Work at heights safety hook monitoring system

Abstract

The present invention relates to the safety hook of the personal protective equipment for working at height. In particular to the safety hook with sensor devices, communication capability, and a monitoring system for obtaining the status of the safety system while in use by a user. The safety hook system replaces traditional non sensor integrated system. The hook system monitors the usage of the safety device, monitors whether the hook is attached to objects, size of the attached object and provides real-time feed back to the worker and communicates wirelessly to a monitoring system. The monitoring system, via the communication link, provides real-time status of all workers working at heights and their safety devices utilization when using the safety hook with monitoring.

Description

[0001] WORK AT HEIGHTS SAFETY HOOK MONITORING SYSTEM

[0002] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0003] The present application claims priority to US provisional patent application No. 63 / 557533, filed on February 25, 2024, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0004] FIELD OF INVENTION:

[0005] The present invention generally relates to a safety and protection device for workers working at height, particularly, a hook used in personal protective equipment for working at heights.

[0006] BACKGROUND - PRIOR ART:

[0007] Personal protective equipment is essential for providing a safe working condition for front line workers. Proper use of personal protective equipment can minimize injury and fatal accidents. As the working population ages in various parts of the world, practices for best use of personal protective equipment are sometimes forgotten. Reminders to frontline workers are required to ensure personal protective equipment are used and used properly. Of particular concern, working at height is a type of work that can result in severe injuries and fatalities. Globally, accidents related to working at heights are most significant and dangerous for workers. In various locations globally, accidents from working at heights is a leading cause of work fatalities. As such, a system to improve the safety of the worker is critical in reducing the fatalities and accident rates. The safety harness used in working at height is a critical piece of safety equipment to ensure that if the worker does fall from heights, the safety harness system with the safety hooks will arrest the fall and protect the worker from serious injuries.

[0008] In order to effectively reduce accident rates, proper training of worker and real-time reminder to worker are two critical objectives which have to be achieved in using safety harness systems. To accomplish these objectives, continuous monitoring of the safety harness utilization needs to be conducted. As existing safety harness system is lacking of including monitoring in the design considerations, devices to retrofit existing systems or new revised systems with integrated monitoring capability will be required.

[0009] Numerous applications have been made and proposed previously for additional monitoring for personal protection equipment. For example, US patent No. 11633633B2 to Nowicki, contents of which is incorporated herein by reference, relates to a system utilizing inductive sensors for connection status and control; however, the system proposed will not be sufficiently flexible for attachment to non-inductive material.

[0010] US patent No. 10729922B2 to Huseth, contents of which is incorporated herein by reference, relates to a system utilizing radio frequency devices to monitors workers at height when a fall has occurred. They system proposed will not monitor whether the worker has used the personal protective equipment appropriately. US patent No. 10542332B2 to Awiszus, contents of which is incorporated herein by reference, relates to a system to process data and events from personal protective equipment. The data can then be used to provide notification, warnings and make predictive likelihood. The system cannot monitor correct use of personal protective equipment.

[0011] US patent No. 10769925B2 to Perner, contents of which is incorporated herein by reference, relates to a system for fall detection and notification of said fall to a monitoring system. The system only notifies only after an accident has occurred.

[0012] Accordingly, these prior art references present, several shortcomings can be observed. Monitoring of whether the worker has properly applied personal protection equipment is critical and has not been a focus.

[0013] Worker’s training from continual monitoring is essential to improve workplace safety and training is a continuous process that an automated system is more suited in providing continual feedback.

[0014] Thus, there is a need to develop a safety hook that can detect proper usage and provide a feedback mechanism to the worker to remind them that proper usage is required.

[0015] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0016] An object of the present patent application is to provide monitoring of the appropriate use of the safety hooks with a safety harness personal protective equipment.

[0017] Another object of the present patent application is to provide a means to attach the personal protective equipment to an anchorage point, while providing the capability to detect whether the hook device of said personal protection equipment is attached to an appropriate anchorage point for the works conducted.

