System and method for accessing residential monitoring devices

• US 6,914,533 B2
• Filed: 03/16/2001
• Issued: 07/05/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hunt Techonologies Incorporated (Landis+Gyr Group AG)
• Original Assignee: Statsignal IPC LLC (Statsignal)
• Inventors: Petite, Thomas D.
• Primary Examiner(s): La, Anh V.
• Application Number:
  US09/811,076
• Publication Number:
  US 20010024163A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,572 Days
• Field of Search: 340/628, 340/629, 340/630, 340/632, 340/539.1, 340/577, 340/500, 340520-524, 340/531, 340/540, 340/534, 340/286.02, 340/286.05, 370/310
• US Class Current: 340/628
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 1/364 Seismic filtering G01V1/37 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 1/37 specially adapted for seismic systems using continuous agitation of the ground , e.g. using pulse compression of frequency swept signals for enhancement of received signals
• 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 17/113 Constructional details
• 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: H04M 11/04 with alarm systems, e.g. fire, police or burglar alarm systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 Gateway arrangements

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a system and method for accessing home monitoring devices remotely via a distributed wide-area network (WAN). More specifically, the present invention is directed towards smoke detector system, which monitors for the presence of smoke and communicates the smoke condition to a remote location. The smoke detection system comprises a smoke detection device connected to a communication device. The smoke detection device outputs a signal or a change in a signal upon detection of smoke. This signal or change in signal is monitored by the communication device. The smoke condition is then communicated to the remote central location via a message system.

Claims

1. A smoke detector comprising:

a smoke sensor sensing a smoke condition and outputting an alarm signal upon detecting a smoke condition;

an alarm, connected to the smoke sensor, indicating a smoke condition upon detection of the alarm signal;

a communication device, connected to the smoke sensor, receiving the alarm signal and wirelessly transmitting an indicator of the smoke condition in a predetermined message format to a remote monitoring device upon detection of the alarm signal, each communication device having a unique address;

wherein the smoke sensor is a photodetection smoke sensor;

wherein the alarm is an audible alarm; and

wherein the predetermined message format comprises at least one packet, wherein the packet comprises;

a receiver address comprising a scalable address of the at least one of the intended receiving communication device;

a sender address comprising the address of the sending communication device;

a command indicator comprising a command code;

at least one data value comprising a scalable message; and

an error detector that is a redundancy check error detector.

2. The smoke detector of claim 1, wherein the alarm signal is transmitted using digital modulation.

3. The smoke detector of claim 2, wherein the packet further comprises:

a packet length indicator which indicates a total number of bytes in the current packet;

a total packet indicator which indicates the total number of packets in the current message;

a current packet indicator which indicates which packet of the total packets the current packet is; and

a message number, wherein the controller generates a sender message in the preformated command message and the transceiver generates a response message number formed by a mathematical combination of the sender message number and a predetermined offset.

4. The smoke detector of claim 2, wherein the packet further comprises:

a preface and a postscript;

wherein the preface comprises a predetermined sequence comprising a first logic level and a subsequent sequence comprising at least two bytes of a second logic level; and

wherein the postscript comprises a low voltage output.

5. The smoke detector of claim 2, wherein the wireless communication comprises radio frequency (RF) communication.

6. The smoke detector of claim 2, wherein the wireless communication comprises a low powered RF communication.

7. The smoke detector of claim 2, wherein the digital modulation is encoded using at least one of the following protocols:

Manchester encoding;

Quadrature shift keying;

On-off keying; and

Amplitude shift keying.

8. A smoke detector comprising:

a smoke sensor sensing a smoke condition and outputting an alarm signal upon detecting a smoke condition;

an alarm, connected to the smoke sensor, indicating a smoke condition upon detection of the alarm signal; and

a communication device, connected to the smoke sensor, receiving the alarm signal and wirelessly transmitting an indicator of the smoke condition in a predetermined message format to a remote monitoring device upon detection of the alarm signal, each communication device having an unique address;

wherein the smoke sensor is a photodetection smoke sensor;

wherein the alarm is an audible alarm;

wherein the predetermined message format comprises at least one packet, wherein the packet comprises;

a receiver address comprising a scalable address of the at least one of the intended receiving communication device;

a sender address comprising the address of the sending communication device;

a command indicator comprising a command code;

at least one data value comprising a scalable message; and

an error detector that is a redundancy check error detector;

wherein the packet further comprises;

a packet length indicator which indicates a total number of bytes in the current packet;

a total packet indicator which indicates the total number of packets in the current message;

a current packet indicator which indicates which packet of the total packets the current packet is; and

a message number, wherein the controller generates a sender message in the preformatted command message and the transceiver generate a response message number formed by a mathematical combination of the sender message number and a predetermined offset.

9. The smoke detector of claim 8, wherein the packet further comprises:

a preface and a postscript;

wherein the preface comprises a predetermined sequence comprising a first logic level and a subsequent sequence comprising at least two bytes of a second logic level; and

wherein the postscript comprises a low voltage output.

10. The smoke detector of claim 9, wherein the wireless communication comprises radio frequency (RF) communication.

11. The smoke detector of claim 10, wherein the wireless communication comprises a low powered RF communication.

12. The smoke detector of claim 11, wherein the message comprises Manchester encoding.