GB2380584A

GB2380584A - Multiple alarms uniquely addressable via a cental location

Info

Publication number: GB2380584A
Application number: GB0211407A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Stephen Francis Marriott; William Holt; Carl Morrell
Original assignee: AZTEC TECHNICAL SERVICES Ltd
Current assignee: AZTEC TECHNICAL SERVICES Ltd
Priority date: 2001-05-23
Filing date: 2002-05-17
Publication date: 2003-04-09
Anticipated expiration: 2022-05-17
Also published as: GB0211407D0; DE20208049U1; GB2380584B

Abstract

Alarm apparatus has a plurality of alarm units (18) for carrying by or attachment to persons or animals, or to inanimate articles or structures; a central control station (11,12) for transmitting coded operating signals to the alarm units (18); and means (eg. a mobile phone) (1) for transmitting operation initiation signals to the central station (11,12) from respective supervisors of said persons, animals, articles or structures, wherein each alarm unit (18) responds only to operating signals that are coded with a code specific to that alarm unit and wherein the central station (11, 12) is arranged to transmit such a coded operating signal for a specific alarm unit after receipt of a specific initiation signal from an authorised supervisor of or supervisory unit for the specific alarm unit. The mobile phone may be specially adapted.

Description

ALARM APPARATUS The present invention relates to alarm apparatus.

More particularly, apparatus according to the invention may provide a visual and/or audible warning that, for example, a baby, a child, an adult, an animal or an inanimate object is being moved to another location without the knowledge and/or consent of a person who may have legal interest in and/or authority over the baby, child, adult, animal or inanimate object.

US-A-5 939 988 discloses a child monitoring system that includes a first unit that is worn or is otherwise attached to a child, and a monitoring unit intended to be possessed by a parent or guardian responsible for the child. The monitoring system serves to monitor the proximity of the child to the monitoring unit, and provides for alarms at the child's and monitoring units that warn the guardian and those near the child that the child has moved beyond a preset distance from the monitoring unit.

US-A-6 075 443 discloses a wireless tether which serves to warn if a tethered article moves away from the tethering location, such as a child moving away from a parent, or luggage being removed from its owner, or equipment being removed from a facility. A transmitting module on each tethered article periodically transmits a low power identification signal including a coded value. A receiving module at the tethering location receives identification signals transmitted by the transmitting module (s) and compares the coded value thereof to a stored coded value predetermined to correspond to that of the particular tethered article. If there is correspondence, the tethered article is near the tethering location. If there is not correspondence within a predetermined time interval, the tethered article has moved away and an alarm is raised. The "length" of the tether is adjusted by adjusting the transmission range of the transmitting module to the receiving module. A number of non-correspondences may be permitted before raising the alarm so as to reduce false alarms. A receiving module can tether plural transmitting modules and may be arranged for such plural transmitter modules to have identification signal coded values that are the same, or that are partially or completely different.

US-A-5 652 569 discloses a child alarm device consisting of a guardian's transmitter and a child's receiver. The transmitter is held or carried by the guardian. The receiver is mounted inside a backpack worn by the child. If the child wanders out of range of the guardian's transmitter, after a short delay an audible alarm is triggered in the child's backpack automatically. One of the child's alarms can be triggered manually by the guardian. As an optional"Panic Button", the child can also trigger an alarm himself by disconnecting the chest strap. The child's receiver has one group identification code and recognises only one channel code. The guardian can control more than one channel within the same group ID code to watch over more than one child. The backpack has anti-tamper features such that an alarm will be triggered if someone tries to tamper with the backpack or molest the child.

According to the present invention, there is provided alarm apparatus comprising: a plurality of alarm units for carrying by or attachment to persons or animals, or to inanimate articles or structures; a central control station for transmitting coded operating signals to the alarm units ; and means for transmitting operation initiation signals to the central station from respective supervisors of said persons, animals, articles or structures, wherein each alarm unit responds only to operating signals that are coded with a code specific to that alarm unit and wherein the central station is arranged to transmit such a coded operating signal for a specific alarm unit after receipt of a specific initiation signal from an authorised supervisor of or supervisory unit for the specific alarm unit.

The present invention also comprises supervision means, suitable for use with an alarm unit of an alarm system according to the invention, for transmitting said operation initiation signals to the central station and comprising a mobile telephone having means, distinct from its normal telephone function means, for use in transmitting a wireless operation initiation signal unique to the said alarm unit.

