MODEL-BASED GENERATION OF INFORMATION AND EVACUATION MESSAGES

• US 20160018226A1
• Filed: 10/19/2011
• Published: 01/21/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: PLOCHER, Tom, CHEN, Enyi, BEANE, John, BEREZOWSKI, Andrew
• Granted Patent: US 9,644,974 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A62B 3/00 Devices or single parts for facilitating escape from buildings or the like, e.g. protection shields, protection screens; Portable devices for preventing smoke penetrating into distinct parts of buildings A62B1/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/206 specially adapted for indoor navigation
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 7/066 guiding along a path, e.g. evacuation path lighting strip
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 27/00 Combined visual and audible advertising or displaying, e.g. for public address
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 9/33 being semiconductor devices, e.g. diodes
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3208 organic, e.g. using organic light-emitting diodes [OLED]

Abstract

A system includes one or more computer processors configured to receive structure data for a building, receive location data relating to a plurality of sensors positioned throughout the building, receive data from the sensors, and determine one or more of a safe space within the building and a safe evacuation route through the building as a function of the building structure, the location of the plurality of sensors, and the sensor data. The system further includes a plurality of display units positioned throughout the building and configured to display one or more of a message relating to an event within the building, an instruction on where to proceed in the building, and symbols indicating a direction for evacuation out of the building as a function of one or more of the safe space and the safe evacuation route.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a computer processor configured to receive structure data for a building;

a computer processor configured to receive location data relating to a plurality of sensors positioned throughout the building;

a computer processor configured to receive data from the sensors;

a computer processor configured to determine one or more of a safe space within the building and a safe evacuation route through the building as a function of the building structure, the location of the plurality of sensors, and the sensor data; and

a plurality of display units positioned throughout the building and configured to display one or more of a message relating to an event within the building, an instruction on where to proceed in the building, and symbols indicating a direction for evacuation out of the building as a function of one or more of the safe space and the safe evacuation route.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the structure data comprises Building Information Modeling (BIM) data.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensors comprise one or more of a smoke detector, a toxic gas detector, a heat detector, a video surveillance device, an audio surveillance device, a motion detector, and an infra-red sensing device.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the display units comprise light emitting diode (LED) display units or other changeable message display units.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the LED display units or other changeable message display units comprise pre-existing information display units installed in the building.

6. The system of claim 1, comprising a computer processor configured to display the safe space by displaying a floor plan grid of the safe space on one or more of the display units.

7. The system of claim 6, comprising a computer processor configured to display on the one or more display units a model-based prediction of an extent of the event.

8. The system of claim 6, comprising a computer processor configured to indicate on the one or more display units an area proximate to a sensor reporting data indicating the event.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the evacuation route is determined by examining the safe space and the area proximate to the sensor reporting data indicating the event;

and for each of the plurality of display units, displaying a message announcing and identifying the event and displaying instructions for people.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the instructions comprise a display of an optimal route for evacuation from the building.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the instruction on where to proceed and the symbols indicating a direction are a function of a location and an orientation of the display units.

13. The system of claim 1, comprising a computer processor configured to estimate smoke propagation, heat propagation, toxic gas propagation, or an intruder path, and to display one or more of a message relating to the event within the building, an instruction on where to proceed in the building, and symbols indicating a direction for evacuation out of the building as a function of the estimated smoke propagation, heat propagation, toxic gas propagation, or intruder path.

14. The system of claim 1, comprising a computer processor configured with a natural language generator for generation of the message.

11. The system of claim I, wherein the plurality of display units are configured to display the direction towards the event and a distance to the event.

15. A process comprising:

receiving into a computer processor structure data for a building;

receiving into the computer processor location data relating to a plurality of sensors positioned throughout the building;

receiving into the computer processor data from the sensors;

determining using the computer processor one or more of a safe space within the building and a safe evacuation route through the building as a function of the building structure, the location of the plurality of sensors, and the sensor data; and

displaying on a plurality of display units positioned throughout the building one or more of a message relating to an event within the building, an instruction on where to proceed in the building, and symbols indicating a direction for evacuation out of the building as a function of one or more of the safe space and the safe evacuation route.

16. The process of claim 15, wherein the instruction on where to proceed and the symbols indicating a direction are a function of a location and an orientation of the display units.

17. The process of claim 15, estimating smoke propagation, heat propagation, toxic gas propagation, or an intruder path, and displaying one or more of a message relating to the event within the building, an instruction on where to proceed in the building, and symbols indicating a direction for evacuation out of the building as a function of the estimated smoke propagation, heat propagation, toxic gas propagation, or intruder path.

18. A computer readable medium comprising instructions that when executed by a processor execute a process comprising:

receiving structure data for a building;

receiving location data relating to a plurality of sensors positioned throughout the building;

receiving data from the sensors;

determining one or more of a safe space within the building and a safe evacuation route through the building as a function of the building structure, the location of the plurality of sensors, and the sensor data; and

displaying on a plurality of display units positioned throughout the building one or more of a message relating to an event within the building, an instruction on where to proceed in the building, and symbols indicating a direction for evacuation out of the building as a function of one or more of the safe space and the safe evacuation route.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein the instruction on where to proceed and the symbols indicating a direction are a function of a location and an orientation of the display units.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 18, comprising instructions for estimating smoke propagation, heat propagation, toxic gas propagation, or an intruder path, and displaying one or more of a message relating to the event within the building, an instruction on where to proceed in the building, and symbols indicating a direction for evacuation out of the building as a function of the estimated smoke propagation, heat propagation, toxic gas propagation, or intruder path.