"GARMENT FOR MONITORING AND PATROLLING AND A TERRITORIAL SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM" TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION.
The present invention refers to a garment for monitoring and patrolling, for example a jacket or a suit equipped with electronic devices for controlling and indicating for an operations center connected via radio to the garment.
The present invention also refers to a territorial surveillance and watch patrol coordination system comprising at least one garment as indicated above. The characteristics of the garment according to the present invention, allow it to be used also by people who are not involved in watching and surveillance services, i.e. people who for different reasons, for example environmental or physical reasons, require remote monitoring and an emergency service. The garment according to the present invention makes it possible for them to carry out their every day functions in the most natural way.
In the following description, we shall explicitly refer to monitoring and patrolling systems, however it should be understood that the field of application of the present invention can also comprise general remote monitoring and emergency services. STATE OF THE ART.
The state of the art comprises some apparatuses equipped with indicating and alarm devices.
From the patent application DE-10133523, a device is known with which a person in danger can generate an alarm to frighten the aggressor and send an emergency call to the police, the device can also indicate the position of the person in danger. The aforementioned device comprises an activation button that can be camouflaged in jewellery, in a bracelet, in a belt, and so forth. In order to operate, the device can comprise an integrated microchip that manages the operations for transmitting the information.
In the patent application US-2002/0089304, a jacket for military purposes is described, the so called "smart jacket", which is also equipped with solar cells and rechargeable batteries, microphones, and an RF (radio frequency) antenna for a GPS (global positioning system) .
The jacket can transmit the data detected by the soldier on the battlefield to the headquarters.
Although in the state of the art there are these kinds of jackets, or similar garments, equipped with some devices for the safety of the person wearing it, most of these applications are for military use, and the civil applications are limited to an alarm or a sensor for recording a dangerous situation and/or for sending an emergency signal to someone in a remote location .
Recently, personal safety has started to require surveillance efforts that are increasingly effective, including the establishment of night patrol services. It should be clear that the surveillance personnel must both be protected in terms of their physical well-being, and be equipped with effective means for transmitting information concerning the situation and/or the monitored territory.
At the same time, the equipment must be comfortable and easy to use.
Moreover, it is desirable for the surveillance personnel to be in communication with an operations center so as to obtain support and assistance as well as also being in communication with one another.
There is no device of this kind at the state of the art, which is able to provide for all these functions, which is easy to use and comfortable to wear, and that is suitable for monitoring and patrolling services.
PURPOSES OF THE INVENTION.
One purpose of the present invention is to improve the state of the art.
Another purpose of the present invention is to provide a garment, such as a suit or a jacket, which is equipped with electronic devices for controlling and indicating that are integrated in the structure of the garment itself.
Yet another purpose of the present invention is to provide a garment, for controlling and for surveillance of the territory, that is comfortable and easy to use.
A further purpose of the present invention is to provide a territorial surveillance and watch patrol coordination system that comprises at least one garment for monitoring and surveillance of a territory, that is connected with an operations center .
Accordingly to one aspect of the present invention, a garment is foreseen according to the independent claim 1.
Accordingly to another aspect of the present invention, a territorial surveillance and watch patrol coordination system is foreseen according to the independent claim 15.
The dependent claims refer to preferred and advantageous embodiments of the invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Further characteristics and advantages of the invention shall become clearer from the example description of a garment for monitoring and for patrolling and of a territorial surveillance and watch patrol coordination system, together with the attached drawings, in which:
figure 1 shows a front view of a garment according to the invention,
figure 2 shows a rear view of a garment according to the invention; and
figure 3 shows a territorial surveillance and watch patrol coordination system that can be made with the garment according to the invention.
EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION.
Figures 1 and 2 show a garment, for example a suit 10 that is used by a person on watch, i.e. the person wearing the garment and who is in charge of surveillance and/or of the patrolling service.
The structure of the garment can be of the known type, in which electric and/or electronic devices are integrated as special equipment.
According to one version of the present invention, the suit 10 comprises one or more video cameras 12. According to another version of the present invention, the suit 10 comprises one or more video cameras 12 of the infrared type for night vision or any other device adapted to record night vision.
