WO2015048782A1 - Système et procédés d'éclairage de voie de sortie d'urgence - Google Patents

Système et procédés d'éclairage de voie de sortie d'urgence Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2015048782A1
WO2015048782A1 PCT/US2014/058416 US2014058416W WO2015048782A1 WO 2015048782 A1 WO2015048782 A1 WO 2015048782A1 US 2014058416 W US2014058416 W US 2014058416W WO 2015048782 A1 WO2015048782 A1 WO 2015048782A1
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
illuminator
exit
energizer
illumination
linear
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/US2014/058416
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English (en)
Inventor
Jerry T. Anderson
Sonja K. Zozula
Original Assignee
Anderson Jerry T
Zozula Sonja K
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Anderson Jerry T, Zozula Sonja K filed Critical Anderson Jerry T
Publication of WO2015048782A1 publication Critical patent/WO2015048782A1/fr
Priority to US14/851,979 priority Critical patent/US9689542B2/en

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Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G08—SIGNALLING
    • G08B—SIGNALLING OR CALLING SYSTEMS; ORDER TELEGRAPHS; ALARM SYSTEMS
    • G08B7/00—Signalling systems according to more than one of groups G08B3/00 - G08B6/00; Personal calling systems according to more than one of groups G08B3/00 - G08B6/00
    • G08B7/06—Signalling systems according to more than one of groups G08B3/00 - G08B6/00; Personal calling systems according to more than one of groups G08B3/00 - G08B6/00 using electric transmission, e.g. involving audible and visible signalling through the use of sound and light sources
    • G08B7/066—Signalling systems according to more than one of groups G08B3/00 - G08B6/00; Personal calling systems according to more than one of groups G08B3/00 - G08B6/00 using electric transmission, e.g. involving audible and visible signalling through the use of sound and light sources guiding along a path, e.g. evacuation path lighting strip
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F21—LIGHTING
    • F21S—NON-PORTABLE LIGHTING DEVICES; SYSTEMS THEREOF; VEHICLE LIGHTING DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLE EXTERIORS
    • F21S4/00—Lighting devices or systems using a string or strip of light sources
    • F21S4/20—Lighting devices or systems using a string or strip of light sources with light sources held by or within elongate supports
    • F21S4/22—Lighting devices or systems using a string or strip of light sources with light sources held by or within elongate supports flexible or deformable, e.g. into a curved shape
    • F21S4/26—Lighting devices or systems using a string or strip of light sources with light sources held by or within elongate supports flexible or deformable, e.g. into a curved shape of rope form, e.g. LED lighting ropes, or of tubular form
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F21—LIGHTING
    • F21S—NON-PORTABLE LIGHTING DEVICES; SYSTEMS THEREOF; VEHICLE LIGHTING DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLE EXTERIORS
    • F21S8/00—Lighting devices intended for fixed installation
    • F21S8/03—Lighting devices intended for fixed installation of surface-mounted type
    • F21S8/032—Lighting devices intended for fixed installation of surface-mounted type the surface being a floor or like ground surface, e.g. pavement
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F21—LIGHTING
    • F21Y—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES F21K, F21L, F21S and F21V, RELATING TO THE FORM OR THE KIND OF THE LIGHT SOURCES OR OF THE COLOUR OF THE LIGHT EMITTED
    • F21Y2115/00—Light-generating elements of semiconductor light sources
    • F21Y2115/10—Light-emitting diodes [LED]

Definitions

  • This invention relates to the field of illumination of safe exit doorways, windows, stairs or other safe exit portholes or other portals of an enclosed or semi-enclosed structure, such as a private residence, to help evacuees/occupants more swiftly and safely evacuate such a structure in the event of a fire, heavy smoke event, earthquake, security breach, and/or the presence of unsafe levels of hazardous gasses or other noxious fumes or any other emergency or event which its user desires to be informed of through its activation.
  • the invention also relates to the materials, articles and processes used for exit illumination systems, as well as to how and when to use the same.
  • the invention also relates to the field of providing a new and unique form of egress-marking visible notification appliance technology designed to be integrated into code-compliant fire- related notification appliance circuits and other security systems, access control systems and other types of systems to deliver emergency exit and egress path illumination in varying forms to the occupants of the residences, buildings, facilities and structures, maritime vessels, recreational vehicles, airplanes, trains and other vehicles, and other locations where such technology may be useful.
  • EXIT Electronic Datagram
  • those signs are less than ideal once a fire has begun and the resulting smoke begins to quickly fill the structure.
  • "EXIT” signs which by code are often required to be affixed "above” an exit portal, are the first and primary luminary devices to provide safety knowledge to evacuees and, regrettably, are one of the first things to disappear from sight during fire and heavy smoke.
  • Homes includes dwellings, duplexes, manufactured homes (also called mobile homes), apartments, row-houses, townhouses and condominiums. Other residential structures, such as hotels and motels, dormitories, barracks, rooming and boarding homes, and the like, are not included in this statistic.
  • Analogous challenges are presented in virtually any type of disaster or emergency situation that requires immediate evacuation of a building structure, whether due to fire, flood or earthquake, or whether due to human threat such as a security breach, hazardous gas release, terrorist attack, bomb threat or the like.
  • Common modern visible notification appliances in fire alarm systems utilize a single-point of light xenon lamp and lens to emit intense stroboscopic pulses of light into their indigenous areas as a form of "indirect" lighting to alert occupants and to assist occupants of a building in hopefully locating a path of egress and the exits to evacuate the space, area or building.
  • These conventional strobes pump their light into a broad area of the room or space to light up the area for occupants to see enough of the space or area to navigate to an exit.
  • conventional traditionally recognized xenon emergency strobe lights are required to be installed on the ceiling or up high on the wall at or above 80" inches and below 96" in height unless the ceiling height of the room will not permit same.
  • Egress Marking Visible Notification Appliance is installed all of the way around the periphery of an exit door and/or along a path of egress, up high and at lower levels, in a much more effective configuration when smoke from fire begets the extinction of light; an all too common phenomenon in fire.
  • EMVNA Egress Marking Visible Notification Appliance
  • These appliances are also utilized in sleeping areas to "wake" slumbering occupants where higher intensity flashes, 177 candelas luminosity, are used to wake sleeping occupants.
  • the EMVNA even though it is also a stroboscopic luminary designed to provide alerting functions and it and does deliver lower intensity ambient type lighting like strobes, is NOT intended to perform the same functions as traditional conventional emergency strobe lighting devices. Its moderate intensity light output and light color is specifically designed not to create flash blindness in evacuating occupants and to provide them with a light color that is profoundly easy to see and process.
  • the EMVNA is not intended to wake sleeping occupants and it is not intended to provide standard xenon strobe light intensities of light. Rather it is intended to alert, demark and direct occupants via an alternative location-of-light, intensity-appropriate and hue of color configuration designed to be "superior in its effectiveness and safety".
  • This new form of egress-marking visible notification illumination is driven by a fire alarm control panel's activation and the resulting actuation of its notification appliance circuitry or through another integrated system's activation.
  • This new system is designed to deliver emergency alerting and directional illumination at elevationally high, low, or simultaneously both high and low, locations in space, to highlight safe exit doorways, windows, stairs or other safe exit portholes or other portals, or predetermined paths of egress and/or intermittent points of emergency alerting and directional illumination along such paths of egress of an enclosed or semi-enclosed structure as identified above.
  • Egress-Marking Visible Notification Appliance Today, the Egress-Marking Visible Notification Appliance (EMVNA) technology interrupts this trend by delivering a unique and much more effective appliance with versatility, functionality, and overall efficacy than that of conventional traditional visible notification appliances.
  • EMVNA Egress-Marking Visible Notification Appliance
  • the commonplace emergency strobes and exit signs though important to preserve for a myriad of reasons, fall short in a number of ways as the graph below indicates.
  • Objects of focus for this instant application include providing inconspicuous and inexpensive life-saving systems to help direct home occupants to safety in an emergency, as well as methods and related assemblies that can be readily commercialized, easily installed, easily tested, and easily used. Aspects of the invention address these objects in part by providing linear illuminators to highlight the border of the preferred exit window or doorway (each, a "portal” or “porthole”) in an emergency without necessarily requiring complete integration into smoke alarms or other alert systems.
  • aspects of the invention serve the object of readily identifying the portal by providing alarm-activated linear illuminators positioned to brightly highlight the perimeter of the portal and portions of the path to the portal.
  • Commercialized aspects of the invention are designed to provide building, facility and structure owners, operators, tenants, and managers thereof, specifically in public accommodation settings, with the opportunity to provide all occupants of a building, facility or structure with a reliable hard-wired or wirelessly integrated version of this invention.
  • Still another object is to provide an aesthetically unnoticeable system that does not detract from the interior design of the home when the system is not responding to an emergency situation. This object is served in part through the use of linear illuminators that are virtually invisible and undetectable when not energized.
  • Embodiments of the invention include combinations of well-known individual electrical parts, sensors, printed circuit board(s), and plastic or metal housing components and various luminary/light sources integrated to create a system and method for providing emergency illumination and possibly directionality (i.e., information about which direction to go) to areas around, near or adjacent to an exit door, window, stairwell/staircase or otherwise as may be utilized in a residential or commercial enclosed or semi-enclosed structure to demark emergency exits.
  • emergency illumination and possibly directionality i.e., information about which direction to go
  • Such systems may be used in any part of an enclosed or semi-enclosed structure to provide emergency illumination of a safe exit, to provide additional floor/ground level illumination, and to identify the safe exit portal which a person seeking emergency egress should exit through in the event of fire, smoke, earthquake, terrorist attack or other crisis that precipitates the immediate evacuation of the structure.
  • Preferred embodiments may include a single-station form which performs as a stand-alone module, or a system-integrated form which, as the name suggests, may be integrated with existing detection systems (such as fire/smoke detection, security systems, noxious gas detection, and the like) currently being utilized within the structure.
  • existing detection systems such as fire/smoke detection, security systems, noxious gas detection, and the like
  • Preferred embodiments also exploit circuitry and systems in existing fire alarm control panels, access control panels and drivers, burglar and security system panels, other alarms and/or other automated or manually triggered systems to automatically energize an illumination system that highlights both exit portals (i.e., windows or doorways) as well as at least a portion of the path leading to the portal.
