Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G08—SIGNALLING
  • G08B—SIGNALLING OR CALLING SYSTEMS; ORDER TELEGRAPHS; ALARM SYSTEMS
  • G08B25/00—Alarm systems in which the location of the alarm condition is signalled to a central station, e.g. fire or police telegraphic systems
  • G08B25/01—Alarm systems in which the location of the alarm condition is signalled to a central station, e.g. fire or police telegraphic systems characterised by the transmission medium
  • G08B25/06—Alarm systems in which the location of the alarm condition is signalled to a central station, e.g. fire or police telegraphic systems characterised by the transmission medium using power transmission lines
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G08—SIGNALLING
  • G08B—SIGNALLING OR CALLING SYSTEMS; ORDER TELEGRAPHS; ALARM SYSTEMS
  • G08B25/00—Alarm systems in which the location of the alarm condition is signalled to a central station, e.g. fire or police telegraphic systems
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G08—SIGNALLING
  • G08B—SIGNALLING OR CALLING SYSTEMS; ORDER TELEGRAPHS; ALARM SYSTEMS
  • G08B27/00—Alarm systems in which the alarm condition is signalled from a central station to a plurality of substations
  • G08B27/005—Alarm systems in which the alarm condition is signalled from a central station to a plurality of substations with transmission via computer network
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G08—SIGNALLING
  • G08B—SIGNALLING OR CALLING SYSTEMS; ORDER TELEGRAPHS; ALARM SYSTEMS
  • G08B25/00—Alarm systems in which the location of the alarm condition is signalled to a central station, e.g. fire or police telegraphic systems
  • G08B25/007—Details of data content structure of message packets; data protocols

Definitions

• This invention relates to an area, building, and/or device specific civil protection warning system that utilises secure Internet communication, via an interdependent custom software gateway, to access standard power distribution network communication mediums interfacing with as few as a single polled electronic warning alerter device or with a multitude of polled electronic warning alerter devices to issue civil emergency alerts, instructions, and warnings.
• the definition 'area specific, building, and device specific' describes the discrete capability of a civil emergency warning process system to alert members of the public in a selected area, specific building, or adjacent to a specific alerter for large public areas or ways as determined by a computer in conjunction with an electrical power sub-station adjacent to or in an area of an impending or current civil emergency.
• 'Civil Emergency Warning Process System describes the corporate centralised telecommunications process system utilised as a carrier to transmit packets of digital information for the purpose of raising an alarm, alert, or warning to members of the public in the event of a Civil Emergency.
• alarms, alerts, or warnings may relate to naturally occurring phenomena in Nature or to the expanding class of intentional and accidental man-made civil emergencies.
• 'Civil Emergency' refers to any episode which is determined by authorised governmental agencies to constitute a major disruption or potentially major disruption to that which is commonly referred to as normal life for the affected area or any portion thereof.
• Civil Emergency can refer to naturally occurring phenomena in Nature such as tornadoes, earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, flash floods, wildfires, avalanches, or mudslide.
• Civil Emergency may also refer to the ever expanding multitude of potential intentional and accidental man-made incidents including attacks from conventional weapons of mass destruction by foreign or domestic forces; attacks from nuclear, chemical, or biological weapons of mass destruction by foreign or domestic forces, terrorism, or other criminal activity; and accidents or incidents involving hazardous or toxic substances or materials which threaten human life and the environment.
• the definition 'Communication' describes the transmission of polling data over the Intemet and a Power Distribution Network (PDN) using from among predefined and/or prior patented technology.
• PDN Power Distribution Network
• the definition 'Custom Software Gateway' describes the 4WarnAlert software front end or entrance to the Civil Emergency Warning Process System described herein.
• 'Warning Alerter Device refers to cost effective, intelligent, plug in consumer devices capable of providing to the public, from among and individually or in combination, built-in visual, audible, and mechanical alerts to convey the warning or message processed by the Civil Emergency Warning Process System.
• the definition of 'Polling' describes an electronic method of remotely initiating a device to carry nut a pre- defined task as well as sending the device supplementary information for the end user.
• the polling simply instructs the device to initiate the pre-defined task and at completion of the pre-defined task to stand by for possible real or live time supplementary information,
• the definition 'Standard Power Distribution Network' refers to a standard Power Dist ibution Network as defined by the Institute of Electrical Engineers which further describes the standard 50 Hz AC 220/240 Volt electrical supply delivered by electrical power utilities to a standard Institute of Electrical Engineers power plug socket.
