Patent Description:
This disclosure relates to personal protective equipment (PPE) and more particularly to fall protection equipment (FPE), and even more particularly to fall indicators/fall detection devices as used in connection with fall harnesses and other fall protection equipment.

Fall harnesses are an example of a critical piece of fall protection safety equipment that are integral to preventing accidents on the job site. They provide a reliable restraint system worn by the worker that is connected to a fixed anchor point on a supporting structure. Fall harnesses are designed to arrest the fall of a worker quickly and safely but result in the worker being suspended in the fall harness. If there is no ladder or scaffolding for the worker to climb back up, the worker will remain suspended until additional rescue help can be rendered. Being suspended in the fall harness for an extended period of time can lead to serious injury or death. Consequently, rapid response is critical.

It is known to provide a fall indicator in a fall harness to provide notice that a fall harness has experienced a arrested fall while worn by worker, with the fall indicator being formed by a folded length of one of the straps that forms the fall harness that is secured in the folded condition by a breakable connection that breaks when the harness experiences an arrested fall while worn by a worker. Typically, such fall indicators have a label or other indicia that is exposed when the breakable connection is broken and the folded length of strap unfolds, with the now exposed label or other indicia providing notice that the harness has experienced an arrested fall. While the notice provided by the label/indicia is useful for preventing future use of the harness without understanding that the harnesses already experienced an arrested fall, the label/indicia does nothing to alert other personnel that a worker has experienced an arrested fall and may be suspended in the fall harness. <CIT> describes a harness for fall protection. <CIT> describes a personal fall protection monitoring system. <CIT> describes safety harnesses, connective ring attachments and back pads for use in safety harnesses.

The invention is defined in the independent claim, to which reference should now be made. Advantageous features are set out in the dependent claims. A fall detection/fall indicator device is provided that automatically senses when a user of fall protection equipment, such as a fall harness, has experienced an arrested fall and capable of providing an alarm/alert to other personnel so that they may provide assistance to the user in a timely fashion.

In accordance with one feature of this disclosure, a fall harness is provided for use in fall protection. The fall harness includes a plurality of straps configured to attach the harness to a user and to other fall protection equipment. The harness further includes a fall indicator having a first state wherein the harness has not experienced an arrested fall, and a second state wherein the harness has experienced an arrested fall while worn by a user. The fall indicator includes a length of one of the straps, the length having a folded condition in the first state wherein the length is folded upon itself and maintained in the folded condition by a connection that breaks in response to the harness experiencing an arrested fall while worn by a user, and an unfolded condition in the second state wherein the connection is broken and the length unfolded in response to an arrested fall experienced by the harness while worn by a user. The fall indicator further includes an electrical connection having a pair of electrical contacts that are contacted together to form a closed circuit in the first state and that are spaced from each other in the second state to form an open circuit. The contacts are mounted on the length of strap so that the contacts face each other in adjacent portions of the length of strap in the folded condition and are contacted together to form the closed circuit, and so that the contacts are spaced from each other with the length of strap in the unfolded condition to form the open circuit. The fall indicator further includes an alert device operably connected to the electrical connection and responsive to the open circuit to provide an alert to other personnel that the fall indicator is in the second state after the harness experiences an arrested fall while worn by a user.

As one feature, the electrical connection includes a snap fastener having a post component defining one of the contacts, and a socket component defining the other contact and configured to releasably receive the post component.

In one feature, a processing unit is operably connected to the electrical connection to detect the open circuit and to the alarm device to initiate the alert in response to detection of the open circuit. According to a further feature, the processing unit is a microprocessor unit. As one feature, a housing mounts at least one of the processing unit and the alert device to the harness. In a further feature, the housing is fixed on the length of strap.

According to one feature, the alert device is configured to emit an audible acoustic alert. As a further feature, the alert device includes a siren device.

In one feature, the alert device is configured to emit a visual alert. According to a further feature, the alert device includes a strobe light device.

As one feature, the alert device is configured to emit a wireless signal that can be detected by a device remote from the harness to alert the device that the fall indicator is in the second state. In a further feature, the alert device includes a wireless transmitter.

According to one feature, the harness includes at least one more fall indicator.

