System and an arrangement to determine the positon in a hazardous situation

• US 20030146823A1
• Filed: 10/28/2002
• Published: 08/07/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Firefly AB
• Original Assignee: Firefly AB
• Inventors: Jansson, Lennart Karl Erik
• Granted Patent: US 6,998,992 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/286.02
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 17/00 Fire alarms; Alarms responsive to explosion
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 23/00 Alarms responsive to unspecified undesired or abnormal conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/188 Data fusion; cooperative systems, e.g. voting among different detectors
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 5/002 Distress signalling devices, e.g. rescue balloons vehicle optical signalling for indicating emergencies B60Q1/52

Abstract

The present invention relates to a system and to an arrangement for evaluating in a defined space or area a delimited area (7) in which there is a degree of urgency greater than the degree of urgency in respect of the remainder of said space (1), wherein there is disposed within said space or area (1) a plurality of sensors which can evaluate the current or ongoing degree of urgency on the basis of one or more criteria. Selected sensors (2, 3, 4) shall be connected to computer equipment (50) which includes storage elements (52, 53, 54) adapted for storing current criteria-related values in a chosen time order, and wherein a calculating circuit (51) included in or connected to said computer equipment (50) is adapted for evaluation of a calculated degree of urgency on the basis of time-dependent changes in the evaluated current values, and determining and establishing the local orientation or geographic location of the delimited area through the medium of the calculating circuit.

Claims

1. A system for evaluating the development of a hazard situation within a space or an area with the aid of hazard level concepts and, upon the occurrence of a hazard situation, creating conditions whereby the hazard level of the hazard situation can be obtained on the basis of information relating to the development of said hazard situation deriving from a plurality of sensors that function in respect of mutually the same or mutually different criteria, characterised in that information relating to the time-wise variation of output signals related to the hazard situation and obtained from a first sensor and also relating to at least the time-wise variation of similar output signals obtained from a second sensor can be stored;

in that a comparison between the current or momentary values of the output signals and/or measured time-related changes generate a hazard level value for the occurring hazard situation through the medium of a calculating circuit; and

in that solely the hazard level values that exceed a first hazard level of an indicated hazard situation are chosen to follow the development of the hazard situation by means of the output signals from said sensors and to calculate the geographic location of the hazard.

2. A system according to claim 1, characterised in that said location is calculated when said calculated hazard value exceeds a first hazard level and lies beneath a second hazard level.

3. A system according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that a calculated location is dependent on a significant change in the variation of the output signal of the first sensor in respect of the hazard situation, a significant change in the variation of the output signal of the second sensor in respect of the same hazard situation, the time duration between said significant changes, and the distance between used sensors.

4. A system according to claim 1, characterised in that the time-wise variation of each output signal in a first hazard level is inhibited, while each time-wise significant change in a second hazard level and above said first hazard level is registered and monitored or supervised to allow the location of the event or the hazard to be determined.

5. A system according to claim 1, characterised in that the current or ongoing location is calculated while taking into consideration an additional criterion, namely the value of the speed and/or the direction of an air flow in said space, and/or the value given by a temperature sensor.

6. A system according to claim 1, characterised in that said location is determined while taking into consideration the values obtained from sensors that are adapted to evaluate the concentration of airborne gases, such as CO, CO₂ and/or other gases

7. A system according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that selected sensors shall be connected to a control unit, such as computer equipment;

in that said control unit shall include and/or co-act with memory devices adapted for the storage of sensor-associated outputted criteria-related current values in a selected time order; and

in that the control unit includes and/or has connected thereto a calculating circuit which functions to allow a calculated hazard level value to be evaluated on the basis of time-dependent changes in the evaluated sensor-associated current values.

8. A system according to claim 7, characterised in that there is connected to said control unit at least one sensor which is adapted to evaluate the direction and speed of the air flow in said space.

9. A system according to claim 7 or 8, characterised in that there is connected to said control unit at least one sensor adapted for determining the presence of IR radiation.

10. A system according to claim 78 or 9, characterised in that there is connected to said control unit at least one heat sensor or temperature indicator.

11. A system according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that said values are the subject of calculation with the use of priority-dependent and value-weighting means.

13. An arrangement according to claim 7, characterised in that said hazard location is calculated when said hazard value exceeds a first hazard level and is below a second hazard level.

12. An arrangement for evaluating the development of a hazard situation within a space or within an area with the aid of hazard level concepts, and for creating in the event of a hazardous situation conditions which enable the hazard level of said hazard situation to be determined on the basis of information concerning the development of said hazard situation and obtained from a plurality of sensors in respect of mutually the same or mutually different criteria, characterised in that information obtained concerning the time-wise variation of the output signals related to said hazard situation and delivered from a first sensor and at least the time-wise variation of similar output signals from a second sensor are storable in the memory;

in that a comparison between the current values of said output signals and/or measured time-related changes generate through the medium of a calculating circuit a hazard level value for the occurring hazard situation; and

in that solely the values that exceed a first hazard level of an indicated hazard situation are chosen in following the development of the hazard situation with the aid of the sensor output signals and calculating the geographical location of the hazard situation.

14. An arrangement according to claim 12, characterised in that a calculated location is dependent on a significant change in the variation of the output signal from the first sensor caused by said hazard situation, a significant change in the variation of the output signal of the second sensor caused by the same hazard situation, the time duration between said significant changes and the distance between used sensors.

15. An arrangement according to claim 12, characterised in that each time-wise variation of the output signal in a first hazard level can be inhibited via means functioning to this end, while each time-wise significant change in a second hazard level that lies above said first hazard level can be registered and monitored in means functioning to this end, so as to enable the location of the event or hazard situation to be determined.

16. An arrangement according to claim 12, characterised in that said location is established while taking into consideration a further criterion, namely the current value of the speed and/or the direction of the air flow in said space and/or the value given by a temperature-detecting sensor.

17. An arrangement according to claim 12, characterised in that the current location is calculated by taking into consideration values given by sensors which are adapted to determine the concentration of gases in the air, such as CO, CO₂ and/or other gases.

18. An arrangement according to any one of claims 12 to 17 inclusive, characterised in that selected sensors shall be connected to a control unit, such as computer equipment;

in that said control unit includes and/or co-acts with memory devices adapted for the storage of sensor-associated current criteria-related values in a chosen time order; and

in that a calculating unit which is included in or connected to said control unit is adapted for the evaluation of a calculated hazard level on the basis of time-dependent changes in the evaluated current values.

19. An arrangement according to claim 18, characterised in that at least one is sensor adapted for determining the direction and speed of the air flow in said space is connected to said control unit.

20. An arrangement according to any one of claims 12-19 inclusive, characterised in that there is connected to said control unit at least one sensor adapted for evaluating IR radiation.

21. An arrangement according to claim 20, characterised in that at least one heat sensor or temperature indicator is connected to said control unit.

22. An arrangement according to any one of claims 12 to 19 inclusive, characterised, in that the calculating circuit includes priority-dependent and/or value-weighting means.