Communications: electrical – Condition responsive indicating system – Specific condition
Reexamination Certificate
1996-12-05
2001-03-06
Swann, Glen (Department: 2736)
Communications: electrical
Condition responsive indicating system
Specific condition
C340S539230, C340S870030, C340S870030, C340S870030, 36
Reexamination Certificate
active
06198394
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a system for remote monitoring of personnel, and especially to a system for monitoring the well-being of military personnel on the battlefield and during training exercises. As will be apparent from the accompanying specification, the military version of the device can easily be modified for use in civilian medical care and medical monitoring of personnel working under adverse environmental conditions, such as firefighters, seamen, field maintenance personnel, etc.
During battle there are numerous causes of mortality, both direct and indirect, which, if avoided, would spare many lives. These include, but are not limited to:
1) fratricide (deaths from friendly fire);
2) deaths resulting from extreme environmental conditions;
3) deaths of medics and others during attempts to rescue those who are already dead or who are mortally wounded;
4) delay in locating casualties beyond the short period during which treatment most likely will be effective;
5) inadequate data to guide optimum initial evaluation by medical personnel in the field;
6) difficulty interpreting the available data in the stress of battle;
7) difficulty in maintaining consistent reevaluation during transport to and through higher levels of care; and
8) difficulty during peacetime in acquiring and maintaining combat trauma treatment skills by medical personnel.
It is believed that if some or all of these problems were adequately addressed, a considerable number of lives could be saved during combat situations. By providing accurate information about location and the physiological status of each individual, as well as communications equipment to convey the information to remote locations, a system for monitoring personnel could save many lives. During peacetime, monitoring physiological variables and location could be beneficial for people exposed to hazardous occupational and/or environmental conditions, such as law enforcement, firefighters, sailors, mountaineers and the like. Furthermore, such monitors could be extremely valuable for military and law enforcement personnel, such as the special forces, e.g. Rangers, who commonly train under extreme weather conditions, and in other dangerous environments. By monitoring physiological variables, those overseeing exercises can monitor the soldier, etc., and withdraw him/her from the exercise if it appears that harm is likely.
Currently, there are monitors which are used in athletic training and in hospitals so as to enable trainers or medical personnel to monitor the vital signs of an athlete or a hospital patient. See e.g. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,022,402; 4909,260; 4,494,553; 4,129,125; and 3,572,316. Typically, these monitors are placed in wrist bands or belts which may be quickly attached to and removed from the athlete or patient. However, these monitors are generally insufficient for use in combat situations. For example, such monitors typically monitor a single vital sign, such as heart rate, or temperature. A few may monitor combinations of vital signs with limited accuracy or averaged over long periods of time. While this information is of some use for athletes, etc., it is insufficient for accurate determination of patients or casualties in need of immediate medical care or evaluation, and those who do not need or will not benefit from immediate care.
The monitors which are currently available also generally do not provide location information, let alone location information which is sufficiently accurate to quickly locate an injured person. By providing accurate information about the location of combat troops, a system for monitoring personnel prevents casualties due to friendly fire, i.e. combat forces accidentally injured by their colleagues, and enables medical staff to quickly locate and treat casualties.
Yet another problem with the presently available monitors is that they generally offer little, if any, diagnostic assistance. Rather than indicating that a particular physiological state has been reached, the presently available monitors typically only provide information about heart rate or other vital signs and leave all diagnoses and medical decisions to medical personnel who may be unavailable or delayed.
Still other problems with the presently available monitors are that they are not configured to withstand the rigors of military and other rugged environments; their communications configurations are not capable of integrating numerous different personnel within the system; and they do not readily adapt to frequent changes in the number of persons which are monitored by the system.
Thus there is a need for a monitoring system which may be worn by both military and nonmilitary personnel to monitor their vital signs and independently determine when certain physiological conditions are present which require either corrective non-medical action, such as withdrawal from extreme environments, and/or medical treatment. Such a system would preferably also provide a storage system for creating a medical record and enabling a continuous review of treatment as the injured person is passed to different levels of medical care. Such a system would further provide geolocation information so as to help prevent casualties from friendly fire, and to assist in location of casualties by medical personnel. In a civilian system, the geolocation information could be used to track the location of firefighters, seaman, and law enforcement officials.
The system may also include a means for transmitting, interpreting and displaying data at various locations. The monitoring system would thus comprise functional units deployed at different operational levels individual units (e.g. soldier status units); leader/medic units; and command units. All of the units are interconnected via the communication system, via a network, individually, or in any other combination.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a system for monitoring personnel which measures selected physiological variables and geolocation of a person during physical exercise/motion, stores and interprets this information, and communicates with higher echelons of command and medical care.
It is another object of the present invention to provide such a system for monitoring personnel which is inexpensive and easy to operate.
It is another object of the invention to provide a system for monitoring personnel which will not interfere with other communications equipment of the user.
It is an additional object of the invention to provide a system for monitoring personnel which will not be interfered with by radio frequency communications, and electromagnetic noise.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a system for monitoring personnel which is ergonomically designed so it will not interfere or will minimally interfere with the ability of soldiers or other personnel in the performance of their tasks and duties.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide a system for monitoring personnel which can be attached to a soldier to provide relatively continuous geolocation and physiological information about the soldier/user.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide such a monitoring system which will identify those who will and will not benefit from immediate treatment.
It is yet an additional object of the present invention to provide such a monitoring system capable of providing a history of physiological information about the soldier to which it is attached for subsequent retrieval, interpretation and, if necessary, medical treatment.
Still an additional object of the present invention is to provide such a monitoring system capable of developing data and feedback to assist in or regulate the administration of fluids, medications, and other therapies, e.g. ventilation.
The above and other objects of the invention are realized in specific illustrative embodiments of a system for monitoring personnel which include a plurality of sensors for developing signals which may be used to determine
Jacobsen Stephen C.
Petelenz Tomasz J.
Peterson Stephen C.
Wyatt Roland
Swann Glen
Thorpe North & Western
LandOfFree
System for remote monitoring of personnel does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with System for remote monitoring of personnel, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and System for remote monitoring of personnel will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2534152