Abstract:
A hand sanitizer compliance detection system for RFID-tagged employees comprises a hand sanitizer station with a detector enclosure having a sensor and an aperture that narrows a field of view by the sensor to define a hand detection zone.

Description:
FIELD OF INVENTION 
       [0001]    This invention relates to a novel device in the general field of hand sanitizer compliance systems that utilize radio frequency identification (RFID) technology, and more specifically to a hand sanitizer compliance detection system that eliminates false RFID activations from bystanders, thereby ensuring accurate and thorough compliance monitoring. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Health care and food service employers are required to ensure consistent hand hygiene of their employees. Compliance systems for hand hygiene that utilize RFID technology have existed at least since 2007. These systems often send a signal to an employee&#39;s RFID badge or tag that records their presence at, or use of a hand sanitizer station. Unfortunately these systems can also create false or misleading activations due to the proximity of other RFID tagged employees while the station is being used, or by tagged employees inadvertently triggering the compliance detector while passing nearby an unused station. Therefore, a hygiene compliance system is needed that ensures only data from the employee who is actually using the station is recorded and transmitted to the monitoring organization. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    The disclosed hand sanitizer compliance detection system is designed to provide a means to detect hand sanitation by RFID tagged employees so that this activity can be reliably and accurately monitored. The compliance system detector narrows the field of detection to indicate actual use of the hand sanitizer as opposed to mere proximity to the sanitizer station. This avoids the situation where the RFID system detects one or more users due to their proximity to the station even if they are not using the station. Given the health and legal liabilities of inadequate hand hygiene in the healthcare or foodservice industries, accurate compliance monitoring is improved when use of the sanitizer is linked with the user&#39;s RFID as logged by the system. 
         [0004]    The present implementation can also be employed within any condition responsive indicating system where a physical interaction can be connected with an individual&#39;s RFID and logged in the monitoring system. Examples can include, but are not limited to entry access control and monitoring, safety activation controls, emergency equipment access, shipboard station-keeping, fire alarm activation &amp; location monitoring. 
     
    
     
