying the user comprises a visual alarm, an audible alarm, or a tactile alarm.

[0185] Clause 53: The system of clause 52, wherein the visual alert includes instructions to a user of the data seeking device.

[0186] In some implementations, methods for authorizing an operator may be described in the following clauses or otherwise described herein and as described in Fig. 7A , 7B and as shown in 7C.

[0187] Clause 1: A method comprising: receiving assignment information at a secure device when an NFC radio of the secure device is brought into proximity with at least one of a plurality of NFC tags programmed with one or more of operator authorization levels and location assignments; receiving a broadcast operator authorization level required by an operator at the secure device; determining whether the operator authorization level corresponds to a broadcast operator authorization level; and transmitting a request for access if the operator authorization level corresponds to the broadcast operator authorization level.

[0188] Clause 2: The method of clause 1, wherein access is granted remotely.

[0189] Clause 3: The method of clause 1, wherein the access code is sent back to the operator.

[0190] Clause 4: A method comprising: receiving assignment information at a security device when an NFC radio of the security device is brought into proximity with at least one of a plurality of NFC tags programmed with one or more of operator authorization levels and location assignments; receiving at the security device a broadcast operator authorization level required by an operator; determining whether the operator authorization level corresponds to a broadcast operator authorization level; and granting or denying a request for access based on whether the operator authorization level corresponds to the broadcast operator authorization level.

[0191] Clause 5: A method comprising: receiving assignment information at a security device when an NFC radio of a security device is brought into proximity with at least one of a plurality of NFC tags programmed with one or more of operator authorization levels and location assignments; receiving a broadcast operator authorization level required by an operator at the security device; determining whether the operator authorization level corresponds to a broadcast operator authorization level; and triggering an alarm at the security device if the operator authorization level does not correspond to the broadcast operator authorization level.

[0192] Clause 6: The method of clause 5, wherein the alarm is audible, visual, tactile, or a combination thereof.

[0193] In some implementations, methods for authorizing operators may be described in the following clauses or otherwise described herein and as described in Fig. 7A , 7B and as shown in 7C.

[0194] Clause 1: A method comprising: receiving, at a security device, a broadcast operator authorization level for an operator, wherein the broadcast operator authorization level identifies an operator authorization level required to process a beacon broadcast, wherein the beacon broadcast includes information data and a relevant range of the information data; identifying the beacon broadcast as relevant at the security device if an intensity of the beacon broadcast exceeds the relevant range; determining whether the operator's operator authorization level corresponds to the broadcast operator authorization level; and processing the beacon broadcast if the operator's operator authorization level corresponds to the broadcast operator authorization level.

[0195] Clause 2: The method of clause 1, further comprising: triggering an alarm on the security device if the operator authorization level does not correspond to the broadcast operator authorization level.

[0196] Clause 3: The method of clause 2, wherein the alarm is an audible alarm, a visual alarm, a tactile alarm, or a combination thereof.

[0197] In some implementations, methods for presenting data about a security article may be described in the following clauses or otherwise described herein and as described in Figure 1A , 1B , 5 and 6.

[0198] Clause 1: A method comprising: receiving a beacon broadcast, wherein the beacon broadcast includes a relevant range and information data regarding the availability or status of a security item; identifying the beacon broadcast as relevant if the strength of the beacon broadcast exceeds the relevant range; and presenting the information data regarding the security item on a user device if the beacon broadcast is identified as being relevant.

[0199] Clause 2: The method of clause 1 further comprises: triggering an alert for the security item when the user selects the security item on the user device.

[0200] Clause 3: The method of clause 1, wherein the safety item is one or more of the following: an automated external defibrillator (AED), an eyewash station, an emergency laboratory shower, a fire extinguisher, a chemical shower, and an adsorbent.

[0201] Clause 4: The method of Clause 1 further comprises: triggering presentation of additional information data about the security item when the user selects the security item on the user device.

[0202] Clause 5: The method of clause 4, wherein when the user selects the security item on the user device, triggering involves receiving an additional beacon broadcast with additional information data.

[0203] In some implementations, a system for initiating an action in response to beacon information data may be described in the following clauses or otherwise described herein and as described in Figure 4-6 as shown in .

[0204] Clause 1: A system comprising: a receiving device, the receiving device comprising: a receiver adapted to receive a broadcast beacon from one or more of a plurality of beacons; and a processor; wherein the receiving device receives a beacon broadcast including information data and data about a relevant range, and determines whether the receiving device is within a relevant range specified in the beacon broadcast, and if so, the receiving device processes the information data and initiates an action in response to the information data.

[0205] Clause 2: The system of clause 1, wherein the information data includes threat information.

[0206] Clause 3: The system of clause 2, further comprising a gas detector of the receiving device, wherein if the threat information includes airborne toxins, the gas detector automatically initiates testing for the presence of airborne toxins.

[0207] Clause 4: The system of clause 2, further comprising a gas detector of the receiving device, wherein if the threat information includes airborne toxins, the gas detector automatically runs a self-calibration test for airborne toxins.

[0208] Clause 5: The system of clause 1, wherein a device activation warning message is received in response to the information data.

[0209] Clause 6: The system of clause 5, wherein when the receiving device further comprises a speaker, the warning message is audible.

[0210] Clause 7: The system of clause 5, wherein when the receiving device further comprises a visual display, the warning message is visual.

[0211] Clause 8: The system of clause 5, wherein when the receiving device further comprises an actuator, the warning message is tactile.

