GB2530120A

GB2530120A - Alarm system

Info

Publication number: GB2530120A
Application number: GB1501385.7A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Bradley Markham
Original assignee: BULL PRODUCTS Ltd
Current assignee: BULL PRODUCTS Ltd
Priority date: 2014-09-12
Filing date: 2015-01-28
Publication date: 2016-03-16
Anticipated expiration: 2035-01-28
Also published as: GB201416198D0; GB2530120B; GB201501385D0

Abstract

An alarm system comprising at least two units 12 wirelessly interconnected with one another to permit the transmission of signals therebetween to provide an alarm or alert functionality. At least one of the units 12 comprises a manual actuation point 18 that includes an actuator whereby a user can trigger an alarm or alert. The unit 12 further comprises a passive infrared (PIR) sensor 34 that is operable to detect the presence of individuals. The unit 12 is also operable to transmit a signal to at least another of the units 12 in the event that the actuator is used to trigger an alarm or alert or in the event that the PIR sensor 34 outputs a signal indicative of the presence of an individual. Units 12 may further comprise an internal power supply that is used to operate radio transmitter/receiver unit 14 and passive infrared sensor 34.

Description

ALARM SYSTEM

This invention relates to an alarm system and in particular to an alarm system, for example, for providing a fire alarm function for use on building sites and/or other temporary installations.

S

The use of fire alarm systems has been well known for many years. Such a system typically comprises a series of activation points whereby individuals, upon noticing that a fire has broken out, can activate the alarm system so as to provide a warning to others within a building and commence an evacuation procedure. The activation points are typically connected to a control unit which controls the activation of warnings in response to signals received from the activation points to generate audible and/orvisible warnings to the occupants of the building. The control unit may be connected, for example by way of a telephone line, to a remote monitoring station arrange such that in the event that the alarm has been activated, the fire services are alerted.

In addition to the presence of activation points to allow occupants of the building to activate the alarm system, the alarm system may also include a number of sensors, for example smoke detectors or excessive temperature or heat detectors, which are connected to the control unit such that in the event that one or more of the sensors detects that a fire has broken out, the alarm is automatically activated in a manner similar to that set out above.

Whilst systems of the general type outlined hereinbefore have been in use for many years in domestic dwellings, office buildings and the like, the activation points, sensors and warning devices of such a system are typically connected to one another by cables. As a consequence) they are unsuitable for use on a temporary basis, for example on building sites and the like, or other locations in which it may be desired to provide a temporary fire alarm system as the work involved in the installation of such a system is significant. As a result, in such applications fire alarm warnings have typically taken the form of bells or the like which are sounded manually.

This is not desirable and, in some cases, may not comply with regulations.

Recently) fire alarm systems have been developed in which the various units of the system) such as the activation point units, detector or sensor units) warning device units, and control unit communicate with one another as required using wireless communications links such as relatively low powered, and hence relatively short range, radio communications links. At least S some of the units are typically battery powered. Installation of such a system is relatively quick and simple, and so is far more suitable for use in applications in which a system is required on a temporary or short term basis.

It is an object of the invention to provide an alarm system in which additional functionality is provided.

According to the present invention there is provided an alarm system comprising at least two units wirelessly interconnected with one another to permit the transmission of signals therebetween to provide an alarm or alert functionality, wherein at least one of the units comprises a manual actuation point including an actuator whereby a user can trigger an alarm or alert, the said unit further comprising a passive infrared (PIR) sensor operable to detect the presence of individuals, the said unit being operable to transmit a signal to at least another of the units in the event that the actuator is used to trigger an alarm or alert or in the event that the PIR sensor outputs a signal indicative of the presence of the individual.

It will be appreciated that by incorporating a PIR sensor into at least one of the units as outlined hereinbefore, the alarm system as well as serving as, for example, a fire alarm system may also serve as an intruder alert system providing information regarding the unauthorised presence of individuals within a building or the like.

The use of PIR sensors in intruder alert systems is well known. However, in such arrangements) the PIR sensors will typically be located at a high level within a building, for example substantially at ceiling height) in order to maximise the area over which they can detect the presence of individuals. Clearly, incorporating such sensors into, for example) a fire alarm activation point or other manually operable activation point, and then locating the activation point substantially at ceiling height would prevent occupants of a building from accessing and triggering the activation point when required. Instead, in accordance with the invention, the PIR sensor is preferably arranged to detect the passage of an individual past the PIR sensor. If the unit incorporating the PIR sensor is located part way along a corridor or flight of stairs, the PIR sensor S will detect the passage of an individual along the corridor or flight of stairs.

