GB2488750A

GB2488750A - Alarm apparatus generating data in XML or JSON for communication with external apparatus

Info

Publication number: GB2488750A
Application number: GB1102453.6A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Stewart Taylor; Richard Sadler
Original assignee: Cooper Security Ltd
Current assignee: Cooper Security Ltd
Priority date: 2011-01-25
Filing date: 2011-02-11
Publication date: 2012-09-12
Also published as: GB201101255D0; GB201102453D0

Abstract

An alarm apparatus is disclosed comprising means for generating data in an extensible mark-up language, such as XML or a variant thereof, or alternatively Javascript(RTM) Object Notification (JSON) for communicating said data to external apparatus, such as home automation servers or building management systems. The alarm apparatus may comprise an alarm control panel. The data may include status / configuration panel data. The alarm control panel may further be configured to receive remote requests, commands or data from the external apparatus, wherein the requests, commands or data may also be in an extensible mark-up language.

Description

Alarm Apparatus This invention relates to alarm apparatus. In particular, but not exclusively, it relates to alarm apparatus and methods and apparatus for communicating with the alarm apparatus.

Alarm apparatus, such as intruder alarms, firm alarms or other alarm systems, are commonly installed in buildings and may be relatively complex systems. An alarm system generally comprises one or more control panels connected, via a bus arrangement which may typically be a wired bus or perhaps by a wireless arrangement to a plurality of devices such as sensors, sounders and so on, the precise nature of these being determined by the type of alarm system. Signals from these devices pass to and from the control panel.

It is desirable to be able to access the control panel from external devices, which may be home automation devices, building management systems, other devices provided in the same general locality (ie building or group of buildings) or indeed other devices which may be physically located remotely connected by the Internet, telecommunication networks and so on. Thus, it may be useful to be able to provide a signal to a mobile device that an alarm system has been activated by a possible intruder for example, or provide a signal to a remote monitoring service.

According to the present invention in a first aspect there is provided alarm apparatus comprising means for generating data in an extensible mark up language or JavaScript Object Notation for communicating said data to other apparatus.

Preferably, the extensible mark up language is XML or a variant of XML (eg WBXML (WAP binary XML). The language may alternatively be JavaScript Object Notation (JSON).

The alarm device may be an alarm control panel (which could be any alarm control panel device or may be any device forming part of an alarm system. It may be a sensor, sounder, expander or any other device).

The data may most preferably be status and/or configuration panel data and this may be from an alarm control panel or alarm control panel device.

The apparatus preferably also includes means for receiving data in an extensible mark up language.

In embodiments of the invention, data is encapsulated within an extensible mark up language within an alarm device. The alarm device is then connected to an external device to facilitate transfer of data either uni-directionally or bi-directionally.

The external device may be for example, a home automation device, an external computer, or server, an external mobile device (perhaps connected through a server or network or connected directly) or many other devices. The external devices may be connected to the alarm device, a dedicated link or may be connected over a network such as the Internet, a telephone network or otherwise.

The device may be adapted to stream data within an XML or similar language to an external device, or to receive requests or commands from an external device and to reply accordingly.

The device may be adapted to receive commands in an extensible mark up language from an external device and to act on these, either to take actions directly itself or communication with other devices in an alarm network to control these devices.

In a further embodiments, the invention comprises a method of communicating with a device comprising or forming part of alarm system, the method comprising generating data, encapsulating said data within an extensible mark up language and transmitting to and/or from the device.

The device may be an alarm panel.

Data within an extensible mark up language may be streamed from the device.

Alternatively, or in addition, the data may be transmitted from the device in response to a request or command from an external device.

The device may be arranged to initiate a data connection to an external device and to subsequently stream data thereto, and/or to send data at will, and/or to send data in response to a request from or via said external device.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying schematic drawing, which shows an alarm system.

Refening to Figure 1, an alarm system comprises an alarm control panel (alarm panel) 1 connected to a number of devices over a bus 2. Note that although only one control panel is shown in this figure, many alarm systems have more than one control panel. Usually, one of these will be a primary one and the others may be secondary but this is not necessarily so.

