Safety belt use detection system

Abstract

To provide a safety belt use detection system that defines a high place work area with a simple system configuration, and detects whether or not a hook is hung on a main rope in the high place work area.SOLUTION: A safety belt use detection system A includes: a long-sized main rope 1; a hook 2a to which a safety belt of an operator is attached through a life rope 2b; an IC tag 3 attached to the hook 2a; and a long-sized trigger signal transmission means 4 provided on the main rope 1 for transmitting a trigger signal of the IC tag 3. As trigger signals of the IC tag 3, the trigger signal transmission means 4 transmits a first trigger signal in a first range 11 in the vicinity of the main rope 1 and a second trigger signal in a second range 12 wider than the first range 11.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a safety belt use detection system for detecting whether a safety belt is being used correctly at a high-altitude work site. [Background technology]

[0002] When working at high altitudes, such as at construction sites, workers are required to wear safety harnesses to prevent falls. The safety harness comprises a belt worn around the worker's body, a lifeline connected to the belt, and a hook attached to the end of the lifeline. The worker ensures safety when working at high altitudes by wearing the belt around their body and hooking the hook onto a long hook-engaging device, such as a lifeline, installed at the high altitude work site.

[0003] In order to reliably prevent falls, it is necessary for workers to use safety harnesses correctly. In particular, since workers at high altitude work sites sometimes forget to fasten their hooks to long hook fastening means such as a lifeline, mechanisms have been proposed for detecting whether or not the hooks are fastened to long hook fastening means such as a lifeline.

[0004] For example, Patent Document 1 proposes "a safety management system comprising a lifeline, a hook to which a worker's safety belt is attached via the lifeline, a first IC tag attached to the hook, first trigger signal emitting means provided on the lifeline for emitting a trigger signal from the first IC tag, and first response signal receiving means for receiving a first response signal which is a response signal from the first IC tag emitted in response to the trigger signal from the first IC tag" (Claim 1), and also proposes a safety management system further comprising "a second IC tag carried by the worker, second trigger signal emitting means placed in a hazardous area for emitting a trigger signal from the second IC tag, second response signal receiving means for receiving the second response signal which is a response signal from the second IC tag, and third warning processing means for performing warning processing when the second response signal receiving means receives the second response signal" (Claim 8). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 5359661 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In the system of Patent Document 1, a first trigger signal transmitting means (an antenna wire in this embodiment) is provided on the lifeline to detect whether the hook is attached to the lifeline, and a second trigger signal transmitting means (a mat-like member that covers the entire danger zone in this embodiment) must be provided separately from the first trigger signal transmitting means to define the danger zone, i.e., the high-altitude working area where the use of a safety harness is required. This results in a problem of a complex system configuration. Furthermore, in cases where the danger zone (high-altitude working area) extends a long distance in a predetermined direction, it may be difficult to provide the second trigger signal transmitting means separately from the first trigger signal transmitting means.

[0007] In view of the above, the problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a safety belt use detection system that can define a high-altitude work area with a simple system configuration and detect whether or not a hook is attached to a life rope in that high-altitude work area. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] According to one aspect of the present invention, the following safety belt use detection system is provided. A long life rope, a hook to which the worker's safety belt is attached via a lifeline; an IC tag attached to the hook; a long trigger signal transmitting means that is provided on the life rope and transmits a trigger signal of the IC tag; The trigger signal emitting means emits a first trigger signal covering a first range in the vicinity of the main rope and a second trigger signal covering a second range wider than the first range as trigger signals for the IC tag. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, with a simple system configuration, it is possible to define a high altitude work area and detect whether or not a hook is attached to a life rope in that high altitude work area. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a conceptual diagram of a safety belt use detection system according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an IC tag. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] A safety belt use detection system according to one embodiment of the present invention is conceptually shown in Figure 1. The safety belt use detection system A shown in the figure comprises a long main rope 1, a hook 2a to which the worker's safety belt is attached via a lifeline 2b, an IC tag 3 attached to the hook 2a, and a long trigger signal transmitting means 4 provided on the main rope 1 for transmitting a trigger signal from the IC tag 3.