Preferably, the units are wirelessly connected to the control unit by means of a relatively short range radio communications link.

Such an alarm system is thought to be particularly beneficial in providing both a fire detection or warning alarm function and an intruder alert function suitable for use in building sites and the like where the system is installed on a temporary or relatively short term basis, the system being capable of providing alerts to the occupants of the building or site that a fire has broken out, whether detected automatically by sensors, or triggered by the manual operation of an activation unit by one of the occupants, and also to provide an alert in the event that it is detected that one or more individuals are present and moving around within the building at a time when the building should have been vacated, or within a part of the building in which personnel are not permitted. However, the invention may also be employed on a long term or permanent basis, if desired.

Whilst described above primarily in connection with a fire alarm system, the invention is not restricted in this regard and may be provided in systems providing a first aid alert function or other alert function.

The invention will further be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure lisa diagrammatic view illustrating an alarm system in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; and Figures 2 to 7 are illustrations showing various units forming part of the system of Figure 1.

Referring firstly to Figure 1, an alarm system in accordance with an embodiment of the invention S comprises a control unit 10 and a series of alarm function units 12, each of which incorporates a radio transmitter and/or receiver unit 14 connected to an associated antenna 16 to permit the transmission of signals between the alarm function units 12 and also to permit communication between the alarm function units 12 and the control unit 10.

The alarm function units 12 take a range of forms. Whilst the system illustrated diagrammatically in Figure 1 includes a single one of each form of alarm function unit 12, it will be appreciated that in practise the system may include a number of some of the units 12, and may not include others of the units 12, the selection of which of the units 12 are present, and the number of each type of unit 12 that is present depending upon the application in which the invention is employed. Futhermore, the control unit 10 may be viewed as forming one of the units 12 and may incorporate some of the functionality of one or more of the units 12, if desired.

The alarm system shown in Figure 1 is intended to provide a fire alarm function. Accordingly, one design of unit 12a included in the system comprises an alarm activation point 18 (see Figure 2), and includes a housing 20 containing the transmitter/receiver unit 14 and upon which the antenna 16 is mounted, the housing 20 carrying an actuator in the form of an activation button.

The activation button may comprise a simple push button. Alternatively, it could take another form, for example is may be of the type intended to be accessed, when required, by breaking a cover 22 located in front of the button. It will be appreciate that the specificform of the actuator is not critical to the invention. In use, if an occupant of a building or site in which the system is installed identifies that a fire has broken out, he can depress or otherwise actuate the activation button which generates a signal for transmission to the control unit 10 indicating that a fire has broken out. The signal transmitted to the control unit 10 conveniently further identifies the unit 12a from which the signal has been transmitted so that the control unit 10 can provide an output indicative of which unit 12 has been used to trigger the alarm and hence the approximate location of the fire.

Figure 3 illustrates a variant of the unit 12a shown in Figure 2, the unit 12b of Figure 3 further S including an alarm sounder 24 and visible warning device 26. In the event that the control unit receives a signal indicative of a fire having broken out, a signal is transmitted by the control unit to the units 12b including such a sounder 24 and/or visible warning device 26 to trigger the operation of the sounder 24 and/or visible warning device 26 to provide an indication to occupants of the building or site that a fire has broken out and of the need to evacuate the building or site.

Figure 4 illustrates a variant to the unit 12b of Figure 3, the unit 12c of Figure 4 further including a first aid alert button 28. In the event that a situation has arisen in which an occupant of the building or site in which the system is installed requires first aid or medical assistance, then a user can depress the first aid alert button 28 to cause the unit 12c to transmit a signal to the control unit 10 resulting in the control unit 12 triggering the operation of a pager or other alert device to notify first aid or medically qualified personnel that they are required at the location of the unit 12c to provide appropriate assistance to an occupant of the building or site in the vicinity of the unit 12c.

