AU8928998A - Apparatus for and method of displaying information - Google Patents

Description

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AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 PITTWAY CORPORATION

ORIGINAL

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT Invention Title: Apparatus for and method of displaying information The following statement is a full description of this invention including the best method of performing it known to us:- ;r I i; j

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qy i .1 :1; n Field of the Invention: The invention pertains to electrical modules having parameters or status indicators which can be presented sequentially for direct observation or for receipt by a receiving unit for conversion to a parallel display. More particularly, the invention pertains to ambient condition detectors whose operational status and parameters can be read out sequentially for direct observation by a user or for receipt by a display device.

Background of the Invention: *Ambient condition sensing systems such as fire or intrusion detecting systems are often installed in commercial or industrial buildings to try to provide enhanced levels of safety and security to individuals present in those buildings. In 15 commercial and industrial installations, such systems often include a plurality of ambient condition detectors or other units, which are in communication with a common control unit. k Representative detectors often include fire, gas or motion sensors. v The detectors themselves may be dispersed over a relatively, large, multistory area and can be coupled to the common control unit via wired or wireless communication links.

Such systems often incorporate a programmable processor into the Scommon control unit. One such system is disclosed in Tice et al U.S. Patent No.

4,916,432, entitled Smoke and Fire Detection System Communication, assigned to the assignee hereof and incorporated herein by reference.

It is also known in such systems to incorporate visual output devices, for example light emitting diodes, at the detectors. Such diodes emit light pulses (or flashes) to provide local visual feedback as to the operational status of the respective detector. Other information pertaining to the detector and the location thereof is also of interest.

S-2- In systems of the type described in the above-noted Tice et al patent, detectors are often assigned different addresses or serial numbers. The assigned A addresses or serial numbers are usable by the common control unit for the purpose of communicating with the respective detector and for the purpose of indicating to operational personnel the location of a detector or detectors which is or are emitting one or more alarm indicating signals.

For the purpose of establishing addresses, it is known to use a plurality of settable switches at the detectors. While the serial number can be hard- Icoded into the respective detector, there are times advantages to being able to set an address at a respective detector, or other type of unit, prior to installing same.

Once an address is established and the respective electrical unit placed in communication with the common control unit, the address need not be i changed. However, if the detector or unit is removed from communication with the common control unit, there is no reassurance that the same unit or a corresponding unit with the same address will be placed back in communication with the common control unit. Various schemes have been developed to address this problem. A U.S. Patent No. 5,357,243 to Tice, entitled "Electrical Unit With An Adjustable Mechanical Switch For Address Verification" discloses a system wherein a settable address value in a removable detector must take on an expected :predetermined value else the detector cannot be reinstalled and again placed in :f Ecommunication with the control unit. Such systems attempt to minimize the likelihood of a detector with a preset address being moved to another physical location. In the noted Tice patent, the detector must be removed from the system t( 25 to check the address value.

It is also known in such systems to have operational personnel physically travel through the areas being supervised for the purpose of checking the status and functionality of the various detectors or electrical units. In this regard, it would be desirable to provide to such personnel an ability to read out from the q 30 detector or other electrical unit one or more parameters or indicator of status or functionality during such inspections. This would provide a vehicle to verify that i I the detector or electrical unit is operating as expected and/or is positioned at the expected physical location.

It would also be desirable to provide to such personnel a capability to set one or more parameter values remotely at such detectors or electrical units without having to decouple the respective detector or electrical unit from the communication link. Preferably the contemplated functionality can be provided without substantially increasing the cost of manufacture of such detectors or electrical units or the cost of installation of maintenance thereof.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An apparatus and method for reading out sequentially from an electrical unit including an output device which can be used to generate a serial, wireless communication signal. In one aspect, a light emitting diode can be used to produce a viewable, sequential, coded signal representative of status or parameter values. Alternately, other forms of transducers such as RF, ultrasonic or the like can be used.

In one embodiment, the unit includes an ambient condition sensor which is coupled to a local programmable processor. Also coupled to the processor is a manually actuateable input control port and an output port for energizing an output transducer for producing a sequential data stream. In one aspect, control can be achieved by locally actuating a switch carried by the unit.

