Abstract:
A safety harness includes at least one of integrally formed electrical conductors or optical conductors. The conductors can be energized by a replaceable electrical supply. An electrical or an optical sensor can couple an associated signal to sensing circuitry. The sensing circuitry responds to variations in the signal as the condition of the harness changes. A fault indicating output device, such as an audible or visual indicating device, carried on the harness can alert a user to a potential harness failure. Harness condition can be transmitted wirelessly to a displaced monitoring site.

Description:
FIELD 
       [0001]    The invention pertains to safety harnesses. More particularly, the invention pertains to harnesses which automatically provide condition indicia to a user of the harness. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    Safety Harnesses are used in extreme conditions and environments on a regular basis. Examples include construction sites, building structures, wind mills, petrochemical refineries, sandblasting environments, shipyards, etc. The material used for the harnesses could degrade with normal use in a long period of time or short period of time. This is not linear verses the life cycle. Such damage could include impact damage, ultra violet degradation, corrosion, moisture, cuts &amp; holes, tearing, stitching damages and the like all without limitation. 
         [0003]    Sometimes the damage is just not apparent to the user. At other times, the damage seems minor at the first look. However, all defects can have a big impact on the performance of the product when it is time to perform and potentially save lives, especially for fall protection products. 
         [0004]    There are some known “fault indicators” for safety harnesses. Known harnesses do not provide indicators of UV degradation, corrosion, moisture, cuts &amp; holes, tearing, or stitching damage. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0005]      FIG. 1A  is a front planar view of a harness that embodies the invention; 
           [0006]      FIG. 1B  illustrates aspects of signal detection of the harness of  FIG. 1A ; 
           [0007]      FIG. 2A  is a planar view of an exemplary section of webbing that has been damaged; 
           [0008]      FIG. 2B  is an enlarged partial view of a portion of the webbing of  FIG. 2A ; 
           [0009]      FIG. 2C  illustrates additional aspects of signal detection of the harness of  FIG. 1A ; 
           [0010]      FIG. 3A  illustrates a cross-section of a part of an exemplary web with a first density of conductive fibers; 
           [0011]      FIG. 3B  illustrates a cross-section of a part of an exemplary web with a second density of conductive fibers; 
           [0012]      FIG. 4A  is a planar view illustrating one form of a woven web; 
           [0013]      FIG. 4B  is a planar view illustrating another form of a woven web; 
           [0014]      FIG. 4C  is a planar view illustrating yet another form of a woven web; 
           [0015]      FIG. 5A  illustrates all edges sensitive webbing; 
           [0016]      FIG. 5B  illustrates center sensitive webbing; and 
           [0017]      FIG. 5C  illustrates some edges sensitive webbing. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0018]    While embodiments of this invention can take many different forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown in the drawings and will be described herein in detail with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention, as well as the best mode of practicing same, and is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiment illustrated. 
         [0019]    In one aspect of the invention, webbing can communicate to a user when there is critical damage to a harness. This allows the user to know when the harness is not safe anymore for the application. An indicator can emit visual, audible indicia, or transmit a wireless communication to a safety officer, or manager. In another aspect of the invention, the webbing used for the harness can be made with a %’ of ‘conductive fibers’ which can provide a signal when one or more fibers has been altered or damaged. The webbing can be manufactured with electrically conductive fibers, for example steel or copper fibers, and/or optical fibers incorporated into the material itself during the original manufacturing operation. In the case of electrically conductive fibers, a small electric current can flow through some or all of the harness, from shoulders and neck to the legs. 
         [0020]    When an incident occurs that might damage the material, for example due to abrasion, degradation, corrosion, moisture, cuts &amp; holes, tearing, stitching damages, impacts and the like the steel fibers integrated into the material will be affected, causing a variation of the conductivity of at least a portion of the harness. This variation can be sensed and used to provide a fault signal. This signal which can be used to activate a visual, an audible, or an electronic indicator of the existence of a fault. 
         [0021]    In yet another aspect of the invention, a manually operable fault indicating device, a button or switch lever, can be carried on the harness. A user can manually actuate the device and automatically transmit a warning signal or notice to a displaced monitoring unit. 
         [0022]    In other aspects of the invention, the sensitivity of a harness in accordance can be calibrated not only by the number of conductive fibers incorporated into various webbing elements, which may vary depending on the location of a given element, but also by the location of the fiber(s) in the woven material. 
