Master slave wireless fire alarm and mass notification system

• US 10,470,127 B2
• Filed: 12/18/2017
• Issued: 11/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Johnson Controls Fire Protection LP (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Original Assignee: Johnson Controls Fire Protection LP (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Inventors: Chiarizio, Martin A., Feltham, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): McNally, Kerri L
• Application Number:
  US15/845,035
• Publication Number:
  US 20180108247A1
• Time in Patent Office: 687 Days
• Field of Search: 34053917
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 17/00 Fire alarms; Alarms responsive to explosion
• 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 25/007 Details of data content structure of message packets; data protocols
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/009 Signalling of the alarm condition to a substation whose identity is signalled to a central station, e.g. relaying alarm signals in order to extend communication range
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/10 using wireless transmission systems G08B25/009 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 27/00 Alarm systems in which the alarm condition is signalled from a central station to a plurality of substations
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 27/008 with transmission via TV or radio broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/713 using frequency hopping
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0216 using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0238 where the received signal is an unwanted signal, e.g. interference or idle signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/0055 determining timing error of reception due to propagation delay
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A wireless fire alarm notification system uses wireless repeater devices to annunciate an alarm to slave devices from the control panel. A notification device provides a local synchronization signal via wire to a secondary notification device. A method enables the activation or deactivation of child device without the child device having to query their parent repeater. A circuit to test the integrity of an active battery charger, a battery, and an isolation circuit is also shown. A method for qualifying that an RF signal meets a specified minimum acceptable level is described. A method for wirelessly sending events to avoid RF link overload is provided. A programming checksum method confirms that an annunciator has latest programming information. A method to automatically process messages from new devices without having to hardcode repeaters to support these new devices is also described.

Claims

1. A notification system, comprising:

a control panel that generates wireless radio frequency alarm signals;

a master notification device for generating an alarm notification in response to the alarm signals from the control panel and generating at least one synchronization signal onto a wired connection; and

a slave notification device for receiving the synchronization signal via the wired connection and the wireless alarm signals via a slave transceiver and generating an alarm notification in response to receiving both the wireless alarm signals from the control panel via the slave transceiver and the synchronization signal via the wired connection.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the notification devices validate the wired connection between the devices using the synchronization signal.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the master notification device generates the synchronization signal based on a synchronization signal received via a wired connection or a wireless link.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the synchronization signal is used as a drive signal to an alarm notification component.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the slave notification device is a horn or a strobe.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the master notification device forms a local synchronized loop with multiple synchronized slave notification devices.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the slave notification device comprises a sync-input for receiving a wire forming the wired connection and a one or more sync-outputs and the master notification device comprises a sync-output connected to the sync-input of the slave notification device via the wire to thereby form the wired connection.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the master notification device includes an RF module for receiving the alarm signals from the control panel.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the master notification device generates the synchronization signal based on a synchronization signal received via a wired connection at a sync-input or a wireless link via the RF module.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising multiple daisy-chained slave notification devices.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the master notification device further generates a heartbeat signal onto the wired connection to verify that the wire connection between the master notification device and the slave notification device is not broken, wherein if the slave notification device does not receive the heartbeat signal for a predetermined time period, then the slave notification device reports trouble to the control panel.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein if the master notification device receives a heartbeat signal from another notification device, the master notification device sends a fault to the control panel reporting that two devices or more have been configured as master notification devices.

11. A notification method, comprising:

a control panel generating wireless radio frequency alarm signals;

one or more master notification devices generating alarm notifications in response to the alarm signals from the control panel and generating synchronization signals on wired connection; and

slave notification devices receiving the synchronization signals via the wired connections and the wireless alarm signals via slave transceivers and generating alarm notifications in response to receiving both the wireless alarm signals via the slave transceivers from the control panel and the synchronization signals from the master notification devices via the wired connections.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising the notification devices validating the wired connections between the devices using the synchronization signals.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising the one or more master notification devices generating the synchronization signals based on a synchronization signal received via a wired connection or a wireless link.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the slave notification device is a horn or a strobe.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising the one or more master notification devices forming local synchronized loops, each with multiple synchronized slave notification devices.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising the one or more master notification devices receiving the alarm signals via wireless links from the control panel.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising the one or more master notification devices generating the synchronization signals based on synchronization signals received via a wired connection at a sync-input or a wireless link via the RF module.

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising multiple daisy-chained slave notification devices.

21. The method of claim 11, further comprising the master notification devices generating heartbeat signals onto the wired connections to verify that the wire connections between the master notification devices and the slave notification devices are not broken, wherein if the slave notification devices do not receive the heartbeat signals for a predetermined time period, then the slave notification devices report trouble to the control panel.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein if the master notification devices receive heartbeat signals from another notification devices, the master notification devices send a fault to the control panel reporting that two devices or more have been configured as master notification devices.