GB2567278A

GB2567278A - Alarm system

Info

Publication number: GB2567278A
Application number: GB1812069.1A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Oldford Brian; Williamson Jon
Original assignee: Jw Innovation Solutions Ltd
Current assignee: Jw Innovation Solutions Ltd
Priority date: 2017-10-03
Filing date: 2018-07-24
Publication date: 2019-04-10
Also published as: GB201812069D0; GB2567278A8; GB201716097D0; GB2600033A

Abstract

An alarm system having a control module 10 is provided for alerting occupants of a building to a detected hazard. The building includes a mains lighting system having a distribution panel 14 connected to a network of lights 15 having a normal operating state. The alarm system includes at least one detector 12 for detecting a hazard event, and generates a detection signal in response thereto. The control module 10 receives the detection signal and sends a control signal to the distribution panel 14 which in response causes a change in the normal operating state of the lights 15. A plurality of detectors may be provided, each having its own unique identity code. Lights may be activated that are specific to the location of respective detectors. A strip of LEDs may be provided which strobe upon receipt of a control signal to define routes to an emergency exit. Lights connected to the distribution panel arranged in a path may also be caused to strobe in sequence upon receipt of the control signal from the control module. In another aspect, an emergency guidance system is provided for indicating a path away from a hazard.

Description

ALARM SYSTEM

The present invention relates to an alarm system for alerting the occupants of a building that a specified hazard or threat event has occurred, and also to a control module for such an alarm system.

Alarm systems are commonly used in everyday life to convey messages of warning to those nearby. Radiation alarms, which may be present in nuclear power stations, for example, warn of an increase in harmful radioactive particles in the air. Smoke and/or fire alarms alert those in the vicinity to the presence of smoke or fire. These alarms allow people to evacuate, move away from the danger, or take the necessary action required in the circumstances.

Fire alarms are present in almost every building, particularly in the UK. For workplaces and commercial buildings such as offices, warehouses, factories, shops, storage facilities, hotels, etc., it is a statutory regulation to take the necessary steps in order to ensure there are fire prevention/protection means within the building. This includes identifying and reducing the potential sources of fire, identifying and reducing the risks to people from fire, having in place a fire evacuation procedure, and educating staff on fire evacuation procedures. It is also required to have a fire detection and warning system, which is regularly tested to ensure it is in full working order. Failure to comply with these regulations is not only dangerous and increases the risk of a person or property being harmed or damaged by fire, but also could result in a large fine or even imprisonment for the responsible party (usually the building owner, business owner or landlord).

Fire alarms need to comply with the EN54 standard, which is a Europeanwide standard of fire alarms which mean all fire alarms traded throughout Europe are guaranteed to meet a minimum standard of fire safety.

Typically, fire alarms comprise a smoke and/or heat detector communicably coupled to a sounder unit. Once a level of smoke and/or heat is detected, a signal is sent to a sounder unit, causing the sounder unit to emit sound which usually has a varying high frequency and a particularly loud volume. This is to transmit the sound as far as possible and ensure it is heard throughout the building. Larger commercial buildings such as warehouses may have two or more sounder units connected to a network of smoke detectors to ensure adequate coverage.

However, in particularly noisy environments such as factory floors, where there may be noisy machinery, sounder units can not always be adequately heard, particularly in the case where operative use ear protection. As such, when a sounder unit emits the sound indicating danger of a fire and/or smoke, certain people may not necessarily notice that the alarm is sounding and therefore are greatly at risk of becoming trapped in a building or room which may be filling with smoke. The same danger could also apply to workers who are deaf, or who listen to music whilst they work. In some environments, water damage due to ‘misting’ may cause the sounder units to become damaged or degraded, thereby adversely affecting their effective operation.

It is known to provide supplementary indicators with the sounder unit, such as having a lighting unit fitted to the sounder unit. Referring to Figure 1 of the drawings, the wall mounted alarm system 1 comprises a sounder unit 2 communicably coupled to an integral LED light 3 unit which flashes brightly when the sounder unit is emitting an alarm. However, this does not overcome the above-mentioned problem, since the person in question would likely be looking downwardly at the work they are doing, and may even be facing away from the light unit. There is no industry standard for supplementary indicators. In busy factories or warehouses, industrial machinery may block the person’s line of sight to the light unit. As such the likelihood of the person missing the visual indication that there is a danger or a malfunction is quite high, and as such the risk is not mitigated.