         [0023]    Integrated, programmable, control circuitry carried by the harness can evaluate the received signals, indicative of harness condition and activate one of a variety of alarms depending on the nature and extent of the detected damage. Different harnesses can be programmed to behave differently depending on the expected environment, use and size 
         [0024]      FIG. 1A  illustrates a harness  10  which embodies the invention. Harness  10  includes a plurality of straps, or webbing  12 , such as  12 - 1 , - 2 , - 3  . . . -n configurable, as would be understood by those of skill in the art so as to be wearable by a user. Electrically or optically conductive strands, or fibers, such as  12   a,    12   b  are woven into or otherwise embedded into webbing elements  12 -i. The webbing sections such as  12 -i function as forms of textile electrodes. 
         [0025]    A source of electrical energy  14 , which could be a replaceable battery, can be coupled via a connector  14 - 1  carried on webbing  12 - 2 , to the strands  12   a ,  12   b.  The source  14  can couple electrical or optical signals along webbing  12 -i to be detected by a sensor  20 , also carried on webbing, such as  12 - 3 . The sensor  20  could detect, for example a current flow in strands  12   a,    12   b  or a received optical intensity. Determination circuitry  22 , carried on webbing  12 - 3  and coupled to sensor  22  can respond to changes in output from the sensor  20  as the condition of the harness changes. 
         [0026]    Circuitry  22  can be implemented at least in part with a programmable controller. The associated control program can be varied depending on the application and environment. 
         [0027]    Harness  10  can also carry a manually operable device  26  actuatable by a user to transmit a warning message, such as message  30  to remote monitoring unit U indicating that the user has detected a fault. 
         [0028]    Further various types of warning indictors can be generated by harness  10 . Exemplary variations include but are not limited to, manually generated alarm messages, impact, or fall indicating alarms or messages, alarms that indicate one or more cuts have been detected on webbing material, tearing or abrasion of webbing material, or other variations or degrading conditions that might be detected as indicated by variations of the signal detected in the sensor  20 , all without limitation. 
         [0029]      FIG. 1B  illustrates expected or normal signal strength received at sensor  20  when harness  10  is in an acceptable, operational condition. The signal strength can be indicative, for example of electrical resistance between the source  14  and sensor  20 , or other electrical parameters without limitation. 
         [0030]    If one or more webbings, such as  12 -i becomes damaged through use, then the sensed signal, at sensor  20  will change from that illustrated in  FIG. 1B  and be indicative of a degraded condition of harness  10 . In this instance, the circuitry  22  can activate a warning device, such as audible or visual warning device  24  carried on harness  10 . In addition, circuitry  22  can transmit a wireless signal  30  to a displaced monitoring unit U, indicative of a degraded, possible dangerous, condition in harness  10 . 
         [0031]      FIGS. 2A-C  illustrates additional aspects of the invention. Webbing  12 -i, a woven structure, from the harness  10  is illustrated containing a plurality of woven conductive (electrical or optical) elements  12   a,  b. In the presence of damage D, a portion of the conductors  12   a,    12   b  may be cut, damaged or degraded so that they do not conduct optical or electrical signals as normally indicated in  FIG. 1C . 
         [0032]    As a result of damage D, the sensor  20  will receive a signal of lower amplitude, less power, less intensity or the like. In such event, circuitry  22  can activate alarm device  24  to warn the user. 
         [0033]      FIGS. 3A ,  3 B illustrate one form of webbing conductivity variation to alter sensitivity. In  FIG. 3A  a substantially higher percentage of conductive fibers  12   a,    12   b  are woven into the webbing  12 -I producing in  FIG. 3A  a more sensitive webbing than in  FIG. 3B . 
         [0034]      FIGS. 4A ,  4 B and  4 C illustrate different, exemplary, weavings which might be used to implement webbing, such as  12 -I used in harness  10 .  FIGS. 5A ,  5 B and  5 C illustrate webbings having conductive fibers located at different locations to adjust surfaces or regions which are sensitive to damage. 
         [0035]    From the foregoing, it will be observed that numerous variations and modifications may be effected without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is to be understood that no limitation with respect to the specific apparatus illustrated herein is intended or should be inferred. It is, of course, intended to cover by the appended claims all such modifications as fall within the scope of the claims.