[0018] Yet another object of the present patent application is to provide a means to detect the location of the hook device of the protective equipment to ensure the worker has attached the hook device of the personal protective equipment while working in an area that has such necessity.

[0019] Yet another object of the present patent application is to provide a means to wirelessly send the sensors data from the hook device and personal protective equipment to receiver points within a work site. The data is then transmitted to server-based monitoring platform.

[0020] Yet another object of the present patent application is to provide a means to wirelessly send the sensors data directly via mobile network to cloud-based monitoring platform.

[0021] Yet another object of the present patent application is to provide a means to attach a detection device without affecting mechanically the capability of the personal protective equipment hook.

[0022] Yet another object of the present patent application is to provide a personal protective equipment hook that have the priorly mentioned sensors and detection devices integrated to the hook device without addition of mechanical mounting while performing as a personal protection equipment hook.

[0023] Yet another object of the present patent application is to provide a comprehensive monitoring system ensuring all workers at a work site has attached personal protective equipment with the hooks securely attached to proper attachment object. Yet another object of the present patent application is to provide both monitoring for proper use of safety equipment and detection of poisonous gases in the environment.

[0024] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, it provides a hook with sensors that (a) detects whether the hook is used appropriately by its user, (b) detects whether the hook is attached to an appropriate object, (c) provides real-time reminder for its user, and (d) sends the information to a monitoring platform.

[0025] According to another preferred embodiment of the invention, it provides a monitoring system for processing the information captured from the aforementioned sensors disposed on the hook and to help to improve the safety and proper safety training of its user working at height. By monitoring the utilization of the hook (or a safety device as whole) continuously, its user will be reminded to use the safety device properly and thus appropriately trained.

[0026] The present invention may be best understood and will become apparent from the following description with referencing to the accompanying drawings.

[0027] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

[0028] FIG. 1 shows a side view of the safety hook 100 in accordance with the present invention, includes an attached monitoring module I device I housing 104 mechanically attached to the safety hook 100 by fasteners 106;

[0029] FIG. 2 shows an oblique view of the safety hook 100 with attached monitoring module I device 104, showing the openings for sensors 202 to capture data and detect object on which the hook is attached; FIG. 3 shows an oblique view of the safety hook 100 with mechanically attached monitoring module I device 104, showing multiple openings for sensors 302 to detect object on which the hook is attached;

[0030] FIG. 4 shows a hook 400 with mountings for sensors 402 integrated with the body of the hook and two rectangular openings for sensors 404 to detect object on which the hook is attached;

[0031] FIG. 5 shows a hook 500 with mountings for sensors 502 integrated with the body of the hook and circular openings for sensors 504 to detect object on which the hook is attached;

[0032] FIG. 6 shows a hook 600 with mountings for sensors 602 integrated with the body of the hook and four rectangular openings for sensors 604 to detect object on which the hook is attached.;

[0033] FIG. 7 shows a hook 700 with mountings for sensors 702 integrated with the body of the hook and a rectangular opening for sensor 704 in the center line of the hook to detect object on which the hook is attached;

[0034] FIG. 8 shows a side view of the integrated hook with the mountings for the sensors 802 highlighted.

[0035] FIG. 9 shows the work at heights personal protection system 900. The system consists of safety hooks with monitoring 902 and the safety harness 904. The safety harness also has communication and ID verification device 906 mounted to the harness.

[0036] FIG. 10 shows the rear view of the work at heights personal protection system 900. A communication device 1002 is mounted at the back of the harness for transmission of data to server-based systems. FIG. 11 shows a block diagram of the monitoring module / device 104, according to the present invention; and

[0037] FIG. 12 shows a block diagram of a work-place safety monitoring system 1200 according to the present invention.

[0038] FIG. 13 shows a functional block diagram between position beacon 1302 and hook monitoring module 104 and a communication and ID verification device 906 according to the present invention.