Therefore, it would be desirable to provide an alarm system and a control module for an alarm system that can adequately supplement the sounder unit operation and/or provide additional or alternative indication of the presence of danger, even in an environment where operatives may not be able to hear a sounder unit and/or may not be able to see any supplementary indicator devices.

Aspects of the present invention seek to address at least some of these issues. In accordance with a first aspect of the invention, there is provided an alarm system for defined environment having a mains lighting system, including a lighting distribution panel connected to a network of luminaires having a normally operable lighting state, the system comprising at least one detector for detecting a hazard or threat event and generating an detection event signal in response thereto, said at least one detector being communicably coupled to a control module configured to receive said detection event signal; said control module being communicably coupled to the lighting distribution panel of said defines environment; wherein said control module sends a first signal to said lighting distribution panel upon receipt of said detection event signal, said first signal being configured to cause a change in the normally operable lighting state of the network of luminaires, in response to a threat or hazard detection event.

In one exemplary embodiment, the control module may additionally be communicably coupled to a sounder unit and may send a second signal to the sounder unit upon receipt of detection event signal. The sounder unit may be configured to emit an audible warning on receipt of the second signal.

Optionally, the alarm system may further comprise a plurality of detectors. In one exemplary embodiment of the invention, each of the plurality of detectors may comprise a unique electronic fingerprint for identification of each detector by the control panel.

The lighting distribution panel may comprise a plurality of lighting circuits which may correspond to at least one of the plurality of detectors. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the detection event signal may include the electronic fingerprint, and wherein the control module may be configured to send the first signal to the corresponding lighting circuit.

According to one exemplary embodiment, the invention may further comprise LED lighting strips along the floor of a building, communicably coupled to the lighting distribution panel.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the LED lighting strips may define routes from one area of a building to an emergency exit.

The lighting distribution panel may cause the luminaires to strobe upon receipt of said first signal from the control module.

Optionally, the control module may comprise a display. The control module may comprise user input devices.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the luminaires may comprise at least a second bulb configured to emit light of a different wavelength. Optionally, the lighting distribution panel may cause the luminaires to alternate bulbs on receipt of the first signal from the control module.

According to one exemplary embodiment, the least one detector may be a smoke detector. Optionally, at least one detector may be one of a chemical detector, radiation detector, or movement sensor.

In an exemplary embodiment, the at least one of the plurality of detectors may be a smoke detector, and at least a second of the plurality of detectors may be one of a chemical detector, radiation detector, or movement sensor.

In accordance with a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a control module for an alarm system, said alarm system comprising at least one detector for detecting a threat or hazard event within a defined environment and generating a detection even signal in response thereto, the control module being communicably couple-able between said detector and a mains lighting system of said defined environment, and configured to change the operation of the lighting devices of said mains lighting system in response to a detector event signal.

In one embodiment of the invention, the control module may be communicably couple-able between the detector and a sounder unit of the defined environment, and configured to cause he sounder unit to emit an audible signal in response to a detector event signal.

According to one exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the control module may comprise a display. The display may optionally be one of LCD, LED, or OLED displays.

Optionally, the control module may comprise at least one user input device.

In an exemplary embodiment, the control module may comprise a data transfer port.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention the control module may comprise a power source.

An additional advantage of the control module is that it can be refitted between an existing alarm system control device and the mains lighting in the building. Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example only, and with reference to the appended drawings in which;

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a prior art alarm system;

Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of an alarm system according to one exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a control panel according to the alarm system of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of an alarm system according to a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 5 is a schematic plan-view diagram of the alarm system of figure 4;

Figures 6 and 7 are a schematic side-view diagram of an exemplary fire alarm system according to a third embodiment of the invention, illustrated as installed in a corridor; and

Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the wiring system of the fire alarm system of Figures 6 and 7.

