Wearable Device Emergency Location Verification System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for locating individuals using wearable devices in emergency situations are inadequate due to issues with accuracy, automation, and rapid location determination, particularly in environments like large buildings with poor visibility or hostile conditions.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that utilize wearable mobile devices to determine and verify the current physical geographic location of individuals in emergency situations, using a combination of wireless networks and location-aware technologies to forward this information to emergency services, enabling rapid and accurate location determination without manual intervention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If manual navigation methods (maps and visual observation or dead reckoning) are used, then human observers can determine location, but the process requires time and attention and cannot be readily automated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical navigation methods with an automated electronic system that uses wireless signals (WiFi, cellular, Bluetooth) and sensors (GPS, accelerometer, gyroscope) to automatically determine location. The wearable device continuously monitors position data and transmits it to emergency services without requiring human intervention, thus substituting the mechanical manual process with an electronic automated system.
Solution Approach 2:
The wearable device autonomously determines its own location using onboard sensors and wireless communication capabilities. The device self-monitors position data, self-processes the location information, and self-transmits it to emergency services when triggered, eliminating the need for external human observers and enabling fully automated location determination.
2Reliability
If manual navigation is used in emergency conditions, then location can be determined by patient observation, but visibility may be impacted by flame or smoke or personnel may be under hostile fire
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces visual observation and manual navigation with electronic sensors and wireless communication systems that operate independently of human sensory capabilities. The device uses GPS satellites, WiFi access points, cellular towers, and Bluetooth beacons to determine location electronically, bypassing the need for visual observation that would be impaired by smoke, flame, or hostile fire conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The wearable device acts as an intermediary between the individual and emergency services. It receives location data from multiple external sources (GPS satellites, WiFi access points, cellular towers) and transmits this information to emergency responders, eliminating the need for the individual to directly observe or communicate their location in hostile conditions.
3Measurement precision
If E911 location technology is used, then mobile phones can provide geographic position to emergency services, but accuracy may be limited to 100 meter precision
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple location determination technologies (GPS, WiFi positioning, cellular triangulation, Bluetooth beacon detection) into a single integrated system. By merging these different methods, the device can cross-validate and refine location data to achieve higher precision than any single method alone, while the integrated approach manages complexity through unified processing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from two-dimensional location data (latitude and longitude) to three-dimensional positioning by incorporating altitude information from barometric pressure sensors and vertical acceleration data from accelerometers. This additional dimensional data provides more precise location determination, especially for determining floor level in multi-story buildings.
4Measurement precision
If rapid location determination is required in emergency situations, then automated systems are needed, but accuracy within a few meters in large buildings is difficult to achieve
Solution Approach 1:
The wearable device continuously monitors and pre-calculates location data using onboard sensors even before an emergency occurs. When an emergency is detected (via fall detection, panic button press, or other triggers), the device immediately has location information ready for transmission, eliminating the need for real-time calculation during the emergency and enabling both speed and accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The device maintains continuous location tracking using multiple sensor inputs (GPS, WiFi, cellular, Bluetooth, accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer) rather than activating location determination only when needed. This continuous operation ensures that accurate location data is always available and can be transmitted immediately upon emergency detection, achieving both rapid response and high precision.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and system for determining and verifying a location of wearable mobile devices (e.g., digital glasses, watches, etc.) in emergency situations with emergency messages including legacy 911, E911 and text-to-911 messages. The method and system provide a current physical geographic location for wearable mobile devices (e.g., spot, chair, desk on in a room on a building floor, campus, enterprise, city, state, region, country, continent, etc.), in an emergency situation such as an accident, fire, terrorist attack, military incident, weather, flood event, etc. and forward the current physical geographic location to a legacy 911 network, a Emergency Services IP networks (ESInet) or text-to-911 Short Message Services (SMS) networks.