Supervision and control method for preventing poor air quality and fire as well as issuing an alarm of a dangerous condition

• US 10,347,112 B2
• Filed: 07/06/2016
• Issued: 07/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Innohome Oy
• Original Assignee: Innohome Oy
• Inventors: Myllymaki, Matti
• Primary Examiner(s): Casillashernandez, Omar
• Application Number:
  US15/202,741
• Publication Number:
  US 20170084156A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,098 Days
• Field of Search: 340584
• CPC Class Codes: A62C 3/00 Fire prevention, containment or extinguishing specially adapted for particular objects or places in oil wells E21B29/08, A62C35/00; in mines or tunnels E21F5/00 ; for nuclear reactors G21C9/04
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0428 Safety, monitoring G05B19/0423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 17/10 Actuation by presence of smoke or gases , e.g. automatic alarm devices for analysing flowing fluid materials by the use of optical means
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/14 Toxic gas alarms G08B21/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/182 Level alarms, e.g. alarms responsive to variables exceeding a threshold
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 30/70 Efficient control or regulation technologies, e.g. for control of refrigerant flow, motor or heating

Abstract

A supervision and control method for preventing poor air quality and fire uses an indicator unit mounted to the ceiling or on a wall and provided with an air quality sensor, and one or more control and supervision units as additional devices or as integrated or programmatic characteristics connected to home appliances or electrical devices. The air quality information measured by the air quality sensor is sent from the indicator unit to the control and supervision unit, which monitors, ventilates, and controls the operation and/or energy supply of home appliances or electrical devices on the basis of air quality information. The effect of control on air quality is monitored by the air quality sensor and an alarm is issued and/or the supply of electricity to predetermined home appliances and/or electrical devices is cut off if, regardless of control, a preset alarm limit is exceeded, when the presence of a user is not detected.

Claims

1. A supervision and control method for preventing poor air quality and fire as well as issuing an alarm regarding a dangerous situation, the method comprising:

using an indicator unit mounted to a ceiling or on a wall and provided with an air quality sensor and one or more integrated steerable infrared (IR) remote thermometers steerable to home appliances or electrical devices, and one or more control and supervision units, as an additional device or as an integrated or programmatic characteristic, connected to the home appliances or the electrical devices to analyze those home appliances or electrical devices to detect a home appliance or electrical device that is deteriorating air quality or creating a danger;

sending air quality information measured by the air quality sensor from the indicator unit to at least one of the one or more control and supervision units;

monitoring the presence of the user and controlling ventilation on the basis of air quality information;

controlling the operation and/or energy supply of the home appliances or the electrical devices, based on the combination of temperature information and air quality information from the indicator unit; and

intensifying ventilation and/or cutting off electricity to the electrical device or the home appliance if an alarm limit of a dangerous situation is exceeded based on the air quality information or the temperature information from the indicator unit,

wherein the indicator unit also acts as a fire warning device, wherein a fire alarm is issued if the formation of smoke particles or other harmful gases does not decrease, even though the home appliances are turned off and a preliminary alarm is given to the user, and issuance of at least one of the alarms is delayed if the presence of a user is detected.

2. The method according to claim 1, which uses a motion detector in the indicator unit or an activity bracelet worn by a user to detect the presence of a user, wherein the presence of the user is detected by the usage information of the home appliances or the electrical devices and/or the motion detector and/or the activity bracelet.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein control of the home appliances and the electrical devices by the indicator unit and at least one of the one or more control and supervision units together, using the detected information, is implemented in stages taking into consideration the home appliances or the electrical devices in use and that the effect of control on air quality is monitored by the air quality sensor and an alarm is issued and/or the electricity supply is cut off to predefined home appliances and/or electrical devices if, regardless of control, the deterioration of air quality continues or air quality exceeds a preset alarm limit, when the presence of a user is not detected.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein cutting off electricity to the electrical device or the home appliance is by a controller triggering the fault current protection connected to their electricity supply, the controller measuring the on/off state or usage of the home appliances or the electrical devices together with the indicator unit and triggering the fault current protection in a dangerous situation.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the indicator unit and the control and supervision unit communicate bi-directionally with each other and the control and supervision unit sends to the indicator unit the usage information of the home appliances and the electrical devices.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the usage information includes the on/off state information of the home appliance or electrical device and information regarding the amount of power input.