  • the system can be integrated with a smoke detection module, it preferably is packaged with an illumination controller linked to lengths of linear illuminators, where the controller operates in response to the audible alarm signal from smoke detectors or other emergency condition detectors in the home, commercial setting, industrial setting or elsewhere where these alerting and notification systems may be required or used.
  • the controller is preferably adapted for mounting above the top edge of or near the portal egress path or pathpoint so the supplied illuminator lengths, in varied, often trim-to-fit lengths can extend symmetrically left and right from that location, to partially or completely illuminate the portal and the path to the portal.
  • variations may also convey directionality to the occupant in order to help lead the occupant to the predetermined exit portal.
  • the Egress Marking Visible Notification Appliance is a technologically advanced integrated fire-alarm, security, access control and other building system and method which provides a unique visible notification appliance system and method for emergency situations, such as fire in residences, buildings, facilities and structures, maritime vessels, recreational vehicles, airplanes, trains and other vehicles.
  • the EMVNA is a transgenerationally designed notification appliance which has been designed to be passively compatible with all other visible notification appliances operating in a given space on a notification appliance circuit (NAC) through its copyrighted proprietary firmware driving the device.
  • NAC notification appliance circuit
  • the EMVNA is specifically designed to be a low power consuming passive visible notification appliance in the NAC, compatible with, but totally independent of, other visible notification appliances operating in the common NAC.
  • the EMVNA is specifically designed not to interfere, hinder or otherwise limit or affect any other device's ability to operate on the common indigenous NAC.
  • the EMVNA provides visible stimuli and information to users, emergency response personnel, and occupants. At an exit doorway, and/or along a predetermined path of egress, the EMVNA provides floor to top-of-jamb illumination or low-level illumination, respectively, in a code-compliant fashion or manner. When configured as part of a fire alarm system, the EMVNA operates in the notification zone in a flash-synchronized manner when the system is configured to flash.
  • its luminaries may consist of linear, point-source or combinations of these types of luminaries configured to emit a flashed emergency light message of appropriate intensity to occupants, users and emergency response personnel in order to: (i) initiate emergency action; (ii) demark the exits and/or predetermined paths of egress; and (iii) direct users, emergency response personnel, and occupants to such exits or along such predetermined paths of egress in buildings or outdoors for evacuation or relocation purposes.
  • FIGs. 1A and 1 B show simplified general floor plans of a home structure 100 and an upper floor of a multi-story commercial structure 100', respectively, to be used as reference for describing preferred variations of exit route illumination subsystems 40 and 40" installed in the respective structures 100 and 100'.
  • FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a representative illumination system 10 of certain preferred embodiments, with control subsystem 40 operatively employed on the top edge 221 of trim member 220 on wall 219, to provide linear illumination along opposite courses 21 and 22 extending to the left and right of control subsystem 40, respectively.
  • Fig. 3 is a partially-disassembled view of the control subsystem 40 of Fig. 2 with left and right energizers 48a, 48b illustrated schematically with corresponding illumination courses 21 , 22 extending as lines therefrom.
  • Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of the printed circuit board 212 shown in Fig. 3,
  • Figs. 5 and 6 are elevation views of preferred variations of the embodiments of Figs. 2 through 4, as operatively employed around the trim members 220, 222 and 223 of a doorway 231 , with a nearby smoke alarm 73 on wall 219.
  • Fig. 7 is an isometric perspective view of an adhesive backed clip 207 for securing an optic fiber variation of linear illuminator 20 in its operative position against wall 219 and/or trim members 220 of the embodiment shown in Fig. 5.
  • Fig. 8 is an isometric perspective view of an orthogonal reflector 280b to redirect the laser beam form of linear illuminator 20 as operatively provided by the embodiment of Fig. 6.
  • Fig. 9 is a diagram of an alternative preferred exit route illumination subsystem 40' in relation to the general Alarm Control System 15 of a commercial building structure 100' such as depicted in Fig. 2.
  • Fig. 10 is a pictorial illustration of a control box 40' that contains controller 41 and energizers 48 for at least one alternative embodiment of the illumination subsystem 40' depicted schematically in Fig. 9.
  • FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the internal portion of hallway 105 of building structure 100 or 100' of prior figures, showing an embodiment for the placement of a linear illuminator 20 that is characteristic of numerous embodiments of the present invention.
  • Fig. 12 is a cross-sectional view of wall 106 of the hallway 105 within which linear illuminator 20 is installed in a pre-formed groove 165 of cove base 160, as is one preferred way of associating illuminator 20 with wall 106 at a height adjacent to the floor 109.
  • the approximate vantage point for Fig. 12 is designated as vantage plane 12-12 in the lower right portion of Fig. 11.
  • Fig. 13 is a cross-sectional view much like Fig. 12, except that the vantage point for Fig. 3 is expanded to allow illustration of a preferred placement of illuminator 20 in association with the baseboard 160 of hallway 105 while also outlining the door frame molding 150 (shown in Fig. 15) within room 110.
  • the approximate vantage point for Fig. 3 is designated as vantage plane 13-13 in the lower left region of wall 149 in Fig. 15.
  • Fig. 14 is very similar to Fig. 12, except that Fig. 14 illustrates an embodiment of illuminator 20 (numbered 20') with an integral lengthwise flange 320 to enable mounting of illuminator 20' behind baseboard 160, for many of the embodiments without a pre-formed groove 165 in baseboard 160.
  • Fig. 15 is a perspective view from within room 110 of building structure 100, showing amongst other things a preferred placement of illuminator 20 highlighting the outline of door 130.
  • Fig. 16 is a perspective view of the internal portion of hallway 105 much like that of Fig. 11 , except with a closer perspective of exit door 103, illustrating more detail on the placement of opposite courses 21 and 22 of linear illuminator 20 relative to that exit door 103.
  • Fig. 17 is a perspective view from within a stairwell such as North Stair 103 of Fig. 1 B, to illustrate another and/or an expanded embodiment of an exit route illumination subsystem 40 according to teachings of the present invention.
  • Fig. 18 is a perspective view that includes an orthogonal cross-section of a preferred EL-Wire embodiment of illuminator 20 of various embodiments.
  • Fig. 19 is a perspective view very much like the view of Fig. 18, except that Fig. 19 shows an alternative embodiment having a jacket or casing 14' that preferably includes segments 14b and 14d that display visible arrow shaped features 331 and 332 along the length of illuminator 20, as well as a lengthwise mounting flange 320 as described with reference to Fig. 14.
  • Fig. 20 is a perspective view of a representative Egress-Marking Visible Notification Appliance (EMVNA) driver 2000 having five-position dual in-line package (DIP) switch for synchronization with existing notification appliance circuitry, microprocessor 2320 to execute proprietary software, terminal block 2020 to connect driver 2000 to existing N.A.C., and various other components.
  • EMVNA Egress-Marking Visible Notification Appliance
  • Figs. 21 A and 21 B are perspective views of single-gang electrical outlet boxes used to house driver 2000.
  • Fig. 21 A also shows single-gang cover plate 2110 which is mounted to a wall surface and acts as a cover for single-gang electrical outlet box 2100.
  • Fig. 22A is a perspective view showing T-Connector 2200 which receives power from driver 2000 via two-wire lead-wire 2240 in order to illuminate
  • Fig. 22B is a perspective view that includes an orthogonal cross-section of two-wire lead-wire 2210 showing arrangement of individual inner wires 2251 which transmit power to T-Connector 2200.
  • Fig. 22C is a perspective view on inner molding 2260 of T-Connector 2200 including a cut-away view of junction region 2270 where stripped electroluminescent wire (el-wire) is connected to two-wire lead-wire 2210.
  • Fig. 22D is a larger representation of the cutaway view shown in Fig. 22C.
  • Fig. 23 is a detail view of printed circuit board 2310.
  • Fig. 24 is a cross-sectional view of installation of EMVNA showing single-gang electrical outlet box 2100 recessed within wall interior 2430, single-gang cover plate 2110 mounted on wall surface 2460, and T-Connector 2200 mounted on wall surface 2460 with LightStrand 2222 exiting the base of T-Connector 2200.
  • Fig. 25 is a perspective view of preferred embodiment installed in a typical building exit showing single-gang cover plate mounted in close proximity to existing exit sign 2510, T-Connector 2200 mounted below that with LightStrands 2221 and 2222 exiting T-Connector 2200 on the left and right sides, respectively and running along door trim 2440 horizontally then vertically to outline the exit door.
  • Fig. 26 is a perspective view similar to that in Fig. 25 showing an alternative embodiment of integrated EMVNA system 2600 installed at a typical building exit with a lettered cover plate 2610 denoting the "exit" here with a down arrow.
  • FIGs. 27A, 27B, and 27C are perspective views showing an alternative embodiment of el-wire t-box 2700 showing lead-wire groove 2730 to house two-wire lead-wire 2210, el-wire groove 2710 for housing the el-wire and recessed region 2740 of el-wire t-box 2700 providing a space for joining stripped portion of el-wire 2280 and two-wire lead-wire 2210.
  • FIG. 1 A shows a simplified floor plan of a home, which is residential structure 100.
  • the residential structure 100 depicted in Fig. 1 A has two smaller rooms 90-91 and one large central room 92 with an exterior exit door 95.
  • the smaller rooms 90-91 each have doors (or at least doorways in alternative embodiments) 93-94 that lead to the central room 92.
  • doors or at least doorways in alternative embodiments
  • Fig. 1 A it should be understood that there can also be hallways, stairways and the like as well in the home setting.
  • each of the rooms 90-92 also has at least one window 96-99.
  • the preferred emergency exit route from any of the rooms is predetermined through one or more portals, i.e., one or more of windows 96-99 and doorways 93-95, depending on the best judgment of the home owner or residents.
  • the preferred exit route 42 from room 90 can be chosen as directly through window 96, and the preferred exit route 43 from room 91 can be through doorway 94, into the central room 92, and then out the exterior door 95.
