Systems and methods for providing environmental data to first responders
Systems and methods for providing situational awareness of a building to first responders are described. The system includes a server that receives and stores building information, such as a floor plan and other information. The system further includes one or more environmental sensors that sense environmental conditions within the building and uploads that information to the server. A building identification affixed to the building allows a first responder to access the building information and situational awareness information at any time, such as during a situation or an incident, such as an emergency.
1. A system comprising:
a machine-readable identifier associated with a building, the machine-readable identifier encoding information that describes one or more environments of the building, the information including a current building layout;
a server antenna disposed within the building and configured to transceive communication data with one or more separate server antennas;
one or more building environmental sensors positioned proximate the server antenna and arranged to detect one or more parameters of the one or more environments of the building proximate to the server antenna and within the building,
at least one donor antenna; and
a control unit having a processor and a transmitter;
the control unit electrically coupled to the server antenna and the one or more environmental sensors, the control unit being configured to transceive the communication data with the server antenna and to receive environmental data from the one or more environmental sensors, and further configured to transceive the environmental data with the at least one donor antenna,
wherein the control unit is positioned separate from the server antenna and the at least one donor antenna, and wherein the processor is coupled to an interface, the interface being arranged to communicate the environmental data bi-directionally and the control unit is configured to transmit the current building layout to a wireless device, the wireless device being configured to read the machine-readable identifier to receive the information that describes the one or more environments of the building including the current building layout, wherein the current building layout corresponding to a layout of the one or more building environmental sensors, and wherein the machine-readable identifier is affixed to or positioned proximate to an outside of the building.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the control unit is configured to transmit the environmental data to the wireless device.
3. The system of claim 2 wherein the control unit is further configured to transmit the environmental data to the wireless device via an internet connection that is coupled to a wireless communications system.
4. The system of claim 2 wherein the wireless device is authenticated via the machine-readable identifier associated with the building.
5. The system of claim 1 wherein the control unit is electrically coupled to the server antenna and to the one or more environmental sensors through a unitary communications coupling.
6. The system of claim 1 wherein the one or more environmental sensors include at least one of a temperature sensor, an air quality sensor, a smoke sensor, a humidity sensor, a motion sensor, a light sensor, a microphone or a moisture sensor.
7. The system of claim 1 wherein the one or more environmental sensors, the at least one donor antenna, and the server antenna are positioned within a common enclosure.
8. The system of claim 1 wherein the server antenna, the at least one donor antenna, and the one or more environmental sensors are configured to operate at an environmental temperature greater than 200 C.
9. The system of claim 1 wherein the control unit is further configured to supply power to the server antenna, the at least one donor antenna, and to the one or more environmental sensors via a power over Ethernet cable.
10. The system of claim 1 wherein the one or more separate server antennas are antennas of at least one of a long-term evolution (LTE) band device or a public safety network device.
11. A system comprising:
a machine-readable identifier associated with a building, the machine-readable identifier encoding information that describes one or more environments of the building, the information including a current building layout, wherein the machine-readable identifier is affixed to or positioned proximate to an outside of the building;
a repeater connected within the building to relay data between one or more base stations and a handset via a communications channel, the repeater comprising a controller having a processor and a transmitter, wherein the processor is coupled to an interface, the interface being arranged to communicate the data bi-directionally, via one or more donor antennas and one or more server antennas,
wherein the controller is positioned separate from the one or more donor antennas and one or more server antennas, the repeater configured to receive the data from the one or more base stations in a network and relay at least a portion of the received data to the handset through the one or more server antennas positioned within the building; and
one or more building environmental sensors associated with the one or more server antennas and being configured for sensing one or more parameters of the one or more environments within the building, the one or more building environmental sensors further being configured for transmitting sensor data of the data to the repeater, wherein the repeater is configured to transmit the sensor data of the data and the current building layout to a mobile electronic device outside the building via the one or more donor antennas, the mobile electronic device being configured to read the machine-readable identifier to receive the information that describes the one or more environments of the building including the current building layout, wherein the current building layout corresponding to a layout, and a location of each of the one or more building environmental sensors.
12. The system of claim 11 wherein the mobile electronic device is authenticated to receive the sensor data, the authentication including the mobile electronic device transmitting the sensor data from a building identification that is affixed to or positioned proximate the building.
13. The system of claim 11 wherein the repeater is coupled to each of the one or more donor antennas and the one or more server antennas via a communications cable.
14. The system of claim 13 wherein the one or more building environmental sensors transmit the sensor data to the repeater through the communications cable.
15. The system of claim 14 wherein the repeater supplies power to the one or more building environmental sensors via the communications cable.
16. The system of claim 11 wherein the repeater transmits the sensor data to the mobile electronic device by first transmitting the sensor data to an internet connected device.
17. The system of claim 11 wherein the one or more building environmental sensors include at least one of a temperature sensor, an air quality sensor, a smoke sensor, a humidity sensor, a motion sensor, a light sensor, a microphone or a moisture sensor.
18. The system of claim 11 wherein the one or more building environmental sensors, the one or more donor antennas, and the one or more server antennas are positioned within a common enclosure.
19. The system of claim 11 wherein the one or more donor antennas, the one or more server antennas, and the one or more building environmental sensors are configured to operate at an environmental temperature greater than 200 Celsius.
20. The system of claim 11 wherein the repeater is configured to relay the data via a public cellular band and via a public safety network.