SIGNAL AND DEVICES FOR WIRED NETWORKS

• US 20110019748A1
• Filed: 02/11/2009
• Published: 01/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apollo Fire Detectors Limited (Halma PLC)
• Original Assignee: Apollo Fire Detectors Limited (Halma PLC)
• Inventors: Burns, Danny, Farmer, Steve
• Granted Patent: US 8,428,153 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 375/242
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 17/00 Fire alarms; Alarms responsive to explosion
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/04 using a single signalling line, e.g. in a closed loop
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 3/10 using electric transmission; using electromagnetic transmission
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 7/066 guiding along a path, e.g. evacuation path lighting strip
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 14/02 characterised by the use of pulse modulation in radio transmission relays H04B7/17
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5458 Monitor sensor; Alarm systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/547 via DC power distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/54 Systems for transmission via power distribution lines
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 27/00 Public address systems circuits for preventing acoustic reaction H04R3/02; circuits for distributing signals to loudspeakers H04R3/12; monitoring or testing arrangements for public address systems H04R29/007; amplifiers H03F

Abstract

A signal for use on a wired network interconnecting electronic devices, comprising: a base voltage for conveying power to the electronic devices; a pulsed voltage signal bearing coded information for transfer between the electronic devices; and a digital signal superimposed onto selected portions of the pulsed voltage signal, wherein the digital signal comprises a carrier signal modulated by a data signal for transfer between the electronic devices. This is used in fire alarm networks, for example, to convey multimedia or other data such as control signals, whilst maintaining compatibility with existing protocols using the pulsed voltage signal.

Claims

1-73. -73. (canceled)

74. A signal for use on a wired network interconnecting electronic devices, comprising:

a base voltage for conveying power to the electronic devices;

a pulsed voltage signal bearing coded information for transfer between the electronic devices; and

a digital signal superimposed onto selected portions of the pulsed voltage signal, wherein the digital signal comprises a carrier signal with a frequency substantially greater than that of the pulsed voltage signal, the carrier signal being modulated by a data signal for transfer of the data signal between the electronic devices.

75. A signal according to claim 74, wherein the carrier signal has a frequency in the range 100 kHz to 10 MHz.

76. A signal according to claim 74, wherein the data rate of the data signal is in the range of 100 to 1000 Kb/s.

77. A signal according to claim 74, wherein the pulse widths of the pulsed voltage signal are in the range of 100 μ

s to 4 ms.

78. A signal according to claim 74, wherein the coded information in the pulsed voltage signal comprises an address of one of the electronic devices or of a group of the electronic devices and data for that device or for that group of devices.

79. A signal according to claim 74, wherein the data signal of the digital signal comprises audio content.

80. A computer-readable medium storing a computer program which, when loaded in an electronic device, causes that device to generate or to process a signal according to claim 74 that is transmitted from or received by that device.

81. A wired network interconnecting electronic devices, wherein the electronic devices are configured to transmit and/or receive a signal according to claim 74.

84. A sounder or loudspeaker device configured for communication over a wired network and comprising a transducer arranged to generate an audio output from audio content, the device being configured to receive a signal according to claim 79, to obtain the audio content of its data signal and to transmit the audio content to the transducer, so as to output the audio content to the transducer upon receipt of it from the signal and thereby to generate the audio output in real time.

85. A voice communications terminal configured for communication over a wired network and configured to output a signal according to claim 79, the terminal comprising voice input means and an analog-to-digital converter arranged to digitize electronic signals from the voice input means and to transmit the digitized voice signals in the said signal as part of the said data signal.

86. A wired network according to claim 81, including a network control device having an interface arranged to transmit the said signal containing the data signal on the network to the electronic devices on the network, the network consisting of a databus in which each electronic device is uniquely addressable digitally, wherein the databus has a first termination and a second termination connected respectively to the network control device at a first interface and a second interface to form a loop, and wherein the network control device is arranged to transmit the said signal from the first interface, to monitor the said signal received at the second interface, and to transmit the said signal from the second interface if it detects that the said signal has not been received at the second interface from the first interface.

87. A method of operating a network according to claim 86, comprising receiving a voice input at the network control device to produce a voice data signal as the data signal of the said signal, transmitting the voice data signal within the said signal to sounder and/or loudspeaker devices on the network, and outputting the voice data signal to transducers of the respective devices.

82. An electronic device configured for communication with other such electronic devices over a wired network, the electronic device comprising means for generating and/or for processing a signal, and means for drawing power from that signal, the signal comprising:

a base voltage for conveying power to the electronic devices;

a pulsed voltage signal bearing coded information for transfer between the electronic devices; and

a digital signal superimposed onto selected portions of the pulsed voltage signal, wherein the digital signal comprises a carrier signal with a frequency substantially greater than that of the pulsed voltage signal, the carrier signal being modulated by a data signal for transfer of the data signal between the electronic devices.

83. A device according to claim 82, for use in a fire detection network, the device being one or more of a sounder, a loudspeaker, a fire detector, and a voice communications terminal.