If the alarm system is an intruder detection system, then devices 3a, 3b, 3c and 3d connected to the bus may be, for example, PR detectors, door sensors, alarm sounders and many other types of sensors, detectors and alarm indication devices (which may be arranged to give an audible and/or visual signal) as will be known in the art. The diagram also shows, by way of example, an expander 4 which is connected to the bus and which provides a number of outputs to further devices 5a, Sb. Expanders are a convenient way of adding more devices to a system. Device 6 is another device connected to the bus and this may well of course be a further control panel or a keypad allowing a user to set, reset or monitor alarm situations remotely from the control unit or many other types of device as on LAN.

The bus may be a wired bus, or may be a wireless transmission system.

The control panel 1 includes an XML format interface (eg IP interface) 7. This may be a dedicated hardwired unit or may be a software/firmware interface and is shown schematically of course in the figures. Instead of XML, the interface may use another extended mark up language or JSON, for example.

The various devices can therefore communicate with the control panel in a known way and the control panel can then encapsulate relevant data within the XML format IP interface 7 for transmission to and from external devices. One external device 8 is shown which may, for example, be a home automation server. This may be directly connected to the control panel 1 by wires or wireless link, or may be remote and connected to it via a network such the Internet and/or telecommunications network. A network 9 is schematically shown by dashed lines and this may be the Internet.

The various devices 3, 4, 5 and 6 connected to the alarm may also communicate via XML to the control panel.

The control panel may therefore transfer data, for example status and configuration panel data, to an external device by encapsulating the data within an Extensible Mark-Up language. This may be XML or any XML variant such as WBXML or others. This data may be transfened to an external component such as home automation server 8 in order to provide details about the configuration and status of the alarm panel and alarm system.

Data may also of course transferred from the external component to the alarm system and this may include commands for setting or resetting various alarm devices, monitoring alarm devices and so on.

The use of an extensible mark up language provides for platform device independence and therefore by using such a language the alarm panel can interface with a wide variety of different equipment, regardless of the software platform upon which that is based. In principle, many different device may at any time be connected (locally or remotely) to the alarm panel to communicate therewith over XML or similar.

The figure also shows further components 10 which may, for example, be computers or indeed mobile devices connected to the network, perhaps by a mobile telephone network to the Internet so that signals derived from the alarm devices and/or the control panel 1 can be provided, via the home automation server or indeed directly (not actually shown on the figure) to these mobile or other devices. Thus, if an alarm is actuated a user may be informed of this on his mobile device such as mobile telephone, or may use the mobile device to control the alarm system.

In use, the control panel 1 may first initiate a data connection with external device 8 by sending an appropriate command or signal thereto. A handshaking protocol may follow, probably including security checks, which may involve encrypted data, password or token passing and so on in order to validate the devices and the connection. After this initiation stage, the communication channel is set and data pertinent to the alarm system may be sent to or from the control panel. The control panel converts data it wishes to send into an XML format and this can then in some embodiments be streamed from the control panel to the external device 8.

Note that any number of external device or devices may be used. The external device or devices may alternatively, or in addition, request data from the control panel, regarding the status or configuration of the alarm system.

In some embodiments, status data may consist of any selection of one or more of the following, but is not limited to this type of data.

changes in control panel status; changes in control panel equipment status; changes in equipment associated with the control panel (such as devices 3 to 6); event log entries; ARC (Alarm Receiving Centre) communications.

Panel configuration data may be transferred on request from an external device.

Other types of data may be sent.

The external device may send, on request from the control panel, or otherwise, panel configuration data which can be used to set the control panel and its devices.

Some examples of communications are as follows.

In a first example, after initial connection and authorisation, a typical status message broadcast from the alarm panel 1, 2 device 8 using an extensible mark up language (XML) to report the alarm condition of zone (ie the zone monitored by sensor 3a) might have the format <Zone ID= "3"> <Name>Front Room PIR>/Name> <Status>ALARM.c/Status> </Zone> In JSON, this message may be: {"Zone": { id'' : 3'' "Name" : "Front Room PIR" "Status" : "ALARM" Thus, the alarm' status of the zone has been reported.