[0212] Clause 9: The system of clause 5, wherein the warning message includes an indication of a need for a piece of personal protective equipment.

[0213] Clause 10: The system of clause 5, wherein the warning message includes an indication that a required piece of personal protective equipment is missing.

[0214] Clause 11: The system of clause 1, wherein the information data comprises sensor data.

[0215] Clause 12: The system of clause 11, wherein the receiving device provides calibration instructions to a user based on the sensor data.

[0216] Clause 13: The system of clause 1, wherein the action comprises transmitting the information data to another device.

[0217] Clause 14: The system of clause 1, wherein the action comprises logging information data.

[0218] Clause 15: The system of clause 1, wherein the information data includes required personal protective equipment.

[0219] Clause 16: The system of clause 15, wherein if the receiving device fails to detect the required personal protective equipment, it instructs the user to leave the area.

[0220] Clause 17: The system of clause 1, wherein the action of the receiving device is one of: the receiving device continues to be powered on, the receiving device is turned off, the receiving device is locked, an alarm is engaged on the receiving device, or an alarm is disengaged on the receiving device.

[0221] Clause 18: A method comprising: receiving a beacon broadcast message, the beacon broadcast message including information data and an associated signal strength; determining a strength of the received beacon broadcast message; comparing the strength of the received beacon broadcast message and the associated signal strength; processing the information data if the strength of the received beacon broadcast message is greater than the associated signal strength; and initiating an action based on the processed information data.

[0222] Clause 19: The method as described in Clause 18 further includes: issuing a warning when the processed information data includes threat information.

[0223] Clause 20: The method of clause 19, wherein the warning comprises a visual, audible, or tactile indication.

[0224] In some implementations, a system having a beacon with a sensor may be described in the following clauses or otherwise described herein and as described in Fig.7D as shown in .

[0225] Clause 1: A beacon system, comprising: a beacon, the beacon comprising: a transmitter; a processor; a sensor for collecting sensor data; and a memory, wherein the beacon broadcasts a beacon message including information data based on a value of the sensor data and data about a related range.

[0226] Clause 2: A beacon system as described in Clause 1, wherein the beacon message varies based on the value of the sensor data.

[0227] Clause 3: The beacon system of clause 1, wherein the beacon continuously broadcasts beacon messages when the value of the sensor data exceeds a specified value.

[0228] Clause 4: A beacon system as described in Clause 1, wherein the beacon broadcasts a beacon message when the value of the sensor data changes.

[0229] Clause 5: A beacon system as described in clause 1, wherein the information data includes sensor data and near real-time beacon broadcasts.

[0230] Clause 6: A beacon system as described in clause 5, wherein the sensor data is one of: temperature, humidity, air pressure, altitude, concentration of a specific gas in the atmosphere, air flow, noxious odor, or operating status of a piece of equipment.

[0231] Clause 7: A beacon system as described in clause 1, wherein the information data includes a warning, information about required personal protective equipment, evacuation instructions, a required authorization level, or a value of sensor data.

[0232] Clause 8: The beacon system of clause 1, wherein the sensor data indicates that the laser is active and the information data includes information about the eye protection device.

[0233] Clause 9: The beacon system as described in Clause 1 further includes a receiving device.

[0234] Clause 10: The beacon system of clause 9, wherein the receiving device comprises an alarm adapted to be triggered by the beacon message.

[0235] Clause 11: A beacon system, comprising: a beacon, the beacon comprising: a transmitter; a computer processor; an input port for receiving sensor data from a sensor; and a memory, wherein the beacon beacon message includes information data based on the value of the sensor data and data about an associated range.

[0236] Clause 12: The beacon system of clause 11, wherein the sensor is attached to a piece of equipment and provides equipment status data.

[0237] Clause 13: A beacon system as described in clause 12, wherein the device status data includes one of the following: operating status, fault alarm, time until maintenance is due, recent users, recent safety or gas events, environmental information, calibration status, and calibration instructions.

[0238] Clause 14: The beacon system of clause 11, wherein the beacon continuously broadcasts beacon messages when the value of the sensor data exceeds a specified value.

[0239] Clause 15: The beacon system of clause 11, wherein the beacon broadcasts a beacon message when a value of the sensor data changes.

[0240] Clause 16: The beacon system of clause 11, wherein the information data varies based on a value of the sensor data.

[0241] Clause 17: The beacon system of clause 11, wherein the information data includes sensor data and near real-time beacon broadcasts.

[0242] Clause 18: A beacon system as described in clause 17, wherein the sensor data is one of: temperature, humidity, air pressure, altitude, concentration of a specific gas in the atmosphere, air flow, noxious odor, or operating status of a piece of equipment.

[0243] Clause 19: A beacon system as described in clause 11, wherein the information data includes a warning, information about required personal protective equipment, evacuation instructions, a required authorization level, or a value of sensor data.

[0244] In some implementations, a system having a beacon and a receiving device for an alert may be described in the following clauses or otherwise described herein and as described in Figure 1A , 1B and as shown in 6.

[0245] Clause 1: A system comprising: a receiving device associated with a user, the receiving device comprising: a receiver adapted to receive a beacon broadcast from one or more of a plurality of beacons, the beacon broadcast comprising data regarding a collision hazard and an associated range; a processor; and an alarm, wherein the alarm is activated when the processor determines that the receiving device is within the associated range.

[0246] Clause 2: The system of clause 1, wherein one of the plurality of beacons is associated with a mobile object.