The present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which :-

Fig 1 shows a mobile telephone ; Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of additional circuitry in the mobile telephone ; Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of circuitry of an alarm device for use with the mobile telephone ; Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of alarm apparatus; and Fig. 5 shows a block diagram circuit of an alarm unit suitable for the alarm apparatus of Fig. 4 In these different figures of the drawings, the same or corresponding parts have been given the same references.

Referring first to Figs. 1 and 2, a mobile telephone 1 has, in addition to its normal telephone functions, a button 2 for closing a switch 3 in additional circuitry of the mobile telephone 1. Closure of switch 3 by button 2 causes a signal generator 4 of the additional circuitry, coupled to the antenna 6 of the mobile telephone 1, to be energised by a battery 5 of the mobile telephone 1 and produce a signal which is transmitted as a unique wireless signal by the antenna 6.

Referring to Fig. 3, a device separate from the mobile telephone 1 comprises an antenna 7 and a receiver 8 which upon receipt of the unique wireless signal causes an alarm producer 9 to produce an audible and/or a visual alarm, the receiver 8 and alarm producer 9 being powered by a battery 10.

The device of Fig. 2 is attached, for example, to a baby, child, adult, animal or inanimate object and the mobile telephone of Figs. 1 and 2 carried by a legally responsible person.

If and when the legally responsible person becomes aware that the baby, child, adult,

animal or inanimate object has moved or is being moved without consent, the legally i responsible person can transmit, using button 2, the unique wireless signal to the device and an audible and/or visual alarm will then be emitted by the device. Such an alarm will assist in the location of the baby, child, adult, animal or inanimate object, and will

alert people in the vicinity that an unauthorised or illegal movement of the baby, child, adult, animal or inanimate object is taking place.

The alarm unit can be designed so that it can be fitted in a secure and tamper-proof manner to a baby, child, adult, animal or inanimate object, preferably in such a manner as to make it difficult and/or time consuming for the device to be removed without a key, a letter and/or number combination or other means for example by way of a strap or bracelet.

The unique wireless signal could be a series of letters and/or numbers. Once activated, the audible and/or visual alarm producer of the device can preferably only be deactivated by receipt of a unique deactivation signal.

Instead of the provision of button 2 to close switch 3 to produce a signal transmitted as a unique wireless signal, the mobile telephone could be such that pressing a given existing button (e. g."5") a given number of times (e. g. three times) will be detected to cause production of the signal.

The alarm unit could be designed and constructed in such a manner that it would immediately emit visual and audible alarms if any attempt were made by an unauthorised person to remove it from the child, adult or inanimate object to which it had been fitted by the properly authorised person.

Each alarm unit could have its own individual telecommunications number.

The alarm device could be activated from a mobile telephone by either keying-in an emergency code which could be, for example, a series of numbers such as 555 or 000 (to be agreed with the service provider) or by pressing and holding down for, say, 5 seconds, a dedicated emergency hot-key. The design of this hot-key would be agreed with the service provider and/or the manufacturers of future models of mobile telephones.

When an alarm activating signal is transmitted by the duly authorised and registered mobile telephone, the telecommunications network of the service provider would receive the incoming alarm signal, match it with a database-recorded identification number of the transmitting mobile telephone and broadcast an alarm-activating signal to the database-recorded telecommunications number of the appropriate alarm device, i. e. the alarm unit recorded in the service providers database as being linked to the transmitting mobile telephone.

Once the alarm unit has been activated, it could be such that it can only be de-activated by a signal transmitted from the mobile telephone which had triggered the activation.

Alarm devices could also be de-activated directly by the service provider in response to requests from the police. This intervention facility would be used in situations where the registered de-activating mobiletelephone could not be used, for example if it were damaged or lost. In such situations, the police would communicate to the service provider the telephone number of the de-activating mobile telephone.

A single mobile telephone could selectively activate several alarms, either individually or as a group. This would enable the parent or guardian of several children to select which alarms to activate in a family group. For example, a parent with three children, each of whom is fitted with an alarm, could activate the alarm of whichever child or children were missing. This would be achieved by the parent transmitting the alarm activation signal (either by a series of numbers such as 555 or 000, or by pressing a dedicated hot-key) followed by a secondary number such as 1,2 or 3. The telecommunications network of the service providerwould receive the incoming alarm signal, and the secondary individual alarm-identifier number, match it with a databaserecorded identification number of the transmitting mobile telephone and broadcast an alarm-activating signal to the database-recorded telecommunications number of the appropriate alarm device or devices.

