FIRE ALARM POWER LINE CARRIER COM-SYSTEM

• US 20130049951A1
• Filed: 05/12/2011
• Published: 02/28/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Chris Kalivas
• Original Assignee: Christopher George Kalivas
• Inventors: Kalivas, Christopher George, Apelman, Steven Perry
• Granted Patent: US 8,878,665 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/538
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 17/00 Fire alarms; Alarms responsive to explosion
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 17/06 Electric actuation of the alarm, e.g. using a thermally-operated switch
• 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 17/113 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/06 using power transmission lines

Abstract

A fire alarm system 4 for a structure, has a two-wire interconnected transceiver 4J that uses power line carrier technology to inject a radio signal onto two power conductors, 6B & 6W. The transceiver 4J includes a transmitter circuit 7 and a receiver circuit 9. The transmitter circuit 7 includes a trigger circuit 10, attachable to an output line of a local fire alarm 5. The trigger circuit 10, can monitor the output line (6 Yellow) for an alarm condition output signal, for the purpose of sensing an alarm condition. The transmitter circuit 7 responds to the alarm condition output signal by injecting the radio signal onto the two power conductors. The radio signal would activate a second fire alarm system 4B attached to power lines in the structure.

Claims

1. A fire alarm system 4 for a structure, said fire alarm system comprising:

a two-wire interconnected transceiver that uses power line carrier technology to inject a radio signal onto two power conductors;

the transceiver comprises;

a transmitter circuit; and

a receiver circuit;

the transmitter circuit comprises a trigger circuit, attachable to an output line of a local alarm 5;

said local alarm 5 being responsive to fire or Carbon Monoxide;

said trigger circuit can monitor said output line for an alarm condition output signal;

said transmitter circuit responds to said alarm condition output signal by injecting the radio signal onto the two power conductors;

said radio signal would activate any second fire alarm system attached to the power lines in said structure.

2. A fire alarm system according to claim 1, in which said trigger circuit includes a microprocessor, for determining a validity of an alarm status, before activating said microprocessor'"'"'s local alarm.

3. A fire alarm system according to claim 1, in which said the transmitter circuit echoes the radio signal, thus serving as a repeater to increase a range and a reliability of the radio signal.

4. A kit comprising the fire alarm system according to claim 1, and at least a second fire alarm system according to claim 1.

5. An installation in the structure, said installation comprising the fire alarm system according to claim 1, and at least a second fire alarm system according to claim 1.

6. A fire alarm system according to claim 1, said fire alarm system comprising:

a two-wire interconnected transceiver circuit 4J that uses power line carrier technology to inject an RF signal onto two power conductors,

the transceiver circuit 4J comprises;

a transmitter circuit 7; and

a receiver circuit 9;

the transmitter circuit 7 comprises a trigger circuit, attachable to an output line of a local fire alarm,

said trigger circuit, can monitor said output line for an alarm condition output signal;

said trigger circuit includes a microprocessor, for determining a validity of an alarm status, before activating said microprocessor'"'"'s local alarm;

said transmitter circuit 7 responds to said alarm condition output signal by injecting a radio signal onto the two power conductors;

said radio signal would activate any second fire alarm system attached to power lines in said structure;

in which said the transmitter circuit 7 echoes the alarm condition output signal, thus serving as a repeater to increase a range and a reliability of the alarm condition output signal.

7. A kit comprising the fire alarm system according to claim 6, and at least a second fire alarm system according to claim 6.

8. An installation in the structure, said installation comprising the fire alarm system according to claim 6, and at least a second fire alarm system.

9. A fire alarm system according to claim 6, in which the radio signal is 455 KHz.

10. An installation according to claim 9, in which two alarm systems are not on a same phase, further comprising a bridge circuit 11, installed between the two phases.

11. A fire alarm system according to claim 1, in which:

the local alarm 5 is integrated in a same housing as the fire alarm system; and

the trigger circuit is attached to the output line of the local alarm 5.