As one feature, a fall indicator is provided for use on a piece of fall protection equipment to provide an alert to other personnel that a worker using or wearing the piece of fall protection equipment has experienced an arrested fall. The fall indicator has a first state wherein the piece of fall protection equipment has not experienced an arrested fall, and a second state wherein the harness has experienced an arrested fall while worn or used by a worker. The fall indicator includes a length of strap, the length having a folded condition in the first state wherein the length is folded upon itself and maintained in the folded condition by a connection that breaks in response to the piece of fall protection equipment experiencing an arrested fall, and an unfolded condition in the second state wherein the connection is broken and the length unfolded in response to an arrested fall. The fall indicator further includes an electrical connection having a pair of electrical contacts that are contacted together to form a closed circuit in the first date and that our spaced from each other in the second state to form an open circuit. The contacts are mounted on the length of strap so that the contacts face each other in adjacent portions of the length of strap in the folded condition and are contacted together to form the closed circuit, and so that the contacts are spaced from each other with the length of strap in the unfolded condition to form the open circuit. The fall indicator further includes an alert device operably connected to the electrical connection and responsive to the open circuit to provide an alert to other personnel that the fall indicator is in the second state after the piece of fall protection equipment experiences an arrested fall.

Other features and advantages will become apparent from a review of the entire specification, including the appended claims and drawings.

With reference to <FIG>, an item of personal protective equipment (PPE) for providing fall protection is shown as a piece of fall protection equipment (FPE) in the form of a safety/fall harness <NUM> for use in fall protection. The safety harness includes a plurality of straps <NUM> configured to attach the harness <NUM> to a worker/user <NUM> and to other fall protection equipment, such as, for example, an anchor, a fall protection lanyard, or a self retracting lifeline. It should be understood that many types and configurations of safety/fall harnesses are known in the PPE and FPE industry, including full body harnesses and partial or hip/waist fall harnesses, all, or most, of which are suitable for use with the concepts disclosed herein, accordingly, the harness depicted in <FIG> is for purposes of illustration and further specific details of the fall harness <NUM> will not be discussed herein except for those required for an understanding of the disclosed concepts, and that the appended claims are not limited to any specific details of a fall harness unless expressly recited in the claims.

One or more fall protection/fall indicator devices <NUM> are provided at one or more corresponding key locations on the harness <NUM> where the harness <NUM> will experience a shock load when a user <NUM> of the harness <NUM> experiences an arrested fall. Each of the fall indicators <NUM> has a first state wherein the user <NUM> and the harness <NUM> have not experienced an arrested fall, and a second state wherein the user <NUM> and the harness <NUM> have experienced an arrested fall. In the second state, each of the fall indicators <NUM> provide an alarm/alert to other personnel that the user <NUM> has experienced an arrested fall, thereby enabling such personnel to provide assistance to the user <NUM> in a timely fashion. Because fall harnesses are well known and because they can be, and are, provided in a number of different configurations with different details that are compatible with the concepts of this disclosure, and further because the details of the safety harness <NUM> outside of the fall indicator <NUM> are not critical to understanding the fall indicator <NUM> and the method according to this disclosure, further details of the harness <NUM> outside of the fall indicator <NUM> will not be provided herein.

<FIG> and <FIG> show the details of one of the fall indicators <NUM>, and it should be understood that these details are consistent for all of the fall indicators <NUM> provided on the harness <NUM>. The fall indicator <NUM> includes a length <NUM> of one of the straps <NUM>, the length <NUM> having a folded condition in the first state shown in <FIG> wherein the length <NUM> is folded upon itself and maintained in the folded condition by a breakable or releasable connection <NUM> that breaks or releases in response to the harness <NUM> and the user <NUM> experiencing an arrested fall, and an unfolded condition in the second state shown in <FIG> wherein the connection <NUM> is broken and the length <NUM> unfolded in response to an arrested fall experienced by the harness <NUM> in the user <NUM>.

In the illustrated embodiment, the connection <NUM> is provided in the form of two spaced lines of stitching <NUM> that extend through and connect adjacent portions <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> of the length <NUM> at folds <NUM> of the fall indicator <NUM> in the folded condition. As is known, proper selection of materials and stitch configuration will allow the lines of stitching <NUM> to break when the length <NUM> of strapping <NUM> experiences a predetermined tensile shock load F that corresponds to the expected load that will be experienced during an arrested fall. It should be appreciated that while the illustrated embodiment shows the connection <NUM> in the form of the pair of spaced lines of stitching <NUM> other suitable forms of the connection <NUM> are contemplated within the scope of this disclosure, such as, for example, a single line of stitching, bonding agents or adhesive, and/or one or more breakable/releasable rivet connections.

The fall indicator <NUM> includes an electrical connection <NUM> having a pair of electrical contacts <NUM> and <NUM> that are part of an electrical circuit, shown schematically at <NUM> in <FIG> and <FIG>. The electrical contacts <NUM> and <NUM> are connected together to form a closed circuit, shown schematically at <NUM> in <FIG>, in the first state and folded condition, and that are spaced from each other in the second state and unfolded condition to form an open circuit, shown schematically at <NUM> in <FIG>. The contacts <NUM> and <NUM> are mounted on the length <NUM> of strap <NUM> so that the contacts <NUM> and <NUM> face each other in adjacent portions <NUM> and <NUM> of the length <NUM> in the folded condition and are contacted together to form the closed circuit <NUM>, as shown in <FIG>, and so that the contacts <NUM> and <NUM> will be spaced from each other to form the open circuit <NUM> when the length <NUM> of strap <NUM> is in the unfolded condition, as shown in <FIG>.