FigureS illustrates a unit 12d including just a first aid alert button, in this case located behind a cover in much the same manner as the activation button of the units 12a, 12b and 12c. The unit 12d does not incorporate any fire alert functionality.

Figures 6 and 7 illustrate units 12e, 12f incorporating smoke and heat detectors 30, 32 connected to the respective transmitter/receiver units 14 such that in the event that the detectors 30, 32 sense that a fire has broken out, appropriate control signals can be transmitted to the control unit 10 to trigger the operation of the sounders 24 and/or visible warning devices 26 so as to draw the existence of the fire and the need to evacuate the building or site to occupants thereof.

In use, with the system appropriately installed within a building or site, in the event that one or more of the detectors 30,32 senses that a fire has broken out, or an occupant of the building or site notices that such a fire has broken out and activates the activation button of one of the units 12a, 12b, 12c, the control unit 10 will receive a signal indicative of the outbreak of the fire, and of the unit 12 from which the signal indicative of the outbreak has been received. In response to the receipt of the signal, the control unit 10 will transmit a signal to those units 12b, 12c provided with a sounder 24 and/or visible warning device 26 to cause activation thereof to provide a warning to occupants of the building or site of the presence of the fire and the need to evacuate the building or site. If desired, it may also send a signal to a remote monitoring station to request the attendance of the fire service at the building or site, and the control unit may further include an output device, for example in the form of a screen 40 or a series of lights or LOs, and may be arranged to control the output device so as to result in the display of an indication of which of the units 12 transmitted the signal indicating that a fire has broken out, thereby providing an indication of the likely or approximate location of the fire.

In accordance with the invention, each unit 12, or at least some of the units 12, is provided with a passive infrared (PIR) sensor 34 operable to detect the movement of individuals past the associated unit 12. Accordingly, if one or more of the units 12 is installed in a corridor or passageway, or on a flight of stairs, the sensor 34 detects the movement of individuals along the corridor, passageway or flight of stairs. Upon detection of the movement of an individual in this manner, the radio transmitter/receiver unit 14 of the unit 12 transmits a signal to the control unit 10 indicative of the passage or movement of the individual past the unit 12.

The control unit 10 includes a button, switch or other control 36 operable to arm or disarm an intruder alert function of the system. When armed by appropriate operation of the control 36, in the event that a signal is received from one or more of the units 12 indicating that an individual is present within the building or site has past one or more of the units 12 and triggered the sensors 34 thereof, the control unit 10 can operate an alarm or visible warning device (not shown) indicating that the presence of an unauthorised individual within the building or site has been detected. It may further output a signal to a remote monitoring station, whereon a responsible person and/or the police service may be requested to attend the building or site. It could also be used to activate, for example, video camera equipment or the like.

In use, therefore, the fire alarm functionality of the alarm system 10 will normally remain S activated both when the building or site is occupied and when it would be expected to be vacant) so that in the event that the outbreak of a fire is detected, occupants of the building or site (when occupied) are warned of the outbreak and the need to evacuate, and so that the fire services can be requested to attend regardless of whether the building or site is occupied. The intruder alert functionality will normally be armed by operation of the control 36 only when the building or site is vacated, being disarmed when authorised personnel are present by operation of the control 36, so that alarm signals are only generated when the passage of individuals past one or more of the sensors 34 occurs at a time when the building or site would be expected to be vacated. However, other operating modes are possible. For example, the building or site may be divided into zones, and the intruder alert functionality may be armed or disarmed separately for each zone, thereby enabling an alert to be output in the event that unauthorised personnel have entered one zone whilst not producing alerts in the event of individuals moving around in other zones of the building or site. Depending upon the nature of the building or site in which the system is installed, the system may be arranged to become armed after a short delay after operation of the control 36 to allow time for the user arming the system to vacate the building. Likewise, a delay may be built into the system before an alarm is triggered by the intruder alert function to allow a user time to disarm the system upon arrival at the building or site. Such functionality is common in conventional intruder alert systems.

It will be appreciated that by incorporating an intruder alert function into the system, there is no need to provide significant additional equipment to provide this functionality. If desired, a common control unit may serve to control the operation of all aspects of the alarm system, and the same radio transmitter/receiver equipment is used. Consequently, the provision of the intruder alert functionality may be achieved in a relatively quick, simple and cost effective manner, there being no need to provide additional transmitters or other equipment, and no significant installation work being required.