12. An installation according to claim 1, wherein:

a section of the structure already has a group of local alarms;

each local alarm of the group is interconnected via its output line to a third conductor; and

only one fire alarm system is connected to the group of local alarms by said third conductor.

13. A method of interconnecting alarms in a structure, without installing a third conductor, said method comprising the steps of:

installing a transceiver between an alarm and said alarm'"'"'s commercial power source, by;

disconnecting the alarm from two power conductors that supply the alarm'"'"'s power;

connecting the transceiver to the two power conductors;

connecting the alarm to two power input conductors of the alarm; and

connecting the alarm'"'"'s alarm output conductor to the an alarm input of the transceiver;

similarly installing a second transceiver between a second alarm and said alarm'"'"'s commercial power source.

14. A method of operating alarms, interconnected according to claim 13, comprising the further steps of:

said transceiver responding to an alarm from the alarm by injecting a radio signal onto the two power conductors;

said power conductors transmitting said radio signal to the second transceiver;

said second transceiver receiving said radio signal;

said second transceiver reacting to said radio signal by transmitting an alarm signal to the second alarm'"'"'s input conductor, thereby activating the second alarm.

15. A method of operating alarms, interconnected according to claim 14, in which, following said second transceiver receiving said radio signal, there is an additional step of:

verifying a validity of said radio signal as an alarm signal, before transmitting an alarm signal to the second alarm'"'"'s input conductor.

16. A method of operating alarms, interconnected according to claim 14, in which in the alarm'"'"'s input conductor and the alarm'"'"'s output conductor are the same conductor.

17. A method of interconnecting alarms according to claim 13, when there is a group of alarms that are already interconnected by an alarm conductor 6R, including the additional step of:

connecting the group by said group'"'"'s alarm conductor to one transceiver.

18. A method of interconnecting alarms according to claim 13,

when two transceivers 4A &

4B are used in a structure, and

said two transceivers are not on a same phase, said method including the additional step of;

installing a bridge circuit 11 between the two phases.

19. A method of interconnecting alarms according to claim 13, when two transceivers 4A &

4B are used in a structure, and the two transceivers are not on a same phase, including the additional step of;

changing one circuit supplying one of the transceivers onto the same phase as the other of the transceivers.

20. A method of interconnecting alarms according to claim 13, in which:

power and the radio signal, as an RF alarm signal, enter circuit 4 through wires 6B and 6W (FIG. 5);

the RF alarm signal goes through a power line interface 20;

the RF alarm signal is filtered through a collision protection 40;

if said RF alarm signal passes the collision protection, said RF alarm signal is transmitted to receiver interface 42;

a band limited amplifier 44 amplifies only a specific frequency used as an alarm frequency of the RF alarm signal;

a sharp band pass filter 46 further screens and narrows the frequency;

said RF alarm signal is then input into band limited amplifier 48 which amplifies said RF alarm signal;

the amplified said RF alarm signal is input to a discriminator comparator 50, which ascertains that the input RF alarm signal is indeed the specific frequency used as the alarm frequency;

the RF alarm signal is passed from discriminator comparator 50 to noise eliminating microcomputer 10, and if it is determined not to be noise, the RF alarm signal is sent to output drive 24 which actuates sound warning 26;

the noise eliminating microcomputer 10 also passes the RF alarm signal to drive enable 30, which actuates frequency stable oscillator 32 to output the RF alarm signal;

the RF alarm signal is amplified by power amplifier 34;

the amplified RF alarm signal then passes through band filter 36 to further narrow RF alarm signal;

the narrowed RF alarm signal then passes through impedance matching transformer 38;

the narrowed RF alarm signal then passes to powerline interface 20;

where the RF alarm signal is again injected into power lines 6B and 6W;

the RF alarm signal then is transmitted down the power line, to other alarm transceivers, which might otherwise be out of range of an alarm transceiver which transmitted the original RF alarm signal to the circuit 4.