Intelligent duct smoke detector

• US 20070139209A1
• Filed: 12/21/2005
• Published: 06/21/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Butalla, Fred, Farooqui, Saba, Monroe, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 7,859,395 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/621
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/30 for purposes related to the operation of the system, e.g. for safety or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/33 to fire, excessive heat or smoke
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/52 Indication arrangements, e.g. displays
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/50 Air quality properties
• 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: Y02B 30/70 Efficient control or regulation technologies, e.g. for control of refrigerant flow, motor or heating

Abstract

A control unit can be in communication with an plurality of displaced duct sensors. Sensors can be placed in supply and return ducts of an HVAC-type fluid delivery systems. The unit can communicate status information as well as sensor sensitivity or other parameter values, on a per sensor basis, to a remote accessory unit via a communication protocol. The units can communicate via a wired or wireless medium.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a duct detector control unit, the unit having one or more duct-type sensor input/output ports, control circuitry that communicates with the ports on a per port basis, and an input/output port for communicating with a displaced display and/or data entry unit.

2. A system as in claim 1 where the control circuitry includes at least one of a processor programmed to communicate with the ports on a per port basis, a state machine to communicate with the ports on a per port basis, or a field programmable gate array to communicate with the ports on a per port basis.

3. A system as in claim 2 which includes control software which when executed by the processor directs sensor control commands to and receives sensor data from the at least two ports.

4. A system as in claim 3 which includes first and second ambient condition sensor units coupled to respective ones of the at least two ports.

5. A system as in claim 4 where the sensors comprise at least one of smoke sensors or gas sensors.

6. A system as in claim 4 where the control software communicates with the sensors via one of a wired or wireless medium.

7. A system as in claim 6 where the control software sends discrete commands to each of the sensor units.

8. A system as in claim 6 where the control unit includes additional software that analyzes received additional data from the first and second sensor units and determines sensor status on a per sensor basis.

9. A system as in claim 8 where the sensor status comprises one of standby, alarmed, in need of maintenance, emitting a trouble signal, or sensor sensitivity.

10. A system as in claim 8 where the control circuitry transmits sensor status information, on a per sensor basis, from the displaced display input/output port.

11. A system as in claim 10 which includes circuitry that transmits in accordance with a predetermined binary or analog protocol.

12. A system as in claim 10 which includes a housing which may or may not contain the control unit.

13. A system as in claim 10 which includes a display and data entry unit, the control unit communicates with the display and data entry unit via the displaced display port and one of a wired or wireless medium.

14. A system comprising:

first and second ambient condition duct sensors, each of the sensors is carried in a respective housing, each of the housings carries a visual output device visible from at least one location external to the respective housing, each of the sensors includes communications circuitry for communicating, via a predetermined protocol, with a separate control unit;

a control unit with first and second ports that can be coupled, via a medium, to respective duct sensors, the unit including a control element where the control element is in communication with the sensors, via the ports and the control element, responsive to communications from at least one of the duct sensors, makes an alarm determination with respect to that sensor.

15. A system as in claim 14 where the control element, responsive to the alarm determination, forwards a command to that sensor to activate the respective visual output device to indicate the existence of an alarm condition.

16. A system as in claim 15 where the duct sensors comprise at least one of a smoke sensor or a gas sensor.

17. A system as in claim 15 where the control element includes software which, in part, makes a sensor status determination where the status is selected from a class which includes a standby, non-alarmed state, an alarmed state, a maintenance indicating state and a trouble indicating state.

18. A system as in claim 17 where the software makes a status determination for each sensor.

19. A system as in claim 18 where the control element includes software for filtering at least some signals received from at least one of the duct sensors.

20. A system as in claim 18 which includes communications circuitry for communicating sensor status information and sensitivity to a displaced display unit via one of a wired or wireless medium.