[0247] Clause 3: The system of clause 2, wherein the moving object is one of: a vehicle, a forklift, a piece of moving equipment, or a moving part of a machine.

[0248] Clause 4: The system of clause 2, wherein the beacon is located at a leading edge of the moving object.

[0249] Clause 5: The system of clause 1, wherein the alert is one or more of: an audible notification, a visual notification, and a tactile notification.

[0250] Clause 6: A method comprising: receiving a beacon broadcast message on a receiver associated with a user, the beacon broadcast message including data about a collision hazard and data about a relevant range of the beacon broadcast message; determining whether the receiver associated with the user is within the relevant range of the beacon broadcast message, wherein when the receiver associated with the user determines that it is within the relevant range of the beacon broadcast message, the user is warned of the collision hazard.

[0251] Clause 7: The method of clause 6, wherein warning the user is accomplished using a tactile alarm, an audible alarm, a visual alarm, or a combination of visual, audible, and visual alarms.

[0252] Clause 8: The method of clause 6, further comprising: using a beacon on the mobile object to broadcast a broadcast message, the broadcast message including data about the collision risk and data about the associated range.

[0253] Clause 9: The method of clause 8, wherein the moving object is one of: a vehicle, a forklift, a piece of moving equipment, or a moving part of a machine.

[0254] Clause 10: The method of clause 8, wherein the beacon is located at a leading edge of the moving object.

[0255] Clause 11: A system comprising: a beacon associated with a moving object, wherein the beacon broadcasts warning data about the moving object and an associated range; and a speedometer that senses a speed of the moving object, wherein when the speedometer senses a speed above a threshold, the beacon broadcasts the warning data about the moving object and a new associated range.

[0256] In some implementations, an asset management system may be described in the following clauses or otherwise described herein and as described in Figure 6 as shown in .

[0257] Clause 1: A system comprising: a mobile receiving device, the mobile receiving device comprising: a receiver adapted to receive broadcast beacons from one or more of a plurality of beacons, each beacon broadcast comprising information data and an associated range; a processor; and a server adapted to communicate with the mobile receiving device, wherein if the mobile receiving device determines that it is within an associated range broadcast by one of the plurality of beacons, the mobile receiving device transmits the received information data associated with the associated range and the received information to the server.

[0258] Clause 2: The system of clause 1, wherein the received information includes one or more of: a location of the mobile receiving device when the beacon broadcast is received, a time when the beacon broadcast is received, and a date when the beacon broadcast is received.

[0259] Clause 3: The system of clause 1, wherein the mobile receiving device stores the information data in the received message before transmitting the information data to the server.

[0260] Clause 4: The system of clause 3, wherein the server transmits an acknowledgement of receipt of the information data and the received information to the mobile receiving device.

[0261] Clause 5: The system of clause 4, wherein the mobile receiving device transmits an acknowledgement of receipt of the information data and the received information.

[0262] Clause 6: The system of clause 1, wherein one or more beacons of the plurality of beacons are associated with an asset, personal protective equipment, or a tool.

[0263] Clause 7: A system as described in clause 1, wherein the information data is one or more of: asset identification, asset type, date of last calibration, data collected by the asset, operating status, fault alarms, time until maintenance is due, a list of recent users, a list of recent safety incidents, a list of recent gas incidents, a video on how to use the asset, instructions on maintenance of the asset, and instructions on calibration of the asset.

[0264] Clause 8: The system of clause 3, wherein the server comprises an asset database.

[0265] Clause 9: The system of clause 5, wherein at least one of the plurality of beacons comprises a module adapted to receive communications from a mobile receiving device, wherein the beacon changes information data in a beacon broadcast or a frequency of the broadcast upon receiving an acknowledgement of receipt of the information data.

[0266] Clause 10: The system of clause 9, wherein a change in the information data in a beacon broadcast or in the frequency of the broadcast includes ceasing transmission until the beacon determines that it has been moved or a set time period has elapsed.

[0267] Clause 11: The system of clause 9, further comprising: a supervisory application adapted to transmit instructions to one or more of the plurality of beacons or to the mobile receiving device.

[0268] Clause 12: The system of clause 11, wherein the instructions include determining the last known location of an asset associated with the beacon, indicating an asset that should be brought in from the field, or changing information data broadcast by the beacon.

[0269] Clause 13: A method comprising: receiving a broadcast message including information data about an asset on a mobile device; transmitting the information data and the received data about the broadcast message to an asset management server; identifying data about the asset in an asset database on the asset management server; and updating the data about the asset in the asset database when a difference between the data in the asset database and the received data about the broadcast message is identified.

[0270] In some implementations, a system having a beacon with a sensor may be described in the following clauses or otherwise described herein and as described in Figure 1A , 1B , 6 and 7D.

[0271] Clause 1: A system comprising: a beacon, wherein the beacon broadcasts a message including information data and data about a relevant range, the beacon comprising: a transmitter; a receiver; a processor; and a sensor or sensor input, wherein the beacon scans for the presence of a receiving device and begins broadcasting the message when presence is detected.

[0272] Clause 2: The system of clause 1, wherein scanning of beacons occurs continuously, periodically, at predetermined intervals, or when a condition is met.

[0273] Clause 3: The system of clause 1, wherein the beacon ceases broadcasting upon successful connection with a receiving device.

[0274] Clause 4: The system of clause 3, wherein the beacon resumes scanning upon detecting a change in state with respect to the sensor or sensor input.

[0275] Clause 5: The system of clause 4, wherein the frequency of scanning depends on the severity of the state change.

