Fire alarm spreading system and method

• US 20060061478A1
• Filed: 01/06/2005
• Published: 03/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kim, Jung-Hoon
• Granted Patent: US 7,283,057 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/628
• 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 25/10 using wireless transmission systems G08B25/009 takes precedence

Abstract

A fire alarm spreading system includes a robot cleaner for generating fire alarm data when smoke is detected while patrolling a specific area and transmitting the fire alarm data; and a wireless communication base station for receiving the fire alarm data transmitted from the robot cleaner and transmitting the received fire alarm data to a pre-set fire center. When a fire breaks out in a specific space (e.g., in a house), the mobile robot such as the robot cleaner detects the fire (smoke) and generates a fire alarm tone. Thus, the fire can be quickly detected and people can evacuate from the fire-generated area, reducing casualty.

Claims

1. A fire alarm spreading system comprising:

a robot cleaner for generating fire alarm data when smoke is detected while patrolling a specific area and transmitting the fire alarm data; and

a wireless communication base station for receiving the fire alarm data transmitted from the robot cleaner and transmitting the received fire alarm data to a pre-set fire center.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the fire alarm data includes address information of a place where the robot cleaner is installed.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the robot cleaner comprises:

a smoke detector for generating a smoke detect signal when smoke is detected while the robot cleaner is patrolling a dangerous area including the cleaning area;

a microcomputer for generating fire alarm data for spreading a fire alarm when the smoke detect signal is received from the smoke detector and generating a first control signal for generating a fire alarm tone and a second control signal for photographing a peripheral area of the smoke detector;

a fire alarm tone generator for generating an alarm tone according to the first control signal;

a camera for photographing the peripheral area according to the second control signal and outputting an image signal of the photographed peripheral area; and

a wireless communicating unit for transmitting the fire alarm data to the fire center through a wireless communication base station.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the wireless communicating unit converts the fire alarm data into a mobile communication protocol and transmits the converted mobile communication protocol to the wireless communication base station.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the microcomputer includes a storing unit for previously storing a phone number for transmitting the fire alarm data.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein the robot cleaner further comprises:

a temperature sensor for sensing an ambient temperature while rotating under the control of the microcomputer when smoke is detected.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein when the smoke detect signal is received, the microcomputer detects an ambient temperature in each direction through the temperature sensor while rotating the robot cleaner, and if a temperature value detected in a specific direction, among detected temperature values, is greater than a reference temperature value, the microcomputer recognizes the specific direction as a fire-generated area and outputs a control signal for photographing the recognized fire-generated area to the camera.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the camera photographs the fire-generated area according to the control signal of the microcomputer and then outputs an image signal of the photographed fire-generated area to the microcomputer.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the microcomputer outputs the image signal of the fire-generated area to the wireless communicating unit and the wireless communicating unit transmits the image signal of the fire-generated area to the fire center through the wireless communication base station.

10. The system of claim 3, wherein the wireless communicating unit is an RF (Radio Frequency) transmitter.

11. The system of claim 3, wherein the wireless communicating unit is a wireless LAN.

12. The system of claim 3, wherein the wireless communicating unit is a Bluetooth module.

13. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a communicating server for transmitting the fire alarm data to the fire center through an Internet network.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the communicating server is installed at a charging station for charging power of the robot cleaner and receives power from the charging station.

15. A fire alarm spreading system comprising:

a smoke detector installed at a robot cleaner for cleaning a pre-set cleaning area and generating a smoke detect signal when smoke is detected while patrolling a pre-set specific area;

a microcomputer installed at the robot cleaner, generating fire alarm data for spreading fire alarm when the smoke detect signal is received from the smoke detector, generating a first control signal for generating a fire alarm tone, and generating a second control signal for photographing the peripheral area;

a fire alarm tone generator installed at the robot cleaner and generating an alarm tone according to the first control signal;

a camera installed at the robot cleaner, photographing the peripheral area according to the second control signal and outputting an image signal of the photographed peripheral area;

a wireless communicating unit installed at the robot cleaner and transmitting the fire alarm data; and

a wireless communication base station for receiving the fire alarm data transmitted fro the wireless communicating unit of the robot cleaner and transmitting the received fire alarm data to a pre-set fire center.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the robot cleaner further comprises:

a temperature sensor for sensing an ambient temperature while rotating under the control of the microcomputer when smoke is detected.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein when the smoke detect signal is received, the microcomputer detects an ambient temperature in each direction through the temperature sensor while rotating the robot cleaner, and if a temperature value detected in a specific direction, among detected temperature values, is greater than a reference temperature value, the microcomputer recognizes the specific direction as a fire-generated area and outputs a control signal for photographing the recognized fire-generated area to the camera,

the camera photographs the fire-generated area according to the control signal of the microcomputer and then outputs an image signal of the photographed fire-generated area to the microcomputer, and the microcomputer transmits the image signal of the fire-generated area to the fire center through the wireless communicating unit and the wireless communication base station.

18. A fire alarm spreading method comprising:

detecting smoke through a smoke detector of a robot cleaner in a specific area;

generating a fire alarm tone when smoke is detected;

generating fire alarm data when smoke is detected, and transmitting the fire alarm data to a fire center through a wireless communication network;

sensing an ambient temperature through a temperature sensor of the robot cleaner and recognizing a fire-generated area based on the sensed temperature value and a reference temperature value;

photographing the recognized fire-generated area through a camera of the robot cleaner; and

transmitting an image signal of the photographed fire-generated area to the fire center through the wireless communication network on a real time basis.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

previously storing a phone number of the fire center.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the fire alarm data includes address information of a place where the robot cleaner is installed.