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

• US 6,998,992 B2
• Filed: 03/26/2001
• Issued: 02/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Firefly AB
• Original Assignee: Firefly AB
• Inventors: Jansson, Lennart Karl Erik
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Daniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): Walk, Samuel J.
• Application Number:
  US10/239,760
• Publication Number:
  US 20030146823A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,786 Days
• Field of Search: 340/506, 340/511, 340/517, 340/521, 340/522, 340/523, 340/524, 700/9, 700/10, 700/12
• US Class Current: 340/632
• 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 method 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, wherein 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;

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;

wherein 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, and wherein 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.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein said location is calculated when said calculated hazard value exceeds a first hazard level and lies beneath a second hazard level.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein 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.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein 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.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein 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.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein selected sensors are connected to a control unit, such as computer equipment;

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

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.

7. A method according to claim 6, wherein at least one sensor which is adapted to evaluate the direction and speed of the air flow in space is connected to said control unit.

8. A method according to claim 6, wherein at least one sensor adapted for determining the presence of IR radiation is connected to said control unit.

9. A method according to claim 6, wherein at least one heat sensor or temperature indicator is connected to said control unit.

10. A method according to claim 6, wherein said values are the subject of calculation with the use of priority-dependent and value-weighting means.

11. 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, wherein 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;

wherein 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;

wherein 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, and wherein 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.

12. An arrangement according to claim 11, wherein said hazard location is calculated when said hazard value exceeds a first hazard level and is below a second hazard level.

13. An arrangement according to claim 11, wherein 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.

14. An arrangement according to claim 11, wherein said location is established while taking into consideration a further criterion, namely the current values of the speed and/or the direction of the air flow in said space and/or the value given by a temperature-detecting sensor.

15. An arrangement according to claim 11, wherein 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.

16. An arrangement according to claim 11, wherein selected sensors are connected to a control unit, such as computer equipment;

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

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.

17. An arrangement according to claim 16, wherein at least one sensor adapted for determining the direction and speed of the air flow in said space is connected to said control unit.

18. An arrangement according to claim 11, wherein at least one sensor adapted for evaluating IR radiation is connected to said control unit.

19. An arrangement according to claim 18, wherein at least one heat sensor or temperature indicator is connected to said control unit.

20. An arrangement according to claim 11, wherein the calculating circuit includes priority-dependent and/or value weighting means.