Patent Application
20070183343
The present invention relates to the determination and communication of command rank protocols, and in particular to a method and system for adaptively determining relative command ranks between users in an ad hoc wireless communication network.
Leadership, command, and management effectiveness are essential attributes of most successful organizations. Where groups of people need to be led, commanded and managed in high-stress situations, various protocols and technological tools can be used to improve group effectiveness.
For example, the military, law enforcement agencies, firefighting departments and many businesses rely on strict adherence to personnel ranking protocols to ensure that leadership and management decisions are made effectively and that commands are executed promptly. When rank structures break down in high-stress environments, such as during military battles or during firefighting or law enforcement actions, group ineffectiveness and chaos can result.
Thus most military organizations provide extensive training concerning rank protocols. If smaller units are suddenly separated from larger command structures, local leaders can be quickly identified and can act with confidence and authority, improving the effectiveness of the smaller units.
Ad hoc wireless communication networks are an example of technology tools that can be used to improve group effectiveness. Such networks are self-organizing and comprise mobile wireless communication devices that are generally not supported by base stations or other stationary infrastructure. Ad hoc wireless communication networks can be utilized effectively at impromptu incident scenes such as fire fighting scenes, law enforcement scenes and battlefields. Thus real-time wireless communications between individuals in an ad hoc wireless communication network, using for example personal radio devices, also can enable a group to act more safely, efficiently, and effectively.
The accompanying figures, where like reference numerals refer to identical or functionally similar elements throughout the separate views and which together with the detailed description below are incorporated in and form part of the specification, serve to further illustrate various embodiments and to explain various principles and advantages all in accordance with the present invention.
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of embodiments of the present invention.
Before describing in detail embodiments that are in accordance with the present invention, it should be observed that the embodiments reside primarily in combinations of method steps and apparatus components related to facilitating command of a group. Accordingly, the apparatus components and method steps have been represented where appropriate by conventional symbols in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present invention, so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein.
In this document, relational terms such as first and second, top and bottom, and the like may be used solely to distinguish one entity or action from another entity or action without necessarily requiring or implying any actual such relationship or order between such entities or actions. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements does not include only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. An element preceded by “comprises a . . . ” does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises the element.
It will be appreciated that embodiments of the invention described herein may be comprised of one or more conventional processors and unique stored program instructions that control the one or more processors to implement, in conjunction with certain non-processor circuits, some, most, or all of the functions of facilitating command of a group described herein. The non-processor circuits may include, but are not limited to, a radio receiver, a radio transmitter, signal drivers, clock circuits, power source circuits, and user input devices. As such, these functions may be interpreted as steps of a method for facilitating command of a group. Alternatively, some or all functions could be implemented by a state machine that has no stored program instructions, or in one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), in which each function or some combinations of certain of the functions are implemented as custom logic. Of course, a combination of the two approaches could be used. Thus, methods and means for these functions have been described herein. Further, it is expected that one of ordinary skill, notwithstanding possibly significant effort and many design choices motivated by, for example, available time, current technology, and economic considerations, when guided by the concepts and principles disclosed herein will be readily capable of generating such software instructions and programs and ICs with minimal experimentation.
Embodiments of the present invention employ ad hoc wireless communication networks to determine and communicate personnel rank protocols to members of a group. If the members become isolated from a central command structure, the present invention enables effective leadership, command and management decisions to proceed without disruptions or confusion concerning rank protocol. Real-time comprehension of rank protocols can be critically important in high stress environments such as fire fighting scenes, police incident scenes, battlefields, prisons, rescue scenes, and the like. The present invention thus enables adaptive and autonomous command rank protocols to be determined and communicated in real time to a group defined by users of an ad hoc wireless communication network.
Referring to
Each firefighter 115 wears a wireless device 120, such as a two-way radio. The wireless devices 120 form an ad hoc wireless communication network between the firefighters 115. A central command node of the ad hoc wireless communication network is shown as a notebook computer 125 located in a fire truck 130 parked near the burning building 100. Generally, all of the firefighters 115 will be in wireless communication with the central command node, and the command structure of the firefighting unit will operate according to the base rank chart 105. For example the highest ranking firefighter 115 represented at the top of the chart 105 will direct operations of all firefighters 115 using the computer 125.
However, consider a situation where certain firefighters 115 temporarily lose communication with the central command node. For example, sub-groups 135, 140 each comprise three firefighters 115 who are located near the back of the building 100. The chart 105 shows that the firefighters 115 in the sub-group 135 are of equal base rank, and the firefighters 115 in the sub-group 140 are also of equal base rank. For illustration purposes, consider that the firefighters 115 in each sub-group 135, 140 have lost communication with the central command node and can communicate only with other members of their respective sub-group 135, 140.
