Configuration programming system for a life safety network

• US 5,943,673 A
• Filed: 05/10/1996
• Issued: 08/24/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: GE Security Incorporated (Carrier Global Corporation)
• Original Assignee: General Signal Corporation (SPX Corporation)
• Inventors: Felouzis, Theologis G., Costa, Hilario, Novetzke, Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Lintz, Paul R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mizrahi, Diane D.
• Application Number:
  US08/644,478
• Time in Patent Office: 1,201 Days
• Field of Search: 707/10, 707/103, 707/102, 707/104, 707/1, 707/2, 707/3, 707/4, 364/474.24, 364/468.03, 345/353, 370/362, 395/200.54, 395/200.81, 395/705, 395/726, 379/201, 379/352, 706/45, 706/49, 705/7, 711/113, 711/162, 711/213, 239/70, 239/205, 239/206, 239/10, 239/19, 239/67, 340/506, 340/577, 340/628, 340/825.52
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 26/001 with individual interrogation of substations connected in parallel
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

There is provided a configuration programming system for a life safety network in which a remote computer system downloads one or more module databases to a panel subsystem connected to various input and output devices. The panel subsystem includes interconnected target modules having a processor and a memory portion. The memory portion of each target module stores an executable code and a particular module database. For each target module, the computer system generates a source code of descriptive labels and rules, converts the source code to the module database, and downloads the module database to the target module. The module database provides the executable code with module-specific information for controlling the input devices and said plurality of output devices. In addition, the computer system may generate primary module code and secondary module code so that, when downloading both codes to a particular target module, the particular target module may retain the primary module code and forwards the secondary module code to a secondary module.

Claims

1. A configuration programming system for a life safety network comprising:

a panel subsystem connected to a plurality of input devices and a plurality of output devices, said panel subsystem including a plurality of interconnected target modules each having means for storing an executable code and a module database and means for processing said executable code based on said module database, said target modules being operative to control said plurality of input devices and said plurality of output devices in response to said means for processing; and

a computer system coupled to said panel subsystem for providing configuration data to said target modules, said computer system including means for generating a source code of descriptive labels and rules, means for converting from said source code to said module database, and means for downloading from said module database to at least one of said target modules.

2. The configuration programming system of claim 1, wherein said configuration data includes said executable code, and said computer system includes means for downloading said executable code to at least one of said target modules.

3. The configuration programming system of claim 1, wherein said source code includes an objects database in the form of descriptive commands and labels for network objects.

4. The configuration programming system of claim 3, wherein said source code includes a rules database in the form of system wide rules that create logical connections between said network objects defined in said objects database.

5. The configuration programming system of claim 1, wherein said means for converting includes means for compiling said source code to an object code and means for producing said module database based on said object code.

6. The configuration programming system of claim 5, wherein:

said source code includes an input device label corresponding to a particular input device and an event type indicating a function of said particular input device; and

said means for compiling determines whether said event type may occur for said particular input device.

7. The configuration programming system of claim 5, wherein:

said source code includes an output device label corresponding to a particular output device and a command type indicating a function of said particular output device; and

said means for compiling determines whether said command type may be performed by said particular output device.

8. The configuration programming system of claim 5, wherein said object code is in relational database form and said means for producing transforms said object code into flat file database form.

9. The configuration programming system of claim 1, wherein said computer system is coupled to said panel subsystem via a communication cable.

10. The configuration programming system of claim 9, wherein said computer system is capable of detachment from said panel subsystem and operating independently when said downloading means is not downloading said module database to one of said target modules.

11. The configuration programming system of claim 1, wherein said computer system includes a loop controller support means for generating loop controller tables.

12. The configuration programming system of claim 1, wherein said computer system includes audio generation means for generating an audio database.

13. A configuration programming system for a life safety network comprising:

a panel subsystem connected to a plurality of input devices and a plurality of output devices, said panel subsystem including a plurality of target modules, each target module having a processor and a memory portion;

said plurality of target modules including a primary module interconnected to a secondary module by an intermodule communication line, said primary module having means for receiving a primary module database and a secondary module database; and

a computer system coupled to said primary module for providing configuration data to said plurality of target modules, said computer system including means for generating a source code of descriptive labels and rules, means for converting said source code to said primary module database and said secondary module database, and means for downloading said primary module database and said secondary module database to said primary module,

wherein said primary module receives said primary module database and said secondary module database from said computer system, stores said primary module database in its respective memory portion and forwards said secondary module database to said secondary module via said intermodule communication line.

14. The configuration programming system of claim 13, wherein:

said configuration data includes a primary executable code and a secondary executable code;

said computer system includes means for downloading said primary executable code and said secondary executable code to said primary module; and

said primary module receives said primary executable code and said secondary executable code from said computer system, stores said primary executable code in its respective memory portion and forwards said secondary executable code to said secondary module via said intermodule communication line.

15. The configuration programming system of claim 13, wherein:

said secondary module has means for receiving said secondary module code; and

said means for downloading may be coupled to said receiving means of said secondary module and is capable of downloading said secondary module code directly to said secondary module.

16. The configuration programming system of claim 13, wherein said primary module is a CPU module and said secondary module is one of either an audio source module and a loop controller module.

17. The configuration programming system of claim 13, wherein said primary module code is a CPU database and said secondary module code is one of either an audio database and loop controller tables.

18. The configuration programming system of claim 13, wherein said source code includes an objects database in the form of descriptive commands and labels for network objects.

19. The configuration programming system of claim 18, wherein said source code includes a rules database in the form of system wide rules that create logical connections between said network objects defined in said objects database.

20. The configuration programming system of claim 13, wherein said means for converting includes means for compiling said source code to a primary object code and a secondary object code and means for producing said primary module code and said secondary module code based on said primary object code and said secondary object code.