CO END OF LIFE TIMING CIRCUIT

• US 20090154299A1
• Filed: 12/14/2007
• Published: 06/18/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ademco Inc. (Resideo Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: White, Theodore A., Solhjoo, Azadeh
• Granted Patent: US 7,817,499 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 368/108
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 3/00 Registering or indicating the condition or the working of machines or other apparatus, other than vehicles

Abstract

A system for indicating an end of a life cycle time period for a device which may include a sensor device or detector for measuring an environmental condition. A control device communicates with the device and includes a programmable timing mechanism for measuring a life cycle time period. The control device initiates an end of life cycle indicator such as a fault message after the life cycle time period has elapsed. The life cycle time period may be measured from a date of manufacture of the device. The life cycle time period may also be measured from a date of installation of the device when the date of manufacture of the sensor device is unknown. In the case of sensor devices or detectors an environmental condition for measuring by the detector may include carbon monoxide levels in an enclosed area where the device is a respective carbon monoxide detector.

Claims

1. A method for indicating the end of a life cycle of a device, comprising:

installing a device communicating with a control device;

instructing a user to enter a specified date;

entering the specified date in a programmable timing mechanism of the control device;

calculating a life cycle time period beginning from the specified date; and

initiating an end of life cycle indicator after the life cycle time period has elapsed.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the specified date is a date of manufacture of the device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the specified date is a date of installation of the device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the specified date is a date of manufacture of the device and when the date of manufacture is not entered, the programmable timing mechanism defaults to entering a date of installation.

5. The method of claim 1, further including:

programming the programmable timing mechanism for calculating the life cycle time period.

6. The method of claim 2, further including:

programming the programmable timing mechanism to calculate the life cycle time period beginning from the date of manufacture of the device;

automatically inputting a date of installation of the device into the programmable timing mechanism when the date of manufacture is not entered; and

calculating the life cycle time period beginning from the date of installation of the device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the device is a sensor device, and further including:

measuring an environmental condition using the sensor device.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the specified entered date is a date of manufacture of the remote device or when the date of manufacture is not entered, the computer program defaults to entering a date of installation.

8. A control device, comprising:

a control device communicating with at least one remote device, and the control device including a programmable timing mechanism including a computer program embodied in a computer readable medium readable by a computer, and the programmable timing mechanism measuring a life cycle time period of the remote device and initiating an end of life cycle indicator after the life cycle time period has elapsed; and

a date of manufacture of the remote device entered into the computer program for calculating the life cycle time period measured from the date of manufacture or being measured from a date of installation of the remote device automatically entered by the computer program when the date of manufacture is not entered.

9. The control device of claim 8, wherein the remote device is at least one sensor device.

10. The control device of claim 8, wherein the life cycle indicator is included in the control device, and further including:

a plurality of remote sensing devices; and

a plurality of environmental conditions measured by the plurality of remote sensor devices, respectively, and each remote sensor device having a specified life cycle time period, and the sensor devices initiate a respective environmental condition indicator included in the control device which relates to each environmental condition.

11. A system for indicating the end of a life cycle of a device, comprising:

a control device;

a remote device communicating with the control device; and

a programmable timing mechanism includes a computer program embodied in a computer readable medium readable by a computer included in the control device for measuring a life cycle time period of the remote device from a specified entered date, and the programmable timing mechanism initiating an end of life cycle indicator when the life cycle time period has elapsed.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the remote device is a sensor device.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the remote device is a sensor device for measuring an environmental condition.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the specified entered date is a date of manufacture of the remote device.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the specified entered date is a date of installation of the remote device.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the remote device is a carbon monoxide detector for measuring carbon monoxide levels in an enclosed area.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein a plurality of environmental conditions are measured by a respective plurality of sensor devices each having a specified life cycle time period, and the sensor devices initiate a respective environmental condition indicator relating to each environmental condition.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the plurality of environmental conditions include carbon monoxide levels, smoke levels, and heat levels in an enclosed area, and the plurality of sensor devices include a carbon monoxide detector, a smoke detector, and a heat detector, respectively.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein at least one sensor device is electrically connected to the control device, and at least one sensor device communicates wirelessly with the control device.