Parents could easily remember the secondary individual alarm-identifier numbers (e. g. 1,2, 3 etc) by relating them to the age of the children. Thus, the first-born could have alarm number 1, the second-born alarm number 2 and so on. In an emergency panic

situation, the parent would only have to remember to key-in the emergency series of numbers (ie 555 or 000) or press and hold the dedicated emergency hot-key, and then press 1, 2 or 3 Alarm units could also be activated directly by the service provider in response to requests from the police. This intervention facility would be used in situations where the registered activating mobile telephone could not be used. For example if it were damaged or lost. In such situations the police would communicate to the service provider the telephone number of the activating mobile telephone.

Fig 4 shows an overview of alarm apparatus utilising alarm devices or units as described hereinbefore. Two different arrangements of alarm system are shown in the drawing one using a local central control station 11 and the other using a national central control station 12. In practice, these may be used separately or in combination and other variants and combinations are possible. The overall system is only represented diagrammatically with many detailed components omitted.

The apparatus is designed to enable a portable device or alarm unit 18, to be physically attached to a person, animal or article that requires to be monitored, and, if necessary, this portable alarm unit can be activated via a remote link to sound an audio and/or visual alarm, to aid in the detection of the physical location of that person, animal or article. To initiate the process, a legally responsible or supervising person sends an initiating signal to a central control, which in Fig. 4 is shown as involving a master controller and central stations 11 and 12. The initiation signal may be transmitted automatically by, for example, a button 2 on a mobile telephone 1 as described above in relation to the mobile telephone of Fig. 1. Alternatively, a telephone link, by mobile telephone or land line, can be made to a central control station and the caller identified to determine his authority to activate/deactivate an alarm unit. The determination is preferably automatic and can be linked with the mobile telephone identification number or with the unique electronic message used. After the authority of the initiating signal provider is established the activation/deactivation step proceeds.

An alarm unit may be activated/deactivated in either of the two following ways: (1) Personal Activations: where the unit is activated/deactivated on a one to one basis by recognizing it's own unique electronic address, and a subsequent electronic message sent by the central station 11 or 12.

(2) Group Activation: where multiple devices are activated/deactivated by recognizing their unique electronic group address, and a subsequent electronic message sent by the central station.

As shown in Fig. 4, a master controller can activate or deactivate alarm units in different ways. A first, illustrated possibility, utilises an on-site central control station 11 that is directly accessed via the master controller. After authentication of the initiating signal provider has been given to the local control station 11 it will transmit a unique electronic message directly to the required portable device (s). With the second illustrated possibility, a mobile phone or landline telephone 14 is used to call the nationwide central control station 12, via the normal public service telephone network (PSTN) 15, using a telephone number associated with the portable unit 18 which is to be activated/deactivated. Once the call to the nationwide control station is connected the user will be prompted to enter the unique electronic message to be sent to the device (s). The nationwide central control station 12 may take the form of a Post Office Code Standardisation Advising Group (POCSAG) paging services provider, that offers an automated numeric messaging service. Alternatively, a cellular telephone network system may be used, with each portable alarm unit reacting to its own allocated telephone number.

In either of the cases shown in Fig. 4, unique electronic messages may be used both to serve as authentication of a known authorised instructing user, as well as to cause activation or deactivation of the identified portable alarm units 18.

Fig. 5 shows circuit components of the portable units 18 of Fig. 4. Each unit 18 has its power supplied by a 1.5 volt battery 10 and has an aerial 7 for receipt of radio frequency

(RF) signals from the alarm system central station 11 or 12. Solely an audio alarm indicator 9 is shown but clearly a visual alarm indicator could also be provided Incoming RF signals are fed, from the aerial 7 through a filter 19 and low noise amplifier 20, to an RF processing chip 21.

This RF processing chip 21 has the following functions: (1) It takes the RF input from the low noise amplifier (LNA) 19 and mixes it with the local oscillator signal from local oscillator (LO) 22 to produce digital data signals that are then applied to a POCSAG decoding chip 23, (2) It regulates the 1.5V supply voltage from the battery 10 to 1 V, for use in the LNA and LO circuits; and (3) It detects when the 1.5V battery 10 is getting low and can generate a trigger for a programmable integrated circuit (IC) master controller circuit 24 to sound an audio warning that the battery is low and needs changing/recharging or replacing The POCSAG decoder chip 23 is programmed to recognize the electronic address assigned to its alarm unit 18 from the digital data sent to it from the RF processing chip If it recognises its electronic address in the data, it passes the electronic message associated with the electronic address to the master controller 24.