The sub-groups 135, 140 will generally perform most effectively if each firefighter 115 can immediately become aware of a new command sub-structure that creates a new command hierarchy among the firefighters 115 in each sub-group 135, 140. As described in more detail below, the present invention enables a method and system that facilitates the command of ad hoc groups such as the sub-groups 135, 140.
Referring to
Row 215 includes weighting factors “P” that are relevant to a particular type of sensor in a particular type of situation. The sensor can be any type of sensor that measures a physical parameter that is relevant to the command ranking of members of a group. For example, a sensor can be carried on an individual member of a group, such as one of the firefighters 115, and can measure the body temperature of the individual. A firefighter 115 whose body temperature rises above a certain level may be considered to be physically compromised and incapable of making reliable command decisions. Further, a parameter such as body temperature may be more relevant to a present rank of a firefighter 115 inside a hot building than it is when the same firefighter 115 fights a fire outdoors. Thus row 215 shows that the weighting factors “Ph,1” of a given “Sensor #1” can change depending on a particular situation.
As a further example, row 216 may include weighting factors that are relevant to a heart rate sensor. Here, heart rate may be more relevant to the command rank of a firefighter 115 fighting a forest fire, where significant running may be required, than to the rank of a firefighter 115 fighting a localized building fire. Thus row 216 shows that the weighting factors “Ph,2” of a given “Sensor #2” can change depending on a particular situation.
The sensor values defined by the table 200 can be based on various types of sensors that measure various types of physical parameters. For example, such sensors can measure position, environment temperature, air quality, air capacity of a Self Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA), or physiological parameters such as body temperature, heart rate, blood pressure, hydration level, and indicators of emotional stress such as voice quality. Still other examples of physical parameters that can be used according to embodiments of the present invention include chemical levels (e.g., carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, hydrocarbon concentration) and CBRNE parameters (i.e., Chemical agents, Biological agents, Radiological concentration, Nuclear concentration, Explosive concentration), and environmental sound (e.g., gunfire, explosions). Such physical parameters, combined with the weighting factors given in the table 200, can then be used to determine a new rank of an individual, such as “Person x”, according to the following Equation 1:
New Rank (Person x)=f(Personx(rank h), S1Ph,1, S2Ph,2, . . . , SnPh,n), Eq. 1
where Sn is a value of a particular sensor and Ph,n is a weighting factor.
Referring to
Determining the present rank of a user according to an embodiment of the present invention also can include modifying network privileges associated with the user. For example, a firefighter 115 who is newly designated as a leader of a sub-group 135, 140 can automatically and immediately obtain new software privileges such as read/write privileges associated with an ad hoc wireless communication network. Thus, according to such an embodiment, the device 120 of a newly designated leader can be automatically reconfigured to provide network services and access privileges that are associated with a group leader.
Referring to
At step 415, the base rank of each wireless device user in an ad hoc network comprising the individuals represented in block 405 is provided from a database. At step 420 it is determined whether each user is within close proximity, such as within 200 feet, of the other users in the network. Such position determinations can be made for example using Global Positioning System (GPS), Dead Reckoning Module (DRM), Inertial Navigation System (INS), network-based triangulation or multilateration, or other outdoor or in-building position system technology. If a user is determined not to be within close proximity, then at step 425 that user is assigned to another group. For example, block 430 shows that individual “3050” is located on a second floor away from the other users and is thus assigned to a group “B”. The remaining users are within close proximity to each other and therefore, at step 435, the remaining users are all assigned to be members of a group “A”.
At step 440 it is determined whether each member of group “A” is moving in a manner that demonstrates physical capability. For example, motion sensors on an individual's clothing can be used to measure motion of the individual's limbs. If it is determined that a member in group “A” is not moving effectively, then at step 445 that member is assigned a “not OK to lead” flag defined by a value of “1”. If a member is moving effectively then at step 450 he or she is assigned an “OK to lead” flag defined by a value of “−1”. For example, block 455 shows that all individuals in group “A” are moving adequately and are assigned a motion value of “−1”.
At step 460 it is determined whether each member of group “A” is exhibiting adequate endurance. For example, endurance can be measured using heart rate, perspiration, or body temperature sensors. If it is determined that a member in group “A” does not exhibit adequate endurance, then at step 465 that member is assigned a “not OK to lead” flag defined by a value of “1”. If a member does exhibit adequate endurance, then at step 470 he or she is assigned an “OK to lead” flag defined by a value of “−1”. For example, block 475 shows that all individuals in group “A” exhibit adequate endurance and are assigned an endurance value of “−1”, except for member “3061” whose endurance is determined to be inadequate and who is assigned a “not OK to lead flag” having a value of “1”.
