Correctional Officer Distress Alarm (CODA)

描述（由申请人提供）：根据劳工部的数据，惩教人员是暴力犯罪的第二常见受害者。简单的攻击和严重伤害之间的区别通常取决于同伴在胁迫下能多快地拯救警官。这项提议的努力旨在实施和演示一个概念验证系统，在该系统中，佩戴小型发射器的狱警可以激活该设备，向操作中心发送求救信号。该系统定位了处于危险中的军官，从而允许援助被送到他的精确位置。在现代射频实践中占主导地位的高频、短波长的思维对进步造成了重大障碍。传统的RTLS供应商采用针对高数据速率通信应用进行优化的无线硬件，并试图将其应用于室内无线定位的挑战性问题。这不仅适用于UWB RTLS供应商，也适用于利用WiFi或其他2.4GHz技术的RTLS供应商。但通信和定位是两种不同的应用，需要根本不同的解决方案。当前的机遇挑战了当前高频、短波长的RTLS模式。我们建议将Q-Track创新的低频长波近场电磁测距（NFER） RTLS应用于惩教人员位置感知的挑战性问题。在第15部分功率电平（~100mW）下，NFER RTLS使用长波长（~300m）低频（~1MHz）在高达70m的范围内获得30cm-1m的相对跟踪精度。拟议的努力旨在通过评估在典型惩教设施具有挑战性的射频传播环境中实施基于nfer的惩教人员遇险警报（CODA）系统的可行性，提高惩教人员的安全性。Q-Track提出的CODA系统工作始于与纠正专家一起设定规范。然后我们将评估一个典型的惩教设施内的噪音及其传播。这些设施的特点是混凝土墙的钢筋特别密集，建筑物各部分之间也有定期的条状“陷阱”。这些特点使惩教设施成为非常困难的射频传播环境。一项初步调查表明，Q-Track的低频近场方法提供了相当大的希望。我们试图进行更全面的研究。我们进一步的目标是实现一个概念验证系统，在一个惩教环境中部署它，并评估性能。我们将生成噪声和信号特征的表面图，进行误差分析，包括评估位置误差的统计分布，并生成一段视频，展示实际的概念验证系统。我们的目标是展示基于nfer的CODA系统的能力，允许将帮助派遣到遇险狱警的精确位置。一个成功的系统将意味着加强惩教人员的安保和安全，以及减少“倦怠”和人员流失。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): According to the Department of Labor, correctional officers are the second most frequent victims of violent crime. The difference between a simple assault and severe injuries often depends on how quickly fellow officers can rescue the officer under duress. This proposed effort aims to implement and demonstrate a proof- of-concept system in which a correctional officer who is wearing a small transmitter can activate the device sending a distress signal to the Operations Center. The system localizes the endangered officer, thus allowing aid to be sent to his precise location. The high frequency, short wavelength thinking that dominates modern RF practice creates a substantial barrier to progress. Conventional RTLS vendors take wireless hardware optimized for high-data-rate communications applications and try to apply it to the challenging problem of indoor wireless location. This is true not only of UWB RTLS vendors, but also of RTLS vendors who leverage WiFi, or other 2.4GHz technologies. But communications and location are two different applications requiring fundamentally different solutions. The present opportunity defies the current paradigm of high-frequency, short-wavelength RTLS. We propose to apply Q-Track's innovative, low-frequency, long-wavelength Near-Field Electromagnetic Ranging (NFER) RTLS to the challenging problem of correctional officer location awareness. NFER RTLS uses long wavelength (~300m) low frequency (~1MHz) to obtain relative tracking accuracies of 30cm-1m at ranges of up to 70m at Part 15 power levels (~100mW). The proposed effort seeks to enhance the safety of corrections officers by assessing the feasibility of implementing a NFER-based Correctional Officer Distress Alarm (CODA) system within the challenging RF propagation environment of a typical correctional facilty. Q-Track's proposed CODA system effort begins with setting specifications in conjunction with corrections experts. Then we will assess noise and propagation within a typical correctional facility. These facilities are characterized by particularly dense reinforcement in their concrete walls, as well as periodic barred "mantraps" between sections of the building. These features make correctional facilities very difficult RF propagation environments. A preliminary survey indicates that Q-Track's low frequency, near-field approach offers considerable promise. We seek to conduct a much more comprehensive study. We further aim to implement a proof-of-concept system, deploy it within a correctional environment, and assess performance. We will generate surface plots of noise and signal characteristics, perform an error analysis including assessing the statistical distribution of location errors and generate a video showing the proof-of-concept system in action. Our objective is to demonstrate the ability of a NFER-based CODA system to allow help to be dispatched to the precise location of a correctional officer in distress. A successful system will mean enhanced security and safety for correctional officers, as well as reductions in "burnout" and turnover. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Q-Track aims to demonstrate the ability of a low-frequency, Near-Field Electromagnetic Ranging (NFER)- based Correctional Officer Distress Alarm (CODA) system to allow help to be dispatched to the precise location of a correctional officer in distress. A successful system will mean enhanced security and safety for correctional officers, as well as reductions in "burnout" and turnover.