7. A supervision and control method for preventing poor air quality and fire as well as issuing an alarm regarding a dangerous situation, the method comprising:

using an indicator unit mounted to a ceiling or on a wall and provided with an air quality sensor and one or more integrated steerable infrared (IR) remote thermometers steerable to home appliances or electrical devices, and one or more control and supervision units, as an additional device or as an integrated or programmatic characteristic, connected to the home appliances or the electrical devices to analyze those home appliances or electrical devices to detect a home appliance or electrical device that is deteriorating air quality or creating a danger;

sending air quality information measured by the air quality sensor from the indicator unit to at least one of the one or more control and supervision units;

monitoring the presence of the user and controlling ventilation on the basis of air quality information;

controlling the operation and/or energy supply of the home appliances or the electrical devices, based on the combination of temperature information and air quality information from the indicator unit; and

intensifying ventilation and/or cutting off electricity to the electrical device or the home appliance if an alarm limit of a dangerous situation is exceeded based on the air quality information or the temperature information from the indicator unit,

wherein the indicator unit is installed to an attachment base that increases its distance from the ceiling or wall or the structure of the indicator unit is such that it increases the distance of the sensors of the indicator unit from the ceiling or wall such that slight impurities of the air in small concentrations do not travel to the sensors.

8. The method according to claim 7, which uses a motion detector in the indicator unit or an activity bracelet worn by a user to detect the presence of a user, wherein the presence of the user is detected by the usage information of the home appliances or the electrical devices and/or the motion detector and/or the activity bracelet.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein control of the home appliances and the electrical devices by the indicator unit and at least one of the one or more control and supervision units together, using the detected information, is implemented in stages taking into consideration the home appliances or the electrical devices in use and that the effect of control on air quality is monitored by the air quality sensor and an alarm is issued and/or the electricity supply is cut off to predefined home appliances and/or electrical devices if, regardless of control, the deterioration of air quality continues or air quality exceeds a preset alarm limit, when the presence of a user is not detected.

10. The method according to claim 7, wherein cutting off electricity to the electrical device or the home appliance is by a controller triggering the fault current protection connected to their electricity supply, the controller measuring the on/off state or usage of the home appliances or the electrical devices together with the indicator unit and triggering the fault current protection in a dangerous situation.

11. The method according to claim 7, wherein the indicator unit and the control and supervision unit communicate bi-directionally with each other and the control and supervision unit sends to the indicator unit the usage information of the home appliances and the electrical devices.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the usage information includes the on/off state information of the home appliance or electrical device and information regarding the amount of power input.

13. A supervision and control method for preventing poor air quality and fire as well as issuing an alarm regarding a dangerous situation, the method comprising:

using an indicator unit mounted to a ceiling or on a wall and provided with an air quality sensor and one or more integrated steerable infrared (IR) remote thermometers steerable to home appliances or electrical devices, and one or more control and supervision units, as an additional device or as an integrated or programmatic characteristic, connected to the home appliances or the electrical devices to analyze those home appliances or electrical devices to detect a home appliance or electrical device that is deteriorating air quality or creating a danger;

sending air quality information measured by the air quality sensor from the indicator unit to at least one of the one or more control and supervision units;

monitoring the presence of the user and controlling ventilation on the basis of air quality information;

controlling the operation and/or energy supply of the home appliances or the electrical devices, based on the combination of temperature information and air quality information from the indicator unit; and

intensifying ventilation and/or cutting off electricity to the electrical device or the home appliance if an alarm limit of a dangerous situation is exceeded based on the air quality information or the temperature information from the indicator unit,

wherein control of a stove utilizes information regarding smoking temperature of oil and adjusts an alarm limit on the basis of this information.

14. The method according to claim 13, which uses a motion detector in the indicator unit or an activity bracelet worn by a user to detect the presence of a user, wherein the presence of the user is detected by the usage information of the home appliances or the electrical devices and/or the motion detector and/or the activity bracelet.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein control of the home appliances and the electrical devices by the indicator unit and at least one of the one or more control and supervision units together, using the detected information, is implemented in stages taking into consideration the home appliances or the electrical devices in use and that the effect of control on air quality is monitored by the air quality sensor and an alarm is issued and/or the electricity supply is cut off to predefined home appliances and/or electrical devices if, regardless of control, the deterioration of air quality continues or air quality exceeds a preset alarm limit, when the presence of a user is not detected.

16. The method according to claim 13, wherein cutting off electricity to the electrical device or the home appliance is by a controller triggering the fault current protection connected to their electricity supply, the controller measuring the on/off state or usage of the home appliances or the electrical devices together with the indicator unit and triggering the fault current protection in a dangerous situation.

17. The method according to claim 13, wherein the indicator unit and the control and supervision unit communicate bi-directionally with each other and the control and supervision unit sends to the indicator unit the usage information of the home appliances and the electrical devices.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the usage information includes the on/off state information of the home appliance or electrical device and information regarding the amount of power input.