METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ACTIVATING AND CONTROLLING FIRE AND MASS NOTIFICATION VISUAL DEVICES

• US 20130194063A1
• Filed: 01/26/2012
• Published: 08/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Eaton Intelligent Power Limited (Eaton Corporation PLC.)
• Original Assignee: David John Salgueiro, Joseph Kosich, Joseph Rudy Keller
• Inventors: KOSICH, Joseph, KELLER, Joseph Rudy, SALGUEIRO, David John
• Granted Patent: US 9,406,205 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/4.21
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 5/22 using electric transmission; using electromagnetic transmission
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 5/38 using flashing light
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 7/06 using electric transmission , e.g. involving audible and visible signalling through the use of sound and light sources
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/0605 Special codes used as synchronising signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/0638 Clock or time synchronisation among nodes; Internode synchronisation synchronization for ring networks H04L12/422; data switching networks with synchronous transmission H04L12/43

Abstract

One embodiment of a method for activating a stimulus on a notification device includes encoding an instruction to activate the stimulus in a voltage dropout pulse of a synchronization protocol and sending the synchronization protocol, including the voltage dropout pulse, over a single two wire circuit to which a fire notification device and a mass notification device are coupled, where the notification device is the fire notification device or the mass notification device.

Claims

1. A method for activating a stimulus on a notification device, the method comprising:

encoding an instruction to activate the stimulus in a voltage dropout pulse of a synchronization protocol; and

sending the synchronization protocol, including the voltage dropout pulse, over a single two wire circuit to which a fire notification device and a mass notification device are coupled,

wherein the notification device is the fire notification device or the mass notification device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the stimulus is a visible stimulus.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the visible stimulus is a light strobe.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein a color of the light strobe indicates a nature of an alarm condition to which the instruction is responsive.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the fire notification device and the mass notification device are incorporated into a single device that includes separate stimuli for the fire notification device and the mass notification device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the encoding comprises:

providing a primary voltage dropout pulse that synchronizes activation of the stimulus with other stimuli; and

providing a secondary voltage dropout pulse that indicates whether the stimulus is associated with the fire notification device or with the mass notification device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein a type of the secondary voltage dropout pulse indicates whether the stimulus is associated with the fire notification device or with the mass notification device.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the type of the secondary voltage dropout pulse is a silence pulse.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the type of the secondary voltage dropout pulse is a resound pulse.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the secondary voltage dropout pulse occurs a defined period of time after the primary voltage dropout pulse.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the secondary voltage dropout pulse occurs every defined number of seconds.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the encoding comprises:

providing a primary voltage dropout pulse to perform a first operation comprising synchronization of activation of the stimulus with other stimuli; and

providing a secondary voltage dropout pulse to control a second operation; and

employing a tertiary voltage dropout pulse to indicate whether the stimulus is associated with the fire notification device or with the mass notification device.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein a presence or an absence of the tertiary voltage dropout pulse indicates whether the stimulus is associated with the fire notification device or with the mass notification device.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the tertiary voltage dropout pulse occurs a defined period of time after the secondary voltage dropout pulse.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein a time delay between the primary voltage dropout pulse and the tertiary voltage dropout pulse indicates a type of the stimulus.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the type of the stimulus is a specific color of light strobe.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein a width of the voltage dropout pulse indicates whether the stimulus is associated with the fire notification device or with the mass notification device.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein a voltage level of the voltage dropout pulse indicates whether the stimulus is associated with the fire notification device or with the mass notification device.

19. A computer readable storage device containing an executable program for activating a stimulus on a notification device, where the program performs steps comprising:

encoding an instruction to activate the stimulus in a voltage dropout pulse of a synchronization protocol; and

sending the synchronization protocol, including the voltage dropout pulse, over a single two wire circuit to which a fire notification device and a mass notification device are coupled,

wherein the notification device is the fire notification device or the mass notification device.

20. A method for activating a light strobe of a mass notification device comprising a plurality of light strobes, where each of the plurality of light strobes is associated with a different alarm condition, the method comprising:

encoding an instruction to activate the light strobe in a voltage dropout pulse of a synchronization protocol, where a characteristic of the voltage dropout pulse identifies the light strobe from among the plurality of light strobes; and

sending the synchronization protocol, including the voltage dropout pulse, to the mass notification device.