Workzone safety system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10567910-B2
Application number	US-201615340509-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 1, 2016
Priority date	Nov 2, 2015
Publication date	Feb 18, 2020
Grant date	Feb 18, 2020

Abstract

An apparatus includes a wireless communication system capable of receiving position information for a plurality of workers in a work zone and a position system capable of providing position information for a piece of movable equipment in the work zone. A processor is capable of receiving the position information for the plurality of workers and the position information for the movable equipment and is capable of determining the position of the workers relative to the position of the movable equipment.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
a wireless communication system capable of receiving position information for a plurality of workers in a work zone and a message from a transmitter of a worker;
a position system capable of providing position information for a piece of movable equipment in the work zone;
a processor capable of determining positions of the plurality of workers relative to the position of the moveable equipment based on the position information for the plurality of workers and the position information for the movable equipment; and
a display configured to display the positions of the plurality of workers relative to the position of the movable equipment and to indicate which worker's transmitter issued the message.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the system is located in a cab of the movable equipment.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the processor uses the position information for the plurality of workers and the position information for the movable equipment to remove errors common to the position information for the plurality of workers and the position information for the movable equipment.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the position information for the plurality of workers comprises global positioning system information and the position information for the movable equipment comprises global positioning system information and wherein the processor removes errors common to the position information for the plurality of workers and the position information for the movable equipment by determining relative global positioning system information for the plurality of workers relative to the moveable equipment.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the position information for the plurality of workers is received from respective transmitters in wearable safety devices worn by respective workers.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the message comprises.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the message comprises.

8. A system comprising:
a plurality of signs distributed along a length of a road work zone, each sign assigned a portion of the road work zone and receiving information indicating whether at least one worker is currently in the sign's respective assigned portion, each sign displaying a first speed limit when at least one worker is in the sign's respective assigned portion and a second speed limit when no workers are in the sign's respective assigned portion wherein receiving information indicating whether at least one worker is currently in the sign's respective assigned portion comprises receiving position information originating from devices carried by each of a plurality of workers, the position information indicating a position of a respective worker and wherein the position information for a least one worker is relayed to the sign in part by a vehicle driving past the road work zone.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the received position information for at least one worker indicates a position for the worker that is outside of the sign's assigned portion of the road work zone.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein the position information for at least one worker is further provided to a display system in a construction vehicle in the road work zone, the display system using the position information to display a position of the worker relative to the construction vehicle.

11. The system of claim 8 wherein each sign further indicates the presence of workers in the sign's respective portion of the road work zone when at least one worker is in the sign's respective assigned portion.

12. The system of claim 8 wherein at least one of the signs comprises a portable changeable message sign.

13. A construction vehicle comprising:
a communication system that receives position information for a plurality of workers and a message from a device carried by one of the plurality of workers;
a position system that determines a position of the construction vehicle;
an application processor that determines the location of the plurality of workers relative to the construction vehicle; and
a display that shows the location of the plurality of workers relative to the construction vehicle and which worker issued the message.

14. The construction vehicle of claim 13 wherein the communication system comprises a dedicated short range communication system that receives messages from cars passing the construction vehicle.

15. The construction vehicle of claim 13 wherein the position information comprises global positioning information and the position system provides global positioning information for the construction vehicle.

16. The construction vehicle of claim 15 wherein the application processor uses the global positioning information for the plurality of workers and the global positioning information for the construction vehicle to remove errors common to the global positioning information for the plurality of workers and the global positioning information for the construction vehicle.

17. The construction vehicle of claim 13 wherein the position information for each worker is generated by a respective device carried by the worker.

Assignees

• Univ Minnesota

Inventors

• Hayee M Imran
• Banaeiyan Nazanin Abbaszadeh
• Zaman Attiq Uz

Classifications

• H04W4/023 Primary

  using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds · CPC title

• G01S19/13

  Receivers · CPC title

• E01F9/662

  mounted on vehicles, e.g. service vehicles; Warning vehicles travelling along with road-maintenance, e.g. remotely controlled · CPC title

• G01S19/51

  Relative positioning · CPC title

• H04W4/40

  for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P] · CPC title