Multiple sensor system for alarm determination with device-to-device communications
First Claim
1. A system comprising:
- a bi-directional communications medium; and
a plurality of programmed units coupled to the medium wherein at least some of the units include circuitry for transmitting and receiving information to/from the communications medium, wherein selected ones of the units include ambient condition sensors and alarm determination circuitry, wherein some of the programmed units transmit ambient sensor output information via the communications medium, wherein some of the programmed units receive and store the sensor output information received from the communications medium; and
wherein multiple units that receive and store the sensor output information transmitted via the communications medium include circuitry for combining that information at the respective detector to determine if an alarm condition is present.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A multi-unit ambient condition detecting system incorporates either a wired or a wireless communication medium wherein the units are in bi-directional communication with one another. Units can incorporate programmed processors and ambient condition sensors such as smoke or gas sensors. In response to detected local ambient conditions, the respective units can transmit messages indicative of the level of sensed ambient condition to other units in the system. The units can maintain running totals of levels of ambient conditions received from other units in the system and combine those received indicators, along with one or more locally generated indicators, to determine that a selected condition, such as fire or gas is present in at least a portion of the region being monitors. Output devices coupled to the communication medium can provide human discernable audible or visible indicators of the presence of one or more selected conditions.
179 Citations
81 Claims
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1. A system comprising:
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a bi-directional communications medium; and
a plurality of programmed units coupled to the medium wherein at least some of the units include circuitry for transmitting and receiving information to/from the communications medium, wherein selected ones of the units include ambient condition sensors and alarm determination circuitry, wherein some of the programmed units transmit ambient sensor output information via the communications medium, wherein some of the programmed units receive and store the sensor output information received from the communications medium; and
wherein multiple units that receive and store the sensor output information transmitted via the communications medium include circuitry for combining that information at the respective detector to determine if an alarm condition is present. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. An ambient condition monitoring system comprising:
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a communications medium; and
a plurality of ambient condition detectors wherein the detectors include circuitry for transmitting messages on the medium, wherein at least some of the messages pertain to sensed ambient conditions and circuitry for receiving messages transmitted on the medium by other detectors wherein at least some of the messages pertain to ambient conditions sensed at the respective transmitting detectors and wherein at least one of the detectors includes circuitry for establishing the existence of a selected ambient condition in response, at least in part, to received messages from other detectors. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A system comprising:
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a bi-directional communications medium;
a plurality of programmed units coupled to the medium wherein selected of the units include condition monitoring circuitry, and circuitry for receiving messages transmitted via the medium from other units and wherein the selected message receiving units include prestored instructions for combining condition related information received from other units. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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30. An electrical unit comprising:
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a control element;
circuitry for storing information pertaining to ambient conditions sensed at other displaced units, at least one local condition sensor coupled to the control element; and
prestored instructions for combining stored condition related information received from other units with information received from the local sensor for determining if a predetermined criterion has been met. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37)
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38. An ambient condition monitoring system comprising:
a communications medium; and
a plurality of ambient condition detectors wherein the detectors include circuitry for transmitting messages on the medium wherein the messages pertain, at least in part, to sensed ambient conditions and circuitry for receiving messages transmitted on the medium by other detectors wherein at least some of the messages pertain to ambient conditions sensed at the respective transmitting detectors and wherein at least some of the detectors include prestored instructions for establishing the existence of a selected ambient condition in response, at least in part, to received messages received from other detectors.- View Dependent Claims (39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46)
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47. A system comprising:
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a bi-directional communications medium;
a plurality of programmed processors coupled to the medium wherein selected of the processors include both condition monitoring circuitry, and circuitry for receiving messages transmitted via the medium from other processors and wherein the selected message receiving processors include prestored instructions for combining condition related information received from other processors wherein multiple selected processors independently combine condition related information from other processors; and
at least one output device.- View Dependent Claims (48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59)
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60. A method of detecting a selected condition comprising:
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sensing, at a plurality of spaced apart locations, an ambient condition;
transmitting condition information between the locations and;
collecting transmitted information at multiple sensing locations; and
processing the collected information at the multiple locations and determining if the processed information exhibits a preselected profile. - View Dependent Claims (61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66)
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67. A system comprising:
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a bi-directional communications medium;
a plurality of programmed units coupled to the medium wherein at least some of the units include circuitry for transmitting and receiving information from the communications medium, wherein at least some of the units include ambient condition sensors and levels of alarm determination circuitry, wherein some of the programmed units transmit levels of alarm information via the communications medium, and wherein some of the programmed units receive and store the levels of alarm information transmitted via the communications medium from other units; and
wherein the programmed units which receive and store the levels of alarm information transmitted via the communications medium combine the stored level of alarm information to determine if an alarm condition is present. - View Dependent Claims (68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76)
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77. A monitoring system comprising:
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a transmission medium;
a plurality of ambient condition detectors coupled to the medium wherein the detectors include executable instructions for coupling condition information from the respective detector to the medium to be received by other members of the plurality and for receiving and locally storing condition information from other members of the plurality. - View Dependent Claims (78, 79, 80, 81)
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Specification