Supplemental alert generation device

• US 9,189,929 B2
• Filed: 10/14/2013
• Issued: 11/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: InnovAlarm Corporation
• Original Assignee: InnovAlarm Corporation
• Inventors: Albert, David E., Lewis, James J., Smith, Landgrave T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Previl, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US14/053,465
• Publication Number:
  US 20140253340A1
• Time in Patent Office: 764 Days
• Field of Search: 340/692, 340/635, 340/521, 340/600, 340/384.4, 340/628, 340/539.3, 340/540, 340/531, 340/407.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 17/10 Actuation by presence of smoke or gases , e.g. automatic alarm devices for analysing flowing fluid materials by the use of optical means
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 3/10 using electric transmission; using electromagnetic transmission

Abstract

A battery-powered supplemental alert generator is disclosed that is adapted to be mounted in close proximity to, such as within 3 or 4 feet of, a conventional smoke, heat and/or fire detector/alert device. The supplemental alert generator operates in a relatively low power mode while listening for the nearby detector/alert device to generate a standard audible alert signal. Upon detecting that a monitored sound level has reached a particular threshold, the supplemental alert generator enters into a higher power analysis mode in which it analyzes the detected signal to assess whether it is an audible alert signal. If an audible alert signal is detected, the supplemental alert generator generates one or more supplemental alert signals, such as a 520 Hz audible square wave signal. The supplemental alert generator may be used to retrofit a house, hotel, or other building to comply with new standards or to otherwise increase the effectiveness of the existing detection/alert system.

Claims

1. A method of retrofitting a building to enhance an alert capability of a plurality of existing detector/alert devices installed in the building, the method comprising:

for each of the plurality of existing detector/alert devices, mounting a respective supplemental alert generation device to a ceiling within four feet of the existing detector/alert device, such that each supplemental alert generation device is paired with a respective detector/alert device, wherein each supplemental alert generation device is powered by a battery and is configured to operate without being connected to an AC power source of the building;

for each supplemental alert generation device, placing the supplemental alert generation device in a learn mode, and activating an alarm of the respective detector/alert device with which the supplemental alert generation device is paired, causing the supplemental alert generation device to select at least a threshold sound level corresponding to the alarm of the respective detector/alert device, said threshold sound level used by the supplemental alert generation device to trigger an analysis of an audio signal to determine whether the audio signal represents said alarm signal;

wherein each supplemental alert generation device is configured to monitor the respective detector/alert device, and to output a supplemental audible alarm in response to detecting that the respective detector/alert device is outputting the alarm.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each supplemental alert generation device comprises an audio speaker mounted to an enclosure structure to form a sealed speaker enclosure assembly, said audio speaker having a diaphragm driven by a coil.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein each sealed speaker enclosure assembly has an object resonance in the range of 400 to 700 hertz, said object resonance dependent upon physical characteristics of the enclosure structure.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein each sealed speaker enclosure assembly has an object resonance of approximately 520 hertz.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein each detector/alert device is configured to generate a pulsed alarm signal, and each supplemental alert generation device is configured to generate a pulsed supplemental audible alarm having pulses that are synchronized in time with pulses of the pulsed alarm signal of the detector/alert device with which it is paired.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the method comprises mounting each supplemental alert generation device within three feet of a respective detector/alert device.

7. A supplemental alert generation device configured to monitor, and to supplement an audible alarm generated by, a detector/alert device, the supplemental alert generation device comprising:

a monitoring circuit that monitors the detector/alert device, said monitoring circuit configured to initiate an analysis of a detected audio signal in response to determining that a sound level of the detected audio signal satisfies a threshold, said analysis capable of determining whether the detected audio signal represents said audible alarm generated by the detector/alert device;

a supplemental alert generator that generates a supplemental alert signal in response to the monitoring circuit detecting the audible alarm, said supplemental alert signal having a fundamental frequency and multiple harmonics, said fundamental frequency falling in a range of 400 to 700 hertz;

an audio speaker that outputs an audible representation of the supplemental alert signal, said audio speaker mounted to a speaker enclosure structure to form a sealed speaker enclosure assembly; and

a battery source that powers the monitoring circuit and the supplemental alert generator;

wherein the supplemental alert generation device is mounted to a ceiling within four feet of the detector/alert device.

8. The supplemental alert generation device of claim 7, wherein the monitoring circuit comprises a controller that is configured to select said threshold based on an analysis of the audible alarm while the supplemental alert generation device is mounted within four feet of the detector/alert device.

9. The supplemental alert generation device of claim 7, wherein the monitoring circuit is configured to implement a learn mode in which the monitoring circuit selects said threshold based on an analysis of the audible alarm.

10. The supplemental alert generation device of claim 7, wherein the sealed speaker enclosure assembly has an object resonance in the range of 400 to 700 hertz.

11. The supplemental alert generation device of claim 7, wherein the supplemental alert generator comprises a non-linear audio amplifier.

12. The supplemental alert generation device of claim 7, wherein the monitoring circuit comprises a piezoelectric sensor, and comprises a programmed microcontroller that monitors an output of the piezoelectric sensor.

13. The supplemental alert generation device of claim 7, wherein the supplemental alert generation device is mounted to a ceiling within three feet of the detector/alert device.

14. The supplemental alert generation device of claim 7, wherein the supplemental alert generator comprises an audio amplifier circuit.

15. A method implemented by a supplemental alert generation device to supplement an audible alarm generated by a detector/alert device, the method comprising:

while operating in a learn mode, detecting an audible alarm generated by the detector/alert device, and selecting a sound level threshold for subsequent monitoring of the detector/alert device;

subsequently, in response to detecting that the sound level threshold is satisfied, initiating a signal analysis of a received audio signal to determine whether the received audio signal matches a pattern corresponding to the audible alarm of the detector/alert device;

in response to determining that the received audio signal matches the pattern, generating a supplemental alert signal having a fundamental frequency and multiple harmonics, said fundamental frequency falling in a range of 400 to 700 hertz;

applying the supplemental alert signal to an audio speaker to produce an audible supplemental alarm, said audio speaker coupled to a speaker enclosure structure to form a sealed speaker enclosure assembly;

said method, including detecting the audible alarm, selecting the sound level threshold, initiating the signal analysis, generating the supplemental alert signal, and applying the supplemental alert signal to the audio speaker, performed with the supplemental alert generation device mounted to a ceiling within four feet of the detector/alert device.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein generating the supplemental alert signal comprises amplifying the supplemental alert signal with a boosted class D non-linear amplifier that is powered by a battery.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the method, including detecting the audible alarm, selecting the sound level threshold, initiating the signal analysis, generating the supplemental alert signal, and applying the supplemental alert signal to the audio speaker, is performed with the supplemental alert generation device powered solely by a battery source.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the speaker enclosure assembly has an object resonance in the range of 400 to 700 hertz, said object resonance dependent upon physical dimensions of the speaker enclosure structure.