In the illustrated embodiment, the electrical connection <NUM> is provided in the form of an electrically conductive snap fastener <NUM> having an electrically conductive post component <NUM> defining one of the contacts <NUM> and an electrically conductive socket component <NUM> defining the other of the contacts <NUM> and configured to releasably receive a post <NUM> of the post component <NUM>, with the engagement of the post <NUM> and the socket component <NUM> forming an electrically conductive connection. Although it is not known for such snap fasteners to be used as an electrical connection, the garment industry is replete with many known suitable, electrically conductive configurations and types of such snap fasteners, any of which may be utilized in the fall indicator <NUM> according to this disclosure depending upon the particular requirements of each application and, accordingly, the details of the illustrated snap fastener <NUM> are not important to an understanding of the concepts disclosed and claimed herein and the claims are not limited to any particular detail unless expressly stated in the claims. Having said that, as best seen in <FIG>, in the illustrated embodiment of the snap fastener <NUM>, the post <NUM> includes a detent <NUM> that is movable past a detent <NUM> in the socket component <NUM> due to the resiliency of either the remainder of the post <NUM> or the remainder of the socket component <NUM>.

In the illustrated embodiment, the fall indicator <NUM> further includes an electronics module <NUM> that at least includes an alert device <NUM> operably connected to the electrical connection <NUM> and responsive to the open circuit <NUM> to automatically provide an alert that the fall indicator <NUM> is in the second state after the harness <NUM> and the user <NUM> have experienced an arrested fall.

In the illustrated embodiment, the electronics module <NUM> further includes a processing unit provided in the form of a microprocessor unit (MPU) <NUM> operably connected to the electrical connection <NUM> to automatically detect the open circuit <NUM> and operably connected to the alert device <NUM> to automatically initiate the alert in response to detection of the open circuit <NUM>. In this regard, in some embodiments, it will be desirable for the MPU <NUM> to be a very low power consumption MPU that is configured to wake up periodically to sense the condition of the fall indicator <NUM>. In the illustrated embodiment, the open circuit <NUM> is detected as a change in voltage at DI in the MPU <NUM> relative to the closed circuit <NUM> voltage at DI. In the illustrated embodiment, a housing <NUM> is fixed on the length <NUM> of strap <NUM> and mounts and encloses the alert device <NUM> and the processing unit <NUM>.

In some embodiments, the alert device <NUM> is configured to emit an audible acoustic alert/alarm that is detectable by personnel remote from the user <NUM>. In some embodiments, the alert device <NUM> is configured to emit a visual alert that is detectable by personnel remote from the user <NUM>. In some embodiments, the alert device <NUM> is configured to emit a wireless signal that can be detected by a device or devices (not shown) remote from the harness <NUM> and the user <NUM> to alert the remote device(s) that the fall indicator <NUM> is in the second state and that the user <NUM> has experienced an arrested fall. The remote device(s) may be in the form of one or more wireless phones (cell phones) that have a fall detection application software and that are carried by remote personnel, by a receiver that has an embedded acoustic alert device/generator, or/and a relay device that will relay the wireless signal to a cloud server or similar device configured to distribute the wireless signal, including the identification of the fallen user to the fallen user's supervisor and/or rescuers. In some embodiments, the alert device <NUM> is configured to emit at least two of the visual alert, audible acoustic alert, and wireless signal. In some embodiments, the alert device is configured to emit just one of the visual alert, audible acoustic alert, and wireless signal. In some embodiments, the alert device <NUM> is configured to emit all three of the visual alert, audible acoustic alert, and wireless signal. In some embodiments wherein the alert device <NUM> is configured to emit an audible acoustic alert, the alert device <NUM> will include a siren device <NUM>, of which many suitable types and configurations are known, with a high power siren device <NUM> capable of producing an <NUM> dB audible noise being desirable in many applications. In some embodiments wherein the alert device <NUM> is configured to emit a visual alert, the alert device <NUM> will include a strobe light device <NUM>, of which many suitable types and configurations are known. It will be desirable in some applications for the strobe light device <NUM> to be positioned so that it reflects of the material of the strap(s) <NUM> to further enhance the illumination. In some embodiments wherein the alert device <NUM> is configured to emit a wireless signal, the alert device <NUM> will include a wireless transmitter <NUM>, of which many suitable types and configurations are known.