Alternately, command signals can be delivered wirelessly from a remote signal generator.

The local programmable processor, upon detection of the incoming command signals can, in turn, respond by generating one or more sequential output signals indicative of status or parameter values. The output signals can be pulse V duration modulated.

In yet another aspect, a portable unit can be used by an operator to initiate wireless command signals to the respective electrical unit. The same portable unit can be used to receive and store the sequential data stream from the 30 electrical unit. The received data stream or streams can in turn be displayed in parallel for convenience of the operator.

-4- I H Other features and advantages of the present invention will become B readily apparent from the following detailed description of the accompanying 4 drawings, and the appended claims.

Brief Description Of The Drawings N 5 Fig. I is a block diagram of a system which incorporates a plurality of electrical units which can in turn transmit status and parameter values; and Fig. 2 illustrates various types of serial modulatable output transducers usable with the electrical units of Fig. 1.

g Detailed Description Of The Preferred Embodiments S:0 While the present invention is susceptible of embodiment in various forms, there is shown in the drawings and will hereinafter be described presently preferred embodiments with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be l? considered an exemplification of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiments illustrated.

15 Fig. 1 illustrates a system 10 which incorporates a plurality of electrical units. A portion of the units corresponds to a plurality of ambient condition detectors 12. The detectors 12, could without limitation, correspond to fire detectors, such as smoke or thermal detectors, gas detectors or motion detectors.

The system can also incorporate a plurality of electrical modules 14 which can but do not necessarily incorporate the same types of sensors present in the members of the plurality 12. The members of the plurality 14 could be used to carry out other types of control or sensing functions without departing from the :i spirit and scope of the present invention.

The members of the pluralities 12, 14 are each coupled to a communication link 18. While illustrated as a single line in Fig. 1, it will be understood that the link 18 can incorporate a variety of electrical cables, fiber optic links, or wireless links without departing form the spirit and scope of the present invention.

In the system 10, a common control unit 20 is also coupled to the link 18. The common control unit could be a separate element from the members of the pluralities 12, 14. Alternately, the common control unit 20 could be incorporated into one of such members.

A representative member 12-n of the plurality 12 is also illustrated in Fig. I. The member 12-n incorporates a housing 30. For purposes of coupling to the link 18, the housing 30 could, for example, be removably mounted on a separate base to which the link 18 is coupled.

The member 12-n includes local control circuitry 32. The circuitry 32 could be implemented for example in the form of a local programmed processor. The control circuitry 32 can include storage for address information, status information as well as other parameters such as model or revision information, manufacturing date and the like without departing from lie spirit and S""scope of the present invention.

Coupled to the control circuitry 32 is an ambient condition sensor 34. Representative types of sensors include thermal or smoke sensors, in the cause of fire sensors. Alternately, the sensor 34 can correspond to a gas sensor, an intrusion or a motion sensor or the like without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. A given member of the plurality 12 could incorporate a plurality of sensors.

The output from the sensor 34 is coupled to the control circuitry 32 20 which in turn carries out an appropriate monitoring function of a type which would be understood by those of skill in the art. Such functionality can be for example provided in a preloaded control program, stored in read only memory or the like where the control circuitry 32 incorporates a programmable processor.

[The circuitry 32 is in turn coupled via interface circuitry 38 to the link 18. The control circuitry 32 is also coupled via a serial output interface to a serial output transducer 42.

The transducer 42 is intended to produce a local, serial, coded output representation as discussed subsequently. Fig. 2 illustrates various types of output transducers which can be used in the system 10 without departing form the spirit and scope of the present invention. Other types of serial output devices could be used if desired.

-6- The member 12-n also incorporates one or more manually operable command switches such as the switch 44a. The switch 44a can in turn be used to manually generate a command, coupled through a command interface 46 to control circuitry 32.

In response to the received command, the control circuitry 32 via serial output interface 40 and transducer 42 can wirelessly transmit from the -la housing 30 a representation of one or more selected parameter values of the type available to the control circuitry 32. Transmission from the transducer 42 makes H it unnecessary to remove the member 12-n from communication with the link 18 or in other way disturb its general functionality and operation.