  • FIG. 1 B structure 100' has similarities [sometimes identified with the same or similar reference numerals] with the residential structure 100 of Fig. 1 A.
  • Structure 100' is a multi-story hotel building structure, but many aspects of the present invention can also be appreciated in virtually any occupied building structure within which occupants and/or emergency personnel may need assistance finding the exit during an emergency.
  • structure 100 may refer either to the residential structure 100, the building structure 100', or to any of the other alternative structures where the context permits a generic application to multiple embodiments.
  • structure 100 may be commercial, residential or industrial.
  • the floor of structure 100' depicted in Fig. 1 B has two exit stairwells, a North
  • FIGs. 2-4 show various views of a representative illumination system 10 of certain preferred embodiments.
  • illumination system 10 is referred to as a "Single-Station Egress-Marking Visible Notification Appliance" or "S-EMVNA".
  • S-EMVNA Single-Station Egress-Marking Visible Notification Appliance
  • the S-EMVNA version of system 10 is a self-contained modular device which is sound activated, is 9v DC battery-powered and may be activated when nearby detectors 73 (and often, other audible fire (and other) alarms) are activated.
  • the S-EMVNA is preferably in the form of a UL 217 listed (Single and Multiple Station Smoke Alarms) device.
  • a control subsystem 40 of such an illumination system 10 is preferably embodied as a stand-alone module that is self-contained with its own power supply 213 in housing 21 1 , which in turn is preferably mounted on or just above the top edge 221 of trim member 220 on wall 219.
  • the resulting illumination system 10 functions to provide linear illumination along opposite courses 21 and 22 extending generally to the left and right of control subsystem 40, respectively.
  • FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a representative illumination system 10 of certain preferred embodiments, with modular control subsystem 40 operatively employed adjacent and preferably above the door 230 (or other portal cover of) an exit portal 231 .
  • modular control subsystem 40 is preferably adapted to be a self-contained control subsystem that does not depend on physical and/or data connection to an external triggering system or power supply.
  • modular control subsystem 40 has a small, low-profile housing 21 1 that contains its own battery as a power supply and its own stand-alone controller 41 that does not require a data link to any separate system.
  • housing 211 preferably has a small elongate profile above portal 231.
  • a small elongate profile is characterized by having an exposed face 211 a that is less than eight inches long (preferably less than five inches) and less than two inches tall (preferably less than one-and-a-quarter inches) in the orientation of Fig. 2 (i.e., lengthwise along the length of the adjacent trim 220 of doorway 231 ).
  • the housing 211 is also low profile in the sense that it protrudes less than an inch-and-a-quarter from a wall 219 on which it is mounted.
  • modular control system 40 (or “module” 40) is preferably adapted to detect and respond to the alarm of an independent smoke detector 73 (or other type of independent danger detector) in structure 100.
  • an audio sensor 218 (numbered in Fig. 4) is included on the control board 212 within module 40, and controller chip 41 is coded to activate energizers 48a and 48b when detector 218 receives audio frequencies indicative of a standard smoke alarm.
  • the controller 41 of module 40 is wired or programmed to energize the illuminator courses 21 and 22 to illuminate in response to detecting that alarm, without requiring any form of electrical or radio frequency (RF) signal or any other data link with the independent detector 73.
  • RF radio frequency
  • Controller 41 coordinated by the device's pre-programmed firmware, intermittently samples the ambient background audio values in its indigenous area or space. Controller 41 "listens" for the tonal patterns and frequency values of the audible signal generated by a detector 73 (high and low frequencies) or other pre- configured values that may be used. Controller 41 can be configured to sense and detect other stimuli and/or conditions as well.
  • Fig. 2 may be modified to include the desired danger detectors 73 within its housing.
  • Such desired danger detectors may include heat, smoke, fire, or noxious fumes sensors, as are described elsewhere herein to some degree. Still other embodiments may be configured to include, but not be limited to, hard-wire capability; synchronizability with other devices and systems; power failure detection and signaling; heat detection and signaling; sensing and detecting of carbon monoxide; carbon dioxide, noxious fumes and other toxic gaseous release detection and signaling; earthquake and tremor detection and signaling; ship heeling/listing/capsizing detection and signaling, explosion detection and signaling; motion detector activation and alarm signaling; and glass break activation and alarm signaling (through a security system or free-standing).
  • the S-EMVNA performs in a similar manner as with other configurations by performing as a visible alert system which may simultaneously have RF or other wireless integration capability for purposes of testing the device.
  • Embodiments of the EMVNA system 10 that are configured as a power failure detection and signaling device are preferably UL 924 listed (Emergency Lighting and Power Equipment), and when such EMVNA system 10 is installed in a building or structure, it will illuminate when power service to the building or structure is interrupted. During a power failure, this configuration of the EMVNA system 10 will illuminate without flashing and will remain illuminated for a designated period of time as an emergency light source and/or illuminate an exit sign at a point of egress.
  • Such embodiment could be powered by its own wall-pack battery backup in the event of a power failure, or, as an alternative configuration, could be integrated into a facility-wide generator or battery backup system.
  • This configuration of the EMVNA system 10 would preferably be 6V DC to 33V DC in voltage scope so that it can integrate with most, if not all, 6-12V systems currently in use.
  • FIG. 10 Another alternative embodiment is an integrated module referred to herein as the "Integrated Egress-Marking Visible Notification Appliance" or "I- EMVNA” variation of illumination system 10, the various elements of which are shown in Figs. 20-27.
  • the l-EMVNA variation of illumination system 10 is designed to be integrated into building-wide fire alarm systems and their local signals are remotely initiated, either automatically from detectors in the system or manually from pull-stations spread throughout a facility when so initiated by the system's fire panel.
  • These hard-wired EMVNAs are designed to be hard-wire connected to a building's fire alarm system's notification appliance circuitry and are similarly configured to the system like other visual notification appliances like emergency strobes and horn- strobes.
  • the l-EMVNA variation of illumination system 10 is preferably in the form of a UL 1971 listed (Signaling Devices for the Hearing Impaired) which allows the module to integrate into an existing fire panel and to be calibrated such that the I-
  • EMVNA variation of illumination system 10 will flash synchronously with the traditional existing UL 1971 listed notification appliances currently being utilized in the building or structure.
  • This format of the l-EMVNA variation of illumination system 10 operates on the integrated NAC's 24 volt DC low-voltage power source(s), is current- limited and draws approximately 65mA (milliamps) from the NAC power source for its operation.
  • the l-EMVNA can also operate on a 12 volt DC input and can also be hard-wire configured with and installed in a security alarm system or security/fire combo systems, where the fire and security systems are integrated together through one combined system.
  • EMVNAs are designed to be installed/recessed into or over single-gang electrical outlet box 2100 or double-gang outlet box whose lettered cover plate 2610 can either denote the "exit here" with a down arrow or which can denote which direction one should take to reach the nearest exit with a left arrow, right arrow or up arrow as the specific location might command.
  • the EMVNA system 10 is preferably in the form of a UL 924 listed (Emergency Lighting and Power Equipment) exit sign which preferably is located at a level which makes the sign visible when smoke may be obscuring the view of evacuees at a higher level within the room, enclosure or structure.
  • Some l-EMVNAs are also fabricated in their own housing which can be mounted at any location.
  • Five-position dual in-line package (DIP) switch 2360 in the l-EMVNA variation of illumination system 10 can be field-calibrated to different light intensity settings and can be configured or calibrated to flash in synchronization with the other visible notification appliances in the same room and/or field of view.
  • Typical EMVNAs are calibrated by the manufacturer to flash at a 1 Hz flash pattern or a pattern identical to the other visible notification appliances that it is synchronized with in the zone or field of vision.
  • the l-EMVNA variation of illumination system 10 is compatible with other control systems and their synchronized visible notification appliances in the connected zone and they flash at the code-required 1 Hz rate while delivering a color and luminosity specifically designed for its elevationally low-level location capability and utility.
  • the I-EMVNA variation of illumination system 10 is compatible with other control systems and their synchronized visible notification appliances in the connected zone and they flash at the code-required 1 Hz rate while delivering a color and luminosity specifically designed for its elevationally low-level location capability and utility.
  • EMVNA is compatible with other l-EMVNA devices with a variety of code-compliant 1
  • the purpose of the l-EMVNA's 1 Hz flash compatibility and its designed ability to synchronize with other notification appliances in the common NAC is to avoid creating a conflict in the indigenous environment for individuals with epilepsy and/or those who may have positive photic response to visual stimuli with seizures (i.e. be prone to seizure as a result of being exposed to flashing light(s)).
  • the l-EMVNA variation of illumination system 10 is automatically triggered with the notification appliance circuitry, like other notification appliances, to immediately light the periphery of an exit door and/or highlight the path of egress with its two linear luminaries being LightStrands 2221 and 2222, which in contrast to existing technologies, provides both a direct visual alarm by demarcating an exit and an indirect visual alarm by illuminating toward and in the area in proximity to the exit.
  • LightStrands 2221 and 2222 are made available in a variety of linear luminary lengths, the most common being 12' long. Common linear luminary lengths are 12' (24 lineal feet of light per device), 15' (30 lineal feet of light per device) and 18' (36 lineal feet of light per device).
  • l-EMVNA differing lengths for the l-EMVNA are designed to accommodate large or inordinately large doorways, double-door openings, doors with transoms overhead and/or doors with built-in side-light features. Although these are standard lengths, if necessary, additional lengths may be joined end-to-end in order to accommodate longer courses of luminaries.
  • the l-EMVNA variation of illumination system 10 may be integrated with a variety of different systems.
  • the l-EMVNA may be integrated into a 24V hardwired commercial (and limited residential) notification appliance circuit (NAC) which is driven by a Fire Alarm Control Panel (FACP) which has its own array of detectors and sensors which detect the presence of smoke, heat and/or fire, which can be manually activated (such as through a pull-station in a hallway) or automatically activated (such as through its smoke, heat and/or fire detection devices integrated into other sensing and detection circuits which are integrated into the FACP) and where, in this type of system, the l-EMVNA will flash synchronously with the other visible integrated notification appliances which are driven by the system.