The system described hereinbefore is intended for use in building sites and the like) providing fire and intruder alerts or warnings. By the nature of building sites, periodic reconfiguration of the system may be required as work progresses, and the system permits the addition of extra units 12, or the repositioning of units 12 as work progresses. As the units 12 and control unit 10 communicate with one another wirelessly, it will be appreciated that there is no need to provide cables or the like to interconnect thevarious parts of the system. Each unit conveniently includes a battery or other power storage device that is used to operate the unit 12, thereby avoiding the need to provide an external power supply for each unit. Periodic servicing of the units 12 to ensure that the batteries or the like thereof hold sufficient charge may be required to ensure that the system can continue to operate correctly for an extended period of time.

Whilst the drawings depict specific locations on the units 12 for the sensors 34, it will be appreciated that the invention is not restricted in this regard. The positions of the sensors 34 on the units 12 may be chosen to minimise any obstruction to the field of view' thereof formed by other components provided on the units 12. If desired, lenses or the like may be provided in front of the sensors 34 to enhance the fields of view thereof.

In some circumstances, it may be desired for the control unit to be capable of being interrogated remotely, for example via the internet, a dial-up telephone connection or other communications means, to allow authorised personnel to obtain information regarding the current status of the system, historic status information from logs stored within the control unit and/or to control at least some aspects of the system from a remote location.

Whilst the description hereinbefore relates to a system with a fire alarm function, the invention may be employed in applications in which no fire alarm function is required. For example, the invention may be employed in alarm systems designed to trigger an alert that first aid assistance is required or that a user requires assistance for other reasons, without providing a fire alarm function. The actuator could serve as a panic button.

Although) generally) an alarm system will include a control unit that serves to provide an indication of which sensor or activation point has triggered the alarm, in small installations such a control unit may not always be required) and the invention is applicable to both such situations. Accordingly) where a control unit is present, it may form one of the units recited in S the claims. If desired, in such situations) the control unit may incorporate a manual actuator and so may serve as an activation point, and it may, if desired, include a HR sensor in accordance with the invention.

The alarm system could be a temporary installation. However, there may be applications in which an alarm system in accordance with an embodiment of the invention may be installed on a long term or permanent basis, for example in applications in which the provision of the wiring typically required to provide an alarm system is not practical.

Whilst one embodiment of the invention has been described hereinbefore with reference to the accompanying drawings, it will be appreciated that a wide range of modifications and alterations may be made thereto without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

CLAIMS: 1. An alarm system comprising at least two units wirelessly interconnected with one another to permit the transmission of signals therebetween to provide an alarm or alert S functionality) wherein at least one of the units comprises a manual actuation point including an actuator whereby a user can trigger an alarm or alert, the said unit further comprising a passive infrared (PIR) sensor operable to detect the presence of individuals, the said unit being operable to transmit a signal to at least another of the units in the event that the actuator is used to trigger an alarm or alert or in the event that the PIR sensor outputs a signal indicative of the presence of the individual.
2. A system according to Claim 1, wherein the PIR sensor is arranged to detect the passage of an individual past the PIR sensor.
3. A system according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein the manual activation point comprises at least one of a fire alarm activation point, a first aid alert activation point and a panic button.
4. A system according to any of the preceding claims) wherein the units are connected to one another by a relatively short range radio communications link, each unit including a radio transmitter and/or receiver device operable to transmit signals therebetween indicative of the output of the PIR sensor and whether the actuator has been activated.
5. A system according to any of the preceding claims, wherein at least one of the units include an internal power supply.
6. A system according to Claim 5 when dependent upon Claim 4, wherein the internal power supply is used to operate the radio transmitter and/or receiver device and the PIR sensor.
7. A system according to any of the preceding claims, wherein at least one of the units incorporates a fire alarm warning device.
8. A system according to Claim 7, wherein the fire alarm warning device comprises a sounder and/or a visible warning device.
9. A system according to any of the preceding claims, wherein at least one of the units incorporates a fire detection sensor.
10. A system according to Claim 9, wherein the fire detection sensor comprises a heat and/or smoke detector.
11. A system according to any of the preceding claims, wherein one of the units comprises a control unit including a display operable to provide an indication of the status of at least another of the units.