System and Method for Fire Progress Monitoring

• US 20160171857A1
• Filed: 12/12/2014
• Published: 06/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Zumsteg, Philip, Berezowski, Andrew G.
• Granted Patent: US 9,569,945 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 29/04 Monitoring of the detection circuits

Abstract

A system including a plurality of fire detectors distributed throughout a secured geographic area, a monitoring panel that detects a status of each of the plurality of fire detectors and saves a status indicator of the fire detector indicating one of normal, alarm and fault into a memory along with a time value, an alarm processor of the monitoring panel that detects alarm signals from the plurality of fire detectors and presents respective indicators of the activated fire detectors on a geographic map of the secured area shown on a display and a fire progression processor that displays an indicator of a progression of a fire on the map of the display based upon the status indicators saved in memory and upon a correlation between a status indicator of alarm in a previous time period and a status indicator of fault in a more recent time period.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a plurality of fire detectors distributed throughout a secured geographic area;

a monitoring panel that monitors each of the plurality of fire detectors;

a status processor that periodically detects a status of each of the plurality of fire detectors and saves a status indicator of the fire detector indicating one of normal, alarm and fault into a memory along with a time value;

an alarm processor of the monitoring panel that detects alarm signals from the plurality of fire detectors and presents respective indicators of the activated fire detectors on a geographic map of the secured area shown on a display; and

a fire progression processor that displays an indicator of a progression of a fire on the map of the display based upon the status indicators saved in memory and upon a correlation between a status indicator of a fire in a previous time period and a status indicator of fault in a more recent time period.

2. The apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the plurality of fire detectors further comprising a respective icon shown in a corresponding location on the map.

3. The apparatus as in claim 2 wherein the respective icon for each of the plurality of fire detectors further comprises a graphic indicator of status.

4. The apparatus as in claim 3 wherein the graphic indicator of a fault status further comprises an X or other symbol indicating a fault disposed over the icon.

5. The apparatus as in claim 4 wherein the graphic indicator of an alarm status further comprises depicting the icon as having a predetermined color.

6. The apparatus as in claim 5 wherein a correlation between a status indicator of alarm in a previous time period and a status indicator of fault in a more recent time period further comprises depicting the icon as the predetermined color with a superimposed X.

7. The apparatus as in claim 1 wherein at least some of the plurality of fire detectors further comprise multi-function detectors including two or more of ionization, photoelectric, infrared, laser, heat and carbon monoxide detectors.

8. The apparatus as in claim 7 further comprising a processor that determines a signature of the fire based upon a time value of readings from the two or more detectors.

9. The apparatus as in claim 8 wherein the indicator of the progression of a fire on the map further comprises a processor that shades each zone associated with activated fire detectors of the plurality of fire detectors.

10. The apparatus as in claim 9 further comprising a processor that shades a zone associated with detected smoke with a grey color.

11. The apparatus as in claim 10 further comprising a processor that shades other zones with a predetermined color based upon a detected temperature of the zone.

12. The apparatus as in claim 11 wherein the shading of the zones further comprises a processor that superimposes an X or other symbol indicating a fault over a zone with an associated fire detector that first has an alarm status and then a fault status.

17. The apparatus as in claim 4 wherein the graphic indicator of an alarm status further comprises a highlighted icon.

13. An apparatus comprising:

a plurality of fire detectors distributed throughout a secured geographic area;

a monitoring processor that monitors each of the plurality of fire detectors for alarm messages from activated fire detectors and for trouble messages from malfunctioning fire detectors;

a correlation processor that detects a trouble message immediately following an alarm message from one of the plurality of fire detectors; and

a fire progression processor that displays an indicator of progression of a fire on a map of the secured area presented on a display based upon the detected trouble message immediately following the alarm message from the one fire detector.

14. The apparatus as in claim 13 further comprising a respective icon of each of the plurality of fire detectors shown in a corresponding geographic location on the display.

15. The apparatus as in claim 13 wherein the respective icon for each of the plurality of fire detectors further comprises a graphic indicator of status.

16. The apparatus as in claim 15 wherein the graphic indicator of a fault status in response to a trouble message further comprises an X or other symbol indicating a fault disposed over the icon.

18. An apparatus comprising:

a fire detection system that protects a secured geographic area divided into a plurality of zones;

a plurality of fire detectors distributed throughout the secured geographic area with at least one of the plurality of fire detectors disposed in each of the plurality of zones;

a monitoring processor that monitors each of the plurality of fire detectors for alarm messages from activated fire detectors and for trouble messages from malfunctioning fire detectors;

a correlation processor that detects a trouble message immediately following an alarm message from one of the plurality of fire detectors; and

a fire progression processor that displays an indicator of progression of a fire in at least some adjacent zones of the plurality of zones shown on a map of the secured area presented on a display based upon the detected trouble message immediately following the alarm message from the one fire detector.

19. The apparatus as in claim 18 further comprising a processor that shades the at least some adjacent zones based upon an intensity of the fire.

20. The apparatus as in claim 19 further comprising a processor that superimposes an X or other symbol indicating a fault over at least one of the adjacent zones based upon a trouble message immediately following an alarm message.