  • FACP Fire Alarm Control Panel
  • the l-EMVNA variation of illumination system 10 may also be integrated into a 12V hard-wired residential or commercial/industrial security system and/or a combination security and fire system which also has its own separate array of detection and sensing devices integrated into the panel on separate circuits.
  • the l-EMVNA will have a setting to either flash or not to flash.
  • the system's control panel with which the l-EMVNA is integrated will energize it and will control its operation.
  • Another system into which the l-EMVNA variation of illumination system 10 may be integrated is a 12V-24V, typically hard-wired commercial access control system where the device can be energized and activated by the access control system per the control panel that drives the system.
  • the I- EMVNA will be able to flash or not flash and can be used as indicators inside the building or structure to alert those already inside of a breach of a controlled access point into the protected space.
  • FIGs. 3 & 4 show partially-disassembled views of the same control subsystem 40 depicted in Fig. 2.
  • Subsystem (or “module") 40 includes housing 211 , printed circuit board 212, left and right energizers 48a and 48b (for illuminator courses 21 and 22, respectively), and the various supports and mounts of housing 211 , and the various connections between these aforesaid components.
  • Housing 211 is preferably a two-part (parts 211a and 211 b) injection- molded housing that snaps or hinges together in a conventional manner.
  • the exposed face 211a only has audio openings 225, test button 226 (comparable to smoke detector battery test button) and illuminator openings 241 and 242 in the back lower corners at the opposite lateral ends of its length.
  • the audio openings 225 serve to enable sound to freely pass into or out of housing 211
  • illuminator openings 241 and 242 allow the opposite courses 21 and 22 of linear illuminators 20 to extend in the appropriate directions from housing 211.
  • subsystem 40 Such characteristics make subsystem 40 ideal for packaging in an affordable, easy-to-install kit, together with the necessary components and supplies to complete installation of pre-set lengths of linear illuminators 20.
  • a preferred variation of such a kit that provides linear illuminators 20 in the form of EL- Wire illuminators wherein the kit preferably includes the modular control subsystem 40, two lengths of EL-Wire illuminators in the chosen style (i.e., one of the variations described elsewhere herein, or the equivalent), and supplies for securing the orientation of the EL-Wire lengths in the appropriate orientations around exit portals and along baseboards or the like.
  • Figs. 20 & 23 show a preferred alternative embodiment of the system referred to herein as an Egress-Marking Visible Notification Appliance (EMVNA).
  • Fig. 20 shows the front view of EMVNA driver 2000 with five-position dual in-line package (DIP) Switch 2360 which is utilized for synch settings to synchronize EMVNA's 1 Hz flash with other devices and fire panel outputs in the existing building structure.
  • Five-position DIP switch 2360 can be field-calibrated to two different brightness levels for different applications and can be field-calibrated to two different 1 Hz flash patterns; (i) one setting for "single-flash” and one setting for "double-flash” suitable for a variety of applications.
  • microcontroller 2320 which executes and operates proprietary copyrighted firmware and software.
  • Audio transformer 2340 receives audio signals. Also shown in Fig. 20 is voltage regulator 2332. Connection of EMVNA driver 2000 to T-Connector 2200 is made via terminal block 2010. Connection of EMVNA driver 2000 to notification appliance circuits in the existing structure is made via terminal block 2020.
  • Fig. 23 shows a detailed view of an alternative embodiment EMVNA showing electrical schematic of control circuitry 2300 representing printed circuit board 2310. Control of the various wired components is achieved by microcontroller
  • Power to circuit board 2310 is supplied by power supply 2330, such power coming from the fire panel or security panel monitoring the alarm system. Output voltage is maintained by two linear voltage regulators 2331 and 2332. Audio transformer 2340 receives audio signals from microphone leads 2341 , 2342, 2343, and 2344 and is driven by N-channel metal oxide semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFET)
  • Diode 2351 is added between microcontroller 2320 and power supply 2330 to prevent reversal of electric current and other diodes 2352, 2353,
  • a five-position dual in-line package (DIP) switch 2360 is utilized for synch settings to synchronize strobe flash with other devices and fire panel outputs in the existing building structure.
  • Five-position DIP switch 2360 can be field-calibrated to two different brightness levels for different applications and can be field-calibrated to two different 1 Hz flash patterns; (i) one setting for "single-flash” and one setting for "double-flash” suitable for a variety of applications.
  • Printed circuit board 2310 also utilizes capacitors 2371 , 2372, 2373, 2374, 2375, and 2376, as well as resistors 2381 , 2382, 2383, 2384, 2385, and 2386, whose use and function would be obvious to one skilled in the art. Electrical wire connections are made via two-position barrier strip connector 2390.
  • module 40 is preferably installed in structure 100 on the top edge 221 of trim member 220 on wall 219.
  • modular control subsystem 40 could be positioned along one of the side trim members 222 or 223, it preferably mounted in the center, directly above the top of the portal 231 , such as illustrated in Figs. 2, 5 and 6.
  • control subsystem 40 operatively positioned adjacent the doorway 231 or other desired portal (such as a window that can be used as a fire exit from a bedroom), the system 10 is otherwise adapted to provide linear illumination along opposite illumination courses 21 and 22 extending to the left and right of control subsystem 40, respectively.
  • the housing 211 may then be glued or caulked in place, and/or mounting nails or screws can be used through mounting holes 214 and 215 in the back half 211 b of housing 211.
  • housing 211 Once mounted in place adjacent portal 231 , the features of housing 211 , namely the orientation of openings 241 and 242 coupled with the bottom elongate surface 217 of housing 211 , serve to self-align linear illuminators 20 with the length of the adjacent trim number 220.
  • System 10 thus provides a nine-volt- battery-operated, self-contained luminary device that is installable to automatically highlight the portal in an emergency.
  • FIG. 21A shows single-gang electrical outlet box 2100 into which EMVNA driver 2000 is mounted.
  • Two-screw single-gang driver cover plate 2110 is mounted to cover the front of single-gang electrical outlet box 2100.
  • Two- wire lead-wire 2210 can pass through cover plate notch 2120 or notch 2130, whichever is more suitable, in order to connect EMVNA driver 2000 to T-Connector 2200.
  • Fig. 21 B represents an alternative embodiment of single-gang electrical outlet box 2100 denoted single-gang electrical outlet box 2100'.
  • Single- gang electrical outlet box 2100' is red in color, used in the installation of fire alarms and smoke detectors, and makes for easier rough identification of such fire alarms and smoke detectors.
  • Fig. 24 represents a side-view section of the EMVNA recessed in single-gang electrical outlet box 2100. This view is not to exact scale.
  • Two-screw single-gang driver cover plate 2110 is mounted to wall surface 2460.
  • Single-gang electrical outlet box 2100 for housing EMVNA driver 2000 is mounted behind two- screw single-gang driver cover plate 2110 and wall surface 2460 and within wall interior 2430.
  • Two-position barrier strip connector 2390 and five-position dual in-line package (DIP) Switch 2360 are two-position barrier strip connector 2390 and five-position dual in-line package (DIP) Switch 2360.
  • Two-screw single-gang driver cover plate 2110 is of standard wall- cover size (2.9375 inches wide and 4.6875 inches tall) and is notched on at least two edges, shown as cover plate notches 2120 and 2130, for passage of two-wire lead- wire 2210.
  • Two-wire lead-wire 2210 extends vertically downward from single-gang electrical outlet box 2100 to T-Connector 2200 along wall surface 2460.
  • Two-wire lead-wire 2210 has a typical length of 32 inches but may be field-cut to fit installation need.
  • T-Connector 2200 is mounted on wall surface 2460 using mounting screws 2231 and 2232. This view shows LightStrand 2222 exiting T-Connector 2200 near its base and is shown running on top of door trim or baseboard 2450 or alternatively running vertically at the edge of door trim 2440
  • Fig. 25 shows the EMVNA system installed in a typical exit.
  • Single- gang electrical outlet box 2100 housing EMVNA driver 2000 would be mounted in the wall with two-screw single-gang driver cover plate 2110 mounted on the wall in close proximity to exit sign 2510 as shown.
  • Fig. 25 shows two-wire lead-wire 2210 running vertically connecting EMVNA driver 2000 with T-Connector 2200.
  • LightStrand 2220 is shown exiting T-Connector 2200 running horizontally left and right along the top of door trim 2440 as well as running vertically along door trim 2440.
  • Fig. 26 shows an alternative embodiment of integrated EMVNA system 2600.
  • Single-gang electrical outlet box 2100 (not shown in Fig. 26) is recessed within the wall in close proximity to existing exit sign 2630.
  • Lettered cover plate 2610 denotes the "exit" here with a down arrow or in an alternative embodiment could denote which direction one should take to reach the nearest exit with a left arrow, right arrow or up arrow as the specific location might command.
  • LightStrands 2621 and 2622 exiting single-gang electrical outlet box 2100 on the left and right, respectively, are secured to and run along door trim 2640 horizontally and vertically, outlining exit door 2650.
  • the exit route illumination subsystem 40 itself includes a controller 41 and one or more energizers 48a and 48b that operate to activate and control the illumination of at least two courses 21 , 22 of linear illuminators 20.
  • the controller 41 controls energizers 48 to energize lighted courses 21 , 22 such that they emit a bright, readily-visible light.
  • the luminary component for system 10 of Fig. 2 is a preferably static light (without the inverter-sequenced or other directional aspects), thereby providing the least cost and the easiest embodiment for consumers to install.
  • system 10 is directly connected to its own DC battery power source. More complicated embodiments are also integrated with an AC or solar based power source for recharging and/or operating.
  • exit route illumination subsystem 40 is preferably capable of operating on low-voltage DC battery power.
  • other embodiments are adapted to be powered by AC power in one of two modes - either by converting the AC power to DC through an inverter or the like, or by stepping-down the AC power to safe levels and directing the stepped-down AC power directly into the illuminator 20.
  • linear illuminators 20 of courses 21 and 22 in the form of electroluminescent (EL) wire, although various alternatives approximate some but not all of the benefits of using EL-Wire, as will be evident to those of ordinary skill in the art, particularly from further reading of this detailed description in light of the prior art.