[0012] In this embodiment, the length of the main rope 1 is about 10 m. When installing the main rope 1 in a high-altitude work area having a length of 10 m or more, it is sufficient to prepare multiple main ropes 1 and connect them in series. Of course, a main rope having a length of 10 m or more may also be prepared.

[0013] In this embodiment, the IC tag 3 is attached to the tip of the hook 2a of the safety belt. As a result, when the hook 2a is hung on the main rope 1 as shown in Figure 1, the IC tag 3 is reliably positioned near the main rope 1. The size of the hook 2a can be understood from common technical knowledge, but it is generally about 30 cm in length.

[0014] In this embodiment, the trigger signal transmitting means 4 includes a long, U-shaped conductor 41 embedded along the longitudinal direction of the master cable 1. The trigger signal transmitting means 4 alternately transmits, for example, at intervals of 0.3 to 0.5 seconds, a first trigger signal covering a first range 11 near the master cable 1 and a second trigger signal covering a second range 12 wider than the first range 11 as trigger signals for the IC tag 3. In this embodiment, the trigger signal for the IC tag 3 is transmitted as an AC induction magnetic field. The AC induction magnetic field, which is the trigger signal for the IC tag 3, is transmitted when an AC current applied by a transmitter 42 shown in FIG. 1 flows through the conductor 41. The range of the AC induction magnetic field can be changed by changing the magnitude of the AC current applied by the transmitter 42. That is, in this embodiment, the magnitude (large or small) of the AC current applied by the transmitter 42 is alternately changed to alternately transmit a first trigger signal covering the first range 11 and a second trigger signal covering the second range 12. In this embodiment, unique ID information is added to each of the first and second trigger signals.

[0015] The first trigger signal is for detecting whether or not the hook 2a is hooked on the main rope 1, and the first range 11 that the first trigger signal covers can be, for example, a radius of about 30 to 50 cm, centered on the main rope 1. The second trigger signal is for defining a high-altitude work area where the use of a safety harness is required, and the second range 12 that the second trigger signal covers can be, for example, a radius of about 2 to 3 m, centered on the main rope 1.

[0016] Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the IC tag 3. The IC tag 3 includes a magnetic field sensor unit that detects the AC induction magnetic field that serves as a trigger signal, a radio wave transmitter unit that transmits a magnetic field detection radio wave containing ID information of the detected AC induction magnetic field as a response signal when the magnetic field sensor unit detects the AC induction magnetic field, a warning unit that outputs an alarm, a control unit that controls these units, and a battery as a power source.

[0017] In this embodiment, when the magnetic field sensor unit detects an AC induction magnetic field (hereinafter referred to as the "second AC induction magnetic field"), which is a second trigger signal, but does not detect an AC induction magnetic field (hereinafter referred to as the "first AC induction magnetic field"), which is a first trigger signal, the warning unit outputs an alarm. That is, when the magnetic field sensor unit detects the second AC induction magnetic field, it determines that the IC tag 3 is present in the high-altitude work area, i.e., that a worker wearing a safety belt is present in the high-altitude work area. On the other hand, when the magnetic field sensor unit does not detect the first AC induction magnetic field, it determines that the IC tag 3 is not present in the vicinity of the main rope 1, i.e., that the hook 2a is not attached to the main rope 1. That is, even though the worker is present in the high-altitude work area, the hook 2a is not attached to the main rope 1, which is considered to be dangerous, and the warning unit outputs an alarm. On the other hand, when the magnetic field sensor unit does not detect the second AC induction magnetic field, the warning unit does not output an alarm even if the magnetic field sensor unit does not detect the first AC induction magnetic field. In other words, if the magnetic field sensor unit does not detect the second AC induction magnetic field, it determines that the worker is not in the high-altitude work area, and determines that there is no problem even if the hook 2a is not attached to the main rope 1, so the warning unit does not output an alarm.

