Protective Suit Integrated Alarm System for Firefighter Heatstroke Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing protective equipment for firefighters lacks an effective alarm system that ensures safety, workability, and convenience while detecting life-threatening dangers like heatstroke, as previous solutions interfere with hearing, are not durable, or fail in harsh environments and communication disruptions.
Innovation Solution
A protective equipment with an integrated alarm system that includes a sensor for detecting biometric information, a determination means to assess risk, an alarming means for alerting, a transmitting means for notification, and a controlling means to manage these components, utilizing a multi-layer fabric with temperature sensors and communication modules for reliable heatstroke detection and alerting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If an ear plug-type alarm system is used, then the alarm function is provided, but the firefighter's hearing is interfered with and durability in harsh environment is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The alarm function is extracted from the ear plug form and integrated into the protective suit itself. The determination means and alarming means are built into the suit's fabric structure, eliminating the need for separate ear plug devices while maintaining alarm functionality without interfering with the firefighter's hearing.
Solution Approach 2:
The alarm system components (sensor, determination means, alarming means) are merged into the protective suit as a unified integrated system. The suit itself becomes both the protective gear and the alarm device, improving durability while eliminating hearing interference from separate ear plug devices.
2Loss of information
If communication means are used to transmit alarm information externally, then remote monitoring is enabled, but the system fails when communication is disrupted in buildings or basements
Solution Approach 1:
The alarm system is segmented into two independent functional parts: a determination means built into the protective suit that detects heatstroke risk locally, and an optional external communication module. The core alarm function resides in the suit itself, ensuring operation independence from external communication infrastructure while maintaining remote monitoring capability when available.
Solution Approach 2:
The protective suit performs self-diagnosis and self-alarming through its built-in determination means that monitors the firefighter's biometric information directly. The system serves itself by detecting heatstroke risk internally and triggering the alarm without requiring external communication systems, ensuring reliability in communication-denied environments.
3Reliability
If heat stress is measured at the head, then heatstroke detection is provided, but the firefighter's activities are hindered and the system fails when head protection is removed
Solution Approach 1:
The protective suit serves multiple functions: it provides fire protection, monitors biometric information through embedded sensors, detects heatstroke risk via the determination means, and triggers alarms. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate head-mounted devices while maintaining heatstroke detection capability and preserving activity freedom.
Solution Approach 2:
The monitoring location is shifted from the head (vertical dimension) to the body/suit (horizontal dimension). The sensors and determination means are distributed within the suit fabric, monitoring biometric information from multiple body areas rather than concentrating measurement at the head, thereby eliminating activity restrictions while maintaining detection accuracy.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system ensures safety and workability by providing timely and reliable alerts to firefighters about heatstroke risks, even in harsh environments, without interfering with their activities or hearing, and maintains functionality through wireless communication and durable design.
Implementation Method 1
The sensor may be a temperature sensor for detecting an inner temperature of the protective equipment
Data Source
AI summary
A protective equipment with an alarm system capable of ensuring safety, workability and convenience, as well as alerting to a life-threatening danger such as heatstroke is provided. The alarm system includes (i) a sensor for detecting a biometric information of a wearer of the protective equipment; (ii) a means for determining if the biometric information which is detected by the sensor reaches a threshold value; (iii) a means for alarming an elevated risk based on an instructions from the means (ii); (iv) a means for transmitting an alarm when the means (iii) is activated; and (v) a means for controlling the means (iii) and (iv).