Referring to Figure 2 of the drawings, an exemplary embodiment of the present invention comprises an alarm system having a control module 10 communicably coupled to a detector 12. In one embodiment, the detector 12 may comprise a smoke detector, however other types of detectors are known, for example, heat detectors, movement sensors, chemical detectors, oxygen or carbon monoxide detectors, nuclear radiation detectors, seismic detectors and more, and the invention is not necessarily limited in this regard. In the instance that the alarm system is being used in a very large building, a plurality of detectors may be provided and evenly distributed throughout to provide a detector network 12.

The control module 10 is also communicably coupled to the mains lighting distribution panel 14 of the building in question. The control module 10 may also be connected to a sounder unit 16 or a network of sounder units 16 distributed throughout the building. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that other supplementary warning units may be used in place of sounder units and the invention is not necessarily limited in this regard. In order to simplify wiring, the control module 10 may be situated proximal the lighting distribution panel 14. This way, if the control module 10 is required to be retrofitted to an existing building and connected to an existing lighting distribution panel 14, then the work required to wire the control module 10 in is reduced significantly.

The lighting distribution panel 14 is communicably coupled to the luminaires 15 in the building.

In use, the detector or detector(s) 12 may detect a hazardous substance in the air, for example smoke, nuclear radiation or carbon monoxide, or a perceived threat such as an earthquake or fire, or movement when there shouldn’t be as in a burglary, and would send a signal indicating a hazard or threat event to the control module 10. The control module 10 would then read the signal to identify the threat or hazard and produce a pair of signals.

A first signal sends data to the lighting distribution panel 14 by modulating alternating current (AC) to send information which is readable by the lighting distribution panel 14. In a first exemplary embodiment, this information may direct the lighting distribution panel to strobe the lighting on and off repeatedly until the threat or hazard is gone, and/or the alarm system has been reset.

A second signal sends data to the sounder unit or network of sounder units 16, if present, which then produces an audible warning to workers or people nearby. The audible warning may be in the form of a high-frequency repeating pattern of beeps, a recorded message, a continuous siren or other known audible warnings.

Referring to Figure 3 of the drawings, the control module 10 may comprise a display 18 on which is displayed information regarding the frequency of strobe rate and cadence of the strobe. User input devices 20 provided on the outer surface of the control module 10 allow the user to input exactly the kind of strobe-effect they desire. Therefore, the lighting strobe can be adjusted to the needs of the user, and to minimise susceptibility to light-induced epilepsy and similar ailments. The user may, in one exemplary embodiment, be able to select the kind of audible warning they require too, if applicable. Optionally, a user may upload their own audible warning to the control module 10 by means of a data transfer port 22, such as a USB port.

Additional information may also be provided on the control panel display 18. For example, the working order of the detectors 12 in the detector network, the sounders 16 in the sounder network and/or the luminaires 15 connected to the control module 10 via the lighting distribution panel 14 may be indicated by a plurality of coloured LEDs. Detectors 12, sounder units 14 and luminaires 15 may feedback periodically to the control module 10 providing data about the working order of each feature. Therefore, the control module 10 provides the user with an easy way to monitor the working order of the alarm system and comply with statutory requirements. The display may be LCD, OLED, or other suitable display known in the art, and the invention is not intended to be limited in this regard.

Referring to Figure 4 of the drawings, in one exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the control module 10 may be communicably coupled to a plurality of lighting circuits 14a, 14b, 14c which are in turn connected to a plurality of luminaire arrangements 15a, 15b, 15c. In this embodiment the detector 12 is a network of detectors 12a, 12b, 12c which are placed in different rooms 17a, 17b, 17c of the building. Each detector 12a, 12b, 12c corresponds to a lighting circuit 14a, 14b, 14c. Each detector 12a, 12b, 12c also has its own electronic fingerprint which identifies it to the control module 10. Therefore, in use, when one particular detector, for example 12b, detects a threat or hazard event in that room or space, the detector 12b sends a signal to the control module 10 which includes data representative of a threat or hazard, and data representative of the specific detector 12b. This control module 10 detects that there is a threat or hazard event, and that the event is near detector 12b and therefore sends signals to the sounder unit or network of sounder units 16, and simultaneously to the corresponding lighting circuit 14b. Therefore, the luminaires 15b strobe, indicating a hazard or threat event local to that particular room. The workers and/or people in and nearby the room 17b can easily and quickly identify where the threat and/or hazard is located and evacuate or take the necessary precautions as required.

