Detection system

• US 8,854,218 B1
• Filed: 03/04/2013
• Issued: 10/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Public Wireless, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Public Wireless, Inc.
• Inventors: Reagan, Robert Michael, Haas, Roger T., Peterson, Kim Blake, Westbrook, Simon
• Primary Examiner(s): Tweel, Jr., John A
• Application Number:
  US13/784,128
• Time in Patent Office: 582 Days
• Field of Search: 340/600, 340/539.22, 340/522, 340/521, 340/539.13, 340/539.26, 340/601, 340/589
• US Class Current: 340/600
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/12 responsive to undesired emission of substances, e.g. pollution alarms
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/00 Alarm systems in which the location of the alarm condition is signalled to a central station, e.g. fire or police telegraphic systems
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/002 Generating a prealarm to the central station
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/10 using wireless transmission systems G08B25/009 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0631 using root cause analysis; using analysis of correlation between notifications, alarms or events based on decision criteria, e.g. hierarchy, tree or time analysis

Abstract

Systems and methods for creating a detector network across one or more existing communications systems. In one implementation, a system is provided. The system includes a plurality of hosts, each host hosting one or more detectors operable to detect an occurrence of an event, the hosts including functionality that is not related to the detectors and including communication functionality. The system also includes a management device for managing the detectors and one or more communications networks linking the detectors and the management device using the communication functionality of the respective host.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving an identified target event at a detector management device;

transmitting instructions associated with the identified target event to one or more detectors, the instructions signaling the one or more detectors to search for the identified target event;

receiving an alert indicating detection of the identified target event from a detector of the one or more detectors; and

processing the received alert.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein processing the received alert comprises:

identifying the location of the target event.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein identifying the location of the target event is based on a known position of the detector from which the alert was received.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the instructions associated with the identified target event are transmitted to a subset of all detectors.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the instructions associated with the identified target event include instructions placing the one or more detectors in a heightened state.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the identified target event is identification of a particular individual.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the identified target event is a radiation event.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the identified target event is a biological event.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the identified target event is a chemical event.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the identified target event is a meteorological event.

11. A system comprising:

a detector management device for

receiving an identified target event,

transmitting instructions associated with the identified target event to one or more detectors, one or more of a plurality of host devices, the instructions signaling the detectors to search for the identified target event,

receiving an alert indicating detection of the identified target event from a detector of the one or more of detectors, and

processing the received alert; and

a plurality of host devices, each of the plurality of host devices hosting at least one of the one or more detectors, each of the plurality of host devices including a connectivity component and device specific equipment with functionality that is not related to the detector,

wherein each of the one or more detectors includes

a sensor for use in detecting an occurrence of an event,

a management device coupled to the sensor and configured for managing operation of the sensor, and

communications equipment coupled to the management device and configured for communicating information related to the occurrence of the event to a detector management device via one or more communications networks.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein detector management device is further for identifying the location of the target event.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein identifying the location of the target event is based on a known position of the detector from which the alert was received.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the instructions associated with the identified target event are transmitted to a subset of all detectors.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the instructions associated with the identified target event include instructions placing the one or more detectors in a heightened state.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the identified target event is identification of a particular individual.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein each of the one or more detectors further includes a splitter module for providing simultaneous connectivity for the detector and the device specific equipment over the connectivity component of the existing host device.