Smoke detector for event classification and methods of making and using same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10102728-B1
Application number	US-201715623092-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Jun 14, 2017
Priority date	Jun 14, 2017
Publication date	Oct 16, 2018
Grant date	Oct 16, 2018

Abstract

A method of operating a smoke detector comprising an illuminator, a light sensor, and a carbon monoxide sensor includes the step of measuring a voltage signal in response to an electromagnetic signal emitted by the illuminator. The method comprises the step of determining a smoke concentration using the voltage signal, and the step of determining a carbon monoxide concentration using the carbon monoxide sensor. The method includes comparing the smoke concentration and the carbon monoxide concentration to a warning zone criteria, and the step of calculating a rate of increase of at least one of smoke and carbon dioxide based on a determination that the warning zone criteria is unmet. The method comprises generating an alarm in response to a determination of a warning condition.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for operating a smoke detector, said smoke detector comprising an illuminator and a light sensor, said method comprising:
measuring a voltage signal in response to an electromagnetic signal emitted by said illuminator;
determining a smoke concentration using said voltage signal;
calculating a rate of increase of smoke;
computing an adjusted smoke concentration by adding said smoke concentration to a product of said rate of increase of smoke and a time constant;
comparing said adjusted smoke concentration to a threshold; and
generating a warning alarm in response to a finding that said adjusted smoke concentration exceeds said threshold.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of calculating said rate of increase of smoke in response to a determination that a warning zone criteria is unmet.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising the step of calculating said rate of increase of smoke in response to a determination that a heads-up zone criteria is unmet.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of communicating with a mobile device in response to an identification of a heads-up condition.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising the step of generating a heads-up alert in response to said identification of said heads-up condition.

6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising the step of using said mobile device to interrupt said heads-up alert.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein said smoke detector includes a carbon monoxide sensor and a carbon dioxide sensor.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising the step of calculating a rate of increase of carbon dioxide.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising the step of calculating said rate of increase of carbon dioxide in response to a determination that each of a warning zone criteria and a heads-up zone criteria is unmet.

10. A smoke detector, comprising:
an illuminator configured to emit an electromagnetic signal;
a light sensor configured to generate a voltage signal in response to said electromagnetic signal;
a carbon monoxide sensor;
a memory storing computer-readable instructions; and
a processor configured to execute said instructions to:
determine a smoke concentration;
calculate a rate of increase of smoke based upon a determination that said smoke concentration is in an ambiguous zone;
compute an adjusted smoke concentration by adding said smoke concentration to
a product of said rate of increase of smoke and a time constant; and
generate an alarm based on a comparison of said adjusted smoke concentration to a threshold.

11. The smoke detector of claim 10 , wherein said illuminator includes a first light source and a second light source.

12. The smoke detector of claim 11 , further comprising a primary evaluator and a secondary evaluator; said primary evaluator being configured to compare said smoke concentration to each of a warning zone criteria and a heads-up zone criteria.

13. The smoke detector of claim 10 , further comprising a wireless network interface to communicate an alert to a mobile device.

14. The smoke detector of claim 10 , further comprising a carbon dioxide sensor.

15. A method for operating a smoke detector, said smoke detector comprising an illuminator, a light sensor, and a carbon monoxide sensor, said method comprising:
measuring a voltage signal in response to an electromagnetic signal emitted by said illuminator;
determining a smoke concentration using said voltage signal;
determining a carbon monoxide concentration using said carbon monoxide sensor;
comparing said smoke concentration and said carbon monoxide concentration to a warning zone criteria;
computing an adjusted smoke concentration by using each of said smoke concentration, said rate of increase of smoke, and a time constant; and
generating an alarm in response to a determination of a warning condition.

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising the step of calculating a rate of increase of carbon dioxide.

17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising the step of calculating said rate of increase of carbon dioxide in response to a determination that a heads-up zone criteria is unmet.

18. The method of claim 15 , further comprising the step of comparing said rate of increase of smoke to a threshold.

19. The method of claim 15 , further comprising the step of generating a heads-up alert in response to a determination of a heads-up condition.

20. The method of claim 19 , further comprising the step of operably coupling said smoke detector to a remote data source and a mobile device.

Assignees

• Google Llc

Inventors

• Bajaj Kunal Kishore
• Korchak Andrii

Classifications

• G08B17/117

  by using a detection device for specific gases, e.g. combustion products, produced by the fire (G08B17/103, G08B17/11 take precedence) · CPC title

• G08B17/10 Primary

  Actuation by presence of smoke or gases {, e.g. automatic alarm devices for analysing flowing fluid materials by the use of optical means} · CPC title

• G08B25/10

  using wireless transmission systems {(G08B25/009 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• G08B29/188

  Data fusion; cooperative systems, e.g. voting among different detectors · CPC title

• G08B29/183

  Single detectors using dual technologies (G08B13/1672, G08B13/2448, G08B13/2494 take precedence) · CPC title