Intelligent building alarm

• US 6,873,256 B2
• Filed: 06/21/2002
• Issued: 03/29/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dorothy Lemelson
• Original Assignee: Dorothy Lemelson
• Inventors: Pedersen, Robert D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Daniel J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Phung
• Application Number:
  US10/177,577
• Publication Number:
  US 20030234725A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,012 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.1, 340/628, 340/632, 340/286.05, 340/286.11, 340/326, 340/331, 340/511, 340/521, 340/522, 340/539.14, 340/539.16, 362/227, 345/8
• US Class Current: 340/539.1
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 17/00 Fire alarms; Alarms responsive to explosion
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 17/113 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/006 Alarm destination chosen according to type of event, e.g. in case of fire phone the fire service, in case of medical emergency phone the ambulance
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/10 using wireless transmission systems G08B25/009 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/186 Fuzzy logic; neural networks
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 7/066 guiding along a path, e.g. evacuation path lighting strip

Abstract

System and method for detecting, monitoring and evaluating hazardous situations in a structure includes the use of an expert system and, to the extent necessary, fuzzy logic in the generation of solution sets. Sensor units having two-way communication capability are strategically located in a structure or in a matrix of structures. These units are high-level multifunctional detectors, RF and other wireless or hardwired communication modules and signal generating systems that may communicate with a base station, with other modules and/or may have onboard logical solution generation capacity.

Claims

1. A system for intelligently monitoring, detecting, and evaluating hazardous situations comprising:

a. a portable sensor unit, said portable sensor unit for receiving inputs and transmitting outputs;

b. a radio signal positioning system inputting data to said portable sensor unit whereby location information of said portable sensor unit, based on radio signal positioning information received by said portable sensor unit from said radio signal positioning system, is stored in said portable sensor unit; and

c. a base station information processor in communication with said portable sensor unit, said base station information processor for processing information received from said portable sensor unit transmission output, said information received by said base station information processor from said portable sensor unit including radio signal positioning information stored in said portable sensor unit;

d. said base station having an expert system, said expert system processing information related to output received from said portable sensor unit, wherein the expert system comprises a computer having a memory containing a plurality of fuzzy inference rules, each rule defining a danger index depending on the combined states of a plurality of variables defining structure status contained in the outputs received from said portable sensor unit, and wherein the computer is structured;

(i) to use received signals defining the sensed variables to select and reproduce from the memory applicable ones of the plurality of rules and to apply the selected rules, using fuzzy logic, to derive an index of danger at various different locations in the structure; and

(ii) to compare the danger indices at each of said locations to derive a preferred one of several alternate routes, each route connecting at least one point inside the structure and a point outside the structure.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said portable sensor unit has the capability of constantly updating said base station information processing system.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein said portable sensor unit allows communication proximate said portable sensor unit.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein communications with said base station information processing unit and said sensors is radio signal communication technology having spread spectrum techniques for multiple transmitter/receiver pairs.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein said spread spectrum technique is code division multiple access.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein said base station information processing system is in communication with “

911”

emergency systems.

7. A system for detecting and evaluating hazardous situations in a structure and for assisting emergency personnel in rescuing personnel determined to be in a hazardous situation in said structure, said system having a base station information processor including a transceiver for receiving and sending wireless communications, a computing device and input and output devices for inputting and outputting data to and from said computing device, the system comprising:

a. a plurality of stationary sensor units fixedly mounted in the structure, at least one of said sensor units for sensing multiple environmental factors, said environmental factors including indicia of fire, smoke, gas levels, sounds, optical information, and location information of said one of said sensor units, said sensor units for determining status of the structure in the vicinity of each location where said one of said plurality of sensor units is located, said plurality of sensor units further comprising sensor wireless input and output signal broadcast capability for receiving input signals and transmitting output signals from said sensor units;

b. a radio signal positioning system accessible by each of said stationary sensor units for storing the position of said sensor units, said sensor units transmitting their positions to said base station information processor;

c. an expert system, including a fuzzy logic system, said expert system for processing information input to said base station computing device and for outputting information from said base station computing device to each of said sensor units;

d. said input and output device of said computing device in communication with a monitor screen for displaying a three dimensional projection of said building including real time locations of said stationary sensor units and real time data display of environmental factors in the vicinity of each sensor unit; and

e. a helmet having a wireless transceiver for transmitting and receiving wireless communications, a helmet mounted display, a helmet mounted camera, and a receiver for receiving signals broadcast by said radio signal positioning system, said transceiver of said helmet sending helmet position information determined from said signal broadcast by said radio signal positioning system to said base station computing device, and said output device of said computing device in communication with said helmet mounted display for displaying structure and environmental factors in the vicinity of said helmet.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein at least one of the plurality of sensor units includes warning output capabilities including a light of various selected colors for various selected situations and light flashing functions to provide visual information in the vicinity proximate said sensor unit.

