Method and apparatus for testing fire alarm initiating devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9767679-B2
Application number	US-201414455024-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 8, 2014
Priority date	Feb 28, 2014
Publication date	Sep 19, 2017
Grant date	Sep 19, 2017

Abstract

According to systems and methods for testing alarm initiating devices of a fire alarm system, a control panel of the fire alarm system is placed into test mode. Then, during a walkthrough test, an inspector activates an inspector-activated mechanism of a device. This sends a test mode signal to the control panel, which places the device into a test mode. The inspector or inspector then manually activates the device. The control panel initiates a fire alarm condition in response to a received device signals while the control panel not initiating a fire alarm condition when the device signals are indicative of a fire if the device signals were from alarm initiating devices in the test mode. Alternatively, the control panel places a group of alarm initiating devices into test mode on a rolling basis. As the inspector tests the devices, additional devices are added to the group and previously tested devices are returned to normal operation mode.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fire alarm system comprising:
alarm initiating devices for initiating fire alarms, each of the devices having an inspector-activated mechanism and generating and sending a test mode signal in response to activation of the inspector-activated mechanism; and
a control panel that receives device signals from the alarm initiating devices and initiates fire alarm conditions based on the device signals, wherein the control panel places the alarm initiating devices into a test mode in response to receipt of the test mode signal from the alarm initiating devices for which the inspector-activated mechanisms have been activated, the control panel not initiating a fire alarm condition when the device signals are indicative of a fire if the device signals were from alarm initiating devices in the test mode.

2. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the control panel returns the alarm initiating devices from the test mode to a normal operation mode in response the device signals no longer being indicative of a fire.

3. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the control panel forces the alarm initiating devices to return from the test mode to the normal operation mode after a predefined length of time.

4. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the alarm initiating devices provide visual and/or audible indications that the alarm initiating devices have been placed into the test mode by the control panel after the inspector-activated mechanisms are activated.

5. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the control panel generates event data in response to the received device signals, the event data including addresses of the alarm initiating devices in the fire alarm system, dates and times of the activations of the alarm initiating devices, and/or fault states of the alarm initiating devices.

6. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the inspector-activated mechanisms are magnetic switches of the alarm initiating devices.

7. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the alarm initiating devices include smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, temperature sensors, and/or pull stations.

8. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the control panel determines if the devices are generating device signals indicative of a fire upon returning to a normal operation mode and the control panel initiating a fire alarm condition if the device signals are indicative of a fire.

9. A method of operation of a control panel of a fire alarm system, the method comprising:
receiving device signals from alarm initiating devices and test mode signals from alarm initiating devices in which inspector-activated mechanisms were activated;
the control panel placing the alarm initiating devices into a test mode in response to receiving test mode signals indicating that the inspector-activated mechanisms were activated; and
the control panel not initiating a fire alarm condition when the device signals are indicative of a fire if the device signals were from alarm initiating devices in the test mode and the control panel initiating a fire alarm condition when the device signals are indicative of a fire if the device signals were from alarm initiating devices in a normal operation mode.

10. The method according to claim 9 , further comprising the control panel returning the alarm initiating devices to the normal operation mode in response to the device signals no longer being indicative of a fire.

11. The method according to claim 9 , further comprising the control panel returning the alarm initiating devices to the normal operation mode after a predefined length of time.

12. The method according to claim 9 , further comprising the control panel causing the alarm initiating devices to provide visual and/or audible indications that the alarm initiating devices have been placed into the test mode.

13. The method according to claim 9 , further comprising the control panel generating event data in response to the received device signals, the event data including addresses of the alarm initiating devices in the fire alarm system, dates and times of the activations of the alarm initiating devices, and/or fault states of the alarm initiating devices.

14. The method according to claim 9 , further comprising an inspector magnetically activating the inspector-activated mechanisms of the alarm initiating devices.

15. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the alarm initiating devices include smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, temperature sensors, and/or pull stations.

16. The method according to claim 9 , further comprising the control panel determining if the devices are generating device signals that are indicative of a fire upon returning to normal operation mode, the control panel initiating a fire alarm condition if the device signals are indicative of a fire.

17. A method of operation of alarm initiating devices, the method comprising:
activating inspector-activated mechanisms of the alarm initiating devices to signal a control panel that a test is to be performed;
the alarm initiating devices in which the inspector-activated mechanisms have been activated generating and sending test mode signals in response to activation of the inspector-activated mechanism;
activating the alarm initiating devices to generate device signals, which are sent to the control panel; and
the control panel automatically returning the alarm initiating devices to a normal operation mode after receiving the test mode signals.

18. The method according to claim 17 , further comprising the control panel automatically returning the alarm initiating devices to the normal operation mode in response to the device signals no longer being indicative of a fire.

19. The method according to claim 17 , further comprising the control panel returning the alarm initiating devices to the normal operation mode after a predefined length of time.

20. The method according to claim 9 , further comprising the control panel causing the alarm initiating devices to provide visual and/or audible indications that the alarm initiating devices have been placed into the test mode.

21. The method according to claim 9 , further comprising an inspector magnetically activating the inspector-activated mechanisms of the alarm initiating devices.

22. A fire alarm system comprising:
alarm initiating devices for initiating fire alarms, each of the devices having an inspector-activated mechanism and generating and sending a test mode signal in response to activation of the inspector-activated mechanism; and
a control panel that receives device signals from the alarm initiating devices and initiates fire alarm conditions based on the device signals, wherein the control panel places the alarm initiating devices into a test mode in response to receipt of the test mode signal from the alarm initiating devices for which the inspector-activated mechanisms have been activated, the control panel not initiating a fire alarm condition when the device signals are indicative of a fire if the device signals were from alarm initiating devices in the test mode, the control panel automatically returning the alarm initiating devices to a normal operation mode.

23. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the control panel leaves other alarm initiating devices connected to the control panel in a normal operation mode.

24. The method according to claim 9 , further comprising the control panel returning the alarm initi

Assignees

• Tyco Fire & Security Gmbh

Inventors

• Piccolo Iii Joseph
• Farley Daniel G

Classifications

• G08B29/145 Primary

  of fire detection circuits · CPC title