[0276] Clause 6: The system of clause 4, wherein the state change is at least one of: movement of the beacon, fall detection, temperature crossing a threshold, gas out-of-limit alarm, NFC activation, ambient light level, or detection of wear of personal protective equipment.

[0277] Clause 7: The system of clause 1, further comprising: a cloud server in communication with the receiving device, wherein the receiving device transmits an acknowledgment to the beacon, the acknowledgment comprising contact data regarding a date or time of the last successful communication between the receiving device and the cloud server.

[0278] Clause 8: The system of clause 7, wherein the receiving device transmits one of the information data and an indication of the beacon broadcast information data to the cloud server.

[0279] Clause 9: The system of clause 8, wherein if the cloud server does not receive a subsequent transmission having one of the information data and the indication from the receiving device within a given time interval, an alert is sent to the third party.

[0280] Clause 10: The system of clause 7, wherein the beacon sequentially orders receiving devices among a plurality of receiving devices that it has previously identified with respect to intended connectivity with the cloud server based on a date or time of the last successful communication between the receiving device and the cloud server.

[0281] Clause 11: The system of clause 10, wherein when there is an alert associated with the beacon, the beacon contacts the plurality of receiving devices in a sorted order of intended connection.

[0282] Clause 12: The system of clause 11, wherein the alarm is an individual worker alarm.

[0283] Clause 13: A system comprising: a beacon, wherein the beacon broadcasts a message including information data and data about an associated range, the beacon comprising: a transmitter; a receiver; a processor; and wherein the beacon scans for the presence of a receiving device and begins broadcasting the message and data about an associated range when presence is detected.

[0284] Clause 14: The system of clause 13, further comprising: a cloud server in communication with the receiving device, wherein the receiving device transmits an acknowledgment to the beacon, the acknowledgment comprising contact data regarding a date or time of the last successful communication between the receiving device and the cloud server.

[0285] Clause 15: The system of clause 14, wherein the receiving device transmits one of the information data and an indication of the beacon broadcast information data to the cloud server.

[0286] Clause 16: The system of clause 15, wherein if the cloud server does not receive a subsequent transmission having one of the information data and the indication from the receiving device within a given time interval, an alert is sent to the third party.

[0287] In some implementations, a system having a beacon with a sensor may be described in the following clauses or otherwise described herein and as described in Figure 1A , 1B , 6 and 7D.

[0288] Clause 1: A system comprising: a beacon, the beacon comprising: a transmitter that broadcasts a message including information data and data about a relevant range of the information data; a processor; a receiver; and a sensor or sensor input, wherein when the beacon is detected by a mobile receiving device, a connection is established between the beacon and the mobile receiving device to share at least the information data before terminating the connection.

[0289] Clause 2: The system of clause 1, wherein the beacon ceases broadcasting when a connection with the mobile receiving device is successfully completed.

[0290] Clause 3: The system of clause 2, wherein upon detecting a change in state with respect to the sensor or sensor input resulting in the detected change in state, the beacon makes one or more connection attempts to connect to the mobile receiving device or a new mobile receiving device.

[0291] Clause 4: The system of clause 3, wherein the connection attempts occur continuously, periodically, at predetermined intervals, or when a condition is met.

[0292] Clause 5: A system as described in Clause 3, wherein the frequency of the connection attempts depends on the severity of the detected state change.

[0293] Clause 6: The system of clause 3, wherein the state change is at least one of: movement of the beacon, fall detection, temperature crossing a threshold, gas out-of-limit alarm, NFC activation, ambient light level, or detection of wear of personal protective equipment.

[0294] Clause 7: The system of clause 1, further comprising: a cloud server in communication with the mobile receiving device, wherein the mobile receiving device transmits an acknowledgment to the beacon, the acknowledgment comprising contact data regarding the date or time of the last successful communication between the mobile receiving device and the cloud server.

[0295] Clause 8: The system of clause 7, wherein the mobile receiving device transmits one of the information data and an indication of the beacon broadcast information data to the cloud server.

[0296] Clause 9: The system of clause 8, wherein an alert is sent to a third party if the cloud server does not receive a subsequent transmission having one of the information data and the indication from the mobile receiving device within a given time interval.

[0297] Clause 10: The system of clause 7, wherein the beacon sequentially orders the mobile receiving devices among the plurality of mobile receiving devices it has previously identified with respect to intended connectivity with the cloud server based on a date or time of the last successful communication between the mobile receiving device and the cloud server.

[0298] Clause 11: The system of clause 10, wherein when there is an alert associated with the beacon, the beacon contacts the plurality of mobile receiving devices in a ranked order of intended connection.

[0299] Clause 12: The system of clause 11, wherein the alarm is an individual worker alarm.

[0300] In some implementations, a system for data search may be described in the following clauses or otherwise described herein and as described in Fig. 7A , 7B , as shown in 7C and 7D.

[0301] Item 1: A system comprising: a smart asset tag configured to generate a random data ID, associate the generated data ID with data, thereby generating a data ID and associated data, and broadcast both the data ID and the associated data together, the smart asset tag comprising: a beacon; a receiver; and a processor; a data search device, wherein the data search device is configured to receive and store a received data ID and the received associated data, and then transmit the received associated data to a cloud server, the data search device comprising: a transmitter; a receiver; and a processor, wherein the data search device begins transmitting a received data ID of the received associated data upon receiving an acknowledgment of receipt of the received associated data from the cloud server, wherein the smart asset tag stops broadcasting the associated data upon detecting the transmission of the data ID associated with the data it is broadcasting.

