MASTER SLAVE WIRELESS FIRE ALARM AND MASS NOTIFICATION SYSTEM

• US 20160071402A1
• Filed: 09/04/2015
• Published: 03/10/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Johnson Controls Fire Protection LP (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Original Assignee: Simplex Time Recorder Company (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Inventors: Chiarizio, Martin A., Feltham, Robert
• Granted Patent: US 9,875,644 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 17/00 Fire alarms; Alarms responsive to explosion
• 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 25/007 Details of data content structure of message packets; data protocols
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/009 Signalling of the alarm condition to a substation whose identity is signalled to a central station, e.g. relaying alarm signals in order to extend communication range
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/10 using wireless transmission systems G08B25/009 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 27/00 Alarm systems in which the alarm condition is signalled from a central station to a plurality of substations
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 27/008 with transmission via TV or radio broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/713 using frequency hopping
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0216 using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0238 where the received signal is an unwanted signal, e.g. interference or idle signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/0055 determining timing error of reception due to propagation delay
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A wireless fire alarm notification system uses wireless repeater devices to annunciate an alarm to slave devices from the control panel. A notification device provides a local synchronization signal via wire to a secondary notification device. A method enables the activation or deactivation of child device without the child device having to query their parent repeater. A circuit to test the integrity of an active battery charger, a battery, and an isolation circuit is also shown. A method for qualifying that an RF signal meets a specified minimum acceptable level is described. A method for wirelessly sending events to avoid RF link overload is provided. A programming checksum method confirms that an annunciator has latest programming information. A method to automatically process messages from new devices without having to hardcode repeaters to support these new devices is also described.

Claims

1. A wireless fire alarm notification system, comprising:

a control panel for broadcasting alarm messages via wireless links; and

a wireless repeater device having a slave transceiver that receives the alarm messages from the control panel via the wireless links, the wireless repeater device having a master transceiver for wirelessly broadcasting the alarm messages to slave devices.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the control panel comprises a master transceiver for broadcasting the alarm messages.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the slave transceiver of the wireless repeater device receives the alarm messages from the control panel via another wireless repeater device.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the slave devices are selected from the group consisting of additional repeater devices, annunciators, detection devices, tandem detection devices, utility transmitters, relay units, pull stations, and/or notification devices.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the notification devices are strobe devices, horn devices, or horn/strobe combo devices.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless links are bi-directional wireless links for enabling alarm messages to be sent or received between devices on the same wireless link.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless links are slots of a frequency hopping spread spectrum (FHSS).

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless repeater device listens for beacons and transmits beacons using an unused hopping pattern.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the slave devices attempt to enroll or register, and switch to a new frequency upon failing to enroll or register.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the slave devices seek to join a new master device after failing to receive an acknowledgement from a previous master device.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless repeater device broadcasts alarm signals to its slave devices upon receiving an alarm signal from one of its slave devices.

12. A notification system, comprising:

a control panel that generates wireless radio frequency alarm signals;

a master notification device for generating an alarm notification in response to the alarm signals from the control panel and generating synchronization signals; and

a slave notification device for receiving the synchronization signal via a wire and generating an alarm notification in response to the alarm signals from the control panel and the synchronization signals.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the notification devices validate the wired connection between the devices using the synchronization signal.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the master notification device generates the synchronization signal based on a synchronization signal received via a wired connection or a wireless link.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the synchronization signal is used as a drive signal to an alarm notification component.

16. A method for controlling activation and deactivation of a child device, comprising:

the child device sending a registration request to a parent repeater;

the parent repeater sending an assignment message to the child device in response to the registration request, wherein the assignment message includes an identification address associated with the child device for distinguishing the child device from other child devices within a subnet of the parent repeater;

the parent repeater transmitting a notification activation message to the subnet of child devices, wherein the notification activation message includes a notification state for each child device of the subnet; and

the child device activating or deactivating an alarm based on the notification activation message.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the notification activation message includes a bitmask listing the notification state for each child device of the subnet.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the child device is a tandem detector device.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the child device is a strobe device, horn device, or horn/strobe combo device.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the identification address is an 8-bit local identification number.