• the hardware used for these tasks have included direct line message devices installed in military bases and public service departments, such as the Fire and police.
• Existing systems continue to utilise fixed warning sirens and mobile public address systems mounted on government vehicles.
• Commercial radio and television broadcast systems have also engrafted civil defence warning process systems.
• An incomplete chain of formal and informal inter-agency communication and warning methods has developed on an ad hoc basis.
• Technical obsolescence, budgetary constraints, cultural and demographic changes, shifting jurisdictional boundaries anti evolving threat responder missions have all been factors which have led to a fragmentation and degradation of the ability to communicate a general or specific alarm to the public during civil emergencies.
• Permut, et al proposed a Disaster Alert System, U.S. Pat No. 4,155,042, which used a Central Disaster Alert Station and a plurality of disaster alert modules to notify threat responders and the public by radio. Until activated with a warning by the transmitter, the receivers remained quiet. As with other radio based systems, Permut's system was limited by transmission strength, geographic and terrain barriers, and reception barriers caused by structures or noisy environments. Permut's radio based system also lacks the ability to provide pinpoint warnings to small, limited danger zones and is not designed to issue a warning so precise as to target and reach only a single individual device.
• Permut's system has no provision for direct interface with the warning process system by the authorised civil authorities at the affected national, state, county, or local level as all communications must first filter through a central disaster alert station.
• the recent initiative regarding weather warnings by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency to build a nationwide network of radio transmitters to send activation signals followed by weather warnings to individual, commercially built and sold, radio receivers is limited by these same types of deficiencies.
• PLC Power Line Communications
• PDN Power Distribution Networks
• Bane offered his method and device for remotely accessing meter status information system for electrical utilities using two way PLC over a PDN in U.S. Pal. No. 5,684,472.
• Brown disclosed a PLC method over, preferably, underground power lines and a filter for telecommunication traffic as an adjunct to using dedicated telephone wirelines.
• these systems or apparatus envisage a warning system for use by governmental agencies to warn the public, especially during non-wakeful periods, of civil emergencies.
• the two objectives of these PLC over PDN systems are management of the electrical utility's load and billing efficiency.
• None of the prior art discloses a means of using the PLC for communications which result in communications recognisable by humans, except for Brown. Brown's system simply develops an alternate pathway for telecommunications.
• a signalling and/or help request system he describes as a surveillance system which uses, in part, Power Line Communication.
• Bonsignore presented a panic alarm device, similar to a remote garage doom opener transmitter, which would transmit an alarm to a street lamp with transceiver.
• the street lamp device would transmit a message over the PDN connected to the street lamp to a receiving unit for channelling to appropriate agencies
• Bonsignore noted that the system would be limited to high density population areas with integral lighting systems connected to a PDN. Remote or rural locations connected to Pt)N would he excluded unless there was an integral lighting system connected to the PDN. Bonsignore's system also requires that the PDN be in operation with electricity flowing from the utility to the street lamps.
• His system is a one way method which only allows a single individual to call for help. Bonsignore's system does not allow the consumer with the device or a multitude of consumers with the device to receive individually or by plurality a message from appropriate agencies regarding civil emergencies.
• a civil protection warning process system is accessed through a secure Internet communication controlled by an interdependent custom software gateway which allows and assists authorised governmental agencies to decide on, select, and send civil emergency warnings over power distribution networks, whether or not electrical power is flowing from the utility to the consumers at the time, to a single or to a multitude of polled electronic alerter devices which provide visual, audible, and mechanical means of signalling the warning information to the public.
• FIG. 1 presents, in schematic form, the civil protection warning process system as a warning is sent from govemmental users to the affected members of the public.
• FIG. 2 graphically illustrates an example of processing a weather warning sent from a fixed base or static location of a government user to an alerter device in the affected area
• FIG. 3 graphically illustrates an example of processing a warning sent from one example of a mobile location by a government user to an alerter device within the affected area and demonstrates the inclusion of a supplementary mass warning alerter device controlled by the system.
• FIG. 4 shows the data word
• FIG. 5 shows the architecture of an alerter device.
• PLM Power Line Modem
• FIGS. 2 and 3. Preferred Embodiment.
• the primary component (1) is a computer network interface which permits system access to various designated and authorised governmental users by means of a software front end or gateway (1).
