Alarm system for enclosed area

• US 5,568,535 A
• Filed: 11/23/1994
• Issued: 10/22/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Trackmobile LLC
• Original Assignee: Trackmobile LLC
• Inventors: Verma, Shiv P., Sheffer, Eliezer A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan, Jason
• Application Number:
  US08/344,100
• Time in Patent Office: 699 Days
• Field of Search: 379/37-44, 379/47-51, 379/58, 379/59, 379/93, 379/100, 340/539, 348/13, 348/14, 348/17, 375/222
• US Class Current: 379/39
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/102 a signal being sent to a remote location, e.g. a radio signal being transmitted to a police station, a security company or the owner
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 3/325 Automatic tracking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0009 Transmission of position information to remote stations involving assistance data G01S5/0236
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/14 Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/008 Alarm setting and unsetting, i.e. arming or disarming of the security system
• 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: H04M 11/00 Telephonic communication systems specially adapted for combination with other electrical systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/50 for emergency connections

Abstract

An alarm system for protecting premises comprises a fully integrated, alarm detecting cellular phone unit which is linked to various sensors in order to detect the sensor outputs. The cellular alarm unit includes, in addition to cellular phone functions, a formatter or processor for generating an emergency signal on detection of a sensor output, the emergency signal including information on the type of emergency detected. The unit is programmed to establish a cellular connection to a remote monitoring station. The connection is wireless at least from the premises to a local cell site. Once connection is established, the emergency signal is transmitted to the monitoring station via the local cell site.

Claims

1. A combined cellular phone and alarm device, comprising:

a cellular phone transceiver means for receiving and transmitting wireless cellular telephone signals via a cellular telephone network;

an alarm signal receiver means having at least one digital input for connection to a sensor for detecting an emergency condition in an enclosed area, and a digital alarm output in response to detection of said emergency condition;

a signal processing unit linked to the alarm signal receiver means output for generating an alarm signal in response to said alarm output, the alarm signal comprising a computer-readable ASCII digital data packet in RS-232 protocol;

control means responsive to said alarm output for establishing a wireless link to a predetermined central monitoring station via said cellular telephone network on detection of said emergency condition;

an RS-232 compatible modem linked to said signal processing unit and having an RS-232 input for receiving said digital data packet and a signal output linked to said transceiver means, said modem comprising means for converting said ASCII digital data packet to a wireless transmittable form;

a cellular phone handset linked to said transceiver means;

said signal processing unit further comprising means for operating the device as a conventional cellular phone in a normal mode when no emergency is detected, and for converting the device to an alarm mode when an emergency is detected, in which conventional cellular communications are discontinued, said alarm signal is generated, and said wireless alarm signal is transmitted via said link over said cellular telephone network; and

said processing unit further including voice/data integration means for controlling said transceiver means to transmit voice signals and said converted ASCII digital data packet simultaneously over the same wireless link and at the same time.

2. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said alarm signal receiver means includes means for detecting remotely generated, wireless .arm and disarm signals, and said processing unit includes means for arming or disarming the sensor input of said alarm signal receiver means on receiving said arm and disarm signals, respectively.

3. The device as claimed in claim 2, including an audible signal unit linked to said processing unit for generating an audible output when predetermined conditions are met, the alarm signal receiver means having a plurality of different sensor inputs including at least one sensor input for connection to a perimeter sensor for detecting opening of an access to an area protected by said alarm device, said control means further comprising means for controlling said audible signal unit to produce an audible output signal on receipt of an arm signal when said perimeter sensor input indicates said access is open.

4. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said signal processing unit comprises means for generating a data packet of ASCII digital data based on stored information and information received from said alarm signal receiver means, said processing unit including means for controlling said transceiver means to transmit said data packet repeatedly at spaced intervals during an alarm condition.

5. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said processing unit includes means for generating a data start flag and data end flag at the start and end of said alarm signal.

6. The unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein said processing unit has no keypad input for control of alarm, arm or disarm functions.

7. An alarm system, comprising

a plurality of sensors for detecting different types of emergencies within an enclosed site, each sensor having a sensor output dependent on the status of the sensor;

an alarm unit at said site linked to said sensors for detecting the sensor outputs and for producing and transmitting an alarm signal on detection of an emergency condition by any of said sensors;

a remote central monitoring station for receiving and processing alarm signals;

the alarm unit including signal processor means for detecting an alarm condition and determining the type of alarm detected, signal generating means responsive to said signal processor means for generating said alarm signal, said alarm signal comprising a digital data packet in computer-readable, ASCII format with RS-232 protocol, a first modem for receiving said digital data packet and converting the data packet to a wireless transmittable format, transceiver means for receiving and transmitting wireless signals via a wireless telephone network, said transceiver means being linked to said signal processor means and said modem, and a wireless telephone handset linked to said transceiver means;

