Systems and methods of deterministic annunciation

• US 7,400,240 B2
• Filed: 08/16/2005
• Issued: 07/15/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/16/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Lindauer, Gregory P., Butler, Mark A., Brockelsby, Robert H., Shrode, Jeffrey W.
• Primary Examiner(s): TWEEL JR, JOHN ALEXANDER
• Application Number:
  US11/204,597
• Publication Number:
  US 20070040667A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,064 Days
• Field of Search: 340/502, 340/506, 340/531, 340/539.1, 340/539.16, 340/539.17
• US Class Current: 340/502
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/12 Checking intermittently signalling or alarm systems

Abstract

A method of supervising a plurality of displaced devices includes having each device emit a supervisory signal that is detectable by a designated unit. Indicia can be included indicative that an intervening message has been sent from a respective device. The designated unit can respond to missing, expected supervisory signals as well as unreceived messages.

Claims

1. A supervisory process comprising:

periodically sending a first identifier from a device being supervised, the identifiers are temporally spaced apart by a predetermined period;

non-periodically sending an event message upon the occurrence of the event; and

sensing received identifiers; and

, determining if each such identifier has been received displaced in time from a prior received identifier an amount on the order of the period.

2. A process as in claim 1 where in response to not receiving a subsequent identifier after a time interval on the order of the period, a trouble indicating indicium is generated.

3. A process as in claim 1 where an indicium is generated in response to receiving a current identifier after a delay, on the order of the period, in receiving a prior identifier.

4. A process as in claim 1 which includes maintaining a record of received identifiers and times of receipt thereof.

5. A process as in claim 4 which includes generating at least one of an audible indicator or a visual indicator indicative of an expected but unreceived identifier.

6. A process as in claim 1 which includes sending a second identifier from the device, the second identifier is indicative of an antecedent event indicating indicium.

7. A process as in claim 6 which includes ascertaining if the event indicating indicium had previously been received.

8. A process as in claim 6 which includes sending an event indicating indicium in response to a predetermined condition.

9. A process as in claim 8 which includes associating an event indicating second identifier with each event indicating indicium.

10. A process as in claim 9 which includes altering each second identifier in association with sending each event indicating indicium.

11. A process as in claim 10 where each second identifier includes at least a numeric portion with the altering including one of incrementing or decrementing the numeric portion.

12. A process as in claim 8 which includes altering the first identifier in association with sending each such identifier.

13. A process as in claim 12 which includes altering the first identifier subsequent to sending each such identifier.

14. A process as in claim 13 where the first identifiers include a numeric portion with the altering including one of incrementing or decrementing the numeric portion.

15. A system comprising:

a plurality of electrical units;

a monitoring device where the electrical units communicate with the device via a medium;

the electrical units each include circuitry to produce a plurality of indicia indicative of expected functioning of the respective unit, the indicia are coupled to the monitoring device, the electrical units also each include circuitry to produce indicia of a predetermined physical event, the indicia of the predetermined physical event coupled to the monitoring device upon occurrence of the event.

16. A system as in claim 15 where the circuitry produces a plurality of temporally displaced indicia.

17. A system as in claim 16 where the monitoring device includes software to evaluate indicia received from respective units.

18. A system as in claim 16 where the device includes circuitry to sense a temporal displacement between adjacent indicia received from the same unit.

19. A system as in claim 18 where the device includes circuitry responsive to a temporal displacement that exceeds a predetermined value.

20. A system as in claim 19 where the device generates an indicium measuring indicator where the temporal displacement exceeds the predetermined value.

21. A device comprising:

at least one ambient condition sensor;

output circuitry to periodically transmit identifiers indicative of an expected operational state and also to non-periodically transmit notice of an event detected by the at least one ambient condition sensor upon detection of the event.

22. A device as in claim 21 which includes control circuits coupled between the sensor and the output circuitry.

23. A device as in claim 22 where the control circuits, via the output circuitry, transmit event indicating indicia via a medium.

24. A device as in claim 21 where the output circuitry transmits identifiers which include a transmission identifier.

25. A device as in claim 23 where the control circuits transmit event indicating indicia which include, at least in part, an event identifying numeric.