• the gateway assists the user in establishing the parameters of the risk, the location(s) at risk,
• the secondary component consists of the Power Line Modem (2) positioned at electrical substations to receive the digital data packet or alert object from the gateway and communicate the same over the
• the tertiary component is the warning alerter device (3) which is simply plugged into a standard electrical socket. When required to operate, the alerter device receives an activation or initiation data packet signal over the power lines causing an alarm or 45 warning to be raised. The alerter device then stands by to receive real or live time supplementary information.
• PDN Power Distribution Network
• the Nimbus gateway software acts as the process system management controller. It is written in secure Java language so as to give the system great versatility and portability. Access for system users will be provided through standard Internet Service Provider (ISP) via any of the available connection technologies which are available in the user's location, which function with the user's mission, and allow for an Internet
• ISP Internet Service Provider
• a secure Intemet connection is 60 provided through the inclusion of a standard 128 bit encryption technique currently available to the public and currently utilized by in diverse applications such as on-line banking and workplace security systems.
• IP Internet Protocol
• the gateway software also includes a graphical user interface (GUI) to declare specific physical or geo ⁇
• GUI graphical user interface
• Integrated management software tools provide the user with options and assistance in the management of the risk and emergency.
• the software tools that the user can select from include customised maps; satellite 15 imagery; layering/scaling; chemical data bases; mathematical plume and weather prediction/modelling
• the gateway (1) must interface with the secondary component (2), the Power Line Modem (PLM), to communicate the PLM.
• PLM Power Line Modem
• the gateway software (1) determines from the location of the danger compared to the actively updated, dynamic oracle relational database which electrical utility or utilities have Power Distribution Networks (PDN's) within the alert area.
• PDN's Power Distribution Networks
• the software gateway (1) "knows" the time and type of alert message, the location of the at risk area, and the PDN and substations needed in order for the PLM (2) to communicate the warning to the alerter device or devices (3).
• This package of digital information is the 45 "alert object”.
• Encrypted software within the gateway (1 ) generates the actuation signal using the PC interface's RS 232 communication port to pass the information as normal data to the PLM (2).
• the actuation signal can he sent
• the PLM (2) has landline/telecommunication ports and antennae for radio, microwave
• the PLM (2) has two sections: data receiving/relay transmitting and the carrier wave generator/transmitter.
• the PLM (2) has a microprocessor which handles multiple tasks. At the instant of data receipt, the microprocessor determines whether or not the power line to the alert target is live flowing electricity from the utility to the device (a) location(s). If the microprocessor determines that there is no power flowing down the power line, then it instructs the carrier wave generator in the PLM (2) to use its internal battery backup to generate
• the microprocessor in the PLM (2) determines that the power lines are live, then it will instruct the PLM to place the data on the conductor of the existing power flowing over the power lines to the alert target(s) at the zero cross over point on the existing sine wave, either 50Hz or 6(1 Hz so that there is no "noise" going over the line.
• the software driving the message will continue to resend the message until it reaches a pre-programmed countermand.
• the alerter device (3) which is the ultimate alert target, can be used in a variety of consumer friendly shells, representative illustrations of a non-mass alerter device arc shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, which simply plug into any standard electrical socket.
• the alerter will consist of surface mounted components on an application specific PCB.
• FIG. 5 shows the architecture of a warning alerter device (3).
• Each alerter will have a bar code identifier unique to its internal microprocessor chip to establish its IP to be recorded in the oracle database.
• the microprocessor initiates a self test of the circuits and confirms it presence to the system.
• the alerter has a visible indicator that it is ready for use.
• the alerter when activated, can use its colour light system, like a traffic light, moving from the constant guardian or ready to operate amber to red for the warning and green for all clear. Equipped with a LCD scrolling message pad, with time and date stamp, standard or supplementary written messages can be shown for visual cues.
• Electronic and mechanical devices within the alerter device can he used to generate audible warning, such as sirens or voice, as well.
• the audible alarms are triggered in stages from the mute stage to high decibel perception levels.
• the audible alarm alternates with an electronically spoken advisory.
• a mute reset button accessible by the consumer is provided.
• the alerter is provided with a generic connection point that can be hooked to a plurality of devices already in use or available to the physically impaired such as an overhead lighting switch/blinking actuator for the hearing impaired or a bed shaker for the visually impaired.