In a second example, a command from the external system 8 (in this case a home automation system) to the alarm panel to set a partition of the alarm system might be in XML: <Alarm_set> S ccPartition>4cPartition> cUser>5'c/User> </Alarm_set> In JSON, this may be: {"Alarrn_set":{ "Partition" : "4" "User" :5

II

Prior to setting the partition, the alarm panel preferably informs the home automation system 8 of any set alerts, which the home automation user, or remote user, would have to acknowledge. This may be done in the following way, using XML: <Alarm_set_alerts> czSetalert>.Panel low batteryc/Set_alert> cSet_alert>Zone 6 RE warningc/Set_alert> <Alarm_set_alerts> or, using JSON, this may be: { "Alarm_set_alerts": { "Set_alert":"Panel low battery" "Set_alert":"Zone 6 RE warning" The following represent a typical output from an IP interface 7 or an intruder alarm panel. The example shown represents an XML stream containing data from two different sources within the alarm panel.

Y>08/1 1/2010 17:00:44 U502 Ptn 1 SetcILOGENTRY> Y>08/1 1/2010 17:00:5 1 Burg Z031 Alarmc/LOGENTRY> Y>08/1 1/2010 17:01:05 Burg Z031 Restorecz/LOGENTRY> Y>08/1 1/2010 17:01:06 U00 On-Site (web}cz/LOGENTRY> Y>08/1 1/2010 17:02:05 Alarm Confirm ZO3Ocz/LOGENTRY> Y>08/1 1/2010 17:02:05 Burg Z030 Alarmcz/LOGENTRY> Y>08/1 1/2010 17:02:08 Burg Z030 Restorecz/LOGENTRY> Y>08/1 1/20 10 17:02:12 1J502 Pin 1 IJnset</LOGENTRY> Y/08/1 1/20 10 17:02:12 Alarm Abort U502</LOGENTRY> ENT>cZONE>3Ocz/ZONE>CEVENT_TYPE>OPEN<?EVENT_TYPE>c/ZONE_EVENT> ENT>cZONE>30c/ZONE>EVENT_TYPE>OPEN_RESTOREc/EVENT_TYPE>cc/ZONE_EVENT> ENT>cZONE>3 1c/ZONE>EVENT_TYPE>OPENc/EVENT_TYPE>cJZONE_EVENT> ENT>.cZONE>3 1</ZONE>EVENT_TYPE>OPEN_RESTOREc/EVENT_TYPE>cz/ZONE_EVENT> ENT>czZONE>30</ZONE>cEVENT_TYPE>OPEN_RESTOREc/EVENT_TYPE>cz/ZONE_EVENT> ENT>cZONE>30</ZONE><EVENT_TYPE>OPENcIEVENT_TYPE>cz/ZONE_EVENT> ENT>cZONE>30c/ZONE>cEVENT_TYPE>OPEN_RESTOREc,EVENT_TYPE>c/ZONE_EVENT> ENT>cZONJ3>30</ZONE><E VENT TYPE>OPEN</EVENT_TYPE>cz/ZONE EVENT> ENT><ZONE>30</ZONE><EVENT_TYPE>OPEN_RESTOREc/EVENT_TYPE></ZONE_EVENT> Y>08/1 1/20 10 17:02:47 U502 Ptn 1 Override</LOGENTRY> Y>08/1 1/2010 17:02:47 11502 Ptn 1 Setc/LOGENTRY> Y>08/1 1/2010 17:02:51 USD2 Pin 1 Unsetcc/LOGENTRY> ENT>ZONE>30c/ZONE><EVENT_TYPE>OPEN</EVENT_TYPE>cJZONE_EVENT> ENT>cZONE>30c/ZONE>EVENT_TYPE>OPEN_RESTOREc/EVENT_TYPE>.c/ZONE_EVENT> Y>08/1 1/2010 17:03:12 USD2 Ptn 1 Overridec/LOGENTRY> Y>08/ 1 1/20 10 17:03:12 U502 Ptn I SetcILOGENTRY> Y>08/1 1/20 10 17:03:17 Burg Z030 Alarm</LOGENTRY> Y>08/1 1/2010 17:03:21 Burg Z030 Restorec/LOGENTRY> Y>08/1 1/2010 17:03:24 USD2 Ptn 1 Unset</LOGENTRY> Y>08/1 1/2010 17:03:24 Alarm Abort USD2 c/LOGENTRY> ENT>cZONE>30c/ZONE><EVENT_TYPE>OPEN</EVENT_TYPE>c/ZONE_EVENT> ENT>cZONE>30</ZONE>cEVENT_TYPE>OPEN_RESTOREcJEVENT_TYPE></ZONE_EVENT> ENT>cZONE>30</ZONE><EVENT_TYPE>OPEN_RESTOREc/EVENT_TYPE>c/ZONE_EVENT> Y>08/1 1/2010 17:05:45 1J502 Ptn 1 Override</LOGENTRY> Y>08/1 1/2010 17:05:45 1J502 Ptn 1 Set</LOGENTRY> Y>08/1 1/2010 17:06:00 Burg Z030 Alarm c/LOGENTRY> Y>08/1 1/2010 17:06:04 Burg Z030 Restore </LOGENTRY> Y>08/l 1/2010 17:06:07 USD2 Ptn 1 Unset</LOGENTRY> Y>08/l 1/2010 17:06:07 Alarm Abort USD2 </LOGENTRY> Y>08/l 1/2010 17:06:20 UDO Off-Site (Web) c/LOGENTRY> Y>08/l 1/2010 17:06:26 UDO On-Site (Web) c/LOGENTRY> In this example, <LOGENTRY> is from an alarm log. These represent statutory' type records which could be used for subsequent evidence about an event affecting the security status or the system. Many of these will be possible, some examples being BURG' (representing an alarm condition), system set, unset, engineer on site, notifications, and so on. Information of this type may be communicated to an alarm monitoring centre for example.