  • EL electroluminescent
  • One particularly-preferred alternative linear illuminator for the modular system 10 utilizes a laser light source rather than a physical illuminator.
  • LED light sources a single or multiple braided or twisted strands of electroluminescent wires possibly wrapped in a single translucent or colored jacket, side-light emitting plastic optical fiber, reflective mirrors and or reflective luminescent paints or strips of reflective material(s) may also be used to provide luminescence in less preferred variations of the modular system 10.
  • FIG. 22A shows EMVNA T-Connector 2200.
  • T-Connector 2200 is connected to EMVNA driver 2000 via two-wire lead-wire 2210 which has a standard length of 32 inches (85 centimeters) in the preferred embodiment but can be field-cut to fit installation need.
  • T-Connector 2200 is surface mounted to a wall or surface by mounting screws 2231 and 2232.
  • T-Connector 2200 Near the base of T-Connector 2200, LightStrands 2221 and 2222, the linear illuminator consisting of a length of electroluminescent wire (el-wire), exits T- Connector 2200 on the left and right sides near the base of T-Connector 2200 and when activated provides illumination around doorway/exit periphery and/or along the top of baseboards which is superior to existing technologies by making such exit visible from every angle of approach.
  • This placement configuration of the el-wire provides not only a direct visual alarm by demarcating an exit but also provides an indirect visual alarm by illuminating an area in proximity to that exit.
  • this preferred embodiment provides visual alarms much lower so as not to be obscured or occluded by smoke.
  • LightStrands 2221 and 2222 are made with specially designed Lytec- Asia, Ltd. electroluminescent wire. Alternative embodiments provide for lengths of LightStrands 2221 and 2222 on each side where it exits T-Connector 2200 of 12 feet (370 cm), 15 feet (460 cm), or 18 feet (550 cm); however, "trim-to-fit" LightStrands 2221 and 2222 can be trimmed in the field to any desired length to meet the specific installation or physical limitation requirements. Stress reducers 2233 and 2234 are attached to EMVNA T-Connector 2200 where LightStrands 2221 and 2222 exit T- Connector 2200.
  • Fig. 22B is a white-pair connector wire detail 2240 of two-wire lead- wire 2210.
  • Each wire in two-wire lead-wire 2210 has an outside diameter of 1.5 millimeters.
  • Within each wire of two-wire lead-wire 2210 there are fourteen individual power supply wires 2251 , each with a diameter of 0.12 millimeters.
  • Each power supply wire 2251 consists of a copper core surrounded by a phosphor coating which in turn is covered by a clear protective sleeve on the outside of which is a colored PVC sleeve.
  • Fig. 22C shows polypropylene inner-mold construction 2260 located in the interior of T-Connector 2200. Two-wire lead-wire 2210 is shown vertically exiting through the top of polypropylene inner mold construction 2260, and LightStrands
  • a cut-away view shows junction region 2270 where two-wire lead-wire 2210 is joined with stripped portion of el-wire 2280 to provide power for illumination.
  • the insulation of two-wire lead-wire 2210 must be removed (stripped) to reveal individual inner wires 2241 and 2242.
  • a portion of normally insulated el- wire is stripped by melting and scraping to expose the inner wire.
  • Individual inner wires 2241 and 2242 are then attached to the exposed inner wire of stripped portion of el-wire 2280.
  • Fig. 22D is a larger representation of the cut-away view showing junction region 2270.
  • Figs. 27A, 27B and 27C show orthogonal views of an alternative embodiment of an illumination subsystem el-wire t-box 2700.
  • Fig. 27A is a top view of el-wire t-box 2700 showing el-wire groove
  • Fig. 27B is a view of the back of el-wire t-box 2700.
  • the el-wire (not pictured) is placed in el-wire groove 2710 and preferably secured in place by application of an adhesive such as clear silicone.
  • Two-wire lead-wire 2210 is placed in lead-wire groove 2730 and similarly secured in place by application of an adhesive such as clear silicone.
  • El-wire t-box 2700 can be mounted on a wall, such as wall surface 2460, by mounting screws (not pictured) put through mounting screw holes 2721 and 2722.
  • Recessed region 2740 of el-wire t-box 2700 provides a space for joining stripped portion of el-wire 2280 and two-wire lead-wire 2210.
  • Fig. 27C is a side view of el-wire t-box 2700 showing el-wire groove 2710.
  • FIG. 5 is an elevation view of one preferred variation of an installation achieved with a pre-packaged kit embodiment of modular illumination system 10.
  • the installed kit provides opposite courses 21 and 22 of linear illuminators that can be laid along the edges of the trim members 220, 222 and 223 on the wall 219.
  • a preferred variation of such a kit includes: (1 ) appropriate instructions; (2) a stand-alone control module 40, with a pre-wired audio activation switch(es) 218 (for installation adjacent the periphery of an exit portal 231 ); (3) two lengths of linear illuminator 20 (each preferably twelve to fifteen feet in length for positioning on either side of the housing 211 for module 40), which lengths are easily trimmed if too long on one or both sides of the doorway; (4) a nine-volt battery (or other power supply alternatives); and (5) a tube of clear adhesive (preferably a heavy-duty clear silicone adhesive) to be used to secure the illuminator courses 21 and 22 around the periphery of the intended portal, along the trim and baseboard moldings surrounding the outer periphery of the portal and hence along the top edge of adjacent baseboards.
  • a tube of clear adhesive preferably a heavy-duty clear silicone adhesive
  • FIGs. 5 and 6 are further detailed views of installed embodiments of Fig. 2, as employed around the trim members 220, 222 and 223 of a doorway 231 .
  • the controller immediately triggers the inconspicuous illumination strips to light up the periphery and baseboard areas around the home's safe exit portals.
  • the resulting kit is a self- contained residential exit door illumination system that only requires a screwdriver for installation. It is therefore easy to install, easy to test, easy to use, and yet very effective in a fire/smoke emergency.
  • system 10 is adapted to save lives, help people avoid injury, speed up the building structure evacuation process, and provide a more efficient, safer and informative path for evacuees to follow when they find themselves enduring a crisis such as fire or heavy smoke in a residential structure 100. All this is achieved by system 10 providing bright floor-level illumination which directs the occupants of a structure 100 toward the nearest exit portal in the event of a fire.
  • a first alternative kit for installation of the EL-Wire preferably includes a supply of an adhesive, preferably clear and preferably silicone (although those of ordinary skill will understand the pros and cons of other adhesives as well).
  • the method of using such a kit involves applying the adhesive during or immediately after installation, to hold the EL-Wire illuminator in place, preferably in the nook or crevice where the molding 220, 222 and 223 and baseboards meet the wall 219, so that the illuminator 20 is even less noticeable when not energized.
  • adhesive-backed cable "snap-in” or “snap-closed” clips are included in certain preferred kit embodiments and are used in certain preferred methods. The clips may be off-the-shelf as the most affordable alternative embodiments for supplies to secure the EL-Wire illuminator 20 in place.
  • Fig. 7 shows an adhesive backed clip 207 for securing an optic fiber variation of linear illuminator 20 in its operative position against wall 219 and/or trim members 220 of the embodiment shown in Fig. 5.
  • a clip preferably is embodied as an elastically-flexible block of material that has an adhesive backing 209 for mounting on the wall 219 or trim member.
  • the block 207 is provided with a groove 209 that is appropriately-sized to snugly hold the illuminators 20 in the connector groove 209.
  • the adhesive-backed clips provide alternative supplies for securing the proper position of illuminators 20 along the wall 219 or the trim or molding 220 around the portal 231 and along the adjacent baseboards.
  • a unique connector/clip system is provided with a clear adhesive- backed corner clip and flat clip would allow users to provide an easily installed alternative to glue or other adhesives (or augment their use) and would allow us to "quietly and somewhat inconspicuously" affix the LightSaver light wire to the periphery of an exit portal 231.
  • laser light may also be used for linear illuminators 20 as an alternative without physical illuminators, by using energizers 48a and 48b that emit a laser beam out illuminator openings 241 and 242.
  • energizers 48a and 48b that emit a laser beam out illuminator openings 241 and 242.
  • reflectors 280a - 280d in the perimeter corners around the frame of doorway 231 , in order to redirect the beam of each laser course 21 and 22 around the doorway 231.
  • each reflector 280 is preferably a small box with pushpins or other mounting means to hold it in place at the referenced corners.
  • the reflectors redirect the beams accordingly.
  • the right horizontal course 22 of the beam is reflected vertically down to proceed from reflector 280b in a direction that is closely adjacent and yet parallel to the vertical trim member 223 on that side of door 230 and then another reflector 280d again turns the beams course to proceed horizontally (parallel to the floor) just above the floor baseboard 160,
  • the device may include a speaker or alternative announcing device that would be integrated into the device's logic, electronic processor(s) and/or electronic microprocessor(s) that would, when activated/triggered by the device's sensing devices, repeatedly announce a preprogrammed audible emergency signal, tone, alarm or recorded voice announcement sound to more clearly demark the location of the exit portal location when the device is activated or triggered.
  • a speaker or alternative announcing device that would be integrated into the device's logic, electronic processor(s) and/or electronic microprocessor(s) that would, when activated/triggered by the device's sensing devices, repeatedly announce a preprogrammed audible emergency signal, tone, alarm or recorded voice announcement sound to more clearly demark the location of the exit portal location when the device is activated or triggered.
  • One additional facet to the modular control subsystem 40 is that alternative embodiments are programmed with an audible tone or voice recording that is broadcasted from audio opening 225 whenever illuminators 20 are energized.
  • circuit board 21 2 is preferably adapted to include a small speaker that would be hooked to the logic in the microprocessor/logic chip 41 , to announce (audibly) an emergency signal/tone/alarm/voice sound whenever emergency conditions are detected by controller 41 .
  • system 10 is adapted to even more clearly demark the safe exit portal location during a smoke event or other emergency.
  • Alternative embodiments of this adaptation even embed a digital recording device in board 212 (or in a companion board) within the housing 21 1 for subsystem 40, and a parent is then able to actually record a short message in his or her own voice that would be announced repeatedly when an emergency condition is detected by controller 41 .