[0302] Clause 2: The system of clause 1, wherein the data search device further comprises a cellular communication module or a Wi-Fi communication module.

[0303] Clause 3: The system as described in Clause 2, wherein the data search device communicates with the cloud server using a cellular communication module or a Wi-Fi communication module.

[0304] Clause 4: A system as described in Clause 1, wherein when the smart asset tag stops broadcasting associated data, the smart asset tag performs one of the following operations: remains silent, broadcasts information about the asset, broadcasts information about the smart asset tag, or broadcasts new data associated with a new random data ID for transmission to a cloud server.

[0305] Clause 5: The system of clause 1, wherein the smart asset tag also transmits data regarding a relevant range of the associated data.

[0306] Clause 6: The system of clause 5, wherein the data seeking device determines whether it is within a relevant range broadcast by the smart asset tag before transmitting the data to the cloud server.

[0307] Clause 7: The system of clause 6, wherein if the data seeking device determines that it is not within the relevant range, it does not transmit the data to the cloud server.

[0308] Clause 8: The system of clause 1, wherein the data seeker device transmits the data ID one of continuously, periodically, at predetermined intervals, or according to a list of random data IDs.

[0309] Clause 9: The system of clause 1, wherein each of the plurality of data search devices limits transmission of the data ID to the location of the initially received data and data ID.

[0310] Clause 10: A method comprising: generating a random data ID by a processor of a beacon; associating the data ID with data to produce associated data; broadcasting both the data ID and the associated data by the beacon; and processing by the beacon a plurality of receive messages from a plurality of data search devices, wherein upon detecting a transmission of the data ID associated with the data being broadcast in the plurality of receive messages, the broadcast is stopped.

[0311] Clause 11: The method of clause 10, wherein each of the plurality of data search devices is configured to receive the broadcast data ID and associated data, store the random data ID and transmit the associated data to a cloud server.

[0312] Clause 12: The method of clause 11, wherein upon receiving confirmation of receipt of the data from the cloud server, each of the plurality of data search devices begins transmitting a random data ID for the associated data.

[0313] Clause 13: The method of clause 11, wherein each of the plurality of data seeking devices comprises a cellular communication module or a Wi-Fi communication module.

[0314] Clause 14: The method of clause 13, wherein each of the plurality of data search devices communicates with the cloud server using a cellular communication module or a Wi-Fi communication module.

[0315] Clause 15: The method of clause 10, wherein when the beacon stops broadcasting data, the beacon one or more of: remains silent; broadcasts information about the asset; broadcasts information about the beacon; and broadcasts new data associated with a new random data ID.

[0316] Clause 16: The method of clause 10, wherein the broadcasting comprises broadcasting a relevant range of data.

[0317] Clause 17: The method of clause 16, wherein each of the plurality of data seeking devices determines whether it is within a relevant range broadcast by a beacon before transmitting data to a cloud server.

[0318] Clause 18: The method of clause 17, wherein if each of the plurality of data search devices determines that it is not within the relevant range, it does not transmit data to the cloud server.

[0319] Clause 19: The method of clause 12, wherein each of the plurality of data seeking devices transmits the random data ID one of continuously, periodically, at predetermined intervals, or according to a list of random data IDs.

[0320] Clause 20: The method of clause 12, wherein each of the plurality of data search devices limits transmission of the random data ID to a location of initially received data and the random data ID.

[0321] In some implementations, a system for data search may be described in the following clauses or otherwise described herein and as described in Fig. 7A , 7B , as shown in 7C and 7D.

[0322] Clause 1: A system comprising: a piece of personal protective equipment using a consumable, comprising: a smart asset tag adapted to broadcast a broadcast message, the broadcast message comprising information data and an associated range, the smart asset tag comprising: a transceiver, a processor, a data storage device, and an NFC tag, wherein a countdown is initiated or a timer is started when the consumable is associated with the piece of personal protective equipment.

[0323] Clause 2: The system of clause 1, wherein upon completion of the timer or countdown, the information data includes a message regarding the consumable that initiated the timer or countdown.

[0324] Clause 3: The system of clause 2, wherein the message includes notification of a fault, status of a consumable, required refill of a consumable, or required maintenance.

[0325] Clause 4: The system of clause 1, wherein the smart asset tag further comprises a sensor or sensor input.

[0326] Clause 5: The system of clause 4, wherein the timer or countdown is varied by data received from a sensor or sensor input.

[0327] Clause 6: The system of clause 1, wherein the smart asset tag further comprises a confirmation button.

[0328] In some implementations, a system for worker safety may be described in the following clauses or otherwise described herein and as described in Figure 1A , 1B , 5 and 6.

[0329] Clause 1: A system comprising: a beacon associated with a worker, the beacon comprising: a transmitter; a processor; and a memory, wherein the beacon transmits data about the worker; a receiving device associated with a location or a piece of equipment, wherein access to the location or the piece of equipment is based on the data transmitted about the worker.

[0330] Clause 2: The system of clause 1, wherein the data about the worker comprises one of: identification of the worker, security clearance of the worker, equipment certification of the worker, and personal protective equipment associated with the worker.

[0331] Clause 3: A method comprising: repeatedly comparing the signal strength and directional alignment of an identification beacon associated with a worker with the signal strength and directional alignment of each of one or more beacons, each beacon being associated with a piece of personal protective equipment; for each beacon associated with a piece of personal protective equipment, determining whether the results of comparing the signal strength and directional alignment of the worker's identification beacon with the signal strength and directional alignment of the beacon associated with the piece of personal protective equipment have been consistent over a period of time; and if the results are already consistent, associating the piece of personal protective equipment with the worker's identification beacon.