<Zone Event> represent a running commentary on the status (ie what is happening) within the system, whether it is set or not. A typical example of this might be Zone 30 open' followed some time later on Zone 30 restore'. Thus, this provides an indication at any point in time of what is happening with the system. This sort of information is useful where people may wish to monitor where personnel are in an environment. Alternatively, alternatively, a building management system might use zone 30 to turn a light or heating system on or off. Other examples will be apparent. By being able to communicate directly with an external device 8 which may of course be a building management system or many other types of systems, such automation and control is possible.

By using an extended mark up language JSON, the system using the panel information can select only the information of interest to it (or other devices) and ignore the rest.

Within the alarm panel 1, an IP stack is used which may preferably run on the same microcontroller or other controlling apparatus as the alarm application code used to control and receive signals from the various devices 3 to 6. An operating system can be used in order to allocate tasks to these parts.

Claims

Claims 1. Alarm apparatus comprising means for generating data in an extensible mark up language or JavaScript Object Notation for communicating said data to other apparatus.
2. Alarm apparatus as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the alarm device is an alarm control panel.
3. Alarm apparatus as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein the data is, or includes, status and/or configuration panel data.
4. Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the apparatus includes means for receiving data in an extensible mark-up language.
5. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 4, wherein the apparatus includes means for using the received data in an extensible mark-up language for transmitting suitable commands and/or data to other devices and/or for status information.
6. Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, comprising means for encapsulating data within an extensible mark-up language within said alarm device.
7. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 6, wherein the alarm device is connectable to an external device to facilitate transfer or data uni-directionally or bi-directionally.
8. Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the external device is a home automation device, an external device, an external server or an external mobile device.
9. Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, including means for connecting the alarm apparatus to one or more external devices comprising a network.
10. Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the device is adapted to stream data in an extensible mark-up language to an external device.
11. Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the device is adapted to receive requests, commands or data from an external device.
12. Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the device is adapted to receive commands in an extensible mark-up language from an external device and to act on these and/or to communicate with other devices in an alarm network to control these devices.
13. A method of communicating with a device comprising or forming part of alarm system, the method comprising generating data, encapsulating said data with an extensible mark-up language or JavaScript Objection Notation (JSON) and transmitting said data to and/or from said device.
14. A method as claimed in Claim 13, wherein the device is an alarm panel.
15. A method as claimed in Claim 13 or Claim 14, wherein data within an extensible mark-up language is streamed to or from the device.
16. Apparatus as claimed in any of Claims 13 to 15, wherein data is transmitted from the device in response to a request or command from an external device.
17. A method as claimed in any of Claims 13 to 15, wherein a data connection between an alarm device is first initiated by an initiation method.
18. A method as claimed in Claim 17, wherein, after said initiation, the alarm device is adapted to stream data to, and/or receive data from an external device and/or to send data in response to a request from or via said external device.
19. Alarm apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described, with reference to, and as illustrated by, the accompanying drawings.
20. A method of communicating with an alarm system substantially as hereinbefore described.
21. Apparatus or a method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the language is XML.
22. Apparatus or a method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the language is JSON.