In another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the luminaires 15 may be fitted with additional coloured LEDs which strobe on and off during an alarm. For, example the additional LEDs may be red therefore indicating a particular hazard or threat event. A sufficient amount of luminaires would be provided which do not strobe during an alarm so as to maintain the minimum statutory lighting requirements for a workplace. This would mean that as the people therein are evacuating or performing the necessary actions in response to a threat or hazard, they are still able to see clearly. Alternatively, or additionally, the luminaires 15 in a single room 17 may strobe in sequence so that the minimum statutory lighting level is required.

The luminaires 15 may in one exemplary embodiment be modified to include white and red bulbs (not shown). The information supplied by the control module 10 would alternate power to the red and white bulbs during an alarm. Whilst the alarm system is not triggered, the white bulb only would provide the ambient light to the building and the workers and people therein. A plurality of different detectors 12 for detecting a plurality of hazards may be connected to a single control module 10. A plurality of coloured luminaire bulbs may be provided in a single luminaire. Each colour may relate to any specific threat or hazard detected. As such, workers or people nearby may quickly identify the nature of the threat and take the necessary action accordingly, for example green may indicate a chemical spill, red for fire, blue for high levels of radioactivity, etc. Colours and, hazard or threat events associated with such colours may be chosen by the user via the control module 10.

The control module 10 may further comprise a battery or other power source for back-up in the event of a power failure (not shown). Suitable power sources will be known to those skilled in the art and the present invention is not intended to be limited in this regard.

The above-described provides a unique way of indicating to the relevant people that danger or a hazard is nearby and that an action needs to be taken. In the scenario of occupants in a building working with loud machinery and/or having ear defenders on, they would find it very difficult to miss a significant change in the ambient lighting. This also avoids the situation wherein sounder units have been damaged by ‘misting’ or water, and therefore do not operate effectively. As such, occupants are much more likely to notice that an alarm has been triggered and therefore be able to take the necessary actions to protect themselves and/or contain the hazard safely. The control module 10 can be retrofitted to existing lighting distribution panels 14, and may be fitted retrospectively to existing detector networks, which brings the cost of fitting the system down.

In one exemplary embodiment of the present invention, and referring to Figure 5 of the drawings, the system may further comprise LED lighting strips 24 along the floor of the building 100 which light up when there is a hazard or threat event. The LED strips 24 run along the ground between workstations 26 where workers might be positioned during the normal working day, and an emergency exit 28. In Figure 5, the LED strips define walkways to guide workers toward the exit 28 during an emergency. This has the particular advantage of managing the traffic of people so as to reduce congestion and therefore prevent delays in evacuation procedures. Directional indicators 30 may be painted on the ground, or even be LED shapes (e.g. arrows) set into the building floor and connected to the alarm system to provide further assistance to the workers. It will be apparent to the skilled person that LED lighting strips need not define walkways and may define any useful shape suitable for warning occupants to a hazard or threat event.

Referring now to Figure 6 of the drawings there is provided a further exemplary embodiment according to a third aspect of the present invention. A plurality of luminaires 32a-32f are placed in the ceiling of a corridor 34. The luminaires may be connected to a lighting distribution panel via a loop card, as will be known in the art. The corridor 34 might be as one would find in, for example, a hospital, office complex, flat complex, hotel, shopping centre, aeroplanes, warehouses, and etcetera. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the luminaires are illustrated to be placed in the ceiling however may optionally be inserted at regular (or irregular) intervals along the wall or placed as standing lamps along the floor, and the invention is not necessarily intended to be limited in this regard. The luminaires 32a-32f may be any kind of suitable lighting, including, but not limited to, fluorescent tubes, incandescent bulbs, LED bulbs, halogen bulbs, smart bulbs and so on. The luminaires 32 are configured to be used in day-to-day use, and are therefore connected to a manual wall switch which configures the luminares between an on-state and an off-state.

Each luminaire 32a-32f comprises a slave unit 35 which is communicably connected to a master unit 36. The slave unit 35 comprises a PCB having fitted thereon a micro-controller unit. Other components and screw terminals may be provided for external communications and incoming/outgoing power cabling.

