US-12626550-B2 - System and method for imposing and enforcing conditions upon the circumstances under which an unlock command may be sent and honored by a locking device

US12626550B2US 12626550 B2US12626550 B2US 12626550B2US-12626550-B2

Abstract

Herein is disclosed various embodiments of systems, methods, and apparatuses for controlling access to a digital key or keys used to unlock locks that safeguard the lives of service personnel. According to some embodiments, the systems, methods and apparatuses guide a user through a process by which a user may observe a system of equipment to be in a safe state for servicing. According to some embodiments, such process may be cooperative, so that the process must be completed by more than one user of the systems, methods and processes. According to some embodiments, in the wake of a user concluding the process, the systems, methods and apparatuses cooperate to inform a user of whether or not a system being serviced by the user has changed its safety state in the wake of the user having completed the aforementioned process.

Inventors

JEFFREY JOSEPH ANSEL
BRAD ANTHONY ANSEL
JOHN JAMES STRAUMAN, JR.
Nicholas Patrick JOHNS
JERRY DOUGLAS HARDER
James Andrew Gardiner
Mark Lyman Kelly

Assignees

AMARILLO TECHNOLOGIES INC

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20240322

Claims (19)

1 . A safety system for use at a facility with one or more systems of equipment having one or more isolation points, said facility having one or more gateway units installed therein, wherein said one or more gateway units are configured to receive broadcast message frames and relay payload data of said message frames to a computing platform via a network, said safety system comprising: a lock comprising: a shackle arranged to be able to assume an unlocked state and a locked state; a processing unit, having a port; a first transceiver communicably connected with said processing unit; a second transceiver communicably connected with said processing unit; and a memory communicably connected with and readable by said processing unit, said memory containing instructions that, when executed by the processing unit cause the processing unit to: receive and respond to incoming commands received by said first transceiver; send a heartbeat message via said second transceiver for reception by said one or more gateway units and subsequent relay to said computing platform; and send a shackle-unlocked message via said second transceiver in response to a signal received via said port indicating that said shackle has undergone a transition from said locked state to said unlocked state, for reception by said one or more gateway units and subsequent relay to said computing platform; and a mobile device comprising: a second processing unit; a third transceiver communicably connected with said second processing unit; a fourth transceiver communicably connected with said second processing unit; an input/output device operably connected with said second processing unit; a second memory communicably connected with and readable by said second processing unit, said second memory containing instructions that, when executed by said second processing unit cause said second processing unit to: permit a user of said mobile device to login; open a network connection with said computing platform; permit said user to identify a selected system from among said one or more systems of equipment; send a get-system-information message to said computing platform, via said third transceiver, wherein said get-system-information message includes data indicating said selected system; receive a response to said get-system-information message, via said third transceiver, wherein said response includes safety information pertaining to whether said selected system is in a safe state to service; present said safety information via said input/output device; and receive, via said network connection, asynchronous updates to said safety data from said computing platform, and, in response to said asynchronous updates, present said updated safety data via said input/output device.
2 . The safety system of claim 1 , wherein said second memory contains further instructions that, when executed by said second processing unit cause said second processing unit to: permit said user to initiate a transmission of a command to said first transceiver of said lock, via said fourth transceiver of said mobile device.
3 . The safety system of claim 2 , wherein said command contains data causing said lock to respond to said command with tag data.
4 . The safety system of claim 2 , wherein said command contains data causing said lock to respond to said command with log data.
5 . The safety system of claim 2 , wherein said command contains data causing said lock to respond to said command by unlocking.
6 . The safety system of claim 1 , wherein said first transceiver comprises a Bluetooth transceiver.
7 . The safety system of claim 1 , wherein said second transceiver comprises a LoRa transceiver.
8 . The safety system of claim 1 , wherein said third transceiver comprises a wireless data transceiver.
9 . The safety system of claim 8 , wherein said wireless data transceiver comprises a 4G wireless data transceiver.
10 . The safety system of claim 8 , wherein said wireless data transceiver comprises a 5G wireless data transceiver.
11 . The safety system of claim 1 , wherein said fourth transceiver comprises a Bluetooth transceiver.
12 . The safety system of claim 1 , wherein said mobile device comprises a smartphone.
13 . The safety system of claim 1 , wherein said mobile device comprises a tablet.
14 . A safety system for use at a facility with one or more systems of equipment having one or more isolation points, said facility having one or more gateway units installed therein, wherein said one or more gateway units are configured to receive broadcast message frames and relay payload data of said message frames to a computing platform via a network, said safety system comprising: a lock comprising: a shackle arranged to be able to assume an unlocked state and a locked state; a processing unit, having a port; a first transceiver communicably connected with said processing unit; a second transceiver communicably connected with said processing unit; and a memory communicably connected with and readable by said processing unit, said memory containing instructions that, when executed by the processing unit cause the processing unit to: receive and respond to incoming commands received by said first transceiver; send a heartbeat message via said second transceiver for reception by said one or more gateway units and subsequent relay to said computing platform; and send a shackle-unlocked message via said second transceiver in response to a signal received via said port indicating that said shackle has undergone a transition from said locked state to said unlocked state, for reception by said one or more gateway units and subsequent relay to said computing platform; and a mobile device comprising: a second processing unit; a third transceiver communicably connected with said second processing unit; a fourth transceiver communicably connected with said second processing unit; an input/output