[0332] Clause 4: The method of clause 3, further comprising: restricting a worker from entering a location unless the worker's identification beacon is associated with all required pieces of personal protective equipment for the location.

[0333] Clause 5: The method of clause 3, further comprising: restricting access to a piece of equipment unless the worker's identification beacon is associated with all required pieces of personal protective equipment for the piece of equipment.

[0334] Clause 6: The method of clause 3, further comprising: comparing the additional type of data broadcast by the worker's identification beacon with the same type of additional data broadcast by each of the one or more beacons associated with the piece of personal protective equipment.

[0335] Clause 7: The method of clause 6, wherein the type of additional data comprises one of: acceleration, acoustic signal, and optical signal.

[0336] Clause 8: A system comprising: an entrance receiving device adapted to receive a plurality of beacon broadcasts from one or more of a plurality of mobile beacons, each mobile beacon being associated with a worker, wherein each mobile beacon broadcasts an identity ID of its associated worker, wherein the entrance receiving device monitors the received beacon broadcasts to obtain an identity ID broadcast by each of a plurality of workers entering or leaving a location, and creates a field record of the recorded identity IDs that exist; a collection place receiving device adapted to receive a plurality of beacon broadcasts from one or more of a plurality of mobile beacons, each mobile beacon being associated with a worker, wherein the collection place receiving device records the identity ID associated with each of a plurality of workers at the collection place, thereby generating a recorded collection place ID; and a remote server that communicates with the entrance receiving device and the collection place receiving device to distribute the field record created by the entrance receiving device, wherein the collection place receiving device compares the recorded collection place ID with the field record, and triggers an alarm if there is a worker in the field record that is not recorded by the collection place receiving device.

[0337] Clause 9: The system of clause 8, wherein triggering the alarm comprises an audio alarm, a visual alarm, a tactile alarm, or a combination of audio, visual, and tactile alarms.

[0338] Clause 10: The system of clause 8, wherein triggering the alarm comprises sending a signal to a remote server to alert one or more designated individuals.

[0339] Clause 11: The system of clause 8, wherein the collection venue receiving device comprises a cellular communication module.

[0340] Clause 12: The system of clause 11, wherein triggering the alarm comprises sending one of a text or voice message using the cellular communication module.

[0341] In some implementations, a device including a beacon and a wireless communication module may be described in the following clauses or otherwise described herein and as described in Figure 6 as shown in .

[0342] Clause 1: An apparatus comprising: a beacon adapted to broadcast a beacon broadcast, the beacon broadcast comprising information data and an associated range of the information data; a receiver adapted to receive a transmission; and a wireless communication module adapted to transmit the transmission to a cloud server.

[0343] Clause 2: The device of clause 1, wherein the receiving device identifies the beacon broadcast as relevant if the strength of the beacon broadcast exceeds the relevant range, and processes the beacon broadcast if the beacon broadcast is identified as relevant.

[0344] Clause 3: The device of clause 2, wherein the transmission is transmitted from the receiving device to the device, wherein the transmission is transmitted from the device to the cloud server.

[0345] Clause 4: The apparatus of clause 2, wherein if the beacon broadcast is identified as relevant, the transmission is triggered.

[0346] Clause 5: The device of clause 1, wherein the information data relates to identifying the location of the device as a rendezvous location.

[0347] Clause 6: The device of clause 1, wherein the transmission involves identifying a user of a receiving device that transmitted the transmission.

[0348] The methods and systems described herein may be deployed in part or in whole by machines that execute computer software, program codes, and / or instructions on a processor. References to "processor," "processing unit," "processing facility," "microprocessor," "coprocessor," etc., mean that more are also included, and one of these items is used together. The present invention may be implemented as a method on a machine, as a system or device that is part of or associated with a machine, or as a computer program product implemented in a computer-readable medium executed on one or more of the machines. The processor may be a server, client, network infrastructure, mobile computing platform, fixed computing platform, or part of other computing platforms. The processor may be any type of computing or processing device capable of executing program instructions, codes, binary instructions, etc. The processor may be or include a signal processor, a digital processor, an embedded processor, a microprocessor, or any variant such as a coprocessor (mathematical coprocessor, graphics coprocessor, communication coprocessor, etc.), etc., which may directly or indirectly facilitate the execution of program codes or program instructions stored thereon. In addition, the processor may enable the execution of multiple programs, threads, and codes. Threads may be executed simultaneously to enhance the performance of the processor and facilitate simultaneous operation of applications. By implementation, the methods, program codes, program instructions, etc. described herein may be implemented in one or more threads. A thread may generate other threads, which may have been assigned priorities associated with them; the processor may execute these threads based on priority or based on any other order of instructions provided in the program code. The processor may include a memory that stores methods, codes, instructions, and programs as described herein and elsewhere. The processor may access a storage medium through an interface, which may store methods, codes, and instructions as described herein and elsewhere. The storage medium associated with the processor for storing methods, programs, codes, program instructions, or other types of instructions that can be executed by a computing or processing device may include, but is not limited to, one or more of a CD-ROM, a DVD, a memory, a hard disk, a flash drive, a RAM, a ROM, a cache, and the like.

[0349] The processor may include one or more cores that can enhance the speed and performance of the multiprocessor. In an embodiment, the process may be a dual-core processor, a quad-core processor, other chip-level multiprocessors, etc., which combine two or more independent cores (referred to as dies).