Preferably the PCB is no more than 6cm by 8cm in dimensions, however the invention is not necessarily intended to be limited in this regard. Where space provides, the slave unit 35 can be installed within the luminaire housing, otherwise it may be housed within a small plastic or metal casing near to each luminaire 32. The size and weight of the slave unit 35 means that they can be easily and quickly installed in pre-existing luminaire systems.

The connection is illustrated in Figure 6 as a physical wire 37, however a wirelessly connected lighting system is well known in the art and the invention is not necessarily limited in this regard. A wall switch for every day use of the luminaires 32 is connected to each luminaire via the master unit 36 such that on/off signals are sent through the master unit 36. The reason for this will be explained hereinafter.

Referring additionally to Figure 8 of the drawings, an exemplary manner of wiring the system described above in relation to Figures 6 and 7 of the drawings into an already existing lighting system retrospectively is illustrated. The wiring is similar to that as one might expect to find in a conventional lighting system, with additional modules (slave units, master unit, etc.) added. An earth wire (represented by the line labelled ‘A’) connects all of the modules and is connected at one end to the master unit. Manual light switch(es) 33 comprise a plurality of cables (represented by signal cables B, C and D) connected to the different switch positions. In the present exemplary embodiment, cables B and C represent the OFF’ and ‘ON’ states respectively. Cable D is there to complete the circuit. Cable E links the luminaires with the distribution board (not shown) of the whole building, bypassing the manual switch(es) 33. Therefore, cable E allows communication between the luminaires and the distribution board. Cables F and G are communication cables which connect the luminaires directly to the master unit 35, without going via the manual switch(es) 33.

Finally, cable H connects the luminaires 32 with the slave units 35 and connects the slave units with the mains power supply. An additional cable J provides supplementary power to the slave units directly in the event that the manual switches 33 are set to the OFF’ position.

Each slave unit 35 is configured to communicate at regular intervals with the master unit 36. Cabling, such as FP200-type cabling creates a multi-drop data highway between the master unit 36 and each slave unit 35. This data highway preferably follows the TIA/EIA/RS485 guidelines for high-speed communication, but other suitable configurations may be known in the art and the invention is not necessarily limited in this regard. The master and slave units 36, 35 regularly communicate via any suitable protocol as will be known in the art, enabling the master unit 36 to periodically check the working order of each luminaire 32a-32f by sending a poll signal to each slave unit 35 in turn.

If the luminaire is working as it should be, the slave unit 35 will receive the poll signal from the master unit 36 and send a response signal back. Upon receipt of the response signal, the master unit 36 will then send a poll signal to the next slave unit 35 in turn. In the event that the master unit 36 does not receive a response signal within a certain time (for example, 10ms) period from a luminaire, the master unit 36 will identify that there is a problem. The master unit 36 then sends data containing the address of the faulty slave unit 35 and an indication of a fault to the control panel and data representing a fault is displayed thereon. It may be displayed by means of a coloured LED lighting up, or a graphic shown on a display unit and the present invention is not necessarily intended to be limited in this regard. This has the unique advantage of the user being able to correctly and quickly identify a faulty luminaire 32 in the event of luminaire failure.

The master unit 36 will continue to send call signals to the luminaires 32 in order to continually check for faults. In the event that a previously identified fault is no longer identified, the control panel will no longer display an indication of a fault. The number of slave units 35 may be set manually using DIP switches within the master unit 36. This prevents unnecessary call signals being sent and superfluous error table entries being created. The address of each luminaire 32 and slave unit 35 can be set using DIP switches in the appropriate slave unit 35.

So as to provide the power for this activity, the slave units 35 may comprise an auxiliary power supply (not shown). This means that in the event of the luminaires 32 being switched off manually (i.e. by a person using the wall switch during the normal day-to-day use of the luminaires), there is still enough power to receive call signals and send response signals.

Additionally, the master unit 36 will periodically check the status of the wall switch to identify whether the luminaires are currently in their on-state or off-state. The master unit 36 is also configured to send a broadcast message to all luminaires 32 at one time, upon detection of a change in state of the wall switch. Therefore, the luminaires 32 may be all switched on or all switched off simultaneously during everyday use.