device operably connected with said second processing unit; a second memory communicably connected with and readable by said second processing unit, said second memory containing instructions that, when executed by said second processing unit cause said second processing unit to: permit a user of said mobile device to login; open a network connection with said computing platform; permit said user to identify a selected system from among said one or more systems of equipment; send a get-system-information message to said computing platform, via said third transceiver, wherein said get-system-information message includes data indicating said selected system; receive a response to said get-system-information message, via said third transceiver, wherein said response includes safety information pertaining to whether said selected system is in a safe state to service; present said safety information via said input/output device; and receive, via said network connection, an asynchronous message from said computing platform, and, in response to said asynchronous message, send a second get-system-information message to said computing platform, receive a response to said second get-system-information message, wherein said response includes updated safety information pertaining to whether said selected system is in a safe state to service, and present said updated safety data via said input/output device.
15 . The safety system of claim 14 , wherein said second memory contains further instructions that, when executed by said second processing unit cause said second processing unit to: permit said user to initiate a transmission of a command to said first transceiver of said lock, via said fourth transceiver of said mobile device.
16 . The safety system of claim 15 , wherein said command contains data causing said lock to respond to said command with tag data.
17 . The safety system of claim 15 , wherein said command contains data causing said lock to respond to said command with log data.
18 . The safety system of claim 15 , wherein said command contains data causing said lock to respond to said command by unlocking.
19 . The safety system of claim 14 , wherein said second transceiver is a LoRa transceiver.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD Herein is disclosed a system and method for imposing and enforcing conditions upon the circumstances under which a command to unlock a locking device may be sent and honored, and more particularly to a system and method for determining that individuals will not be imperiled by permitting a given lock to be unlocked. BACKGROUND In industrial settings, it is often the case that equipment requires service for the purpose of repair or maintenance. For example, in the context of an industrial setting such as a refinery, a situation may arise wherein a pump, vessel, boiler, furnace, catalyzer or other piece of equipment used in connection with a refining step or process requires service. The act of servicing such pieces of equipment may be perilous. For example, if a technician were to enter the interior region of a vessel to perform servicing, at least some of the valves controlling airflow into the vessel must be open or the technician could be asphyxiated. Moreover, if the vessel were to be filled with fluid while the technician remained in its interior region, the technician could drown. Still further, if the power to the lights illuminating the interior region of the vessel were to be interrupted, the technician could fall from a significant height while trying to navigate the vessel without sight. To protect the safety of personnel who service industrial equipment, locks are used to secure the various control mechanisms (e.g., valves, power switches, etc.) of a piece of equipment under service. The locks hold the various control mechanisms in their respective proper states, so as to render the piece of equipment, as a whole, safe to be serviced. Thus, assuming the locks were placed correctly, i.e., on all of the required control mechanisms and with each such mechanism being locked in the correct position, then the piece of equipment is rendered as safe as the procedures used to control access to the keys to those locks. SUMMARY Against this backdrop, the present invention was developed. According to some embodiments, a safety system may be arranged for use at a facility with one or more systems of equipment having one or more isolation points. The facility may have one or more gateway units installed therein. The gateway units may be configured to receive broadcast message frames and relay payload data of such message frames to a computing platform via a network. The safety system may also include at least one lock. The lock may include a shackle that is arranged to be able to assume an unlocked state and a locked state. The lock may also include a processing unit, that has a port, and may also include a first transceiver communicably connected with the processing unit, and a second transceiver communicably connected with the processing unit. The processing unit may be operably coupled to a memory. The memory may contain instructions that, when executed by the processing unit, cause the processing unit to receive and respond to incoming commands received by the first transceiver, to send a heartbeat message via the second transceiver for reception by the gateway units and subsequent relay to said computing platform, and to send a shackle-unlocked message via the second transceiver in response to a signal received via said the aforementioned port indicating that said shackle has undergone a transition from said locked state to said unlocked state. The aforementioned message may be received by a gateway unit and subsequent relayed to the computing platform. The safety system may also include a mobile device. The mobile device may include a second processing unit, and at least two transceivers communicably coupled to the processing unit of the mobile device. The mobile device may also include an input/output device operably connected with its processing unit, and a memory communicably connected with and readable by its processing unit. The memory may contain instructions that, when executed by said the processing unit of the mobile device, cause such processing unit to permit a user of said mobile device to login, open a network connection with said computing platform, permit such user to identify a selected system from among the aforementioned one or more systems of equipment, send a get-system-information message to the aforementioned computing platform, via a first of the mobile device's transceivers, wherein said get-system-information message includes data indicating said selected system, receive a response to such get-system-information message, via the first of the mobile device's transceivers, wherein said response includes safety information pertaining to whether said selected system is in a safe state to service, present the safety information via the input/output device, and receive, via the aforementioned network connection, asynchronous updates to the safety data from the computing platform, and, in response to said asynchronous updates, present the updated safety data via the inpu