9. The system of claim 7 wherein said positioning system of each of the sensor units and the helmet receiver receives signals from earth orbiting satellites.

10. The system of claim 7 wherein communications with said base station information processing unit, said sensors, and said helmet is radio signal communication technology having spread spectrum techniques for multiple transmitter/receiver pairs.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein said spread spectrum technique is code division multiple access.

12. The system of claim 7 wherein communication between said sensor units and said base information processor are accomplished via a network of interconnected information processors.

13. The system of claim 7 wherein said base station information processing system is in communication with “

911”

emergency systems.

14. The system of claim 7 wherein said three-dimensional display system selectively displays information from every sensor unit in a particular structure.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein said three-dimensional display view may be manipulated to show various perspectives.

16. The system of claim 7 wherein said system has directional floor lighting that sequences under control of said base station information processor whereby said floor lighting sequences in the best direction for persons to escape from a particular location and sequences to lead rescue personnel to a target zone in said structure.

17. The system of claim 7 further comprising

a. a plurality of transportable sensor units stored in said structure, at least one of said transportable sensor units for sensing multiple environmental factors, said environmental factors including indicia of fire, smoke, gas levels, sounds, optical information, and location information of said one of said transportable sensor units, said sensor units for determining status of the structure in the vicinity of a location where said one of said plurality of transportable sensor units is at any particular time, said plurality of transportable sensor units further comprising transportable sensor output signal broadcast capability for transmitting output signals from said transportable sensor units;

and

b. said radio signal positioning system accessible by each of said transportable sensor units for storing the position of said transportable sensor units, said transportable sensor units transmitting their positions to said base station information processor.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein said positioning system of each of the sensor units and the helmet receiver receives signals from earth orbiting satellites.

19. The system of claim 17 wherein communications with said base station information processing unit, said sensors, and said helmet is radio signal communication technology having spread spectrum techniques for multiple transmitter/receiver pairs.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein said spread spectrum technique is code division multiple access.

21. A system for intelligently monitoring, detecting, and evaluating hazardous situations in a structure comprising:

a. a plurality of sensor modules, each located at different location in a structure, each sensor module configured to sense a plurality of distinct predetermined variables defining structure status, and each sensor module having at least one wireless transmitter associated therewith;

b. a base station having a radio receiver configured to receive radio signals transmitted from each of the sensor modules; and

c. a computer at the base station having access to the signals received from the sensor modules and having a memory containing a plurality of fuzzy inference rules, each rule defining a danger index depending on the combined states of the plurality of variables defining structure status;

d. wherein the computer is structured, for each of the sensor units, to use received signals defining the sensed variables to select and reproduce from the memory applicable ones of the plurality of rules and to apply the selected rules, using fuzzy logic, to derive an index of danger at each of the different locations in the structure; and

e. wherein the computer is further structured to compare the danger indices at each of said locations to derive a preferred one of several alternate routes, each route connecting at least one point inside the structure and a point outside the structure.

22. The system of claim 21 further comprising a route-instruction announcement system at various locations within the structure, and wherein the computer is coupled via wireless signal to the route-instruction announcement system and wherein the route-instruction announcement system is responsive to signals defining the preferred route derived by the computer.

23. The system of claim 22 wherein the route-instruction announcement system comprises selectively controllable exit lighting distributed through the structure.

24. The system of claim 22 wherein the route-instruction announcement system comprises a plurality of speakers distributed through the structure and synthesized human-audible audio instructions capable of being played on the speakers.

25. A method of intelligently monitoring, detecting, and evaluating hazardous situations in a structure comprising:

a. sensing, at a plurality of different location in a structure, a plurality of distinct predetermined variables defining structure status;

b. wirelessly transmitting signals defining the sensed variables to a base station;

c. for the signals defining the sensed variables received at the base station from each different location, using the signals to select applicable ones of a plurality of fuzzy inference rules, each rule defining a danger index depending on the combined states of the plurality of variables defining structure status;

d. for the signals defining the sensed variables received at the base station from each different location, automatically applying the selected rules, using fuzzy logic, to derive an index of danger at each of the different locations; and

e. automatically comparing the danger indices at each of said locations to derive a preferred one of several alternate routes, each route connecting at least one point inside the structure and a point outside the structure.

26. The method of claim 25 further comprising using the derived preferred route to automatically display within the structure human-perceptible instructions about the preferred route.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein using the derived preferred route comprises wirelessly transmitting data about the preferred route from the base station to various locations within the structure.

28. The method of claim 26 wherein automatically displaying within the structure human-perceptible instructions about the preferred route comprises selectively controlling exit lighting distributed through the structure.

29. The method of claim 28 wherein selectively controlling exit lighting distributed through the structure comprises sequencing floor lighting in the direction of the outside of the structure along the preferred route.

30. The method of claim 26 wherein automatically displaying within the structure human-perceptible instructions about the preferred route comprises playing synthesized human-audible audio instructions on speakers within the structure.