The master unit 36 is communicably coupled to a fire detection system 39, and optionally may be formed integrally with a fire detection system 39, such as those described above with reference to Figure 1-5 of the drawings. In the event of hazard detection, in addition to any other sensory indicators (e.g. a sounder unit emitting an alarm noise) the luminaires 32a-32f will strobe in sequence. In particular, the luminaires will strobe in sequence 32a-32f to direct any people in the area to the nearest exit 38 in that corridor 34.

In order to keep the ambient lighting level bright enough for people to see their way to an exit 38, all luminaires remain on until they are required to change their lighting state. In one exemplary embodiment, the lighting state change is from an on-state to an off-state. In the illustrated drawings, in the first step of the strobe, luminaires 32b, 32c, 32d and 32e are on, and luminaires 32a and 32f are off. In the second step, luminaires 32a, 32c, 32d, and 32f are on, and luminaires 32b and 32e are off. In the third step, luminaires 32a, 32b, 32e and 32f are on, and luminaires 32c and 32d are off. The cycle then resets to the first step again. This creates a directional movement of the “off” luminaire toward the nearest exit 38 in the direction of arrow A for luminaires 32a, 32b and 32c, and in the direction of arrow B for luminaires 32d, 32e, 32f. As such, persons are guided toward the exit by following the “off” luminaire.

This has the unique advantage of providing a visual indication of the nearest exit. This could be particularly advantageous where the corridor is long and therefore any indicia identifying the exit 38 situated above the exit (as is conventional in the art) may not be so visible, particularly if the corridor is smoky or otherwise obscured.

Referring particularly to Figure 7 of the drawings, there is illustrated a longer corridor having a plurality of luminaires 40a-40j fitted within the ceiling. Each luminaire 40a-40j further comprises a sensor 42 for detecting a hazard. The sensors 42a-42j may be chemical detectors, smoke detectors, heat detectors, seismometers, Geiger counters or any other kind of hazard detectors and the present invention is not intended to be limited in this regard.

A hazard 44, indicated in the drawings as an exclamation mark within a triangle, has been detected at a point along the corridor. The hazard has occurred between luminaire 40d and luminaire 40e therefore detectors 42d and 42e will detect the strongest signal indicative of a hazard. For example if the hazard is a fire, the sensors 42d and 42e will detect a higher temperature than detectors 42c and 42f. The luminaires are connected in series by a connection 43 to a master unit 36 which comprises a processor unit for processing the information received from the sensors 42a-j. The processing unit therefore determines the location of the hazard relative to the luminaires 40a-j and therefore the strobing pattern in adjusted in order to direct people away from the detected hazard. The processor unit prioritises the movement of strobing away from a hazard first, and then toward the nearest exit 45, 46 second. This prevents the system from directing a person toward an exit, despite there being a detected hazard between the person and the exit.

In the circumstance illustrated in Figure 7 of the drawings, the left-hand exit 45 is closer to luminaire 40e than the right-hand exit 46. However because hazard 44 is situated between luminaire 40e and the left-hand exit 45, the luminaire 40e strobes in a pattern consistent with moving the “off luminaire” toward the right-hand exit 46. Therefore, luminaires 40d and 40e strobe “off” initially, followed by luminaires 40c and 40f, followed by luminaires 40b and 40g, and finally luminaires 40a and 40h. Luminaire 40j may strobe “off” on it’s own before the cycle begins again. This makes it appear as if the “off” luminaire is moving away from the hazard 44, and then towards the nearest exit 45, 46, in the directions of arrows C and D respectively.

This system provides a “smart guidance” system which adapts to the hazards and dangers around. This is particularly advantageous in a corridor-type room in a building, where it can be difficult for a person to locate the correct exit without trapping themselves.

Hazard detection may also be displayed on a display screen somewhere, for example, in a separate building or outside the building, or even on multiple display units throughout the building. This kind of visual aid provides the advantage of public services such as fire-fighters, paramedics, nuclear safety specialists, investigators, police, chemical safety specialists or even private security staff, employees, or members of the public, to easily see and locate the hazardous areas and therefore know where to avoid in the event that they must return to the building or area. Examples of why they might re-enter include undertaking work to make the area safe, rescue operations, recovery operations, investigative operations, and so on.

