Alarm device and alarm system

• US 8,432,277 B2
• Filed: 10/01/2008
• Issued: 04/30/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hochiki Corporation
• Original Assignee: Hochiki Corporation
• Inventors: Egawa, Yoshitaka, Shima, Hiroshi, Asano, Isao
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Daniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): DARAMOLA, ISRAEL O
• Application Number:
  US12/745,915
• Publication Number:
  US 20100295677A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,672 Days
• Field of Search: 340/541, 340/321, 340/506, 340/571, 340/628, 340/502, 340/531, 340/539.11, 340/573.1, 600/347, 379/39, 362/20, 713/323, 342/28, 700/32, 361/59, 250/336.1, 307/141, 709/201, 378/57
• US Class Current: 340/540
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 17/00 Fire alarms; Alarms responsive to explosion
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 17/113 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/009 Signalling of the alarm condition to a substation whose identity is signalled to a central station, e.g. relaying alarm signals in order to extend communication range
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 3/10 using electric transmission; using electromagnetic transmission
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 7/06 using electric transmission , e.g. involving audible and visible signalling through the use of sound and light sources

Abstract

An alarm device includes: a detection device which detects an occurrence of an abnormal condition within a monitoring area; a transmission device which transmits an alarm signal when the detection device detects the abnormal condition; and an output device which, after the transmission device has transmitted the alarm signal, outputs an alarm after a lapse of a predetermined time after the transmission.

Claims

1. An alarm system that detects an abnormal condition within a monitoring area and outputs an alarm, comprising:

an alarm device comprising;

a detection device which detects an occurrence of the abnormal condition;

a transmission device which transmits an alarm signal when the detection device detects the abnormal condition; and

an output device which, after the transmission device has transmitted the alarm signal, outputs the alarm after a lapse of a predetermined time after the transmission; and

a reception apparatus comprising a reception section which receives the alarm signal, and an output section which when the reception section receives the alarm signal, outputs the alarm at substantially the same time as reception of the alarm signal,

wherein the predetermined time is set so as to be equivalent to the time taken from transmission of the alarm signal by the transmission device to reception of the alarm signal by the reception section.

2. The alarm system according to claim 1, wherein

the output device outputs the alarm at a first volume at substantially the same time as transmission of the alarm signal by the transmission device, and then changes the volume of the alarm from the first volume to a different second volume when the predetermined time has elapsed since transmission of the alarm signal.

3. The alarm system according to claim 1, wherein

the detection device further comprises a display device which displays an alarm when the detection device detects the abnormal condition.

4. The alarm system according to claim 1, wherein

the alarm device and the reception apparatus form an integral construction;

and

a plurality of such integrally constructed alarm devices and reception apparatuses are provided.

5. An alarm device comprising:

a reception circuit section which receives event signals from other alarm devices by performing intermittent reception behavior at a predetermined reception cycle;

a transmission circuit section which transmits event signals to the other alarm devices for a transmission time whose duration is equal to or longer than the predetermined reception cycle;

a sensor section which detects an abnormal condition;

an alert section which outputs an alarm;

an abnormal condition monitoring section which upon receiving an abnormal condition detection signal from the sensor section, outputs an abnormal condition alarm itself as a linkage source, and transmits an event signal indicating the abnormal condition to the other alarm devices, and on the other hand, upon receiving an event signal indicating the abnormal condition from one of the other alarm devices, outputs an abnormal condition alarm to the other alarm devices serving as a linkage destination;

a preliminary abnormal condition detection section which detects a preliminary abnormal condition when the sensor section detects that the probability of an abnormal condition occurring is greater than a predetermined probability; and

a preliminary abnormal condition monitoring section which, when the preliminary abnormal condition is detected, transmits an event signal indicating the preliminary abnormal condition to the other alarm devices, and on the other hand, upon receiving an event signal indicating the preliminary abnormal condition from one of the other alarm devices, either changes the reception cycle of the reception circuit section to a shorter cycle, or changes the reception behavior of the reception circuit section to constant reception.

6. An alarm device according to claim 5, wherein

the preliminary abnormal condition monitoring section is provided in the sensor section.

7. An alarm device according to claim 5, wherein

the preliminary abnormal condition monitoring section, upon detecting the preliminary abnormal condition, outputs a preliminary abnormal condition alarm from the alert section.

8. An alarm device according to claim 5, wherein,

the preliminary abnormal condition monitoring section,

after the event signal indicating the preliminary abnormal condition is transmitted, if the preliminary abnormal condition is no longer detected, transmits an event signal indicating resolution of the preliminary abnormal condition to the other alarm devices, and on the other hand,

after either the reception cycle of the reception circuit section is changed to a cycle shorter than the predetermined reception cycle, or the reception behavior of the reception circuit section is changed to constant reception upon receiving an event signal indicating the preliminary abnormal condition from one of the other alarm devices, when the event signal indicating the resolution of the preliminary abnormal condition is received, either restores the reception cycle to the predetermined cycle, or restores the reception behavior of the reception circuit section from the constant reception to the original intermittent reception.

9. An alarm device according to claim 5, wherein

the preliminary abnormal condition monitoring section,

when a predetermined time has elapsed since receiving the event signal indicating the preliminary abnormal condition from one of the other alarm devices and either changing the reception cycle of the reception circuit section to a shorter cycle than the predetermined reception cycle, or changing the reception behavior of the reception circuit section to constant reception, either restores the reception cycle to the predetermined cycle or restores the reception behavior of the reception circuit section from the constant reception to the original intermittent reception.

10. An alarm device comprising:

a reception circuit section which receives event signals from other alarm devices by performing intermittent reception behavior at a predetermined reception cycle;

a transmission circuit section which transmits event signals to the other alarm devices for a transmission time equal to or longer than the predetermined reception cycle;

a sensor section which detects an abnormal condition;

an alert section which outputs an alarm;

an abnormal condition monitoring section which upon receiving an abnormal condition detection signal from the sensor section, outputs an abnormal condition alarm itself as a linkage source, and transmits an event signal indicating the abnormal condition to the other alarm devices, and on the other hand, upon receiving an event signal indicating the abnormal condition from one of the other alarm devices, outputs an abnormal condition alarm to the other alarm devices serving as a linkage destination;

and a reception cycle control section which, by a predetermined setting operation, changes a reception cycle of the reception circuit section to a shorter cycle than the predetermined cycle.