Thanks to the video camera 12, images of the patrolled area can be recorded, even at night time in the case in which an infrared video camera is used. In order to better assist the night recording of the infrared video camera/s, or of the device suitable for recording night vision, illumination means of the infrared type (not illustrated) can also be provided, or other similar illumination means, suitable for illuminating a night scene in a way such as to not be detected by the human eye.
The video cameras 12 are, for example, mounted on or inside a button, for example of a pocket, or in the neck of the suit, so as to be camouflaged.
The video camera or video cameras 12 can also be positioned at the chest of the suit and/or at the back, so as to completely record the environment surrounding the person on patrol.
The suit 10 also comprises one or more microphones 14, thanks to which sounds or voices can be recorded. Also the microphones 14 can be mounted on or inside a button, for example of a pocket, or in the neck of the suit, so as to be camouflaged. The images and/or sounds recorded by the video cameras 12 and/or microphones 14 are saved in a non¬ volatile local memory 24, so as to store in the memory of the suit a predetermined patrolling time period, for example the last twenty-four hours of patrolling activity, in an audio and/or video format. The operation of the electric and electronic devices in the suit 10 is ensured by rechargeable batteries. The electric supply can also be ensured by photovoltaic cells 20, which can also be assisted by a back-up battery pack 18.
According to one version of the present invention, the photovoltaic cells 20 are arranged at the area of the shoulders of the suit 10 since this is the area which is most likely to be hit by the sun, and therefore the cells are illuminated so as to dispense electric energy.
Inside the suit 10 there is also a headset speaker (not shown) , with which the user can listen to received audio information or messages.
In order to transmit and/or receive audio-video information to and from a remote position, the suit 10 comprises a transceiver 28, for example in radio- frequency, via cellular or satellite network.
In order to locate the person on patrol, the suit 10 is also equipped with localization means 26, such as GPS (global positioning system) , or other localization systems based upon ground reference points, for example: a cellular telephone network or a localization network based upon other transmission systems of radio wave, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth (registered trademarks of their respective owners), and so forth. In the case of danger or of a situation to be communicated, the suit 10 has a button 16, for example positioned in a jacket pocket, that the patrol person can press and automatically send an alarm signal via the sending means 28.
According to another version of the present invention, the warning signal of a dangerous situation can occur automatically, once certain noise thresholds have been exceeded, for example due to screaming or shooting, or in the case in which other determined thresholds of one or more of the following physical characteristics detected by suitable sensor means (not illustrated) present in the garment have been exceeded: heat, impacts, acceleration, and so forth, which can occur due for example to a scuffle. An important characteristic of the present invention is that the devices present in the garment are handy and easy to activate. It is sufficient to only wear the garment, i.e. the suit or the jacket, to activate the operation of all the devices.
Moreover, all the devices are integrated in a single garment and therefore laborious procedures to wear it are not necessary.
The electronic controlling and indicating devices are integrated in the fabrics and accessories of the garment according to a design that hides their function. The weight and the position of the same devices are such as to not condition the operation of the person wearing the garment.
With reference to figure 3, a territorial patrolling system is described that exploits one or more garments 10 as described above.
The watch patrols are normally made up of a group of people on the watch PLT, i.e. people equipped with the garment or suits 10 according to the present invention .
By wearing the aforementioned garment 10, the PLT people patrol the territory and inform an operations center CT on what is happening.
The images and sounds detected by every garment 10 are sent to the operations center CT, where the overall situation of the territory can be assessed and watch patrols can be coordinated. When a person on patrol deems it necessary, he can send an alarm signal with the button 16. The signal emitted by the garment 10 is constantly monitored by the operations center C .
In addition to sending images and sounds from the suit 10, the center CT, is suitable for monitoring the identity of the person and the relative location on a territorial map which can be displayed on a monitor (not illustrated) present at the operations center CT .
At the operations center CT, each person on watch is recognized automatically and an operator can communicate hands free with the person who required assistance, understand the situation and take the necessary actions, like for example giving directions, warning other people on patrol PTL or an emergency patrol unit PL.
Moreover, the information and/or the request of intervention and/or the indication can be sent to a public order institution or to a person working for one, for example the police or the military police. The present invention thus conceived may undergo numerous modifications and variants all covered by the scope of protection of the claims.