The system may include a data-base for storing data such as where hazards were detected. Information like this may be particularly useful for identifying how the hazard occurred initially. The system of Figure 7 comprises the same slave unit 35 and poll activity as the system of Figure 6.

Referring to both Figures 6 and 7 of the drawings, and to the embodiments of the invention illustrated therein, the master unit 36 should not interfere with turning luminaires 32, 40 off when no hazard event is raised. In alarm conditions, the master unit 36 will override the signal received from the wall switch, in order to perform the strobing sequence as described above. So, for example, where the luminaires were ordinarily off (during day-time, or due to a timer to save energy), the master unit 36 will send a broadcast signal to switch all luminaires to their on-state, then switch them off successively in the direction required to direct people toward an exit 38, 45, 46, and/or away from a detected hazard 44. Alternatively, if the luminaires 32, 40 are already in their on-state, then the master unit 36 must successively turn the luminaires 32, 40 off.

Additionally, where a user wishes to switch the luminaires off (for example, at the end of the working day), there must still be enough power for the master unit 36 to communicate to each slave unit 32, 40, 42, and for each slave unit 32, 40, 42, to respond accordingly. Therefore each slave unit 32, 40, 42 may further comprise an auxiliary power supply at the luminaire (not shown).

A number of branching corridors and successive corridors may be electronically coupled and in communication with each other in order to provide a “smooth” transition of off-state luminaires between corridors.

Optionally, the “off” luminaire may not need to be completely off. It may be preferable to change the colour of the luminaire in sequence, to ensure the minimum lighting levels are met. As with the above-described embodiments of the present invention, a plurality of bulbs may be included within a single luminaire unit. The bulbs may be of different colours, for example, red, blue and/or green. The colour may be indicative of the hazard type, for example red may indicate a fire, green may indicate a chemical hazard, blue may indicate a radiation hazard, etc. In the case that multiple coloured bulbs are included within a single slave unit, the master unit may select which colour bulb is engaged in the alarm sequence by sending the appropriate signal to the slave unit which will then interpret the signal and engage the correct coloured bulb accordingly. Each detector type may have it’s own electronic “fingerprint”, or unique electronic signal, which is then received by the master unit along with the hazard detection signal. Therefore, the master unit is able to correctly identify which coloured bulb to activate in the alarm sequence.

Embodiments of the present invention advantageously provide an improved fire alarm safety system, and a control panel through which the user can adjust and control aspects of the fire alarm system themselves. The invention further advantageously provides indicia in the form of directional strobing of luminaires in order to more easily facilitate evacuation procedures. The invention is additionally advantageous in that the system and/or control panel may be fitted retrospectively without the need to re-wire buildings. The control panel in particular may be fitted into existing sounder/detector networks. This makes it much cheaper to install for the field service engineer, and therefore reduces the cost to the end user.

One exemplary embodiment of the invention may comprise components which wirelessly communicate through transmission and receipt of signals, for example radio frequency signals (RF) or other known wireless communications.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variations and modifications may be made to the above described exemplary embodiments without departing 15 from the scope of protection as provided by the appended claims.

Claims

1. An alarm system for a defined environment having a mains lighting system including a lighting distribution panel connected to a network of luminaires having a normally operable lighting state, the alarm system comprising at least one detector for detecting a hazard or threat event and generating a detection event signal in response thereto, said at least one detector being communicably coupled to a control module configured to receive said detection event signal; said control module being communicably coupled to the lighting distribution panel of said mains lighting system; wherein said control module is configured to send a first control signal to said lighting distribution panel upon receipt of a said detection event signal, said first control signal being configured to cause a change in the normally operable lighting state of the network of luminaires.

2. An alarm system according to claim 1, wherein said control module is additionally communicably coupled to a sounder unit and is configured to send a second control signal to said sounder unit upon receipt of a said detection event signal, said second control signal being configured to cause said sounder unit to emit an audible warning.

3. An alarm system according to claim 1 or claim 2, comprising a plurality of detectors, each for detecting a hazard or threat event and generating a respective detection even signal in response thereto.

