Portable system and method for continuously monitoring protective clothing for detecting and signaling the occurrence of a breach therein

Claim 1

A portable system for continuously monitoring a protective garment for detecting and signalling the occurrence of a breach in such protective garment comprising: A) a portable unit which is releasably mounted on a person wearing a protective garment to be monitored, and which includes (1) a housing, (2) a power source, (3) an alarm device, (4) a circuit for connecting said alarm device to said power source and which includes (a) an amplifier connected to said power source, (b) a relay connected to said power source, and (c) a sensitivity adjusting element connected to said power source; B) normally open switch means for causing said circuit to actuate said alarm device when closed, said switch means being closed when the person's skin contacts some portion of a workpiece on which that person is working, said switch means including (1) a first electrical contact element in electrically conducting contact with the person wearing the protective garment being monitored, (2) a second electrical contact element in electrically conducting contact with the workpiece, (3) a first electrical wire connecting said first electrical contact element with one side of said circuit, said first electrical wire being fully electrically insulated between said first electrical contact element and said circuit, (4) a second electrical wire connecting said second electrical contact element with another side of said circuit, said second electrical wire being fully electrically insulated between said second electrical contact element and said circuit, said protective garment being electrically insulating and being electrically interposed between said first electrical contact element and said electrically conductive workpiece and preventing formation of an electrically conductive path between said workpiece and said first electrical contact element when said protective garment is imperforate and permitting formation of an electrically conductive path between said workpiece and said first electrical contact element via any perforation in said protective garment, the formation of said electrically conductive path closing said normally open switch and applying power from said power source to said alarm device to activate said alarm device, and said sensitivity-adjusting element being set so that any perforation in said protective garment will cause said electrically conductive path to be formed so that the integrity of said protective garment is monitored at all times during any work procedure.