Proxsystec Information

Introduction

Our Proxsys Protect system arrives at a time when OH&S rules and regulations are becoming increasingly stringent, and when the legal consequences of industrial accidents are greater and include punitive fines and possible jail time—whilst the liability for those accidents now reaches far higher in the management chain. This can be seen in the Industrial Manslaughter laws in Queensland and Victoria, where responsibility extends up to board level.

System capabilities

• Person to Vehicle/Vehicle to Person warning system and reporting
• Close contact Person to Person reporting (vibration warning if required)
• Doorway entrance advanced vehicle entry/exit warning
• Electronic area fencing
• Asset location management and tracking (indoors/outdoors; in development)

Person to Vehicle/Vehicle to Person warning system and reporting

Proxsys Protect is an extremely accurate system designed to warn workers when there is a danger of moving vehicles colliding with pedestrian workers. Proxsystec provides industry with a highly accurate and low cost insurance policy helping to avoid possible injury or death via pedestrian/vehicle collision.

Proximity Warning systems have been available for a number of years—but the uptake by industry has been limited, due to the technology these systems are based on not being terribly accurate thereby causing frequent false alarms and worse, not responding to genuine dangerous situations. Proxsystec uses cutting edge technology and our own patented algorithms to provide the market with an advanced and reliable safety system.

Each vehicle unit and pedestrian unit has their own individual electronic ID. All units regularly upload details of close contacts into an accessible reporting system. This can be Person to Forklift or Person to Person. Encryption technology is used to safeguard user privacy and to ensure that your organizational data remains within your organization.

The main attributes that differentiate our system from others on the market are:

• The system's ranging is extremely accurate and responsive ( +/- 10cm over a range of 30m)
• The pedestrian unit is in itself is a stand alone proximity warning system that can have its own unique ranging settings, not just settings dictated by the forklift system. An example of this is a warning range set at 10m on the vehicle unit, but 15m on the personal unit. This gives the pedestrian an earlier situational awareness that there is a vehicle in the area, and allows them to take appropriate safety steps even before the vehicle operator gets a warning signal. Correct setup of this feature reduces driver distraction while improving efficiency in moving your vehicles through the warehouse.
• Velocity sensitive warnings—the system uses a unique predictive algorithm, based on advanced signal processing, to make sure that when the distance between vehicle and person is closing, the warning can be given earlier. Depending on configuration, the warning can be avoided altogether if the vehicle is moving away from the person.
• The vehicle is fitted with a VDU screen that provides a two dimensional display that shows the operator in which direction from the vehicle any possible danger is positioned. It can show multiple contacts within the ranging zones simultaneously.
• Direction sensitive warnings—the system uses a unique location algorithm, not only to display the 2D field and track multiple targets from the forklift interface, but also to ensure that persons beside the vehicle are less prone to trigger false alarms as compared with persons in front of/behind the vehicle (and depending on velocity).
• Each pedestrian unit has an VDU interface where data including the measured distance and velocity, the range threshold settings, and various other settings can be checked—and changed by an authorised person (any setting can be locked).
• Pedestrian units have a number of function choices that can easily be selected to suit situational requirements. Units can be reconfigured or upgraded automatically, with updated settings being distributed from vehicle units to personal units as required.
• The system has a person to person alarm system available that warns when social distancing is a requirement. This capability is dormant within the system and can be activated if and when it is needed.

Tracking and reporting features

• Each pedestrian and forklift unit has a unique electronic ID which keeps a record of interaction between vehicle and workers, as well as worker to worker. This information is regularly uploaded into a cloud reporting system that can show any breaches of safety, and support any need for further safety training. It also acts as a record of ‘good safety behavior’ validating good safety records for insurance companies and WorkSafe.
• Each company has the added choice of reports on person to person contacts where required. This feature can be used to identify primary and secondary contacts within the workplace, should a worker unknowingly be spreading a virus.
• The Proxsys Protect multi-charger provides a cost- and space-effective solution for wireless charging of many personal units, and can also extract the tracking data from the personal units while charging.
• Vehicle units also automatically extract the tracking data from personal units, and can store and forward this to the cloud when the cloud connection is available.
• The cloud connection uses a standard 2.4 GHz WiFi access point, which must be installed near the necessary areas (e.g. staff room where charging takes place, or parking bay where forklifts are kept overnight).

Doorway entrance advanced vehicle entry/exit warning

The doorway entrance system provides failsafe warnings when vehicles are entering or exiting warehouses.

• No need to rely on the vehicle driver to sound a warning with a Proxsys Door Warning Unit fitted at each doorway. These units consist of an audible (horn) and visual (flashing light) warning which enables workers to quickly identify where vehicles are about to transit through doorways.
• The system provides a first warning when the vehicle is approaching the doorway. The range required for this warning can be set to suit different requirements.
• The system can identify and record the driver and velocity of a vehicle, which can be used for safety reports or to support additional safety training where indicated.

Electronic area fencing

Proxsystec provides workplaces with the ability to electronically fence off an area. This can be used to warn people from entering an area, or warn them that they are leaving an area.

• The system can be portable and arranged to quickly be set up around a danger area or a keep clear area where vehicles or workers must keep their distance, e.g. to protect a parked aircraft from vehicles getting too close.
• The system can be fixed permanently in position to warn people or vehicles that they must not leave or enter an area. This would include a warning of lower ceiling areas where oversized forklift vehicles would collide with a lower roof-line. Another example would be warning people that they are entering a prohibited area such as a bond store.
• These warnings can be applied selectively, so that only people who are not cleared to enter the area receive the warning. Records of who moves through an area can be accessed.

Asset location management (indoors/outdoors)

Each unit can optionally be fitted with a Global Positioning System (GPS) and an Inertial Motion Unit (IMU), to allow for tracking in outdoor environments.

• Tracking data is sent to the cloud when a cloud connection is available.
• The cloud connection uses a standard 2.4 GHz WiFi access point, which must be installed near the necessary areas (e.g. parking bay where forklifts are kept overnight).

Market Entry

Our product is Australian made and is supported by a national sales and service network.

We are making added safety affordable for all levels of business by providing flexible packaged levels of entry. By installing an accurate and versatile safety system employers can add additional protective measures for their employees while demonstrating their commitment to safety in the workplace to their customers as well as authorities such as Work Safe and their insurance providers.

Package levels that we currently offer include:

• Full Package Level - Pedestrian unit provides all functions including tracking and reporting. The forklift has four RF nodes which provide the VDU with a 360 degrees two dimensional picture indicating where contacts in the warning and danger zones are detected. Full reporting and tracking is available.
• Standard Level - Pedestrian unit provides all normal warning and ranging functions but no tracking or reporting available. The forklift has four RF nodes which provide the VDU with a 360 degrees two dimensional picture of the direction in which the contact is detected. This provides the operator with an instantaneous understanding of the situation.No reporting or tracking is available.
• Entry Level - Pedestrian unit provides all normal warning and ranging functions but no tracking or reporting capabilities. The forklift unit has three RF nodes and a VDU flashing warning lights, orange for warning zones and red for danger zones. This unit does not indicate in which direction the danger is coming from. No tracking or reporting capability is provided.