[0039] DETAILED DESCRIPTION:

[0040] FIG. 1 is a side view of the safety hook device 100 of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, comprising a safety hook 101 with a latch 102 with a monitoring module and device 104. The monitoring module I device 104 has a housing attached to a shank I heel portion 103 of the safety hook 101 via a fastener 106 without modifications to the safety hook 101. Various sensors and communication device (wired or wireless) (not shown in FIG. 1) are contained within the monitoring module I housing 104 being disposed at the shank I heel portion of the hook 101. Sensors contained in the module 104 includes, but not limited to, temperature sensors, accelerometers, altitude sensors, and proximity sensors such as optical, ultrasonic and / or induction sensors for detecting objects within the hook. For example, temperature sensors are used for monitoring potentially hazardous heat or cold conditions and, utilized for overall environment safety. Accelerometers are for monitoring the orientation of the worker I hook (orientation detection); for monitoring if the worker is moving, for safety and health (motion detection); and, for monitor if worker has fallen from height (fall detection). The proximity sensors are used for determining if or whether an object attached is appropriate for the work site or the condition that the worker is in. For example, if the site allows workers to attach their safety hooks to “ring-lock” (a type of metal scaffolding) type of anchorage, or eye bolt, or carabiner etc. In the case of ultrasonic / optical sensors, they can detect the size of the object in the hook opening.

[0041] The proximity sensors may be inductive sensors; however, while the inductive sensors are capable of detecting ferromagnetic objects, it is not capable of detecting nonferromagnetic objects. For example, in some jurisdictions, non-ferromagnetic objects (such as bamboos) are used for, for example, scaffolding. Accordingly, detection of objections in metal and organic materials would be preferred.

[0042] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the proximity sensor is an optical sensor, which measures whether an object is within the hook opening and determines the size of the object in the hook opening.

[0043] According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the monitoring module I device 104 further comprises one or more radio frequency detection sensors for sensing one or more location beacons, allowing to determine distance from said one or more location beacons.

[0044] FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the safety hook device 100 and the monitoring module I device 104 with rectangular openings 202. The openings allow placements of optical, ultrasonic or other types of proximity sensors to detect objects within the hook opening / throat opening 105.

[0045] FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of the safety hook device 100’ and the monitoring module / housing 104’ with 4 rectangular openings 302. With more openings more sensors can be used to capture more details on the object may be present in the hook opening I throat opening 105 by the hook 101. It is to be understood that the shape of the openings 302 can be different from rectangular, and may be oval, circular, square, or other polygonal shape.

[0046] FIG. 4 shows a view of a safety hook device 400 of another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, being equipped with or integrally forming a mounting enclosure 402 for enclosing I placing sensors and relevant electronics therein. One or more openings 404 are also provided, facing the hook opening I throat opening 105. While the mounting enclosure 402 shown therein is in a square I rectangular shape; however, its shape may be oval, circular, or any polygonal shape, or the width of the mounting enclosure 402 may be wider, narrower or substantially same with the shank I heel portion 103 of the safety hook 101 (or the mounting enclosure 402 may be seamlessly continuously shaped). The integration of the safety hook and the enclosure I monitoring module allows for greater integration for sensors, streamlined design and provides higher precisions for sensors to detect objects.

[0047] Similarly, openings 404 are in rectangular shapes; however, its shape may be oval, circular, or any polygonal shape.

[0048] FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of a safety hook device 500 of yet another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, with mounting enclosure 502 for enclosing / placing sensors and relevant electronics therein. One or more circular openings 504 are provided for utilization of different type of sensors allowing for physical amplification of the detection signals with the opening facing the hook opening 105. While the mounting enclosure 502 shown therein is in a square / rectangular shape; however, its shape may be oval, circular, or any polygonal shape, or the width of the mounting enclosure 502 may be wider, narrower or substantially same with the shank I heel portion 103 of the safety hook 101 (or the mounting enclosure 502 may be seamlessly continuously shaped). The integration of the safety hook and the enclosure I monitoring module allows for greater integration for sensors, streamlined design and provides higher precisions for sensors to detect objects. Similarly, openings 504 are in circular shapes; however, its shape may be oval, square, rectangular, or any polygonal shape.

