BLE Gas Detector Compliance Auditing via Advertisement Packets
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Solution Overview
Problem
Managing the maintenance and compliance of hundreds of portable gas detectors in hazardous work environments is challenging, making it difficult to ensure that workers are protected and that safety policies are upheld.
Innovation Solution
A Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) enabled gas detector system that broadcasts advertisement packets containing non-compliance information when it fails to meet predefined compliance standards, allowing auditor devices (mobile or fixed) to receive and display this information, indicating non-compliance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If traditional manual compliance checking methods are used for gas detectors, then administrative burden and time consumption increase, but the ability to ensure regular compliance checks decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The gas detector automatically performs self-diagnosis and generates compliance status reports without requiring manual intervention. The device autonomously monitors its own functionality, tracks maintenance schedules, and communicates compliance status to auditors, eliminating the need for administrators to manually check each detector's compliance status.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements automated feedback loops where the gas detector continuously monitors its own operational parameters, compares them against compliance criteria, and communicates status changes to auditors in real-time. This automated feedback mechanism ensures compliance issues are identified and reported immediately without manual intervention.
2Reliability
If hundreds of gas detectors are manually monitored for compliance, then administrative complexity increases, but the reliability of compliance assurance decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an automated auditor device as an intermediary between the gas detectors and human administrators. This intermediary automatically collects compliance data from multiple detectors, processes the information against predefined criteria, and generates standardized reports, thereby reducing administrative complexity while improving reliability through consistent automated assessment.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates digital copies of compliance status information from physical gas detectors through automated data collection. These digital representations allow remote auditing and analysis without requiring physical inspection of each detector, reducing administrative burden while maintaining accurate compliance records.
3Reliability
If gas detectors continuously communicate compliance status, then energy consumption increases, but real-time compliance monitoring capability improves
Solution Approach 1:
The gas detector performs compliance self-diagnosis and communication at periodic intervals rather than continuously. The device monitors its operational parameters continuously but only initiates communication with auditors when compliance status changes or at scheduled intervals, thereby reducing energy consumption while maintaining effective real-time monitoring capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The detector autonomously determines when compliance status changes require communication, eliminating the need for continuous polling or constant power consumption. The device self-manages its communication schedule based on actual compliance status changes, optimizing energy usage while ensuring timely reporting of compliance issues.
Data Source
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AI summary
Embodiments relate generally to systems and methods for indicating when a gas detector is out of compliance. A Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) enabled wireless gas-detector may allow for an advertisement packet to be transmitted from the gas detector. This advertisement packet may contain information about the gas detector to allow remote auditing from any BLE enabled remote listening device. This auditor device may be in the form of a mobile device, such as a cell phone or tablet, a fixed location auditor device, or any other BLE enabled device.