       DRAWINGS 
       Brief Description of the Drawings 
         [0005]      FIG. 1  shows a diagram illustrating the basic elements and operation of the Hand Sanitizer Compliance Detection System. 
           [0006]      FIG. 2   a  shows a front view of a hand sanitation compliance detection station when not in use.  FIG. 2   b  shows a side view of a station when not in use.  FIG. 2   c  shows a top isometric view of an unused station, while  FIG. 2   d  shows an isometric view of an unused station from below. 
           [0007]      FIG. 3   a  shows a front view of a hand sanitation compliance detection station with the detector&#39;s enclosure coverplate removed and the detection zone highlighted.  FIG. 3   b  shows a side view of  FIG. 3   a , while  FIG. 3   c  shows a top isometric view and  FIG. 3   d  a bottom isometric view of same. 
           [0008]      FIG. 4  shows a closeup of the elements inside a detector enclosure. 
           [0009]      FIG. 5  shows a flowchart detailing the operational protocol of the Hand Sanitizer Compliance Detection System. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0010]    All elements will now be introduced by reference to figures. The function of each element and its interaction with other elements will also be described where necessary. 
         [0011]      FIG. 1  diagrams the basic elements and operation of the Hand Sanitizer Compliance Detection System  10 . A hand  20  is inserted into the detection zone  22  of a station  14 , above the dispenser  18  of a sanitizer bottle  16 , and is detected by a sensor  36  through an aperture  38  of a detector enclosure  12 . The sensor enclosure  52  also houses a dry contact  40  which sends the output of the sensor  36  to the generator input  44  by means of a wired connection  42  which then activates a signal generator  46  which transmits a detector signal  26  by means of an antenna/transmitter  48  to the user&#39;s RFID tag  24 . This tag  24  then transmits an RFID signal  28  to the network&#39;s RFID tag reader  30  which relays user compliance data  32  to the monitoring server  34 . 
         [0012]      FIG. 2   a  shows a front view of a hand sanitation compliance detection station  14  as it is seen by the user, with a coverplate  56  affixed to the detector enclosure  12  which is then affixed to a wallboard  58  for mounting on a wall or other surface. Also affixed to the station  14  wallboard  58  is a sanitizer bottle  18  with its dispenser  18  (plunger &amp; dispensing nozzle) shown within its bottle holder  54  &amp; attachment assembly.  FIGS. 2   b ,  2   c  &amp;  2   d  show side, top isometric and below isometric views of the same elements shown in  FIG. 2   a  with the exception of  FIG. 2   d , wherein the aperture  38  of the detector enclosure  12  is visible from underneath. 
         [0013]      FIG. 3   a  shows a front view of a hand sanitation compliance detection station  14  with the detector&#39;s enclosure  12  coverplate  56  removed and the detection zone  22  highlighted by the shaded area above the dispenser  18  of the bottle  16  in its holder  54 . The detection zone  22  begins at the sensor  36  which views a narrow field around the dispenser  18  through the aperture  38  of the detector enclosure  12 . The sensor  36  is housed within the sensor enclosure  52 , along with a dry contact  40  which routes sensor  36  detections into the generator enclosure  50  by means of a wired connection  42 .  FIG. 3   b  shows a side view the same elements found in  FIG. 3   a , while  FIG. 3   c  shows a top isometric view and  FIG. 3   d  a bottom isometric view of same. 
         [0014]      FIG. 4  shows a closeup of some of the elements inside a detector enclosure  12 , including the generator enclosure  50  with its vents  62 , and its power  64 , network  66  and error  68  LED indicators. Vents  62  allow heat generated by electronics inside the enclosure  50  to escape. The power LED  64  indicates that electronics are turned on; the network LED  66  indicates that the LF/IR generator  46  is connected to the RFID network; and the error LED  68  is able to indicate various error conditions by its flash rate &amp; duration. Also shown is the sensor enclosure  52  with its sensor  36  monitoring the dispenser  18  (see  FIGS. 3   c/d ) through the aperture  38 , and its connection  42  into the generator enclosure  50 . The circular shape of the generator enclosure  50  allows vents  62  to be evenly distributed around the internal signal (and heat) generating electronics and also provides aesthetic qualities not inherent with a square enclosure. 
         [0015]      FIG. 5  shows a flowchart detailing the operational decision protocol of the Hand Sanitizer Compliance Detection System which will be explained in more detail below. A person  60  wearing an RFID tag  24  must both be close enough to the station  14  and have their hand  20  within the narrow field of the detection zone  22  in order for their action to be detected and compliance communicated to the server  34 . 
         [0016]    The preferred embodiment of the hand sanitizer compliance detection system will now be described. 
         [0017]    RFID monitoring systems usually operate within a large area or field of detection, but when employed as a condition responsive indicating system this broad field of application can cause false detections. Problem: An RFID tagged person walks near enough to the RFID detector that he is inadvertently logged by the system as sanitizing hands due to his proximity to the RFID detector, when actually the sanitizer is not in use. Such false detection can occur due to the continuous operation of Tag Exciter inside HSS which activates all related RFID Tags on people passing by. The intention of this invention is to activate HSS (and consequently read RFID Tag) only when a person is actually using sanitizer. Solution: a narrow field infrared sensor detects presence of hands  20  within a detection zone  22  above the hand sanitation dispenser  18 , and only then enables activation of low frequency RF field (near field or magnetic) or infrared field which activates the RFID Tag  24  and enables accurate RFID communication of hygiene compliance to the monitoring agency. RFID compliance activation dependent on IR hand detection within a narrow field zone (see  FIGS. 3   a - d ) prevents false detection and creates accurate hygiene compliance monitoring and reporting. 
         [0018]      FIGS. 3   a - d  show a detection zone  22  with the very narrow detection angle required in order to prevent false triggering by RFID tagged  24  people  60  adjacent to the station  14  while it is not being used. An appropriately narrow detection angle may be achieved by limiting the field of view of the sensor  36  by use of a focusing lens and/or limiting the size of the sensor&#39;s  36  aperture  38  through the detector enclosure  12 . In the preferred embodiment the size and the shape of the aperture  38  in the detector enclosure  12  is critical to control the size of IR sensor  36  detection zone  22 , and therefore to prevent sensor  36  activation by non station  14  using bystanders. 
         [0019]    In combination with  FIG. 1 , the flowchart in  FIG. 5  will now be discussed in order to show how RFID activation dependent on narrow IR field detection can produce optimal compliance monitoring and reporting.  FIG. 1  shows a hand  20  placed within the detection zone  22  of an IR sensor  36 , the field of which has been narrowed to cover only the region of the dispenser  18  of hand sanitizing bottle  16 . Referring to  FIG. 5 , if that person  60  is wearing an RFID tag  24 , then they meet all the conditions necessary to both detect and signal hand sanitizer use compliance. As shown in both  FIGS. 1 &amp; 5 , the following steps then take place, namely the dry contact  40  is closed when the user&#39;s hand  20  is detected in the IR sensor  36  detection zone  22 ; a wired connection  42  between the closed dry contact  40  and the generator input  44  activates the LF or IR generator  46 ; a detection signal  26  is emitted from the generator  46  by means of the antenna/transmitter  48 ; after the hand  20  is removed, the dry contact  40  is opened and the generator  46  is de-activated automatically; upon receiving the LF or IR detector signal  26  from the LF or IR generator  46 , the RFID tag  24  transmits a UHF signal  28  to a networked RFID tag reader  30 ; the transmitted signal  28  carries LF or IR field ID (transmitted by generator  46 ) and its own ID; data  32  from networked tag readers  24  are then collected and evaluated at a central server  34  for hygiene compliance and recordkeeping. 
         [0020]    Other embodiments are not ruled out or similar methods leading to the same result. The foregoing description of the preferred apparatus and method of installation should be considered as illustrative only, and not limiting. Other forming techniques, circuitry, and other materials may be employed towards similar ends. Various changes and modifications will occur to those skilled in the art, without departing from the true scope of the invention as defined in the above disclosure, and the following claims.