21. The method of claim 16, further comprising the parent repeater transmitting a beacon message signaling the child device to wake-up from a sleep mode and listen for the notification activation message prior to the parent repeater transmitting the notification activation message.

22. A method for testing integrity of a battery charger, comprising:

a processor sending an isolation control signal to an isolation circuit thereby deactivating the isolation circuit to isolate the battery charger from a battery;

the processor sending a charger load control signal to a charger load control thereby activating the charger load control to apply a charger load resistance on the battery charger;

the processor measuring the charging voltage of the battery charger and comparing the measured charging voltage to a required charging voltage; and

if the charging voltage is greater than the required charging voltage, the processor determining the battery charger as acceptable;

or

if the charging voltage is less than the required charging voltage, the processor determining the battery charger as unacceptable.

23. A method for testing integrity of a battery, comprising:

a processor sending an isolation control signal to an isolation circuit thereby deactivating the isolation circuit to isolate a battery charger from the battery;

the processor sending a battery load control signal to a battery load control thereby activating the battery load control to apply a battery load resistance on the battery;

the processor measuring a battery voltage of the battery and comparing the measured battery voltage to a required battery voltage; and

if the battery voltage is greater than the required battery voltage, the processor determining the battery as acceptable;

or

if the battery voltage is less than the required battery voltage, the processor determining the battery as unacceptable;

--or--

A method for testing integrity of an isolation circuit between a battery and a battery charger, comprising;

a processor sending an isolation control signal to the isolation circuit thereby deactivating the isolation circuit to isolate the battery charger from the battery;

the processor measuring a charging voltage of the battery charger prior to activation of the isolation circuit;

the processor sending another isolation control signal to the isolation circuit thereby activating the isolation circuit causing application of a charger load resistance and a battery load resistance to the battery charger;

the processor measuring a charging voltage after activation of the isolation circuit and comparing the measured charging voltage after activation to the measured charging voltage prior to activation; and

if the charging voltage after activation is less than the charging voltage prior to activation, the processor determining the isolation circuit as acceptable;

or

if the charging voltage after activation is greater than the charging voltage prior to activation, the processor determining the isolation circuit as unacceptable;

--or--

A circuit for testing integrity of a battery charger, a battery, and an isolation circuit, comprising;

a processor for generating an isolation control signal, a charger load control signal, and a battery load control signal;

the isolation circuit for isolating the battery charger from the battery, wherein the isolation circuit is configured to receive the isolation control signal from the processor;

a charger load control for applying a charger load resistance on the battery charger, wherein the charger load control is configured to receive the charger load control signal from the processor; and

a battery load control for applying a battery load resistance on the battery, wherein the battery load control is configured to receive the battery load control signal from the processor;

--or--

A method for wirelessly sending events, comprising;

a control panel wirelessly broadcasting events in a message block, wherein the message block stores a range of different events;

an annunciator receiving the message block; and

the annunciator sending an acknowledgement to the control panel based on receipt of the message block. --or--

A programming checksum method for determining that an annunciator has the same programming information as a control panel, comprising;

the control panel broadcasting a programming checksum notify message, including a system programming checksum, to the annunciator;

the annunciator comparing the system programming checksum to a local programming checksum of the annunciator; and

if the system programming checksum is different from the local programming checksum, the annunciator sending an error message to the control panel;

or

if the system programming checksum matches the local programming checksum, the annunciator sending an acknowledgment message to the control panel. --or--

A method for processing messages from a new device of a fire alarm system, comprising;

a processor encoding the new device with device ID data, wherein the device ID data is a serial number including a prefix byte that correlates with a device type decoding rule for messaging;

the processor determining the device type decoding rule for the new device based on the prefix byte of the device ID data; and

the processor decoding messages for the new device based on the determined device type decoding rule;

--or--

A method for qualifying that a wireless signal for a new device meets a specified minimum acceptable level, comprising;

determining a minimum received signal strength indicator (RSSI) level based on testing for a reliable wireless link;

measuring an RSSI for a new device;

comparing the measured RSSI of the new device against the minimum RSSI level; and

if the measured RSSI is greater than the minimum RSSI, qualifying the measured RSSI as acceptable;

or

if the measured RSSI is less than the minimum RSSI, qualifying the measured RSSI as unacceptable.