  • the system 10 of the invention allows one standardized housing 21 1 that will be able to contain all the electronic guts of module 40 regardless of what is inside.
  • Audible alternative adaptations may include:
  • the device may include an audio recording device similarly housed in the device which is integrated with the aforementioned speaker or alternative announcing device and further integrated with the device's logic, electronic processor(s) and/or electronic microprocessor(s) devices.
  • the recording device will allow the operator or end user of the device to record a message in his or her own voice or other chosen audible sound on the device, in lieu of the preprogrammed audible emergency signal, tone, alarm or recorded voice announcement sound and which is announced repeatedly when the device activated or triggered.
  • the device has both a default preprogrammed sound signal and, in addition thereto, also contains the personalized recording device for the operator or end user to record his/her audible sound or announcement.
  • the personalized announcement were inactive or otherwise disabled, the preprogrammed audible emergency tone, alarm or recorded voice announcement sound would be activated in the absence of the existence of such personalized recorded announcement as a default when the device is triggered or activated in an emergency.
  • subsystem 40 is the exit route illumination subsystem 40, which is adapted to energize courses of linear illuminators in response to one or more emergency conditions.
  • the linear illuminators are hardly noticeable to a passerby in the space where they are installed (such as in hallway
  • the linear illuminators when activated by energizers 48, the linear illuminators (numbered as linear illuminators 20, 20' and 420 in various illustrated embodiments) help occupants exit the structure 100 by (i) illuminating one or more exit doors (the "door illumination” function), and/or (ii) illuminating the base of the walls around the space leading toward the exit door(s) (the "hall illumination” function).
  • the device may utilize any form of illumination, including but not limited to, a laser light source, an LED light source and/or a single or multiple braided or twisted strands of electroluminescent wires (possibly wrapped in a single translucent or colored PVC jacket), side-light emitting plastic optical fiber, reflective mirrors, prisms and or reflectors and refractors possibly in conjunction with reflective luminescent paints, sprays, strips, tapes or adhesives containing of reflective material(s).
  • illumination including but not limited to, a laser light source, an LED light source and/or a single or multiple braided or twisted strands of electroluminescent wires (possibly wrapped in a single translucent or colored PVC jacket), side-light emitting plastic optical fiber, reflective mirrors, prisms and or reflectors and refractors possibly in conjunction with reflective luminescent paints, sprays, strips, tapes or adhesives containing of reflective material(s).
  • one single strand of electroluminescent wire operates as the linear light source.
  • the single strand of electroluminescent wire is laid upon or otherwise specifically adhered or affixed around and along the periphery of an exit door, window, stairwell/staircase and then laterally along the top of base molding along the floor in areas abutting, adjacent to or proximate to such doors, windows or stairwells.
  • Such electroluminescent wire When activated/triggered by the device's sensing devices, such electroluminescent wire is energized and illuminated.
  • the wire flashes/illuminates in a predetermined flash or static light pattern as predetermined by the devices preprogrammed processor(s), microprocessor(s) and or logic mechanism(s) embedded in the device's construction and this lighted wire shed lights along the outside periphery of an exit door or portal and/or along the floor area near such door immediately adjacent thereto through its operation.
  • the device's linear light source may be located near floor level for better visibility in smoke environments.
  • the lighting and system in general, may be operated repetitively and nondestructively to allow inclusion of the lighting and system in fire and other emergency drills.
  • the device may also be installed along a corridor wall, around ground- floor windows or other exit portals vertically or laterally or in other areas where required light may be required to demark a safe path or exit for an evacuee to pursue in a structure incurring fire, smoke or other peril,
  • module 40 in wall 219 to render all of system 10, other than the light strands 20 themselves, truly inconspicuous.
  • the recessed installation is achieved by slightly rearranging the components of module 40 and replacing the housing 211 of module
  • system 10 may be housed in a standard UL-listed or UL- conforming single gang, four-square box (with a plaster ring), and or a double-gang junction box, often referred to in the field as "back-boxes'"; which come in a variety of types, styles, sizes, depths and configurations.
  • Other alternatives may include housing system 10 in a red single gang outlet box which is sometimes used for installation of fire alarms and smoke detectors.
  • Other alternative configurations of I- EMVNAs might also allow for them to be manufactured or fabricated in their own accompanying housing or electrical outlet box which can be mounted at any location by its installer.
  • the module 40 is adapted to be recessed into a wall so that the microphone and/or audible speaker in the device are flush with the out surface of such wall and may be covered with a decorative or motif matching screening that, while covering and protecting the internal portions of the device, also allow for the reception of audible alarm frequencies that the device is trained to receive and similarly can allow for the broadcast of a tone, voice or other audible sound projection that the device may project or broadcast.
  • the cavity within which the device is situated in the wall is located "in the wall” behind the outer wall surface material which is typically sheetrock, paneling, bead-board, fabric, glass or polymer like materials.
  • the installer of the device can easily create a hole in the wall face which is similarly sized and shaped as the housing 211 of the electrical and battery components that power and drive the light strands included in the device.
  • the housing 211 portion of the device is affixed inside the cavity and the light strands protrude loosely into the room and remain on the outside of such wall to subsequently be affixed around the periphery of a door, window or other safe ingress/egress portal.
  • this cavity can effectively be placed anywhere near the periphery of such door, window or other safe ingress/egress portal, it would typically be placed on center at the top of the exit portal and the light strands would be routed and affixed around such portal so as to illuminate the periphery of such door, window or ingress/egress portal.
  • Fig. 24 represents a side-view section of the EMVNA recessed in single-gang electrical outlet box 2100. This view is not to exact scale.
  • Two-screw single-gang driver cover plate 2110 is mounted to wall surface 2460.
  • Single-gang electrical outlet box 2100 is mounted behind two-screw single-gang driver cover plate 2110 and wall surface 2460 and within wall interior 2430. Visible in this view within single-gang electrical outlet box 2100 are two- position barrier strip connector 2390 and five-position dual in-line package (DIP) Switch 2360.
  • Two-wire lead 2210 extends vertically downward from single-gang electrical outlet box 2100 to T-Connector 2200 along wall surface 2460.
  • T- Connector 2200 is mounted on wall surface 2460. This view shows LightStrand 2222 exiting T-Connector 2200 near its base and is shown running on top of door trim 2440 or baseboard 2450 or alternatively running vertically at the edge of door trim 2440 if LightStrand 2222 is on the doorway.
  • Another alternative embodiment includes a system that can unlock one or more exit portal covers in case of an emergency.
  • An exit portal such as a doorway or window, typically has a portal cover.
  • Portal covers may include a door, window, gate, hatch, or other ingress- or egress-way cover.
  • portal covers such as doors 95 and windows 96 may be locked while persons are in the structure, particularly at night.
  • This alternative embodiment with its portal cover unlocking capability, includes a modular control subsystem 40 with a means to send an unlock command to effect the unlocking of a portal cover which is directly associated with, and proximate to, the modular control subsystem's 40 location.
  • the controller 41 when the controller 41 detects an alarm condition, the controller 41 not only activates the illumination subsystem to light the portal periphery, but also activates the lock control subsystem which initiates an unlocking process to unlock one or more portal covers.
  • this unlocking process begins by the controller 41 sending an unlock command to the portal cover lock control.
  • the unlock command is sent by one or more of several transmission means.
  • the preferred means for sending the unlock command is an RF signal produced by a transmitter within the modular control subsystem 40, or by an audible signal, or by electronic signal over electrical wires or optical cables.
  • the modular control subsystem 40 may send the unlock command via any of the previous means, or may send a signal to the pre-existing portal cover remote controller which would, in turn, communicate an unlock command to the portal cover lock control.
  • the unlock command causes the portal cover locking mechanism to unconditionally unlock the portal cover. Once the portal cover is unlocked, persons can then leave or enter the enclosed or semi-enclosed structure through the portal.
  • the modular control subsystem 40 is situated on, above, or otherwise proximate to a lockable portal cover where the portal is a logical or pre-determined egress-way through which persons in a building may exit in an emergency.
  • Other embodiments are configured to interface with home security systems that will achieve the same result for some or all portals in the structure.
  • the modular control subsystem 40 detects an alarm condition, activates the lights for the exit portal, and simultaneously commands the lock control to unlock the portal cover.
  • the lighted, unlocked portal then allows persons in the structure an unobstructed egress route and rescue personnel outside the structure an unobstructed ingress route.
  • Yet another alternative embodiment includes a means whereby the modular control subsystem 40 detects a vibration event such as an earthquake, prolonged explosion or series of explosions, or other event that vibrates the structure's walls for several seconds.
  • the modular control subsystem 40 is mounted to a wall near a portal cover where the portal 95 is a logical or pre-determined egress-way through which persons in a building may exit in an emergency.
  • the module 40 is mounted on a wall and situated above or near a portal cover.
  • the controller 41 detects vibrations that fit the vibration profile, for magnitude and duration, through the module's 40 own vibration sensing device, from a vibration sensing device located in the danger detection array 73, by receiving a vibration alarm signal from the structure's indigenous vibration sensor, or any combination thereof.
  • the controller 41 detects a vibration event from one or more of the vibration sensor sources, it responds by activating the subsystems in the particular embodiment such as the illumination subsystem, the audible alarm subsystem, and the lock control subsystem, with each subsystem performing its functions as described elsewhere herein.
  • the modular control subsystem 40 when the modular control subsystem 40 detects an alarm condition, in addition to its other actions, the module 40 transmits an unlock command to the portal cover lock control subsystem.
  • the lock control subsystem includes a means to receive the unlock command from the modular control subsystem 40 and a means to control the portal cover's locking mechanism such that the control can unlock the portal cover.
  • the lock control subsystem's receiving means can include a receiver for radio frequency, audio frequency, or electronic signals.
  • the preferred embodiment includes an RF receiver embedded in the portal cover and attached to the locking mechanism control means.
  • the locking mechanism control means controls the portal cover's locking mechanism. If the existing locking mechanism can be adapted to accept the lock control subsystem, the existing locking mechanism can be adapted and reused. Otherwise, the lock control subsystem, including a desired locking mechanism, a receiving means, and a lock control means, replaces the previous locking mechanism. In either case, the control is appropriate for the type of the locking mechanism.
