Monitoring users and conditions in a structure
Methods and apparatus include those used to monitor a position of a user in or proximate to a structure and the conditions in the structure while the user is present. Methods and apparatus may further orient the user in the structure to guide the user to locations or items of interest and using a virtual model, the user's smart device may provide information about the structure to the user. Precise locations of the user, conditions measured, and items therein may be quantified via simplified X, Y and Z coordinate determination and/or a determined direction of interest.
1. A method of assessing conditions in a structure in the presence of a user, the method comprising:
a) affixing at least first, second, and third wireless transceivers to at least first, second, and third reference positions, respectively, in or proximate to the structure, wherein the reference positions refer to established locations;
b) deploying a sensor at a sensor location from which the sensor is capable of generating digital data descriptive of a condition present in the structure, wherein the sensor is in wireless communication with at least the first wireless transceiver;
c) activating the sensor to generate the digital data descriptive of the condition present in the structure;
d) determining a physical position of the sensor based upon wireless communication between at least two of the first, second, and third transceivers and a transceiver located at the physical location of the sensor;
e) associating a smart device comprising a tag with a user;
f) placing the smart device in logical communication with at least a first wireless position device and a second wireless position device, each of the at least first wireless position device and the second wireless position device located within or proximate to the smart device and capable of receiving wireless transmissions from the at least first, second, and third wireless transceivers; and
g) with a controller, determining X, Y and Z coordinates of the one or both of: the first wireless position device and the second wireless position device based, at least in part, on the wireless communication of the at least first and/or second wireless position device with the at least first, second, and third wireless transceivers;
h) tracking and recording the user's position in the structure by repeating step (g) over time;
i) transmitting the digital data descriptive of the condition present from the sensor to the controller;
j) receiving from the user a direction of interest, wherein an indication of the direction of interest is obtained by wireless communication between the first wireless position device and the second wireless position device with the least first, second and third wireless transceivers, and the direction is determined from the position of the position of the first wireless position device to the position of the second wireless position device;
and
k) generating a user interface indicating a record of the user's presence in the structure and a record of the condition present in the structure while the user is in the structure.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sensor detects at least one condition selected from the group consisting of: humidity, particulates, vibration, chemical presence, gas presence, light, electromagnetic radiation, electrical power, moisture and mineral presence.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises at least one of the at least first, second, or third reference transceivers notifying the controller when the smart device enters the structure.
4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the smart device:
l) correlating the digital data descriptive of the condition present in the structure with a physical state of the structure; and
m) providing an indication on the user interface of the physical state of the structure when the user's smart device is present in the structure.
5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of generating an index entry based upon a time at which the sensor was activated to generate the digital data descriptive of the condition present in the structure.
6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of transmitting the digital data via a wireless communication protocol over an industrial scientific and medical (ISM) band wavelength.
7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the wireless communication protocol comprises a WiFi protocol.
8. The method of claim 6 , wherein the wireless communication protocol comprises an infrared transmission.
9. The method of claim 6 , wherein the wireless communication protocol comprises a Bluetooth transmission.
10. The method of claim 1 , comprising repeating steps b) through k) for multiple respective sensors and additionally comprising the step of synchronizing the digital data descriptive of the condition present in the structure based upon a time at which the multiple respective sensors are activated to generate the digital data.
11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the condition present in the structure comprises an amount of vibration present and the sensors comprise microelectromechanical system (MEMS) accelerometers.
12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the steps of setting a threshold range of values for the sensor reading and executing an alert routine based on the sensor generating the digital data descriptive of the condition present in the structure that is outside the threshold range.
13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sensor detects a condition comprising temperature.
14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the sensor is co-located with the smart device comprising a tag.