Self-adjusting alarm device with low energy consumption

• US 6,720,875 B2
• Filed: 11/18/2002
• Issued: 04/13/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: F and F International SARL
• Original Assignee: F and F International SARL
• Inventors: Philippe, François
• Primary Examiner(s): Hofsass, Jeffery
• Assistant Examiner(s): Stone, Jennifer
• Application Number:
  US10/276,612
• Publication Number:
  US 20030156031A1
• Time in Patent Office: 512 Days
• Field of Search: 340/541, 340/426.1, 340/544, 340/545.4, 340/545.9, 116/4, 116/5, 116/6, 116/86
• US Class Current: 340/541
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1681 using infrasonic detecting means, e.g. a microphone operating below the audible frequency range
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/24 Self-calibration, e.g. compensating for environmental drift or ageing of components

Abstract

An alarm device including an acoustic pressure sensor (10) delivering an analog signal to first amplifying means (12) and to second amplifying means (14), a first comparator (34) where the positive input is connected to the output of the second amplifying means and where the output delivers a warning signal to alarm means (26, 28) when there is a break-in or an attempt at breaking in, and self-adjusting means including a microprocessor (26) programmed to deliver a digital signal at the negative input of the first comparator where the pulses have a variable width which increases in accordance with the duration and the importance of the atmospheric disturbance so as to automatically increase the alarm device triggering threshold and reduce its sensitivity when the acoustic sensor detects an atmospheric disturbance such as wind.

Claims

1. An alarm device comprising

an acoustic pressure sensor supplying an analog signal to a first amplifier and to a second amplifier;

a first comparator having a positive input connected to an output of said second amplifier and wherein said first comparator'"'"'s output delivers a warning signal to an alarm when there is a break-in or a break-in attempt;

self-adjusting means comprising an analog-digital converter having an input connected to an output of said first amplifier and wherein analog-digital converter'"'"'s output is a digital signal which varies in accordance with an atmospheric disturbance, and a microprocessor programmed to deliver, in response to the detection of said digital signal supplied by said converter, a digital signal at a negative input of said first comparator, the pulses of which have a variable width which increases in accordance with the duration and the strength of said atmospheric disturbance so as to automatically increase a triggering threshold of said alarm and hence reduce its sensitivity when said acoustic pressure sensor detects an atmospheric disturbance.

2. The device of claim 1, further comprising

a pulse converter connected to the negative input of said first comparator and which is capable of supplying a signal whose voltage varies according to the width vs time of said variable-width pulses.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein said pulse converter includes a capacitor charged by said variable-width pulses by a resistor in order to transform said variable-width pulses into a voltage signal, the value of which is proportional to their width vs time.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein said analog-digital converter delivers a configuration of bits associated with said atmospheric disturbance and said microprocessor is programmed to deliver an augmentation signal for the voltage applied to the negative input of said first comparator in accordance with said configuration.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein said analog-digital converter is a second comparator that supplies pulses whose width varies in accordance with the magnitude of said atmospheric disturbance.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein said alarm includes a microprocessor programmed to supply a voltage signal in response to said alarm signal whose width vs time exceeds a predetermined threshold and an alarm means which is activated upon detection of said voltage signal.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein said alarm means is activated differently depending upon whether the width of said alarm signal is between a minimum value and a maximum value indicating that a break-in attempt or impact has occurred, or said width is greater than said maximum value indicating that a break-in has occurred.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein said second amplifier comprises an operational amplifier and which has variable gain due to a potentiometer connected between the ground and a negative input of said operational amplifier.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein said microprocessor searches, by successive adjustments, for the optimum width of said variable-width pulses causing untimely triggering represented by a permanent signal at the time of device initialization.

10. The device of claim 7, wherein said microprocessor performs periodic readjustments by recalculating said optimal width when no incident is detected or by checking that it is not an untimely triggering by testing the sensitivity threshold when an incident is detected.