Voice Alarm System

• US 20080048839A1
• Filed: 08/23/2006
• Published: 02/28/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Pearson, Charles T., Leach, Jonathan W.
• Granted Patent: US 7,719,407 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/286.05
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 3/10 using electric transmission; using electromagnetic transmission
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 7/06 using electric transmission , e.g. involving audible and visible signalling through the use of sound and light sources

Abstract

A voice alarm system, coupled to a fire monitoring system responds to received wireless signals. The signals can be emitted by a portable wireless control unit that can be carried or worn by first responders.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

an ambient condition monitoring system; and

a voice output system coupled to the monitoring system, the voice output system includes a wireless interface responsive to a received wireless communication at least a portion of which is to be emitted verbally by the output system.

2. A system as in claim 1 where the monitoring system comprises a fire monitoring system.

3. A system as in claim 2 where the voice output system includes a plurality of voice output transducers.

4. A system as in claim 3 which includes a wireless device that emits wireless communications that can include at least one of a designation of output transducers to emit at least one selected verbal message, or, a selected verbal message to be emitted.

5. A system as in claim 4 where the wireless device includes output transducer specification circuitry.

6. A system as in claim 5 where the output transducer specification circuitry includes at least one of manually operable, or audibly activated circuitry.

7. A system as in claim 4 where the designation of output transducers includes at least, all transducers, transducers in a region being evacuated, transducers in a region having active an active alert status, transducers in a region having an inactive status, or transducers local to the wireless device.

8. A system as in claim 4 where the wireless device includes a housing, a microphone, a plurality of manually operable control members and control circuits coupled thereto.

9. A system as in claim 8 where the wireless device includes a wireless transmitter coupled to the control circuits.

10. A system as in claim 8 where the fire monitoring system responsive to a designation of output transducers to activate, couples signals to the voice output system specifying these transducers to be activated.

11. A system as in claim 10 where the transducers to be activated include at least, one of all transducers, transducers in a region being evacuated, transducers in a region having active an active alert status, transducers in a region having an inactive status, or transducers local to the wireless device.

12. A system as in claim 7 where the device includes at least one of a keypad, or, speech recognition software.

13. A wireless interface to a voice alarm system comprising:

a plurality of wireless receivers that can communicate with a voice alarm system; and

at least one readable, paging device which includes a verbal output specification unit, and, an RF transmitter.

14. An interface as in claim 13 where the paging device includes an audio input transducer that receives voice signals to be transmitted.

15. An interface as in claim 13 where members of the plurality of receivers couple received voice to the voice alarm system.

16. An interface as in claim 13 where the output specification unit of the paging device includes a keypad.

17. An interface as in claim 16 where the keypad includes audio output specification elements and associated status indicators.

18. An interface as in claim 15 where the paging device includes a transceiver.

19. An interface as in claim 18 where the paging device presents status information from the voice alarm system.

20. An interface as in claim 19 where at least some of the members of the plurality include an RF transceiver.