Fire alarm system powering a wireless building network

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2020044876-A1
Application number	US-201916530976-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 2, 2019
Priority date	Aug 2, 2018
Publication date	Feb 6, 2020
Grant date	—

Abstract

A wireless infrastructure component for integration with a building fire system includes a first mounting interface and a wireless communications interface. The first mounting interface is configured to physically couple to a mounting surface and includes a first power connector that is configured to receive power from the building fire system. The wireless communications interface is electrically coupled to the first power connector and is configured to use the power from the building fire system in order to conduct wireless communications with one or more wireless devices.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A wireless infrastructure component for integration with a building fire system, the wireless infrastructure component comprising:
a first mounting interface configured to physically couple to a mounting surface and comprising a first power connector configured to receive power from the building fire system; and a wireless communications interface electrically coupled to the first power connector and configured to use the power from the building fire system to conduct wireless communications with one or more wireless devices.

2 . The wireless infrastructure component of claim 1 , wherein the wireless infrastructure component comprises a second mounting interface configured to physically couple to a fire system component and comprising a second power connector configured to provide power to the fire system component.

3 . The wireless infrastructure component of claim 2 , wherein the fire system component is a fire notification device or a fire detection device of the building fire system.

4 . The wireless infrastructure component of claim 2 , wherein:
the fire system component comprises a third mounting interface configured to physically couple to the mounting surface; and the first mounting interface of the wireless infrastructure component is configured to emulate the third mounting interface to enable the wireless infrastructure component to be physically coupled to the mounting surface.

5 . The wireless infrastructure component of claim 4 , wherein
the mounting surface comprises a fourth mounting interface configured to physically couple to the third mounting interface of the fire system component; and the second mounting interface of the wireless infrastructure component is configured to emulate the fourth mounting interface to enable the wireless infrastructure component to be physically coupled to the third mounting interface of the fire system component.

6 . The wireless infrastructure component of claim 1 , wherein
the mounting surface is a second mounting interface of a fire system component, the second mounting interface configured to physically couple to the first mounting interface and comprising a second power connector configured to provide the power from the building fire system to the wireless infrastructure component.

7 . The wireless infrastructure component of claim 1 , wherein the wireless infrastructure component comprises a control board configured to:
electrically couple the wireless communications interface to the first power connector; determine a state of the building fire system; and selectively provide the power from the building fire system to the wireless communications interface based on the state of the building fire system.

8 . The wireless infrastructure component of claim 7 , wherein the state of the building fire system is a battery backup state and wherein the control board is configured to:
determine that the power from the building fire system is being received and that the power is not from a backup battery of the building fire system; and operate the wireless infrastructure component and the fire system component on the power from the building fire system in response to determining that the power from the building fire system is not from the backup battery.

9 . The wireless infrastructure component of claim 1 , wherein the wireless infrastructure component comprises at least one of a wireless mesh node, a wireless repeater, a wireless occupancy sensor, or a wireless HVAC sensor that receives and sends signals via wireless network.

10 . The wireless infrastructure component of claim 1 , wherein the power from the building fire system is a wired input from a fire panel Initiating Device Notification Appliance Circuit (IDNAC) bus.

11 . A building fire system comprising:
a fire system component configured to operate on power from the building fire system; a wireless infrastructure component configured to:
physically couple to the fire system component such that the wireless infrastructure component is powered by the power from the building fire system; and
conduct wireless communications with one or more wireless devices using the power from the building fire system.

12 . The building fire system of claim 11 , the wireless infrastructure component further configured to:
detect a loss of power from the building fire system; determine whether an amount of energy in a backup battery of the fire system component is sufficient to power both the fire system component and the wireless infrastructure component; and shut down the wireless infrastructure component in response to determining that the amount of energy in the backup battery is insufficient to power both the fire system component and the wireless infrastructure component.

13 . The building fire system of claim 11 , wherein the wireless infrastructure component comprises:
a first mounting interface configured to physically couple to a mounting surface and comprising a first power connector configured to receive power from the building fire system; and a second mounting interface configured to physically couple to the fire system component and comprising a second power connector configured to provide power to the fire system component.

14 . The building fire system of claim 13 , wherein:
the fire system component comprises a third mounting interface configured to physically couple to the mounting surface; and the first mounting interface of the wireless infrastructure component is configured to emulate the third mounting interface to enable the wireless infrastructure component to be physically coupled to the mounting surface.

15 . The building fire system of claim 11 , wherein the fire system component comprises:
a rear face configured to physically couple to a mounting surface and receive the power from the building fire system; and a front face configured to physically couple to the wireless infrastructure component and provide the power from the building fire system to the wireless infrastructure component.

16 . A method for powering wireless infrastructure components using power from a building fire system, the method comprising:
operating a fire system component on the power from the building fire system; physically coupling a wireless infrastructure component to the fire system component such that the wireless infrastructure component is powered by the power from the building fire system; and conducting, by the wireless infrastructure component, wireless communications with one or more wireless devices using the power from the building fire system.

17 . The method of claim 16 , the method further comprising:
detecting a loss of the power from the building fire system; determining whether an amount of energy in a backup battery is sufficient to power both the fire system component and the wireless infrastructure component; and shutting down the wireless infrastructure component in response to determining that the amount of energy in the backup battery is insufficient to power both the fire system component and the wireless infrastructure component.

18 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the wireless infrastructure component comprises at least one of a wireless mesh node, a wireless repeater, a wireless occupancy sensor, or a wireless HVAC sensor that receive and send signals via wireless network.

19 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the fire system component is a fire suppression device, a fire notification device in a fire notification

Assignees

• Johnson Controls Tech Co

Inventors

• Piccolo Iii Joseph
• Trivelpiece Craig E
• Gamroth Timothy C

Classifications

• H04W4/33

  for indoor environments, e.g. buildings · CPC title

• H04L12/2803

  Home automation networks · CPC title

• H04L2012/2841

  Wireless · CPC title

• H04L12/10 Primary

  Current supply arrangements · CPC title