Method and apparatus for marking an escape route

• US 6,998,960 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2003
• Issued: 02/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Novar GmbH (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Novar GmbH (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Buschmann, Michael, Ollik, Waldemar, Goulet, Thomas, Herstix, Frank
• Primary Examiner(s): Hofsass, Jeffery
• Assistant Examiner(s): MEHMOOD, JENNIFER
• Application Number:
  US10/671,631
• Publication Number:
  US 20040075572A1
• Time in Patent Office: 869 Days
• Field of Search: 340/286.05, 340/525, 340/286.14, 340/287, 521/74
• US Class Current: 340/286.05
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 7/062 indicating emergency exits
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 7/066 guiding along a path, e.g. evacuation path lighting strip

Abstract

A method for signaling an escape route in a building with emergency warning units arranged in a distributed way can be realized such that the emergency warning units are equipped with luminous means that in the event of an emergency can be activated by a central emergency warning system sequentially in the manner of a running light that designates the direction of the escape route leading away from a hazard site. An emergency warning unit suitable for this purpose may include two LEDs configured as arrows facing in opposite directions, of which either can be switched into a blinking mode by the central emergency warning system in accordance with the emergency conditions.

Claims

1. A method for signaling the direction of an escape route to be taken in an emergency in a building with emergency warning units that are arranged in a distributed manner and are connected to a central emergency warning system, comprising:

equipping individual emergency warning units with a sensor for detecting a hazard condition and luminous means; and

activating the luminous means of the individual emergency warning units sequentially in the manner of a running light by the central emergency warning system in an emergency, which running light designates the escape route leading away from a hazard site.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

storing information in the central emergency warning system, including all escape routes of the building, the physical location of all emergency warning units, and a program for determining at least one escape route to be chosen depending on one or more incoming emergency reports, which program calculates a beginning, a direction and an end of the at least one escape route leading away from the hazard site, and a sequence of the trigger commands for the luminous means of the emergency warning units to be activated.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the central emergency warning system places the luminous means along the at least one escape route in a blinking mode.

4. A method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the central emergency warning system deactivates the luminous means along escape routes designated as unsuitable or hazardous escape routes.

5. A method as claimed in claim 2, wherein physical locations of illuminated escape route signs are stored in the central emergency warning system and are co-processed in the program for determining the at least one escape route.

6. An emergency warning unit for performing the method of claim 1, comprising:

a light emitting diode (LED) that continuously emits green light in an idle state and is switchable to a blinking mode during emergency conditions.

7. An emergency warning unit as claimed in claim 6, further comprising:

at least one additional, highly luminous, green LED that is switchable to a blinking mode by the central emergency warning system during emergency conditions.

8. An emergency warning unit as claimed in claim 7, wherein the at least one additional LED is physically configured as an arrow.

9. A manual, wall-mountable emergency warning unit for performing the method as claimed in claim 1, comprising:

two light emitting diodes (LEDs) arranged as arrows facing in opposite directions, wherein either of the two LEDs is configurable in a blinking mode by the central emergency warning system based on an existing emergency condition.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

mounting the emergency warning units on the ceiling.

11. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

supplying power to individual emergency warning units from the central emergency warning system.

12. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein activating the luminous means includes causing the luminous means to blink.

13. An emergency warning system for signaling the direction of an escape route to be taken in an emergency in a building, comprising:

a plurality of emergency warning units arranged in a distributed manner throughout the building, wherein individual emergency warning units comprise;

a sensor for detecting a hazard condition and luminous means;

wherein, in response to receiving notification of a hazard condition detected by the sensor of an emergency warning unit, the emergency warning system activates the luminous means of the individual emergency warning units sequentially in the manner of a running light that designates at least one escape route leading away from a hazard site corresponding to the location of the emergency warning unit whose sensor detected the hazard condition.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein at least some of the emergency warning units are ceiling-mounted.

15. A wall-mountable emergency warning unit for signaling the direction of an escape route to be taken in an emergency in a building, comprising:

a user interface for manually triggering an alarm, the emergency warning unit notifying an emergency warning system in response to the alarm being triggered; and

first and second LED indicators in the form of arrows pointing in opposite directions;

wherein one of the first and second LED indicators is activated by the emergency warning system in response to the alarm being triggered to designate an escape route leading away from a hazard site.

16. The wall-mounted emergency wall unit of claim 15, wherein the user interface is a push button interface.

17. An emergency warning system for signaling the direction of an escape route to be taken in an emergency in a building, comprising:

a plurality of wall-mounted emergency warning units according to claim 15, wherein the emergency warning system activates one of the first and second LED indicators of individual emergency warning units sequentially in the manner of a running light that designates at least one escape route leading away from a hazard site.