  • the control may include electrical, mechanical, electromechanical, hydraulic, or other means.
  • the locking mechanism control means is preferably an electromechanical actuator to retract the sliding bolt.
  • the lock control subsystem is installed in or on the portal cover, and is preferably embedded in the portal cover.
  • an alternative embodiment of the lock control subsystem includes a means for communicating with the existing control.
  • the module 40 is equipped with a communication means that the controller 41 can activate to produce an unlock command signal that is communicated to the locking mechanism's control such that the control unlocks the portal cover.
  • the module's communication means may include an electrical relay, an RF transmitter, or other means that is effective to communicate an unlock command to the existing locking mechanism's control.
  • Such communication means are well known in the art, and a person of ordinary skill in the art can select and configure communication means to achieve communication between the module 40 and the existing remotely controllable locking mechanism.
  • the LightSaver Commercial System is comprised of a thin scalable length (1 ' to several thousand feet) of three (3) twisted strands of very small wire that lights brightly when energized, a series of AC electrical inverters (to step the voltage from AC power and sequence the directional pulse), battery back-up power sources (to supply power in the absence of power) and can utilize RF transmitters and receivers (if required in some instances).
  • This twisted wire is connected to an electronic sequencer inverter that energizes each independent wire in the three (3) wire sequence, in a 1 -2-3, 1 -2-3, 1 -2-3 sequence.
  • the optical occlusion effect of twisted or braided wire creates an optical illusion that the light is actually moving linearly along the entire braided strand in one direction. This effect is similar to that which your brain sees when you peer at the front of one of the massive sequenced lighting facades on the front of a casino in Las Vegas.
  • the lights, through their proper sequencing (on- off, on-off, in harmony with the other similar lights in the pattern) cause the light to appear to move laterally along the face of the building structure; the same principal is used in the LightSaver System. Engineers commonly refer to this design as employing a "Jacob's Ladder" effect create the appearance of movement (directionality) of the light message being delivered to the occupant or evacuees during it activation.
  • the braided wire is tiny and inconspicuous and runs laterally along the length of the wall just above floor level along the top of the baseboard, but many sized luminary outside diameter dimensions may be utilized in alternative commercial and industrial type applications and configurations. It can be run through walls, around doors or anywhere we desire to install it.
  • the wire runs along exit corridors, interior hallways, exit stairwells and around interior room doors and provides a seamless line of sequenced and directional light from the most interior spaces of a building structure, along the hallways and corridors leading to emergency exits and then through the fireproof stairwells to the building structure exits leading to the out of doors of the structure; thusly leading evacuees from the depths of the building structure interior to the exterior of the building structure while illuminating and providing directionality along the way. Any event that would trigger an emergency alarm in a building structure can trigger (i.e. turn on) the LightSaver LinearStrobeTM System.
  • the LightSaver LinearStrobe System can stand alone or can easily be integrated with existing fire and smoke alarms and security systems in Hotels/Motels, Casinos, Federal, State and Local Government Building structures, Hospitals, Retirement & Nursing Centers, Dormitories, Universities, Schools (public and private), High-Rise Residential Facilities (Condos/Apartments), Office Building structures, Malls and Retail/Shopping Facilities, Industrial/Manufacturing Facilities, Multi-Family Structures (Low-Rise Apartments) Individual Single Family Residences, Cruise Liners, Commercial Ships, Armed Services Aircraft Carriers, Ships and Submarines and any other Building structure or Structure.
  • Our product is a life- saving public safety product which is triggered by any event that would similarly trigger and turn on an alarm system in a building structure, such as in the event of fire, smoke filling a building structure, an earthquake, a security breach or the release of dangerous levels of harmful or noxious gasses or other events requiring occupant notification in a structure.
  • any event which turns on an alarm will trigger the LightSaver LinearStrobeTM System.
  • the public will simply "follow the light" to the nearest exit or will otherwise be able to glean the notification information desirous for the particular application.
  • LightSaver provides a much more efficient, safer and informative path for evacuees to follow when they find themselves in a building structure enduring crisis such as fire, heavy smoke, earthquake, an emission of noxious fumes or toxic inert gasses or a security breach or loss of power to the building.
  • Our process will allow for seamless integration of our system into existing systems, and will enable an added level of yet to be seen information to evacuees when they need it most.
  • Fig. 9 is a diagram of an alternative preferred exit route illumination subsystem 40' in relation to the general Alarm Control System 1 5 of a commercial building structure 100' such as depicted in Fig. 2.
  • a preferred exit route illumination subsystem 40' of the present invention is networked with emergency system 15 to be activated together with the alarm 72.
  • Subsystem 40' taps into a power connection within alarm 72, as illustrated by phantom lines 45' in Fig. 9.
  • the functional concept is the same whether connected upstream (line 45) or downstream (line 45') of alarm 72. Either way, exit route illumination subsystem 40 receives its operative power whenever alarm 72 receives power through line 74, in response to detection of an alarm condition by controller 21 .
  • the exit route illumination subsystem 40' itself includes a controller 41 and one or more energizers 48 that operate to activate and control the illumination of at least two courses 25, 26 of linear illuminators 20. In operation, when power is supplied to illumination subsystem 40' through lead 45 (or
  • the controller 41 controls energizers 48 to energize courses 25, 26 such that they emit a bright, readily visible light.
  • this is achieved by embodying the linear illuminators 20 of courses 25 and 26 in the form of electroluminescent (EL) wire, although various alternatives approximate some but not all of the benefits of using EL-Wire, as will be evident to those of ordinary skill in the art, particularly from further reading of this detailed description in light of the prior art.
  • EL electroluminescent
  • a grouping of braided, twisted or wound electroluminescent wires are utilized as the linear light source to provide the appearance of light movement and/or directionality in the linear light source.
  • the device is triggered or activated immediately by the audible tones and/or frequencies of smoke alarms proximate the device or through electronic activation of other alarms that the invention is integrated with or through the invention's internal sensors and/or sensing devices and the electroluminescent wires are energized through the device's power source to provide emergency light and light movement.
  • the wire(s) flash in sequence to illuminate in a predetermined flash or sequence as is predetermined by the devices preprogrammed processor(s), microprocessor(s) and or logic mechanism(s) embedded in the device's construction and this lighted wire shed lights along the outside periphery of an exit door or portal and/or along the floor area proximate such door and areas immediately adjacent thereto through its operation.
  • the wire(s), which may be contained in a clear jacket, is/are laid upon or otherwise specifically affixed to the top of and vertically along the sides of and generally around the periphery of an exit door or other portal such as a ground-floor window and/or is laid upon base molding along the floor and abutting a corridor wall upon which such molding is affixed.
  • the power source may be channeled through the light source sequentially from one line to the next repeatedly and continuously which causes the light to provide the visual perception of light moving laterally and directionally from one end of the wire to the opposite end of the wire while simultaneously providing an uninterrupted line of floor level directional lighting that is inconspicuous until activated by an emergency signal.
  • the device's linear light source may be located near floor level for better visibility in smoke environments.
  • the lighting and system in general, may be operated repetitively and nondestructively to allow inclusion of the lighting and system in fire and other emergency drills.
  • Module 40 can be understood from Figs. 6 and 8 (and others) which depicts a variation of a kit embodiment of illumination system 10, providing opposite courses 21 and 22 of linear illuminators in the form of laser beams that can be oriented along the edges of the trim member
  • Fig. 8 is an isometric perspective view of an orthogonal reflector 280 to redirect the laser beam form of linear illumination as operatively provided by the embodiment of Fig. 6.
  • Laser with: POF as a light conduit and mirrors, prisms, reflectors/refractors or lenses to direct the illumination.
  • the laser kit preferably includes, but not limited to, a laser light source, an LED light source and/or a single or multiple braided or twisted strands of electroluminescent wires (possibly wrapped in a single translucent or colored PVC jacket), side-light emitting plastic optical fiber, reflective mirrors, prisms and or reflectors and refractors possibly in conjunction with reflective luminescent paints, sprays, strips, tapes or adhesives containing of reflective material(s) to enhance the devices luminescence around and or near a safe exit portal of an enclosed or semi-enclosed structure to demark and identify the safe exit door or alternative exit portal which a person seeking emergency egress from a room or building structure should exit through in the event that a fire, smoke, earthquake, terrorist attack or other crisis precipitates the immediate evacuation of a building structure, structure or other enclosed facility.
  • the linear emergency light source is constructed of a laser light source wherein the laser light is triggered immediately by the audible tones and/or frequencies of smoke alarms proximate the device or through electronic activation of other alarms that the invention is integrated with or through the invention's internal sensors and/or sensing devices.
  • the laser light is directed along the outside periphery of an exit door or portal and/or along the floor area near such door immediately adjacent thereto through a series of small mirrors, prisms or reflection/refraction devices or lenses which appropriately direct the laser beam/light along the periphery of the exit door and laterally along the wall wherein such door is situated.
  • the device's linear light source may be located near floor level for better visibility in smoke environments.
  • the lighting and system in general, may be operated repetitively and nondestructively to allow inclusion of the lighting and system in fire and other emergency drills.
  • subsystem 40 preferably performs door illumination of doors 103-104 by illuminating the sides of doors 103-104 that face the hallway 105, which we therefore refer to as the "hallward" sides of doors 103 and 104.
  • the door illumination for doors 103-104 is not limited to the linear nature of illuminator 20, and in part due to the various preferred courses of its installation on or around the frames for doors 103 and 104 (rather than on the actual door itself).
  • subsystem 40 also outlines the exit doors 103-104 to highlight doors 103 and 104.
  • subsystem 40 also performs hall illumination by illuminating the base of walls 106-107, preferably along lines at the base of the walls 106-107.
  • hall illumination along the base of walls 106 and 107 outlines the way toward the exit door(s) 103-104.
  • the inherent low height of the baseboards 160, where the illuminators 20 are installed and hall illumination is at its brightest, provides the benefit of being most readily visible to a person in hallway 105 even when hallway
  • 105 is filled with smoke, such as in a fire.