An Operator O who is in the vicinity of the member 12-n and who might have actuated the control switch 44a can view a representative output sequence S1 to ascertain the respective parameter value. For example, if output ts transducer 42 is driven using a pulse duration modulation technique, the Operator 15 O will receive a serial sequence of light flashes, some longer than others, which can be decoded into a value of a respective parameter.

As illustrated in Fig. 1, the Operator O could also receive a sequence S-2 at a portable reception unit R-1. The unit R-1 can in turn convert the serial stream of output data from the member 12-n to a parallel output display which may be more convenient for the Operator 0.

As an alternate to the manually actuateable switch 44a, a wireless receiver 44b can be carried by the housing 30 and coupled to the command input circuitry 46. Upon receipt of an appropriate wireless command sequence S3 from a unit R2, the control circuitry 32 can in turn generate the output sequence S2 for receipt by the unit RL.

It will be understood that a single unit incorporating the functionality of the portable units R1 and R2 could be provided without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. In such an instance, the operator O could wirelessly initiate commands to the number 12-n specifying a specific parameter value to be read out. The control circuitry 32 in response thereto can acquire the -7 appropriate parameter value and serially transmit same to the operator or the portable unit.

Table 1 illustrates an exemplary transmission using pulse width modulation to represent a coded output signal. In the representation of Table 1, a dash represents a long flash or long transmission from the transducer 42. A dot represents a short flash or a short transmission.

address 42 address TABLE 1 In one scheme, the long flashes can be used to separate the digits and define message elements. The number of short flashes or short transmissions, in between long flashes or long transmissions, can specify a digit or a parameter such as an address. It will be understood that other types of codes can be used in connection with other parameters without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

By means of portable unit R2, an Operator O can not only transmit commands to the control circuitry 32 but can also transmit various parameter values, such as addresses, without having to decouple the member 12-n from the link 18. Alternately, switch 44a could be used to enter an address in binary or BCD between long flashes.

It will be understood that the present apparatus and method can be used with individual electrical units not coupled to a communication link. It will also be understood that the present apparatus and method can be used with the electrical modules 14 if desired.

From the foregoing, it will be observed that numerous modifications and variations can be effected without departing from the spirit and scope of the novel concept of the present invention. It is to be understood that no limitation 30 with respect to the specific embodiments disclosed herein is intended or should be 1..

Ae I -8- S! inferred. The disclosure is intended to cover by the appended claims all such I modifications as fall within the scope of the claim.

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Claims (9)

1. An electrical module comprising: a control element; output circuitry, coupled to the element, wherein the circuitry is adapted to be coupled to a communications medium wherein the medium includes one of a wired and wireless link; circuitry, coupled to the control element for storing predetermined parameter values; a modulatable single channel, output device coupled to the element for transmitting, wirelessly into a region local to the element, a sequential data stream indicative of a selected parameter value.

S2. A module as in claim 1 wherein the output device comprises a light emitting diode.

3. A module as in claim 1 which includes an ambient condition 15 sensor coupled to the control element.

4. A module as in claim 3 wherein the sensor comprises a An smoke sensor.

A module as in claim 4 which includes circuitry for receipt of a locally generated, wireless signal indicative of at least one parameter value.

6. An electrical module as in claim 1 wherein the output device ,includes a visible light emitting output device, coupled to the control element, to provide a human discernable electromagnetic, sequential output signal.

7. An electrical module as in claim 6 wherein the output signal is pulse duration modulated.

8. A method of operating a module as in claim 3 to obtain a parameter value in visually discernable form comprising: sensing an ambient condition and producing an electrical signal indicative thereof: establishing a parameter value apart from the electrical signal; receiving a command; 10 generating in response to the command, a coded, serial output sequence visible to a local user wherein the output sequence corresponds to the parameter value. I

9. A method as in claim 8 which includes sensing an ambient condition selected from a class which includes smoke, gas, temperature and motion. A method as in claim 8 wherein the receiving step includes sensing an incident wireless signal and generating a signal indicative of the command. DATED THIS 12 DAY OF OCTOBER 1998 PITTWAY CORPORATION Patent Attorneys for the Applicant:- F.B.RICE CO tA E1 %i: i