The master controller IC chip 24, also has several functions, as follows:.

(1) It decodes the electronic message sent from the POCSAG decoder chip, and then decides whether or not to activate/deactivate the alarm 9; (2) It activates the alarm 9 in such away as to make the user aware that the battery is low and may need recharging/replacing, this latter event being triggered by a signal, on the battery low line 25, from the RF processing chip 21 ; and

(3) It interfaces with an external data source to"program"the unit 18 with its own unique electronic address and group address.

A memory chip 26 is used to store the unique electronic and group address required by the alarm unit 18 and receives this data from the master controller chip 24 This chip comprises non-volatile storage memory so that unit 18 can have its battery replaced without losing the address information.

A battery charging circuit 27 is provided for connection to an external power supply to enable charging of a rechargeable battery 10.

Filter 19 is a discrete circuit that filters out any unwanted RF components from the incoming RF signal The low noise amplifier 20, amplifies the wanted RF signal to a level suitable for the RF processing chip 21. This amplifier circuit is based on discrete technology running off a supply of Ivolt.

The local oscillator 22 provides an internally generated RF signal that is passed to the RF processing chip 21 to enable processing of the wanted RF signal input. This LO circuit is also based on discrete technology and runs off a supply of Ivolt The final unit of Fig. 5 is a converter circuit 28, which converts the 1.5 V output from battery 10 to a voltage of 5 V to provide the appropriate supply voltage for the memory 26, master controller 24 and POCSAG decoder 23.

As described the alarm apparatus may utilise different communication systems for the signals, e. g. land-line or mobile telephone networks to the central station and mobile phone networks or paging or other radio transmissions to the alarm units where these units are mobile. The invention also, however, envisages the use of land line links to the alarm unit where these units are fixed and in this case the operating signals transmitted could be for the remote switching on or deactivation of a fixed alarm system.

A householder could thus, for example, switch on a system he had forgotten to initiate when leaving his premises. The present invention may also be applied to a system in which an automobile alarm or engine immobiliser is activated and de-activated. When used as an automotive alarm/immobiliser, the alarm unit device could additionally give an audible/verbal warning that the vehicle was about to close down its operating systems, e. g. a fuel valve may be closed or part of the electrical system could be switched off, thus bringing the vehicle to a standstill and giving the driver a sufficient amount of time to bring the vehicle to a safe halt. The vehicle could also start flashing its lights and activate the horn to give warning to other road uses and pedestrians

Claims

1. Alarm apparatus comprising: a plurality of alarm units for carrying by or attachment to persons or animals, or to inanimate articles or structures ; a central control station for transmitting coded operating signals to the alarm units; and means for transmitting operation initiation signals to the central station from respective supervisors of said persons, animals, articles or structures, wherein each alarm unit responds only to operating signals that are coded with a code specific to that alarm unit and wherein the central station is arranged to transmit such a coded operating signal for a specific alarm unit after receipt of a specific initiation signal from an authorised supervisor of or supervisory unit for the specific alarm unit.

2. Alarm apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operation signals are transmitted by radio waves and the alarm units are each provided with radio wave receiving means to receive such operating signals.

3. Alarm apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the alarm units are provided with audio and/or visual alarm indicators which may be triggered to operate or, when operating, switched off by said transmitted operating signals.

4. Alarm apparatus according to any preceding claim wherein the initiation signals are transmitted to the control station over a mobile or a landline telephone system.

5. Alarm apparatus according to any preceding claim wherein said central control station is part of a cellular mobile telephone network and said operating signals are sent out over the normal telephone signal transmission system to be received by said alarm units.

6. Alarm apparatus according to any preceding claim wherein an alarm unit for a fixed structure may be switched into an operating status or switched off from such an operating status by receipt of a suitably coded operating signal.

7. Alarm apparatus according to claim 3, wherein alarm units for animals or persons or readily transportable articles are arranged normally to be capable only of being switched off by signals from said control station.

8. Alarm apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the alarm units incorporate means designed to cause said alarm indicator (s) to function if the alarm unit is tampered with or if the alarm unit is removed or attempted to be removed from the animal, person or article

9. Supervisor means, suitable for use in association with an alarm unit of an alarm system according to any preceding claim, for transmitting said operation initiation signals to the central station and comprising a mobile telephone having means, distinct from its normal telephone function means, for use in transmitting a wireless operation initiation signal unique to the said alarm unit.