[0350] The methods and systems described herein may be deployed in part or in whole by machines executing computer software on servers, clients, firewalls, gateways, hubs, routers or other such computers and / or networking hardware. Software programs may be associated with servers, which may include file servers, print servers, domain servers, Internet servers, intranet servers, and other variants such as auxiliary servers, host servers, distributed servers, etc. A server may include one or more of a memory, a processor, a computer-readable medium, a storage medium, a port (physical and virtual), a communication device, and an interface that can access other servers, clients, machines, and devices through a wired or wireless medium. Methods, programs, or codes as described herein and elsewhere may be executed by a server. In addition, other devices required for executing the method as described in this application may be considered as part of the infrastructure associated with a server.

[0351] The server can provide an interface to other devices, including but not limited to client, other servers, printer, database server, print server, file server, communication server, distributed server etc. In addition, this coupling and / or connection can promote the remote execution of the program across the network. Some or all of the networking in these devices can promote parallel processing programs or methods at one or more locations, without departing from the scope of the present invention. In addition, any device in the device attached to the server by the interface can include at least one storage medium that can store method, program, code and / or instruction. The central repository can provide the program instruction to be performed on different devices. In this implementation, the remote repository can serve as the storage medium of program code, instruction and program.

[0352] The software program may be associated with a client, which may include a file client, a print client, a domain client, an Internet client, an intranet client, and other variants such as an auxiliary client, a host client, a distributed client, etc. The client may include one or more of a memory, a processor, a computer-readable medium, a storage medium, a port (physical and virtual), a communication device, and an interface capable of accessing other clients, servers, machines, and devices through a wired or wireless medium. The methods, programs, or codes described herein and elsewhere may be executed by the client. In addition, other devices required to perform the methods described in the present application may be considered part of the infrastructure associated with the client.

[0353] The client can provide an interface to other devices, and the device includes but is not limited to a server, other clients, a printer, a database server, a print server, a file server, a communication server, a distributed server, etc. In addition, this coupling and / or connection can promote the remote execution of the program across the network. Some or all of the networking in these devices can promote parallel processing programs or methods at one or more locations, without departing from the scope of the present invention. In addition, any device in the device attached to the client by the interface can include at least one storage medium that can store method, program, application, code and / or instruction. The central repository can provide the program instructions to be performed on different devices. In this implementation, the remote repository can serve as the storage medium of program code, instruction and program.

[0354] The methods and systems described herein may be deployed in part or in whole through a network infrastructure. The network infrastructure may include elements such as computing devices, servers, routers, hubs, firewalls, clients, personal computers, communication devices, routing devices, and other active and passive devices, modules, and / or components as known in the art. In addition to other components, the computing and / or non-computing devices associated with the network infrastructure may also include storage media such as flash memory, buffers, stacks, RAM, ROM, etc. The processes, methods, program codes, instructions described herein and elsewhere may be executed by one or more of the network infrastructure elements.

[0355] The methods, program codes, and instructions described herein and elsewhere may be implemented on a cellular network having multiple cells. The cellular network may be or include a frequency division multiple access (FDMA) network or a code division multiple access (CDMA) network. The cellular network may include mobile devices, cell sites, base stations, repeaters, antennas, towers, etc. The cell network may be one or more of GSM, GPRS, 3G, EVDO, mesh, or other network types.

[0356] The methods, program codes and instructions described herein and elsewhere can be implemented on or by a mobile device. Mobile devices may include navigation devices, cellular phones, mobile phones, mobile personal digital assistants, laptop computers, palmtop computers, netbooks, pagers, e-book readers, music players, etc. In addition to other components, these devices may also include storage media such as flash memory, buffers, RAM, ROM and one or more computing devices. A computing device associated with a mobile device may be enabled to execute program codes, methods and instructions stored thereon. Alternatively, a mobile device may be configured to execute instructions in collaboration with other devices. A mobile device may communicate with a base station, which is docked with a server and configured to execute program codes. A mobile device may communicate on a peer-to-peer network, a mesh network or other communication network. The program code may be stored on a storage medium associated with a server and executed by a computing device embedded in the server. A base station may include a computing device and a storage medium. A storage device may store program codes and instructions executed by a computing device associated with a base station.

[0357] Computer software, program code and / or instructions may be stored and / or accessed on machine-readable media, which may include: computer components, devices and recording media that retain digital data for computing up to a certain period of time; semiconductor storage devices known as random access memory (RAM); mass storage devices typically used for more permanent storage, such as optical disks, magnetic storage devices in the form of hard disks, tapes, drums, cards and other types; processor registers, caches, volatile memory, non-volatile memory; optical storage devices such as CDs, DVDs; removable media such as flash memory (e.g., USB sticks or keys), floppy disks, magnetic tape, paper tape, punch cards, stand-alone RAM disks, Zip drives, removable mass storage devices, off-line, etc.; other computer memory such as dynamic memory, static memory, read / write storage devices, variable storage devices, read-only, random access, sequential access, location addressable, file addressable, content addressable, network attached storage devices, storage area networks, bar codes, magnetic ink, etc.

[0358] The methods and systems described herein can transform physical and / or intangible items from one state to another state. The methods and systems described herein can also transform data representing physical and / or intangible items from one state to another state.

