Modular wireless mass evacuation notification system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10555262-B2
Application number	US-201715637671-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 29, 2017
Priority date	Sep 9, 2014
Publication date	Feb 4, 2020
Grant date	Feb 4, 2020

Abstract

Monitoring and mass notification systems, such as fire alarm systems, for use in occupied structures, and more particularly to wireless monitoring and mass notification systems include wireless base units that can be modular in design. This allows horns, mini horns, strobes, and audio messaging modules (e.g., speakers) to be physically plugged into the wireless base unit creating a unit with the appearance of a single physical unit. Preferably standardized plugs are used. In some cases, visual and audio modules (i.e., notification devices) have their own battery pack or external power interface. Each wireless base unit can optionally function as a repeater if it has dual transceivers (master transceiver and slave transceiver).

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A monitoring and mass notification system, comprising:
a control unit that broadcasts messages having headers;
non-repeater wireless base units waking up from a sleep mode and receiving the messages having the headers, wherein if the messages do not pertain to the non-repeater wireless base units, the non-repeater wireless base units change from awake to sleep mode; and
repeater wireless base units, which retransmit messages to other wireless base units, staying awake continuously to process the messages, wherein the repeater wireless base units receive the messages from the control unit and retransmit the messages to the non-repeater wireless base units,
wherein each message includes a qualification header that allows each non-repeater wireless base unit to sniff this header and qualify if the message pertains to the non-repeater wireless base unit, and if non-repeater wireless base unit determines from the header that the message does not pertain to the non-repeater wireless base unit, non-repeater wireless base unit goes back to the sleep mode until the next predetermined scheduled wakeup, and if the non-repeater wireless base unit determines that the message pertains to the non-repeater wireless base unit, the non-repeater wireless base unit stays awake and processes the message accordingly so that each non-repeater wireless base unit is asleep more than 99% of the time instead of processing messages that are not meant for the non-repeater wireless base unit.

2. A system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the non-repeater wireless base units analyze the headers of the messages to qualify if the messages pertain to the non-repeater wireless base units.

3. A system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the control unit sends a predetermined scheduled wakeup time to the non-repeater wireless base units.

4. A system as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the predetermined wakeup time is sent prior to broadcasting the messages.

5. A system as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the control unit sends the scheduled wakeup time to the non-repeater wireless base units synchronizing all of the non-repeater wireless base units to wake-up from sleep mode at the same scheduled wakeup time.

6. A method for minimizing power consumption for non-repeater wireless base units by evaluating messages, the non-repeater wireless base units being part of a building fire alarm system that also includes repeater wireless base units for retransmitting messages for other wireless base units, the method comprising:
a control unit of the tire alarm system broadcasting messages having headers and prior to the control unit broadcasting the messages, the control unit sending a predetermined scheduled wakeup time to the non-repeater wireless base units when the units are awake;
the repeater wireless base units receiving the messages and retransmitting the messages to the non-repeater wireless base units;
the non-repeater wireless base units waking up from a sleep mode and receiving the messages having the headers from the repeater wireless base units; and
the non-repeater wireless base units analyzing the headers of the messages to qualify if the messages pertain to the wireless base units;
wherein if the messages pertain to the non-repeater wireless base units, the non-repeater wireless base units stay awake and process the messages;
wherein if the messages do not pertain to the non-repeater wireless base units, the non-repeater wireless base units change from awake to sleep mode;
wherein the repeater base units stay awake continuously to process messages; and
wherein each message includes a qualification header that allows each non-repeater wireless base unit to sniff this header and qualify if the message pertains to the non-repeater wireless base unit, and if non-repeater wireless base unit determines from the header that the message does not pertain to the non-repeater wireless base unit, non-repeater wireless base unit goes back to the sleep mode until the next predetermined scheduled wakeup, and if the non-repeater wireless base unit determines that the message pertains to the non-repeater wireless base unit, the non-repeater wireless base unit stays awake and processes the message accordingly so that each non-repeater wireless base unit is asleep more than 99% of the time asleep instead of processing messages that are not meant for the non-repeater wireless base unit.

Assignees

• Tyco Fire & Security Gmbh
• Johnson Controls Fire Prot Lp

Inventors

• Chiarizio Martin A
• Feltham Robert

Classifications

• G08B17/10

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

• H04W56/0055

  determining timing error of reception due to propagation delay · CPC title

• H04W4/90

  Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS] · CPC title

• H04W52/0238 Primary

  where the received signal is an unwanted signal, e.g. interference or idle signal · CPC title

• H04W52/0216

  using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame · CPC title