[0049] FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of a safety hook device 600 of yet further exemplary embodiment of the present invention, with mounting enclosure 602 for enclosing I placing sensors and relevant electronics therein. One or more rectangular openings 604 are provided, facing hook opening 105 for proximity sensors for detecting the presence of object therein.

[0050] FIG. 7 shows a perspective view of a safety hook device 700 of another exemplary embodiment of the present inventio, with mounting enclosure 702 for enclosing I placing sensors and relevant electronics therein. An opening 704 for one or more sensors is provided about the center of the mounting enclosure 702, facing the hook opening 105.

[0051] FIG. 8 is a side view of the safety hook device 800 with the integrated mounting enclosure 802 for enclosing sensors and relevant electronics.

[0052] FIG. 9 shows a front view of a work at heights personal protection system 900. The system 900 consists of a safety harness 904 and safety hook devices 903. The safety hook devices 903 have sensors and electronics 902 integrated to the safety hook device 903. The harness 904 has a communication and ID verification device 906 attached. The communication and ID verification device 906 is in communication with the sensor and electronics 902 of the safety hook devices 903 via a wireless (or wired) communication means, such as a low power radio frequency transmission to transmit the data collected at the sensor and electronics 902 of the safety hook devices 903 to the communication and ID verification device 906. In addition to the communication between the sensor and electronics 902 and the communication and ID verification device 906, the communication and ID verification device 906 includes a near-field communication (NFC) or a radio-frequency identification (RFID) reader to provide the features for capturing the worker’s identification via NFC or RFID card. This can ensure the worker using the harness is identified and subsequent personalized training can be tailored to workers based on their workflow and habits.

[0053] FIG. 10 is a rear view of the work at heights personal protection system 900. An additional communication module 1002 is provided to the safety harness 904. The communication module 1002 allows the signal gathered from the communication device 906 to be transmitted to a radio transmission gateway. The data can then be gathered in a server-based system (not shown) for real time data presentation and the safety habits of the worker and workflow can subsequently be analyzed to enhance training. In addition to providing communication, the communication module 1002 also provides position tracking sensors for the harness 904. Integrating with stations around a work site, the position of workers wearing the harness equipment and hence by extension the position of the worker can be located. Position tracking sensors may include Global Positioning System (or GPS) sensor.

[0054] FIG. 11 shows a block diagram of the monitoring module 104, according to the present invention. The monitoring module 104 includes a sensor module 1110 comprising various sensors, including, but not limited to temperature and humidity sensor 1112, proximity sensors, for example ultrasonic sensors 1114, optical sensors 1120, inductive sensors 1122 and or any combination thereof, accelerometer sensor 1116, and altimeter 1118. To power the monitoring modules 104, a power supply module such as a battery (rechargeable, non-rechargeable or any combination thereof) 1032 may be used within a battery module 1030. Power is supplied to processing and communication module 1100 that contains a microprocessor 1102 to handle data transmission and collection of data from sensor module 1110 and to the sensor module 1110. In addition, radio frequency communication is conducted via the RF Communication radio system 1104 to connect the monitoring module 104 devices receiving the data. Preferably, the monitoring module 104 further include an alarm module 1130 which is in communication with the processing and communication module 1100, providing one or more of audible, visible or sensible (such as vibration) alarm to the user, when the microprocessor 1102 determines, based on the sensed and collected data from the sensor module 1110, and / or receives alarm conditions I situation from a cloud I computer system (or a server) 1204 (shown in FIG. 12)

[0055] FIG. 12 shows a block diagram of a work-place safety monitoring system 1200 according to the present invention. Within the communication block 1200, communications are conducted between components bi-directionally. Hook monitoring module 104 communicates with the communication and ID verification device 906, communication module 1002, and with the radio transmission gateway 1202 wirelessly through the communication module 1002. The hook monitoring module 104 sends collected data from the sensor module 1110 and any status that the processing and communication module 1100 detects I determines including but not limited to status data and control information, ranges from hook status, object detection, altitude and other relevant sensor data to communication and ID verification device 906, communication module 1002, and radio transmission gateway 1202 depending on the utilization and to the cloud I computer system 1204 for further processing. The communication and ID verification device 906 provides a means to capture the worker ID and acts as the primary connection means to the hook monitoring module 104. The communication and ID verification device 906 is also connected to the communication module 1002 for long distance radio frequency transmission of data. The communication module 1002, depending on the site conditions, communicates with radio transmission gateway 1202 placed within a work site or communicates via radio transmission to cloud system 1204 directly. The radio transmission gateway 1202 is a gateway to transmit data to cloud system 1204.

