Smoke alarm activated portable lamp

• US 4,258,291 A
• Filed: 11/01/1978
• Issued: 03/24/1981
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/1978
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Robert J. Scott
• Original Assignee: Robert J. Scott
• Inventors: Scott, Robert J., Craig, Bryant F.
• Primary Examiner(s): LaRoche, Eugene R.
• Application Number:
  US05/956,585
• Time in Patent Office: 874 Days
• Field of Search: 315/156, 315/158, 315/159, 315/362, 307/117, 325/392, 200/60, 200/61.01, 200/DIG. 20, 362/802, 340/148, 340/326, 340/371, 340/628
• US Class Current: 315/156
• 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 7/062 indicating emergency exits

Abstract

A smoke alarm activated portable light or lamp for providing emergency illumination in response to an alarm signal from a smoke alarm device includes a frequency selective microphone, several amplifier stages, a peak detector, an isolation or buffer stage, and a power stage comprising a pair of cascaded transistors and a light bulb. The lamp includes a bracket for positioning same in proximity to a smoke alarm and a switch which is closed upon removal of the lamp from the bracket. A power saving circuit includes a photoelectric cell and an amplifier and is operative to saturate or overdrive the first gain stage to override any signal from the microphone whereby the lamp is rendered unresponsive to the smoke alarm signal upon illumination of the photocell by daylight or artificial light.

Claims

1. A portable lamp activated by the sound signal of a smoke alarm comprising:

(a) a frequency selective microphone;

(b) a light bulb;

(c) a battery;

(d) circuit means interconnecting said microphone, light bulb, and battery and responsive to the sound signal of a smoke alarm device to effect illumination of said light bulb;

(e) a portable housing with said microphone, light bulb, battery, and circuit means mounted thereon; and

(f) light activated switch means connected to said circuit means and rendering said circuit means unresponsive to said sound signal during illumination of said light activated switch means to thereby conserve battery power.

2. A lamp as set forth in claim 1 including:

a bracket removably retaining said lamp in spaced relation to an audible smoke alarm device.

3. A lamp as set forth in claim 2 including:

(a) a normally closed (NC) switch connected to said circuit means and bypassing same to effect illumination of said light bulb in a closed condition of said NC switch; and

(b) said NC switch being held in an open condition by positioning said housing in said bracket.

4. A lamp as set forth in claim 1 wherein said light activated switch means includes:

(a) light activated switch amplifier means operatively connected to said circuit means;

(b) a photoelectric cell operatively connected to said amplifier means;

(c) said amplifier means having substantially no output signal in the absence of illumination of said photoelectric cell; and

(d) said amplifier means having a disable signal at an output thereof in response to sufficient illumination of said photoelectric cell, said disable signal rendering said circuit means unresponsive to said sound signal.

5. A lamp as set forth in claim 4 wherein said circuit means includes microphone amplifier means having said microphone connected to an input thereof, said microphone providing a microphone signal to said microphone amplifier means in response to said sound signal and wherein:

(a) said light activated switch means is connected to said input of said microphone amplifier means; and

(b) said disable signal is operative to drive said microphone amplifier means into a saturated condition whereby said microphone signal is overridden and said circuit means is thereby rendered unresponsive to said sound signal during illumination of said photoelectric cell.

6. A lamp as set forth in claim 1 wherein said light activated switch means includes:

(a) a photoconductive cell;

(b) a voltage divider network having said photoconductive cell connected therein, said network having current flow therethrough;

(c) said network including a junction having a quiescent voltage in the absence of illumination of said photoconductive cell and having an activated voltage in response to illumination of said photoconductive cell;

(d) light activated switch amplifier means having said junction connected to an input thereof and said circuit means connected to an output thereof;

(e) said amplifier means having substantially no output signal in response to said quiescent voltage; and

(f) said amplifier means having a disable signal at the output thereof in response to said activated voltage, said disable signal rendering said circuit means unresponsive to said sound signal during illumination of said photoconductive cell.

7. A lamp as set forth in claim 1 wherein said circuit means includes a plurality of extremely low power consumption logic inverter circuits.

8. In a sound activated illumination device including:

sound activated illumination circuit means;

a light bulb connected to and illuminated by said circuit means upon activation of same in response to a selected sound signal; and

a portable housing enclosing said circuit means and bulb, the improvement comprising;

(a) a battery enclosed in said housing, connected to said circuit means and said bulb, and providing operating power for said device;

(b) light activated switch means connected to said circuit means and rendering said circuit means unresponsive to said sound signal during illumination of said light activated switch means to conserve the power of said battery;

(c) a bracket removably mounting said device in spaced relation to a smoke alarm device for activation by a sound signal from said smoke alarm device;

(d) a normally closed (NC) switch connected to said circuit means and bypassing same to effect illumination of said light bulb in a closed condition of said NC switch; and

(e) said NC switch being held in an open condition by positioning said housing in said bracket.

9. A device as set forth in claim 8 wherein said light activated switch means includes:

(a) light activated switch amplifier means having an output connected to said circuit means;

(b) a photoelectric cell operatively connected to said amplifier means;

(c) said amplifier means having substantially no output signal in the absence of illumination of said photoelectric cell; and

(d) said amplifier means having a disable signal at an output thereof in response to sufficient illumination of said photoelectric cell, said disable signal rendering said circuit means unresponsive to said sound signal.

10. A device as set forth in claim 8 wherein said circuit means includes a microphone connected to an input of a microphone amplifier means, said microphone providing a microphone signal to said microphone amplifier means in response to said sound signal, and wherein said light activated switch means includes:

(a) a photoelectric cell;

(b) a voltage divider network having said photoelectric cell connected therein, said network having current flow therethrough and having a junction;

(c) said junction having a quiescent voltage in the absence of illumination of said photoelectric cell and having an activated voltage in response to illumination of said photoelectric cell;

(d) light activated switch amplifier means having an input connected to said junction and an output operatively connected to said microphone amplifier means input; and

(e) said light activated switch amplifier means having substantially no output signal in response to said quiescent voltage and having a disable signal being operative to drive said microphone amplifier means into a saturated condition whereby said microphone signal is overridden and said circuit means is thereby rendered unresponsive to said sound signal during illumination of said photoelectric cell.