[0018] Furthermore, as described above, in this embodiment, when the magnetic field sensor unit detects an AC induction magnetic field, the radio wave transmitting unit transmits, as a response signal, a magnetic field detection radio wave including ID information of the detected AC induction magnetic field. Specifically, when the magnetic field sensor unit detects a first AC induction magnetic field, the radio wave transmitting unit transmits a magnetic field detection radio wave including the ID information (hereinafter referred to as a "first magnetic field detection radio wave"), and when the magnetic field sensor unit detects a second AC induction magnetic field, the radio wave transmitting unit transmits a magnetic field detection radio wave including the ID information (hereinafter referred to as a "second magnetic field detection radio wave").

[0019] In this embodiment, these first and second magnetic field detection radio waves are received by the response signal receiving means 5. Based on the received magnetic field detection radio waves, the response signal receiving means 5 can determine whether or not a worker is in a high-altitude work area and whether or not the hook 2a is hooked on the master rope 1, and can manage this information and output an alarm as necessary. The response signal receiving means 5 can receive the magnetic field detection radio waves transmitted from the IC tag 3 directly, as well as via a mobile terminal or the like.

[0020] Thus, according to this embodiment, the trigger signal transmitting means 4 provided on the master rope 1 transmits a first trigger signal that covers a first range 11 near the master rope 1, and a second trigger signal that covers a second range 12 that is wider than the first range 11, so it is possible to detect with a simple system configuration whether or not a worker is in the high-altitude working area, in addition to whether or not the hook 2a is hooked on the master rope 1. Furthermore, the master rope 1 and the trigger signal transmitting means 4 provided on the master rope 1 can be easily installed even when the high-altitude working area extends a long distance in a predetermined direction, which also simplifies the system configuration.

[0021] In addition, this embodiment is equipped with a response signal receiving means 5 that receives the response signal (first magnetic field detection radio wave and second magnetic field detection radio wave) of the IC tag 3, so it is possible to manage information on whether or not a worker is in a high-altitude work area and whether or not the hook 2a is attached to the main rope 1, and to output an alarm if necessary.

[0022] In this embodiment, the safety belt is provided with one hook 2a, but it may also be provided with two hooks. In this case, an IC tag is attached to each hook, and it is possible to detect whether each hook is attached to the life rope. Furthermore, the response signal receiving means 5 obtains information on whether each hook is attached to the life rope, and can output an alarm if it is determined that not all hooks in the safety belt are attached to the life rope.

[0023] In this embodiment, an AC induction magnetic field is used as the trigger signal for the IC tag 3, but other trigger signals, such as radio waves, may also be used. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the IC tag 3 is provided with a warning unit, but if the response signal receiving means 5 has a function to output an alarm, the warning unit of the IC tag 3 may be omitted. On the other hand, if the IC tag 3 is provided with a warning unit, the response signal receiving means 5 may be omitted. Note that if the response signal receiving means 5 is omitted, the radio wave transmitting unit of the IC tag 3 may also be omitted. [Explanation of symbols]

[0024] A Safety belt usage detection system 1. Main rope 11 First Range 12 Second Range 2a Safety harness hook 2b Safety belt lifeline 3. IC tags 4. Means of transmitting trigger signals 41 Conductor 5. Response signal receiving means

Claims

1. A long life rope, a hook to which the worker's safety belt is attached via a lifeline; an IC tag attached to the hook; a long trigger signal transmitting means provided on the life rope for transmitting a trigger signal of the IC tag, The trigger signal emitting means emits, as trigger signals for the IC tag, a first trigger signal that covers a first range in the vicinity of the main rope and a second trigger signal that covers a second range that is wider than the first range.

2. 2. The safety belt use detection system according to claim 1, further comprising a response signal receiving means for receiving a response signal from said IC tag transmitted in response to the trigger signal from said IC tag.

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