With reference to <FIG>, a method <NUM> is shown for providing an alert that a fall harness <NUM> or other piece of fall protection equipment (FPE) <NUM> has experienced an arrested fall while worn or used by a user/worker <NUM>. The method includes the step <NUM> of providing the piece of fall protection equipment <NUM> with an electrical circuit <NUM> that is closed in a first state wherein the piece of fall protection equipment <NUM> has not experienced an arrested fall, and that is open in a second state wherein the piece of fall protection equipment <NUM> has experienced an arrested fall while worn or used by a user <NUM>. The method <NUM> further includes the step <NUM> of automatically initiating an alert in response to the open circuit.

With reference to <FIG>, a method <NUM> is shown for providing an alert that a fall harness <NUM> or other piece of fall protection equipment has experienced an arrested the fall when worn or used by a user <NUM>, the piece of fall protection equipment <NUM> including a fall indicator <NUM> having a first state wherein the piece of fall protection equipment <NUM> has not experienced a fall, and a second state wherein the piece of fall protection equipment <NUM> has experienced a fall while worn or used by user <NUM>. The method includes the steps of:.

In a further embodiment of the method <NUM>, the step <NUM> of electronically detecting includes creating <NUM> an open circuit <NUM> in response to the change of the fall indicator <NUM> from the first state to the second state.

While several embodiments have been shown and discussed herein, it should be understood that this disclosure contemplates modifications to those embodiments. For example, while the electronics module <NUM> has been shown as being fixed to the fall indicator <NUM>, the electronics module <NUM> could be fixed to other portions of the harness <NUM>. As another example, while the electronics module <NUM> has been shown as being mounted and enclosed in a single housing <NUM>, the electronics module <NUM> could be mounted and enclosed in multiple housings. As a further example, while the illustrated embodiments show the alert device <NUM> as being connected to the electrical connection <NUM> via the MPU <NUM> and initiated by the MPU <NUM>, other operable connections are contemplated that would initiate the alert device <NUM> in response to the open circuit <NUM>. As yet a further example, while the illustrated embodiment of the electrical connection <NUM> is shown in the form of a snap fastener <NUM>, other suitable forms of electrical connections having a pair of electrical contacts that can be connected in the first state and disconnected in the second state are contemplated within the scope of this disclosure. As yet another example, while the fall indicator <NUM> has been disclosed herein in connection with a fall harness <NUM>, use of the fall indicator <NUM> with other types of fall protection equipment, such as, for example, fall protection lanyards and SRL's, is contemplated within the scope of this disclosure. As a further example, while the breakable/releasable connection <NUM> is shown the form of two lines of stitching <NUM> that extend through three layers of length <NUM> of strap <NUM>, it is possible for either or both of the lines of stitching <NUM> to extend only through two layers of the length of strap <NUM>, or for the connection to be a single line of stitching that extends only through two layers of the length of strap <NUM>.

Claim 1:
A fall indicator (<NUM>) for use on a piece of fall protection equipment to provide an alert to other personnel that a worker using or wearing the piece of fall protection equipment has experienced an arrested fall, the fall indicator (<NUM>) having a first state wherein the piece of fall protection equipment has not experienced an arrested fall, and a second state wherein the piece of fall protection equipment has experienced an arrested fall while worn or used by a worker, the fall indicator (<NUM>) comprising:
a length (<NUM>) of strap (<NUM>), the length (<NUM>) having a folded condition in the first state wherein the length (<NUM>) is folded upon itself and maintained in the folded condition by a connection (<NUM>) that breaks in response to the piece of fall protection equipment experiencing an arrested fall, and an unfolded condition in the second state wherein the connection (<NUM>) is broken and the length (<NUM>) unfolded in response to an arrested fall;
an electrical connection (<NUM>) having a pair of electrical contacts (<NUM>, <NUM>) that are contacted together to form a closed circuit (<NUM>) in the first state and that are spaced from each other in the second state to form an open circuit (<NUM>), the contacts (<NUM>, <NUM>) mounted on the length (<NUM>) of strap (<NUM>) so that the contacts (<NUM>, <NUM>) face each other in adjacent portions (<NUM>, <NUM>) of the length (<NUM>) of strap (<NUM>) in the folded condition and are contacted together to form the closed circuit (<NUM>), and so that the contacts (<NUM>, <NUM>) are spaced from each other with the length (<NUM>) of strap (<NUM>) in the unfolded condition to form the open circuit (<NUM>); and
an alert device (<NUM>) operably connected to the electrical connection (<NUM>) and responsive to the open circuit (<NUM>) to provide an alert to other personnel that the fall indicator (<NUM>) is in the second state after the piece of fall protection equipment experiences an arrested fall.