said alarm unit further including control means for controlling said transceiver means to operate in a normal mode for normal wireless telephone communications via said handset when no emergency has been detected, and to operate in an alarm mode on detection of an emergency condition, said control means controlling said transceiver means in said alarm mode to establish a wireless link to said central monitoring station and to transmit said alarm signal to said central monitoring station after detection of an emergency;

said remote central monitoring station including a second, RS-232 compatible modem for directly receiving said transmitted alarm signal and converting said alarm signal directly to a computer-readable format, and a computer linked to said second modem for determining the type and location of the emergency based on said received alarm signal;

said control means further comprising means for controlling said transceiver means to transmit voice and said ASCII digital data packet simultaneously in real time over the same wireless link; and

said remote monitoring station having a voice/data switch for receiving incoming voice and said ASCII digital data packet via said link and for separating voice from said ASCII digital data packet, the switch having a voice output for connection to telephone earphones and a data output directly connected to said second modem.

8. A wireless phone based alarm system, comprising:

a plurality of sensors for detecting different types of emergencies within an enclosed site;

an alarm unit at the site linked to the sensors for detecting initiation and type of emergency condition;

a remote monitoring station for linking with the alarm unit on initiation of an emergency condition;

the alarm unit comprising signal processing means for detecting an emergency condition and determining the type of alarm detected, signal generating means responsive to an emergency condition for generating an alarm signal comprising computer-readable, ASCII format digital data, a first RS-232 compatible modem linked to said signal generating means for converting said digital data to a wireless transmittable format, transceiver means for receiving and transmitting wireless signals via a wireless telephone network, said transceiver means being linked to said modem, and a wireless telephone handset linked to said transceiver means;

the alarm unit further comprising control means for controlling said transceiver means to operate in a normal mode for normal wireless telephone communications when no emergency condition has been detected, and to operate in an alarm mode on detection of an emergency condition, said control means controlling said transceiver means in said alarm mode to establish a link to said remote monitoring station and to transmit said alarm signal of computer-readable, ASCII digital data simultaneously in real time with audio signals from said handset via said same link to said remote monitoring station, whereby an operator at said remote monitoring station can listen to audio at said enclosed area while receiving said alarm signal on the same link at the same time; and

said remote monitoring station including a voice/data switch for separating incoming audio and said digital data alarm signal into an audio output and an ASCII digital data output, telephone earphones connected to said audio output, a second RS-232 compatible modem linked to said ASCII digital data output for converting said received alarm signal into computer-readable format, and a computer linked to said second modem for receiving and interpreting said converted alarm signal.

9. A method of monitoring an enclosed area for emergency conditions and providing an alarm signal to a remote monitoring station in the event of detection of an emergency condition, comprising the steps of:

providing a plurality of sensors for detecting different types of emergency in the enclosed area;

connecting the sensor outputs to an alarm processing unit;

receiving the sensor outputs in the alarm processing unit and monitoring the outputs;

generating said alarm signal when at least one of the sensor outputs indicates the presence of an emergency condition, the generated alarm signal comprising an ASCII digital data packet of computer-readable data in RS-232 format;

using a first RS-232 compatible modem to convert the alarm signal to a wireless transmittable form;

controlling a transceiver to establish a wireless connection to the remote monitoring station;

transmitting the converted alarm signal via the wireless connection to the remote monitoring station;

connecting the transceiver in the alarm unit to a wireless telephone handset, operating the alarm processing unit in a normal mode when no emergency condition has been detected, whereby normal wireless telephone communications can be carried out using said handset, and operating the alarm processing unit in an alarm mode when an emergency condition has been detected to generate and transmit said alarm signal;

using a second RS-232 compatible modem at the remote monitoring station to receive the transmitted signal and convert it directly back to computer-readable, ASCII data in RS-232 format;

providing the reconverted data to a computer for analyzing the alarm signal and providing information on site and type of emergency to an operator at the monitoring station; and

controlling said transceiver means in said alarm mode to transmit audio signals received by said telephone handset together with said ASCII digital data packet on the same wireless connection at the same time to said remote monitoring station, said received audio signals being transmitted real time together with said ASCII digital data packet, separating said audio signals from said ASCII digital data packet at said monitoring station, providing said audio signals to an earphone unit and providing said ASCII digital data packet directly to said second modem for conversion back to computer-readable format.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the step of transmitting said alarm signal comprises generating a data packet of said computer-readable ASCII data with a start flag and an end flag and transmitting said packet at predetermined intervals, and the step of transmitting audio signals simultaneously comprises mixing audio signals with said data packets and transmitting both signals simultaneously, and muting said audio signals during transmission of each data packet of computer-readable ASCII data.