Fire alarm system, fire sensor, fire receiver, and repeater

• US 20030058093A1
• Filed: 09/19/2002
• Published: 03/27/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hochiki Corporation
• Original Assignee: Hoichiki Corporation
• Inventors: Shima, Hiroshi, Yamano, Naoto, Dohi, Manabu, Matsuoka, Naoya, Nemoto, Masahiko
• Granted Patent: US 6,960,987 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/506
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 17/00 Fire alarms; Alarms responsive to explosion
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/018 Sensor coding by detecting magnitude of an electrical parameter, e.g. resistance
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/04 using a single signalling line, e.g. in a closed loop
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/14 Central alarm receiver or annunciator arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/145 of fire detection circuits

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a fire alarm system for connecting a plurality of fire sensors to sensor lines, and giving an alarm in response to fire information output from the fire sensor in a line unit. The fire alarm system includes a current modulation section and an address specification section. The current modulation section is used for maintaining a current flowing in the sensor line at a predetermined value for a predetermined time at the time of a fire, and modulating the current in accordance with the inherent address information of the fire sensor. The address specification section is used for sensing fire information by judging whether or not the current has been maintained at the predetermined value for the predetermined time, and also for specifying the inherent address of the fire sensor that issued the fire information, from the modulated state of the current.

Claims

1. A fire alarm system for connecting a plurality of fire sensors to sensor lines drawn from a fire receiver, and giving an alarm in response to a fire information signal output from the fire sensor in a line unit, said fire alarm system comprising:

current modulation means, provided in said fire sensors, for maintaining a current flowing in the sensor line at a predetermined value for a predetermined time at the time of a fire, and modulating said current in accordance with inherent address information of said fire sensor after said predetermined time; and

address specification means, provided in said fire receiver, for sensing fire information by judging whether or not said current has been maintained at said predetermined value for said predetermined time, and also for specifying the inherent address of the fire sensor that issued said fire information, from a modulated state of said current after said predetermined time.

2. Fire sensors which are employed in a fire alarm system for connecting a plurality of fire sensors to sensor lines drawn from a fire receiver, and giving an alarm in response to a fire information signal output from the fire sensor in a line unit, of said fire sensors comprising:

current modulation means, provided in said fire sensors, for maintaining a current flowing in the sensor line at a predetermined value for a predetermined time at the time of a fire, and modulating said current in accordance with inherent address information of said fire sensor after said predetermined time.

3. A fire receiver which is employed in a fire alarm system for connecting a plurality of fire sensors to sensor lines drawn from a fire receiver, and giving an alarm in response to a fire information signal output from the fire sensor in a line unit, said fire receiver comprising:

address specification means, provided in said fire receiver, for sensing fire information by judging whether or not said current has been maintained at said predetermined value for said predetermined time, and also for specifying the inherent address of the fire sensor that issued said fire information, from a modulated state of said current after said predetermined time.

4. A repeater which is employed in a fire alarm system for connecting a plurality of fire sensors to sensor lines drawn from a fire receiver, and giving an alarm in response to a fire information signal output from the fire sensor in a line unit, said repeater comprising:

current modulation means, provided in said fire sensors, for maintaining a current flowing in the sensor line at a predetermined value for a predetermined time at the time of a fire, and modulating said current in accordance with inherent address information of said fire sensor after said predetermined time.

5. A disaster prevention system comprising:

a plurality of transmitters, which each have a push-button switch, for causing an L-C line to be in a short-circuited state when said push-button switch is operated at the time of an abnormal situation;

a receiver for sensing the short-circuited state of said L-C line, also detecting abnormal-situation information within a warning area allocated to said L-C line, then causing answer current to flow in the transmitter in which said push-button switch was operated, via an A-C line to light a confirming light provided in said transmitter, and then informing an operator that a signal was received;

current modulation means, provided in said transmitters, for modulating said answer current in accordance with the inherent address information of said transmitter when said push-button switch is operated; and

address specification means, provided in said receiver, for sensing the short-circuited state of said L-C line, also detecting that an abnormal situation has occurred within said warning area allocated to said L-C line, and specifying the inherent address of the transmitter in which said push-button switch was operated, from the modulated state of said answer current.

6. A transmitter with a push-button switch for causing an L-C line to be in a short-circuited state when said push-button switch is operated at the time of an abnormal situation, said transmitter comprising:

current modulation means for modulating answer current in accordance with the inherent address information of said transmitter,

when, by a receiver constituting a disaster prevention system along with said transmitter, the short-circuited state of said L-C line is sensed, also abnormal-situation information is detected within a warning area allocated to said L-C line, then said answer current is caused to flow in the transmitter in which said push-button switch was operated, via an A-C line to light a confirming light provided in said transmitter, and then an operator is informed that a signal was received.

