EMERGENCY SIGNALLING SYSTEM HAVING MANUALLY OPERATED GENERATOR

• US 3,866,206 A
• Filed: 07/17/1973
• Issued: 02/11/1975
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/1973
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Signal Communications Division of Gulf Industries Incorporated The Nominee of Jack B Harper
• Original Assignee: Ahmed H. Labib, John A. Degiorgio, Subhash R. Rane
• Inventors: DeGiorgio, John A., Labib, Ahmed H., Rane, Subhash R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pitts, Harold I.
• Application Number:
  US05/379,967
• Time in Patent Office: 574 Days
• Field of Search: 340/298,226 325/185,186,492,6,311
• US Class Current: 340/298
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/014 Alarm signalling to a central station with two-way communication, e.g. with signalling back

Abstract

A remote electrical signalling system in which emergency call stations are manually operable to communicate with a home station, and a confirmation signal is automatically transmitted back from the home station when a call signal has been properly received. The call stations each include an electromechanical generator to power both a emergency signal transmitter section and a confirmation signal receiver section. Switch means are provided to direct a limited duration generator output first to the transmitter section and then to the receiver section. Power is recycled back to re-energize the transmitter section if a confirmation signal is not received within a pre-determined period of time. At the home station emergency calls are received and the call station identified. A blocking circuit prevents the recording of an identifying digit or the transmission of a confirmation signal unless the previous digits of the call station identification have been recorded.

Claims

1. A remote electrical signalling system comprising:

one or more call stations each including an electromechanical generator, transmitter means connected to be energized by said generator, receiver means connected to be energized by said generator, manually operable means for operating said generator for a substantial period of time, and switch means connected to direct an output from said generator to said transmitter means for an initial portion of the generator operating time for transmission of a call signal, and to said receiver means for a subsequent portion of the generator operating time for reception of a confirmation signal, and a home station including receiver means for reception of a call signal, and transmitter means automatically operable in response to the reception of a call signal for transmission of a confirmation signal.

2. A signalling system as claimed in claim 1 having a plurality of call stations, wherein each call station is adapted to transmit an identifying call signal, and means are connected to said home station receiver means to decode a received call signal and thereby identify the call station.

3. A signalling system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the identifying call signal for each call station corresponds to a multi-digit alphanumeric symbol, further including means connectable to a power supply at said home station for individually recording the digits of said symbol, and a circuit blocking the supply of power to record a digit unless power has been supplied to reCord the previous digit of the identifying symbol, said blocking circuit further adapted to block the supply of power for energization of the confirmation signal transmitter unless power has been supplied to record all the digits of the identifying symbol.

4. A signalling system as claimed in claim 3, wherein each call station includes means for sequentially transmitting a series of discrete signals corresponding to the digits of its identifying symbol.

5. A signalling system as claimed in claim 4, wherein said home station power supply blocking circuit includes timing means for sequentially controlling the supply of power to record the digits of the call station identifying signal, in a sequence corresponding to the sequential transmission of said signal.

6. A signalling system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the receiver means associated with all of the call stations are adapted to receive the same confirmation signal.

7. A signalling system as claimed in claim 1, including means at said call stations controlling the operation of said switch means, said control means adapted to recycle the call station to additional operating sequences after the first operating sequence, each said sequence comprising an initial period during which the generator output is connected by said switch means to the transmitter means, a subsequent period during which the generator output is connected to the receiver means of the call station, and further including means responsive to the reception of a confirmation signal at the call station for overriding said control means and terminating operation of the call station transmitter means.

8. A signalling system as claimed in claim 1, and further including timing means at said home station actuated in response to the reception of a call signal, said timing means adapted to terminate transmission of a confirmation signal after a period of time sufficient to enable said call station confirmation signal receiver to operate.

9. A signalling system as claimed in claim 1, and further including an indicator connected to said call station receiver means, said indicator actuated by the reception at the call station of a confirmation signal.

10. A signalling system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said electromechanical generator operating time is in the range of about 2.5 to 3 seconds.

11. A call station for use in a remote electrical signalling system comprising an electromechanical generator, manually operable means for operating said generator for a substantial period of time, transmitter means connected to be energized by said generator, receiver means connected to be energized by said generator, and switch means connected to direct an output from said generator to said transmitter means for an initial portion of the generator operating time for transmission of a first signal, and to said receiver means for a subsequent portion of the generator operating time for reception of a second signal.

12. A call station as claimed in claim 11, including means controlling the operation of said switch means, said control means adapted to recycle the call station to additional operating sequences after the first operating sequence, each said sequence comprising an initial period during which the generator output is connected by said switch means to the transmitter means, and a subsequent period during which the generator output is connected to the receiver means, and further including means responsive to the reception of said second signal for overriding said control means and terminating operation of the transmitter means.

13. A call station as claimed in claim 11, wherein said transmitter means includes circuitry defining a plurality of selectable transmission modes, each mode corresponding to an item of intelligence to be transmitted, manually operable means for selecting one of said transmission modes, and circuitry defining a preset transmission mode corresponding to the digits of a multi-digit idEntifying symbol for the call station, and wherein said receiver means is preset to a single reception mode.

14. A call station as claimed in claim 13, wherein said transmitter means includes shift register means adapted to apply an output from the generator to the circuitry defining each of said transmission modes in a sequence of pulses, whereby said first signal transmitted by the transmitter means comprises a sequential series of pulses.

15. A call station as claimed in claim 11, further including indicating means connected to said receiver means to indicate the reception of said second signal, and electrical storage means connected to said generator for energizing said indicator after the termination of the generator operating time.

16. A receiver station for use in a remote electrical signalling system comprising:

radio receiver means for reception of a plurality of coded signals, multi-unit recording means, decoder means individually controlling the energization of each unit in said recording means in response to receipt of a coded signal, said decoder means adapted to enable energization of each recording unit after the first unit, only in response to energization of the previous unit, radio transmitter means, and means connected to said decoder means to complete an energizing path for said transmitter means when the last recording means unit is energized, said decoder means including a gating circuit associated with each said recording unit, said gating circuits adapted for all but the last recording unit to complete a path for energization of the subsequent recording unit, and for the last recording unit to complete a path for energization of said transmitter means, the gating circuit for each recording unit including a first switch means connected to complete the said energizing path, an actuator for said first switch means, a second switch means set in a conducting mode in response to energization of the associated recording unit, and a third switch means set in a conducting mode a predetermined period of time after energization of the previous recording unit, said actuator and second and third switch means being connected in series circuit.

17. A remote wireless electrical signalling system comprising:

one or more call stations each including an electromechanical generator, radio transmitter means connected to be energized by said generator, radio receiver means connected to be energized by said generator, manually operable means for operating said generator for a substantial period of time, and switch means connected to direct an output from said generator to said radio transmitter means for an initial portion of the generator operating time for transmission of a call signal, and to said radio receiver means for a subsequent portion of the generator operating time for reception of a confirmation signal, and a home station including radio receiver means for reception of a call signal, and radio transmitter means automatically operable in response to the reception of a call signal for transmission of a confirmation signal.