Emergency equipment power sources

• US 8,749,373 B2
• Filed: 02/13/2009
• Issued: 06/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: En-Gauge, Inc.
• Original Assignee: En-Gauge, Inc.
• Inventors: McSheffrey, Brendan T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bugg, George
• Assistant Examiner(s): Afrifa-Kyei, Anthony D
• Application Number:
  US12/371,341
• Publication Number:
  US 20090237239A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,943 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.1
• US Class Current: 340/539.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 23/18 Indicating, recording or alarm devices actuated electrically
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/196 using television cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 17/00 Fire alarms; Alarms responsive to explosion
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/181 due to failing power supply
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

Energy harvesting devices provide power to devices of emergency equipment stations (e.g., fire extinguisher station, fire alarm pull station, defibrillator station, etc.) distributed throughout a facility to monitor one or more internal or external conditions (e.g., identifiable objects detected near the station, presence of an obstruction restricting access to the station, etc.) and relay information about the monitored conditions to a central station.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

at least one energy harvesting device for harvesting energy from inside a building;

at least one emergency equipment station that includes an emergency assistance device and a plurality of modules powered, at least in part, by the at least one energy harvesting device, wherein the at least one energy harvesting device is a small autonomous device associated with the at least one emergency equipment station;

communications circuitry for the at least one emergency equipment station;

a microcontroller in the at least one emergency equipment station, wherein the microcontroller is configured to receive and process data from the at least one energy harvesting device and the plurality of modules, wherein the microcontroller allocates power harvested by the energy harvesting device to the plurality of modules, and wherein the microcontroller transmits power distribution data through the communications circuitry; and

a central station located remotely from the emergency equipment station and in wireless communication with the emergency equipment station, the central station configured to receive power distribution data from the communications circuitry of the emergency equipment station that is powered by the at least one energy harvesting device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the microcontroller is configured to transmit information representative of an operational state of the plurality of modules to the central station.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the emergency assistance device comprises at least one of a fire extinguisher, a fire pull alarm, an emergency lighting device and a defibrillator.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one energy harvesting device is configured to harvest energy from a manmade power source.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the microcontroller is configured to convert power.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the at least one energy harvesting device includes a piezoelectric crystal for harvesting electrical energy from mechanical strains.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the at least one energy harvesting device includes one or more antennas to collect energy from radio waves.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the at least one energy harvesting device includes a solar panel for harvesting electrical energy from ambient light energy.

6. An apparatus comprising:

a gauge powered, at least in part, by an energy harvesting device and configured to be in communication with a volume defined by a portable tank for detection and display of pressure condition of the content contained within the volume, wherein the energy harvesting device is a small autonomous device associated with the gauge and configured to harvest energy from inside a building;

a microprocessor configured to receive and process data from the energy harvesting device and one or more modules of the gauge, wherein the microprocessor allocates power harvested by the energy harvesting device to the one or more modules of the gauge, and wherein the microprocessor transmits power distribution data through communications circuitry; and

an electronic circuit disposed in communication with the gauge and adapted to signal to a remote central station upon detection of predetermined conditions comprising at least one predetermined internal condition, the at least one predetermined internal condition comprising an out-of-range pressure condition of contents contained within the volume of the portable tank, and said apparatus comprising at least one detector for the at least one predetermined internal condition comprising said gauge for detecting the out-of-range pressure condition of content contained within the volume of the portable tank.

7. The apparatus for remote inspection of claim 6, wherein the predetermined conditions further comprise at least one predetermined external condition, the at least one predetermined external condition comprising at least lack of presence of a portable tank in its installed position, and presence of an obstruction to viewing of or access to the portable tank.

8. The apparatus for remote inspection of claim 6, wherein the electronic circuit comprises at least one detector for the at least one predetermined internal condition, said at least one detector for the at least one predetermined internal condition being adapted to initiate a signal to the remote central station upon detection of the at least one predetermined internal condition.