[0359] The elements described and depicted herein, including flow charts and block diagrams throughout the accompanying drawings, imply the logical boundaries between elements. However, according to software or hardware engineering practices, the depicted elements and their functions can be implemented on a machine through a computer executable medium, which has a processor capable of executing program instructions stored thereon as a monolithic software structure, as an independent software module, or as a module using external routines, codes, services, etc. or any combination of these, and all such implementations can be within the scope of the present disclosure. Examples of such machines may include, but are not limited to, personal digital assistants, laptop computers, personal computers, mobile phones, other handheld computing devices, medical equipment, wired or wireless communication devices, transducers, chips, calculators, satellites, tablet PCs, e-books, gadgets, electronic devices, devices with artificial intelligence, computing devices, networking devices, servers, routers, etc. In addition, the elements or any other logical components depicted in the flow charts and block diagrams can be implemented on a machine capable of executing program instructions. Therefore, although the aforementioned drawings and descriptions set forth the functional aspects of the disclosed system, unless explicitly stated or otherwise clear from the context, the specific arrangement of the software used to implement these functional aspects should not be inferred from these descriptions. Similarly, it will be understood that the various steps identified and described above may be varied, and the order of the steps may be adapted to the specific application of the technology disclosed herein. All such variations and modifications are intended to fall within the scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, unless required by a specific application, or explicitly stated or otherwise clear from the context, the depiction and / or description of the order of the various steps should not be understood as requiring a specific order of execution of these steps.

[0360] The above methods and / or processes and steps thereof may be implemented in hardware, software, or any combination of hardware and software suitable for a particular application. Hardware may include a general purpose computer and / or a special purpose computing device or a specific computing device or specific aspects or components of a specific computing device. The process may be implemented in one or more microprocessors, microcontrollers, embedded microcontrollers, programmable digital signal processors, or other programmable devices, and in internal and / or external memory. The process may also or alternatively be embodied in a dedicated integrated circuit, a programmable gate array, a programmable array logic, or any other device or combination of devices that may be configured to process electronic signals. It will be further understood that one or more of the processes may be implemented as a computer executable code that can be executed on a machine-readable medium.

[0361] Computer executable code may be created using a structured programming language such as C, an object-oriented programming language such as C++, or any other high-level or low-level programming language (including assembly language, hardware description languages, and database programming languages ​​and techniques) that may be stored, compiled, or interpreted to run on one of the above devices and a heterogeneous combination of processors, processor architectures, or a combination of different hardware and software, or any other machine capable of executing program instructions.

[0362] Therefore, in one aspect, each of the above methods and combinations thereof can be implemented in a computer executable code that, when executed on one or more computing devices, performs its steps. In another aspect, the method can be implemented in a system that performs its steps and can be distributed across devices in a variety of ways, or all functions can be integrated into a dedicated stand-alone device or other hardware. In another aspect, the apparatus for performing the steps associated with the above process may include any of the above hardware and / or software. All such permutations and combinations are intended to fall within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0363] Although the present invention has been disclosed in conjunction with the preferred embodiments shown and described in detail, various modifications and improvements to the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the spirit and scope of the present invention are not limited by the foregoing examples, but should be understood in the broadest sense permitted by law.

[0364] All documents cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference.

Claims

1. A device comprising: A receiver configured to receive a beacon message including information data and data regarding a minimum received signal strength value for relevance of the beacon message; wherein the receiver is in communication with a processor and the information data includes information regarding access control requirements for a worker to access at least one of (a) a location or (b) operation of a piece of equipment; the processor being programmed to determine the relevance of the beacon message by comparing the minimum received signal strength value for relevance of the beacon message with an actual received signal strength of the beacon message, wherein if the actual received signal strength is greater than or equal to the minimum received signal strength value, the processor determines that the device is within a range of relevance and, based on the information data, provides instructions to perform at least one of: (a) permitting or restricting access to the location, or (b) permitting or restricting operation of the piece of equipment.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information about the access control requirements of the worker includes information about the worker.

3. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the information about the worker includes at least one of the following: worker identification, security clearance or authorization of the worker, equipment certification of the worker, wearable sensor values, typical work position, job function, typical instruments used, information about user equipment, previous safety incidents and / or radiation exposure levels, or personal protective equipment (PPE) or safety equipment associated with the worker.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the PPE is at least one of hearing protection, eye protection, protective footwear, a gas mask, a respirator, a safety belt, lighting equipment, an exposure tracker, a hard hat, or a fall protection device.

5. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the information about the worker includes at least one of: the worker's security clearance or authorization, the worker's equipment certification, sensor values ​​of sensors worn by the worker, job functions, information about user equipment, previous safety incidents and / or radiation exposure levels, or personal protective equipment (PPE) or safety equipment associated with the worker.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The piece of equipment includes at least one of a saw, a gas sensor, a portable environmental sensing device, a gas detection instrument, a heat detector, a flame detector, a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive (CBRNE) detector, a chemical detection instrument, or industrial monitoring equipment.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The information about the access control requirements of the worker includes information about the location or the piece of equipment.

8. An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the information about the location or the piece of equipment includes at least one of the following: a list of required PPE associated with a worker attempting to access the piece of equipment or the location, required safety clearance, required operator authorization, environmental sensor values, environmental conditions, evacuation instructions, warnings, an item identifier of the piece of equipment, or an operating status of a piece of equipment.

9. An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the information about the location or the piece of equipment includes at least one of: a list of required personal protective equipment (PPE) associated with a worker attempting to access the piece of equipment or the location, a required security clearance, or a required operator authorization.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a sensor configured to collect sensor data, wherein the information data comprises the sensor data.

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