System and method for testing battery backup capacities in alarm systems
First Claim
1. A system for testing battery backup capacity in an alarm system, the system comprising:
- a panel;
a notification device operatively connected to the panel;
a battery backup associated with to the panel and configured to provide the panel and the notification appliance with electrical power;
a test circuit associated with the panel and configured to monitor a voltage and an output current of the battery backup during a battery capacity test; and
a system controller associated with the alarm panel and configured to determine, from the monitored voltage and output current of the battery backup, a capacity of the battery backup, the system controller further configured to execute the battery capacity test, whereby the alarm panel and the notification appliance are switched from a primary power source to the battery backup for a standby period of a first predetermined duration followed by an alarm period of a second predetermined duration, wherein the system controller activates the notification appliance during the alarm period.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system and method for testing the capacities of battery backups in alarm systems. The system may include an alarm panel, a notification device connected to the alarm panel, a battery backup connected to the alarm panel and configured to provide the alarm panel and the notification appliance with electrical power. The system may further include test circuitry that is configured to monitor a voltage and an output current of the battery backup when the battery backup is placed under a battery capacity test, and a system controller that is configured to determine, from the monitored voltage and output current of the battery backup, information relating to the capacity of the battery backup. Such information may be communicated to a workstation or an offsite monitoring facility where it may be compiled with information relating to the capacities of other battery backups in the alarm system to create a report.
8 Citations
18 Claims
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1. A system for testing battery backup capacity in an alarm system, the system comprising:
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a panel; a notification device operatively connected to the panel; a battery backup associated with to the panel and configured to provide the panel and the notification appliance with electrical power; a test circuit associated with the panel and configured to monitor a voltage and an output current of the battery backup during a battery capacity test; and a system controller associated with the alarm panel and configured to determine, from the monitored voltage and output current of the battery backup, a capacity of the battery backup, the system controller further configured to execute the battery capacity test, whereby the alarm panel and the notification appliance are switched from a primary power source to the battery backup for a standby period of a first predetermined duration followed by an alarm period of a second predetermined duration, wherein the system controller activates the notification appliance during the alarm period. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A method for testing the capacity of a battery backup in an alarm system, the method comprising:
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switching an alarm panel and a corresponding notification appliance from a primary power source to a battery backup for a standby period of a first predetermined duration followed by an alarm period of a second predetermined duration, wherein the notification appliance is activated during the alarm period; monitoring a voltage and an output current of the battery backup; obtaining, from the monitored voltage and output current of the battery backup, information relating to the capacity of the battery backup; and compiling the obtained information relating to the capacity of the battery backup along with information relating to the capacities of other battery backups in the alarm system. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A method for performing an automatic battery capacity test in an alarm system in which a plurality of battery backups are configured to provide respective alarm panels and notification appliances with electrical power, the method comprising:
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automatically switching the alarm panels and corresponding notification appliances from respective primary power sources to their respective battery backups for a standby period of a first predetermined duration followed by an alarm period of a second predetermined duration, wherein the notification appliances are activated during the alarm period; automatically monitoring a voltage and an output current of each battery backup with test circuitry residing in each of the alarm panels; automatically determining, from the monitored voltages and output currents of the battery backups, information relating to the capacities of the battery backups; and compiling the information relating to the capacities of the battery backups to create a report. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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Specification