Alarm system with wireless communication

• US 9,412,247 B2
• Filed: 03/27/2014
• Issued: 08/09/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Kore, Vinayak Sadashiv, Ingawale, Sunil M.
• Primary Examiner(s): SMALL, NAOMI J
• Application Number:
  US14/226,946
• Publication Number:
  US 20150279184A1
• Time in Patent Office: 866 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.13
• 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 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 25/016 Personal emergency signalling and security systems emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/10 using wireless transmission systems G08B25/009 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 7/066 guiding along a path, e.g. evacuation path lighting strip
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]

Abstract

A system is provided, wherein the system includes a fire alarm system within a secured area, a call station of the fire alarm system, and a cellphone that includes at least one fire detection device and that forms a cellular connection with the fire alarm system, wherein the fire alarm system determines a location of the cellphone based upon the cellular connection, and wherein the fire alarm system detects a fire within the secured area and provides instructions through the cellphone for exiting the secured area based upon the detected location of the cellphone.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a fire alarm system within a secured area;

a manually activated call station of the fire alarm system; and

a cellphone that forms a cellular connection with the fire alarm system through the call station of the fire alarm system,

wherein the cellphone generates a fire alarm based upon user input or built-in sensors and sends the fire alarm through the cellular connection with the call station to the fire alarm system,

wherein the fire alarm system determines a location of the cellphone, and

wherein the fire alarm system detects a fire within the secured area based upon the fire alarm from the cellphone, issues an alarm notification through the cellphone and provides instructions through the cellphone for exiting the secured area based upon the determined location of the cellphone.

2. The system as in claim 1 further comprising a cellular transceiver within the call station or a smoke detector.

3. The system as claimed in claim 2 further comprising a processor of the cellular transceiver that determines the location of the cellphone via any location detection technique including triangulation, iBeacon, near field communication (NFC), accelerometer and acoustic sensor.

4. The system as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a processor that confirms that the cellphone is authorized to register with the fire alarm system and wherein only authorized users are allowed to generate alarms and all authorized users are provided fire alerts and navigation guidance.

5. The system as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a processor of the fire alarm system that receives an audible alarm notification through a user interface of the cellphone.

6. The system as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a 2-wire loop coupling the call station to the fire alarm system.

7. The system as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a wireless network coupling the call station to the fire alarm system.

8. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the built-in sensors include a camera of the cellphone and a fire detection processor that processes images from the camera to detect smoke or the fire.

9. The system as in claim 1 further comprising a call point user interface of the cellphone that allows a user to indicate the fire.

10. A system comprising:

a fire alarm system within a secured area;

a plurality of reporting stations of the fire alarm system located throughout the secured area; and

a cellphone that includes at least one fire detection device and that forms a cellular connection with the fire alarm system through a local one of the plurality of reporting stations of the fire alarm system,

wherein the cellphone generates a fire alarm based upon user input or the fire detection device and sends the fire alarm through the cellular connection with the fire alarm system through the local one of the plurality of reporting stations to the fire alarm system,

wherein the fire alarm system determines a location of the cellphone,

wherein the fire alarm system detects a fire within the secured area based upon the fire alarm from the cellphone, issues an alarm notification through the cellphone, and provides instructions through the cellphone for exiting the secured area based upon the determined location of the cellphone, and

wherein a user'"'"'s location information is used to avoid false or hoax alarms and for zoning.

11. The system as claimed in claim 10 further comprising a plurality of evacuation maps within a memory, a server, or a cloud server, wherein each of the plurality of evacuation maps corresponds to one of the plurality of reporting stations.

12. The system as claimed in claim 11 further comprising a processor of the cellphone or a panel of the fire alarm system that downloads one of the plurality of evacuation maps to the cellphone based upon the determined location of the cellphone.

13. The system as claimed in claim 10 further comprising a plurality of audio files within a memory of the cellphone or a panel of the fire alarm system, wherein each of the plurality of audio files corresponds to one of the plurality of reporting stations, and wherein the panel of the fire alarm system provides information about fire spread so that the cellphone avoids a fire area while finding a nearest exit.

14. The system as claimed in claim 13 further comprising a processor that downloads one of the plurality of audio files to the cellphone based upon the determined location of the cellphone.

15. The system as claimed in claim 10 further comprising a 2-wire loop or wireless network that connects at least some of the plurality of reporting stations to a control panel of the fire alarm system.

16. The system as in claim 10 further comprising a cellular transceiver within at least some of the plurality of reporting stations.

17. The system as claimed in claim 10 wherein the sensor fire detection device further includes an infrared sensor and a program to detect the fire using the infrared sensor or a camera.

18. A system comprising:

a control panel of a fire alarm system within a secured area;

a plurality of reporting stations of the fire alarm system located throughout the secured area;

a 2-wire loop connecting at least some of the plurality of reporting stations to the control panel; and

a cellphone that includes at least one fire detection device and that forms a cellular connection with the fire alarm system through a local one of the plurality of reporting stations of the fire alarm system,

wherein the cellphone generates a fire alarm based upon user input or the fire detection device and sends the fire alarm through the cellular connection with the fire alarm system through the local one of the plurality of reporting stations to the fire alarm system,

wherein the fire alarm system determines a location of the cellphone based upon the cellular connection, and

wherein the fire alarm system detects a fire within the secured area based upon the fire alarm from the cellphone, issues an alarm notification through the cellphone, and provides instructions through the cellphone for exiting the secured area based upon the determined location of the cellphone.

19. The system as claimed in claim 18 further comprising a cellular transceiver in at least some of the plurality of reporting stations.