4. An alarm system according to claim 3, wherein each of said plurality of detectors has associated therewith a unique electronic code which is included in its respective detection event signal, said control module being configured to identify a said detector from its unique electronic code.

5. An alarm system according to claim 4, wherein said lighting distribution panel includes a plurality of lighting circuits, each lighting circuit corresponding, in location, to at least one of said plurality of detectors.

6. An alarm system according to claim 5, wherein said control module is configured to determine a specified lighting circuit associates with a detector from which a detection event signal is received, and send said first control signal to the corresponding lighting circuit.

7. An alarm system according to any preceding claim, wherein said alarm system comprises LED lighting strips located along the floor of a building and being communicably coupled to said lighting distribution panel.

8. An alarm system according to claim 7, wherein said LED lighting strips define routes from an area of said building to an emergency exit thereof.

9. An alarm system according to any preceding claim, wherein said lighting distribution panel is configured to cause said luminaires to strobe upon receipt of said first control signal from said control module.

10. An alarm system according to claim 9, wherein said network of luminaires comprises or includes a series of luminaires defining a first path, and wherein said lighting distribution panel is configured to cause said luminaires to strobe in sequence along said first path upon receipt of said first control signal from said control module.

11 .An alarm system according to claim 10, wherein upon receipt of a first control signal, the lighting distribution panel is configured to cause all luminaires of said series of luminaires to switch or stay on, and subsequently cause each luminaire in sequence along said first path to temporarily change its lighting.

12. An alarm system according to claim 11, wherein the luminaires are caused to temporarily switch off consecutively along said first path.

13. An alarm system according to claim 12, wherein said first path is directed toward an exit of the defined area.

14. An alarm system according to claim 13, wherein each of said plurality of luminaires comprises a detector connected to said control panel, each detector having associated with a unique electronic code and each detector is configured to generate, in response to detection of a hazard or threat event signal including said respective unique electronic code..

15. An alarm system according to claim 14, wherein said control panel is configured to determine the location of said hazard or threat event using the unique electronic code included in a said detection event signal, and cause said control module to cause said series of aligned luminaires to strobe along a first path in a direction away from said detected hazard or threat event.

16. An alarm system according to any preceding claim, wherein said luminaires each comprise first and second bulbs, said second bulb being configured to emit light of a different wavelength to that of said first bulb.

17. An alarm system according to any claim 16, wherein said lighting distribution panel is configured to cause said luminaires to alternate operation of said first and second bulbs upon receipt of said first control signal from said control module.

18. An alarm system according to any preceding claim, wherein said at least one detector is a smoke detector.

19. An alarm system according to any preceding claim, wherein said at least one detector is one of a chemical detector, radiation detector, or movement sensor.

20. An alarm system according to claim 3, wherein at least one of said plurality of detectors is a smoke detector, and wherein at least a second of said plurality of detectors is one of a chemical detector, radiation detector, or movement sensor.

21 .A control module for an alarm system, said alarm system comprising at least one detector for detecting a threat or hazard event within a defined environment and generating a detection event signal in response thereto, the control module being communicably couplable between said detector and a mains lighting system of said defined environment, and configured to change the operation of the lighting devices of said mains lighting system in response to a detection event signal.

22. A control module according to claim 21, wherein said control module is communicably couplable between said detector and a sounder unit of said defined environment, and configured to cause said sounder unit to emit an audible signal in response to a detection event signal.

23. An emergency guidance system for a defined area, said emergency guidance system comprising a plurality of slave units communicably coupled to a master unit, wherein each said slave unit comprises at least one luminaire and at least one detector, each said slave unit having a unique electronic fingerprint associated therewith, wherein each said detector is configured, upon detection of a hazard or threat, to send a first detector event signal including data representative of its respective electronic fingerprint to said master unit, and wherein said master unit is configured, upon receipt of a said detection event signal causes a plurality of luminaires, at or near the location of said hazard or threat, to switch to an on-state, and subsequently strobe in sequence along a first path away from said hazard or threat.

24. An emergency guidance system according to claim 23, wherein said strobing sequence along a first path is indicative of a first direction in which an exit of said defined area is located.

25. An emergency guidance system according to claim 24, wherein said master unit is configured to change the direction of the strobing sequence if a detection event signal is received from another detector location in or along the first direction.