• Each alerter has an internal battery backup which is constantly trickle charged by the power socket to enable the operation of the alerter's fail safe alarm in the event of power failure e and to provide a finite service for any warning messages in the event of power failure of the PDN.
• the internal portions of the alerter device are built so that they may be easily inserted into other housings to control mass alert devices such as sirens, electric roadway warning signs, mechanical roadway signs, and fixed public address systems.
• the micro-controller in the alerter device (3) listens for the encrypted activation message or hand shake for a pre-determined number of times so that false alarms will be prevented.
• FIG. 4 illustrates the typical word data format that can be used.
• the TX Unit Address is the address of the unit sending the message.
• the RX Unit Address is the address of the alert target or specific alerter dev ⁇ ce(s) for which the message is intended.
• the Time Stamp is displayed and used to update the alerter visual display so as to prevent consumer Imessage confusion.
• the Command Data is the command operation that the alerter is tasked to carry our. It may he an actual formal warning or a system test alert. Once processed the alerter can act on this command.
• the alerter is also provided with a reset button that can be accessed by the consumer and by the system users.
• the "Other” refers to extra data that includes, but is not limited to, parity checks or error correction/detection.
• FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate the operation of the main embodiment of the civil protection warning process system
• NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency
• Nimbus system process software which is layered and scaled for zooming down to satellite and stereographic aerial photos to identify a single roof top or building — to indicate that the chosen area is at risk from a developing tornado.
• a marquee can then be pulled over the affected area or the user can select
• NOAA could further delineate the risk, level of severity, direction of travel, speed, or other factors relevant to the situation using the tools provided in the customised gateway software (1) which would be provided by a scroll down menu.
• the gateway software (1) determines the specific Power Distribution Network(s) which are in or adjacent to the risk areas.
• the gateway software (1) also identifies which designated electrical power sub-stations must be notified through the Power Line Modems (2) at the sub-stations to communicate the
• the Nimbus process system has the data captured for the "alert object” — the time and type of alert, area (s) at risk, and the specific PDN (s) and PLM (a) (2) needed to activate the warning through the alerter devices (3). Using the available and most effective
• the PC interface sends the birth data to trigger the message.
• NOAA's PC screen would show a shift from a green icon over the areas to a pulsing red to show issuance and delivery of the alert.
• the marquee area will switch to a cross-hatched red to amber and finally to green
• This dynamic or sequenced action can also he actuated to sequence from no risk green to potential risk amber and red for the risk warning.
• the NOAA user desires to send real time messages to all or part of the affected areas, then the user simply pulls down an interactive message board with a point 60 size default set typeface with a message length limiter.
• the gateway software (1) tools will also allow the NOAA user to directly access mass alerters such as sirens which have been updated to include the alerter microprocessor. Additional pull down menus would allow linkage to other agencies such as local, county and _ state agencies in the affected areas.
• the software and hardware encoding devices at the sub-stations will generate and/or inject the command signal for onward transmission, even when there Is no power flowing over the PDN, to the alerters on that specific electrical sub-system and delivered via the power lines to the electrical socket where the alerter device is located.
• the alerter device performs the tasks commanded giving visual and audible warnings as required.
• FIG. 3 illustrates a similar operation process when the initiating user sends from a mobile or changing 15 position, in this case in response to a toxic gas cloud from an accidental release.
• the process and system remain the same with the user having additional, mission specific tools like plume modelling/prediction and instant weather reporting linkage, to manage the incident.
• Alternative embodiments exist for increasing the scope of this process and method.
• Alternatives can include: addition of an interactive alpha numeric message keyboard; swipe card facility on the alerter device; on board video cameras; infra red detectors, and other surveillance
• this process and method is improved for community safety with the addition of the ability to communicate from the Power Line Modem down the power line even when there is no electricity flowing form the utility to the "plug-in-and- forget" Alerter devices.
• This process and method provides governmental users an inherent
• the method and process of the Nimbus system can save lives and prevent injuries, simply, efficiently and quickly whether the threat is to the

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• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
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• Computer Hardware Design (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Alarm Systems (AREA)

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Cited By (161)

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• 2003
  • 2003-03-21 EP EP03706848A patent/EP1488397A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2003-03-21 WO PCT/IB2003/001067 patent/WO2003081555A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 2003-03-21 AU AU2003208555A patent/AU2003208555A1/en not_active Abandoned

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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