[0056] The cloud I computer system 1204 collects data from a plurality of hook monitoring modules 104 / 104’. Depending on the work site information I conditions, the cloud I computer system 1204 communicates with a specific set of hook monitoring modules 104 1 104’ to provide any specific alarm information I hazards.

[0057] FIG. 13 outlines the beacon positioning system 1300. A number of position beacons 1302 may be placed at specific locations in a work site, and those location information are provided to one or more of hook monitoring module 104, communication and ID verification device 906 and / or the cloud I computer system 1204. In particular, interaction between position beacon 1302 with hook monitoring module 104 and communication and ID verification device 906. The beacon 1302 emits a periodic signal containing identification information and sensor information. The position of the beacon 1302 is priorly known to one or more of hook monitoring module 104, communication and ID verification device 906 and / or the cloud I computer system 1204. When the signal from the beacon 1302 is detected by either the hook monitoring module 104 or the communication and ID verification device 906, the relative position of the worker can be determined.

[0058] The beacon 1302 optionally includes global positioning system (GPS) sensor (not shown), and the data transmitted from the beacon 1302 include measured GPS data of its location. The beacon 1302 may further include altimeter for measuring the altitude from sea level. Optionally, the beacon 1302 may be equipped with a memory (non-volatile and / or volatile memory) for storing the location and altitude information, which may be entered manually or by an external measurement device.

Claims

CLAIMS:1 . A device for monitoring a safety hook having a hook defining a hook opening, and a latch for enclosing the hook opening with the hook, the device comprising: one or more proximity sensors attached to the safety hook, and facing the hook opening; and a processor for collecting measured data from the one or more proximity sensors to detect the presence of an object in the hook opening.

2. The device as recited in claim 1 , further comprising a housing for housing said one or more proximity sensors.

3. The device as recited in claim 2, wherein said one or more proximity sensors are selected from the group consisting of optical proximity sensors, ultrasonic proximity sensors and inductive proximity sensors.

4. The device as recited in claim 2 further comprising one or more of temperature sensors, humidity sensors, altimeters, and / or accelerometer sensors.

5. The device as recited in claim 2 wherein said one or more proximity sensors are optical sensors to measure whether an object is within the hook opening and to determine a size of the detected object in the hook opening.

6. The device as recited in claim 2, wherein said one or more proximity sensors are ultrasonic sensors to measure whether an object is within the hook opening and to determine a size of the detected object in the hook opening.

7. The device as recited in claim 2 wherein the housing is integrally defined within the safety hook or is externally attached to the safety hook by a fastener.

8. The device as recited in claim 1 further comprises a wired or wireless communication module for communicating with a server.

9. The device as recited in claim 2, wherein the housing defines one or more openings, wherein said one or more openings are circular, oval, square, rectangular or polygonal shape.

10. The device as recited in claim 1 further comprising sensors to determine the concentration of noxious gases and dust.

11. The device as recited in claim 1 further comprising a radio frequency detection sensor for sensing one or more location beacons for the processor to determine a location of the device based on distance(s) from the one or more location beacons.

12. The device as recited in claim 11 , wherein the one or more location beacons comprises one or more of global positioning system (or GPS) sensor for obtaining a GPS location data and altimeter obtaining for altitude data, and the processor receives the GPS location data and the altitude data to determine the location and altitude of the device.

13. The device as recited in claim 1 further comprising an alarm being in communication with the processor and provides one or more of audible, visible and vibrating alarms.

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