7. A receiver which constitutes a disaster prevention system along with a transmitter which has a push-button switch, also causes an L-C line to be in a short-circuited state when said push-button switch is operated at the time of an abnormal situation, also receives answer current from said receiver through an A-C line when said push-button switch is operated and lights a confirming light, and is also equipped with current modulation means for modulating said answer current in accordance with the inherent address information of said transmitter;

said receiver comprising;

address specification means for sensing the short-circuited state of said L-C line, also detecting that an abnormal situation has occurred within a warning area allocated to said L-C line, then causing answer current to flow in the transmitter in which said push-button switch was operated, via an A-C line to light a confirming light provided in said transmitter, then informing an operator that a signal was received, and specifying the inherent address of the transmitter from which abnormal-situation information was output, from the modulated state of said answer current.

8. A repeater which is provided between a transmitter, which has a push-button switch and causes an L-C line to be in a short-circuited state when said push-button switch is operated at the time of an abnormal situation, and a receiver constituting a disaster prevention system along with said transmitter;

said repeater comprising;

current modulation means for modulating answer current in accordance with address information of said transmitter,

when, by said receiver, the short-circuited state of said L-C line is sensed, also abnormal-situation information is detected within a warning area allocated to said L-C line, then said answer current is caused to flow in the transmitter in which said push-button switch was operated, via an A-C line to light a confirming light provided in said transmitter, and then an operator is informed that a signal was received.

9. The repeater as set forth in claim 8, wherein:

said transmitter comprises a plurality of transmitters; and

said address information is address information for group identification, allocated in common to said plurality of transmitters.

10. A data set support system that is applied to a fire alarm system which has a fire receiver that rewrites and maintains data corresponding to identification information allocated to a fire sensor and a transmitter and also corresponding to installation place information of said fire sensor and installation place information of said transmitter in order to support an operation of setting the corresponding data, said data set support system comprising:

holding means for holding said identification information and said installation place information in correlation with each other;

first generation means for generating a user'"'"'s interface to perform data addition and data update on said holding means;

second generation means for generating said corresponding data from data held in said holding means; and

transfer means for transferring said corresponding data generated by said second generation means to said fire receiver.

11. The data set support system as set forth in claim 10, wherein said transfer means transfers said corresponding data generated by said second generation means to said fire receiver through a telephone line.

12. A program for causing a computer to execute predetermined processing functions, said predetermined processing functions having functions for realizing:

holding means for holding said identification information and said installation place information in correlation with each other;

first generation means for generating a user'"'"'s interface to perform data addition and data update on said holding means;

second generation means for generating said corresponding data from data held in said holding means; and

transfer means for transferring said corresponding data generated by said second generation means to said fire receiver.

13. A recording medium storing the program as set forth in claim 12.

14. A fire receiver for rewriting and maintaining data which corresponds to identification information allocated to a fire sensor and a transmitter and also corresponds to installation place information of said fire sensor and installation place information of said transmitter, said fire receiver comprising:

open means for generating a HTML document and opening said HTML document to a network, said HTML document having

a display area for said identification information and said installation place information,

data input controls for inputting data to change said identification information and said installation place information, and

a transmission command button control for transmitting the data, input to said data input controls, to a predetermined destination;

reception means for receiving changed data transmitted from a terminal provided on said network, in response to a signal from said transmission command button control; and

update means for updating said identification information and said installation place information in accordance with the changed data received by said reception means.

15. A test device for a fire alarm system, comprising:

detection means for detecting a reception operation of a fire receiver when a fire sensor or transmitter issues test information;

generation means for generating a message which is transmitted to a portable terminal of a tester, based on information detected by said detection means; and

transmission means for transmitting said message to the portable terminal of the tester;

wherein said generation means generates a character message which includes an inherent address or installation area information of said fire sensor or transmitter.

18. The test device as set forth in any one of claims 15 through 17, further comprising:

means for storing said message and opening said stored message on a network.

16. A test device for a fire alarm system, comprising:

detection means for detecting a reception operation of a fire receiver when a fire sensor or transmitter issues test information;

generation means for generating a message which is transmitted to a portable terminal of a tester, based on information detected by said detection means; and

transmission means for transmitting said message to the portable terminal of the tester;

wherein said generation means generates a character message which includes an inherent address or installation area information of said fire sensor or transmitter;

and wherein said character message includes a significant character string corresponding to said inherent address or said installation area information.

17. The test device as set forth in claim 16, wherein said significant character string comprises a character string which specifies the installation place of said fire sensor or transmitter.