At step 480 it is determined whether each member of group “A” is exhibiting adequate air capacity. For example, air capacity can be measured using a pressure gauge in a SCBA tank. If it is determined that a member in group “A” does not exhibit adequate air capacity, then at step 485 that member is assigned a “not OK to lead” flag defined by a value of “1”. If a member does exhibit adequate air capacity, then at step 490 he or she is assigned an “OK to lead” flag defined by a value of “−1”. For example, block 495 shows that all individuals in group “A” exhibit adequate air capacity and are assigned an SCBA value of “−1”, except for member “3072” whose air capacity is determined to be inadequate and who is assigned a “not OK to lead flag” having a value of “1”.
In light of the present invention, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the method defined above concerning block 410 can thus continue for various other physical parameters such as external temperature or the voice quality of a member of the group defined by block 405. For example a group member exhibiting signs of panic may be assigned a “not OK to lead” flag. Still other examples include parameters associated with an ad hoc network user's communication equipment, such as an ad hoc network communication Quality of Service (QoS), or the remaining battery power of a wireless device 120.
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
The memory 710 can comprise various types of memory such as a random access memory (e.g., static random access memory (SRAM)), read only memory (e.g., programmable read only memory (PROM), or electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EPROM)), or hybrid memory (e.g., FLASH) as is well known in the art. The processor 705 then accesses a computer useable medium in the memory 710, which medium includes computer readable program code components configured to cause the wireless device 120 to execute the functions of the present invention. Thus by receiving signals through the transceiver 715 the computer readable program code components are configured to identify at a first wireless device 120 a second wireless device 120 in operative communication with the first wireless device 120. Data representative of physical parameters measured at the sensors 735 are transmitted through the I/O module 725 and processed by the processor 705. The computer readable program code components are then configured to compare a physical parameter measured at the first wireless device 120 with a physical parameter measured at the second wireless device 120. The computer readable program code components are also configured to compare a base rank of a user of the first wireless device 120 with a base rank of a user of the second wireless device 120. The base ranks of users are stored in the memory 710 and retrieved by the processor 705. The computer readable program code components are then configured to determine a present rank of the user of the first wireless device 120 relative to a present rank of the user of the second wireless device 120 based on the comparisons of the physical parameters and the base ranks. Results of the ranking determination then can be presented to a user through the I/O module 725, such as by providing a graphical display on the display screen 730.
Physical parameters measured for purposes of the command ranking aspects of the present invention, also can be used for other purposes. For example, consider a first user in an ad hoc wireless communication network that receives air toxicity data from an air quality sensor incorporated into his or her wireless device 120. The first user then receives temperature data from a thermometer incorporated into a second wireless device 120 used by a second user in the network. The temperature data is transmitted wirelessly from the first device 120 to the second device 120. The first device 120 can then use both the air toxicity data and the temperature data to determine present relative command rankings between the first user and the second user as describe above. Further, if the air toxicity data indicates that the air near the first user is flammable, and the temperature data indicates that the temperature near the second user is nearing an ignition point, then the combined data can be used to trigger an evacuation alarm at both the first and second devices 120.
In light of the present invention, those skilled in the art will further appreciate that data from sensors associated with a wireless device 120, also can be combined with data from other environmental sensors that are not associated with the wireless device 120. For example, environmental sensors installed in buildings such as structural integrity sensors, temperature sensors, air quality sensors, and toxicity sensors can also communicate with a wireless device 120 and be used to activate various alerts and alarms at a wireless device 120 or at a central command node.
Referring to
Referring to
Advantages of embodiments of the present invention therefore include the ability to determine and communicate personnel rank protocols to users of an ad hoc wireless communication network in real time. If network users become isolated from a central command structure, the present invention enables effective leadership, command and management decisions to proceed without confusion concerning rank protocol. Further, rank protocols can be determined in real time based on situation-specific functions, resulting in improved, adaptive and autonomous rank protocols based on the immediate skills, abilities or disabilities of ad hoc wireless communication network users. Information from multiple sensors used to determine present rank protocols also can be used for other purposes such as alerting network users of dangers.
In the foregoing specification, specific embodiments of the present invention have been described. However, one of ordinary skill in the art appreciates that various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention as set forth in the claims below. Accordingly, the specification and figures are to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention. The benefits, advantages, solutions to problems, and any element(s) that may cause any benefit, advantage, or solution to occur or become more pronounced are not to be construed as a critical, required, or essential features or elements of any or all the claims. The invention is defined solely by the appended claims including any amendments made during the pendency of this application and all equivalents of those claims as issued.