  • linear illuminators 20 are preferably installed such that two courses
  • span 49 (shown in dashed line) is preferably concealed in the sense that no light is able to be seen emitting from that span 49 by any person in the hallway 105 even when both courses 25 and 26 are energized; such concealment being achieved either by enclosing the span 49 in an opaque sleeve or by feeding it to points 23 and 24 through the enclosed space within wall 107.
  • the remainder of courses 25- 26 are positioned to extend left and right from points 23 and 24, to outline the left and right halves of exit door 103, respectively, and thereafter to illuminate the base of the walls of hallway 105 along the baseboards 160 adjacent the floor 109.
  • similar installations of exit route illumination systems are made relative to exit doors 103, 104 and 403 (shown in Fig. 17) and every other exit door for the entire structure 100.
  • FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the internal portion of hallway 105 of structure 100, showing the placement of the linear illuminator 20 according to various aspects of this invention.
  • Fig. 16 is a perspective view of the internal portion of hallway 105 much like that of
  • FIG. 11 except with a closer perspective of exit door 103, illustrating more detail on the placement of linear illuminator 20 relative to that exit door 103.
  • illuminator courses 25 and 26 are similar to each other in basic characteristics. From the terminal points 23 and 24 above exit door
  • points 23 and 24 mark the start of the illuminated portions 21 and 22 of the two courses 25 and 26.
  • the illuminated portions 21 and 22 are placed to course in opposite directions around the illuminated exit door 103 and beyond.
  • Course 21 proceeds from terminal point 23 to the left in Fig. 16; whereas course 22 proceeds from terminal point 24 to the right in Fig. 16.
  • Points 23 and 24 are generally on the center line of the doorway of door 103, positioned adjacent each other beneath sign
  • the courses 21 and 22 of illuminator 20 respectively outline the left and right halves of door 103, preferably being adhered or tacked in place along the outside edge of frame molding 97 of door 103 until the courses meet the top edge of baseboard 1 60 at corners 18 and 19, respectively.
  • corners 18 and 19 mark the end of the door-outlining portions of courses 21 and 22, respectively.
  • the illuminators in this outline of exit door 103 are preferably sheathed in a transparent red sleeve to color the door-outlining portions red for viewers in the hallway 105.
  • the linear illuminators 20 are operatively installed along the base of walls 106-107, along where walls 106-107 meet the floor 109 of hallway 105. Aside from the above-described door-outlining portions of illuminator 20 for each exit door 103-104, from the vantage point of one standing in hallway 105, essentially all other portions of illuminator 20 in the preferred embodiment are positioned along the base of walls 106-107, which preferably includes baseboard 160.
  • illuminator 20 With such positioning of linear illuminator 20 lengthwise along the lower portions of the side walls 106 of hallway 105, preferably along baseboards 160, illuminator 20 is positioned to hall illumination as well as to designate the route (or path) toward exit doors 103 and 104. When operatively energized, illuminator 20 illuminates each side of the hallway 105 along the baseboard 160, adjacent to floor 109. Because of the proximity of illuminator 20 to the floor 109, much of the floor 109 itself is also illuminated to help light the way for occupants to exit structure 100. Because of such positioning, these portions of illuminator 20 along baseboards 160 are referred to for reference as the "hall- defining portions" of illuminator 20.
  • placement along baseboards 160 is achieved by adhering or tacking illuminator 20 along the baseboard, much as the door-frame- outlining portions are adhered or tacked along the outer edge of the door frame 97 of door 103.
  • baseboards 160 secures the hall-defining portions of linear illuminator 20 in place relative to baseboards 160.
  • baseboards 160 are preferably embodied as elastomeric vinyl cove base material that is adhered to the lower edge of walls 106 with mastic or other conventional construction adhesives.
  • Groove 165 is preferably pre-formed in the cove base material, being formed during the process of manufacturing (i.e., extruding) the cove base material 160. As illustrated the groove 165 is a continuous groove along the top edge 160a of cove base baseboard
  • the groove 165 may alternatively be positioned either at the bottom edge 160d, at the bend 160c, or anywhere midway on the vertical face 160b of the baseboard 160.
  • the groove 165 allows not only for convenient and secure placement of illuminator 20, but also provides a smaller protrusion (profile) for illuminator 20 such that it is not highly noticeable until and unless it is illuminated.
  • Fig. 12 is a cross-sectional view of wall 106 of the hallway 105 within which linear illuminator 20 is installed in a pre-formed groove 165 of cove base 160, as is one preferred way of associating illuminator 20 with wall 106 at its base height adjacent to the floor 109.
  • the minimal diameter preferably less than
  • illuminator 20 includes a clear, flexible, sleeve-like casing or jacket 14 (shown in phantom lines in Fig. 18).
  • Jacket 14 is preferably a flexible, clear PVC coating or a clear LSZH (low smoke zero halogen) jacket.
  • the relatively small diameter and clear properties of jacket 14 help provide relative inconspicuousness (i.e., virtual invisibility to the casual observer in hallway 105) of illuminator 20 along baseboard 160.
  • This configuration allows the hall-defining portions of linear illuminator 20 to follow the course of the hallway 105 while also being relatively invisible when not illuminated, due in part to its subdued placement on the lines of cove base 160 and its minimal profile protruding therefrom.
  • Fig. 14 is very similar to Fig. 12, except that Fig. 14 illustrates an alternative embodiment of illuminator 20, namely illuminator 20' that has an integral lengthwise flange (or "tail") 320. As is also depicted in Fig. 19, flange 320 is preferably formed integral with the jacket 14 of illuminator 20. The lengthwise flange 320 (or its equivalent) is preferably formed from the same material as the outer sheath or casing 14 of illuminator 20. Flange
  • Flange 320 accordingly has a flexible elastomeric composition.
  • Flange 320 also has a thin cross-section that preferably slightly tapers toward its distal end (as shown in Fig.
  • flange 320 enables mounting of flange 320 (with nails, staples, adhesive or the like) behind baseboard 160 as shown in Fig. 14. Such mounting of flange 320 behind baseboard
  • illuminator 20 positions the remainder of illuminator 20 (i.e., its bulk that has a generally circular cross section in Fig. 19) such that it appears to rest along the top edge 160a of baseboard 160.
  • variations of illuminator 20 that include a flange 320 are particularly well suited for embodiments in which baseboard 160 is not adapted with a groove 165.
  • relative darkening of the hallward sides of upstream doors 130-148 while also illuminating the baseboards 160 of hallway 105 is achieved in one of two alternate ways - either by bypassing the hallward side of the upstream doors 130-148, or by sheathing the illuminator 20 with an opaque sheath around the hallward side of those upstream doors 130-148.
  • elevator doors and other doors that should not be opened for exiting purposes are treated the same, or much the same, as upstream doors that are not illuminated (i.e. , relatively darkened) when illuminators 20 are energized.
  • Bypassing the hallward sides of upstream doors 130-148 is itself preferably accomplished by one of two techniques - either by routing the illuminator under the door jamb for the upstream doors 130-148 such that it is not visible in that span (while also not presenting a tripping hazard), or by illuminating the opposite side (i.e., the roomward side) of such doors 130-148.
  • a commercial structure 100' also has an emergency system 15 adapted with a monitoring subsystem 22, an alarm subsystem 23 (into which the exit route illumination subsystem 40' is connected), and an emergency response subsystem
  • the controller 21 for emergency system 15 is centralized for the entire structure 100', although those of ordinary skill in the art will readily understand how alternative embodiments can be installed with either power or a triggering signal received from a local smoke detector or other alarm that is not networked to a larger system.
  • the power supply line 45 for subsystem 40 can be spliced into the low-voltage power supply line 74 that actuates the alarm 72, such that illumination subsystem 40 is automatically activated when the alarm 72 is activated.
  • alternative embodiments of the present invention would be adapted to illuminate appropriate exit routes in the event of an emergency, be it a smoke or fire disaster, a security breach, a noxious fumes hazard, or some other form of emergency.
  • monitoring subsystem 22 is a system for monitoring the conditions in and/or around the structure 100' to detect potential dangers.
  • the monitoring subsystem 22 of system 15 includes one or more fire detectors, either in the form of smoke detectors (such as fire detector 73 illustrated in Figs. 2, 9 and 16, which is a conventional smoke detector), heat detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, or some combination of those.
  • fire detectors preferably include a combination of photoelectric sensors and thermocouples to detect either or both smoke and heat.
  • Alternative embodiments also (or instead) include sensors for detecting dangerously high levels of carbon monoxide or other gasses, explosimeters, radon gas detectors, tornado proximity detectors, glass-break sensors, door or window-opening sensors, and any other desired type of hazard detectors in the monitoring subsystem 22 along with (or instead of) the fire detector(s) 73.
  • monitoring subsystem 22 includes detectors for monitoring glass break or door/window opening alarm switches, motion detectors and/or panic buttons.
  • the monitoring subsystem would include sensors for detecting excessive concentrations of CO or other potentially dangerous gasses (such as radon) in or around the structure, and the response subsystem would preferably be linked with a security alarm system to flash and sound special alarms in the event such excessive concentrations are detected.
  • comparable systems may be employed to alert workers of noxious fumes within confined spaces.
  • controller 21 When dangerous conditions are detected, controller 21 not only activates alarm subsystem 23 but, preferably, also initiates remedial measures through an emergency response subsystem 24. Such remedial measures are intended to mitigate the detected dangerous conditions, either in response to dangerous detections by the monitoring subsystem 22 or in response to manual or remote actuation of an alarm switch.
  • the response subsystem 24 is embodied to include a fire suppression system that may include sprinklers, halogen systems or analogous systems for other types of emergencies.
  • the response subsystem 24 includes other types of actuators either in addition to or instead of the fire suppression system in other embodiments. Actuators for alerting law enforcement and security agencies, for instance, as well as visual and audible alarms 72, are included in embodiments adapted to monitor security breaches.
  • ALARM SUBSYSTEM Perhaps most central to the functions of emergency system 15 is its function performed by controller 21 to alert occupants when monitoring subsystem 22 detects dangerous conditions. Controller 21 alerts such occupants by controlling alarm subsystem 23 to present both audible and visual alarms.
  • alarm subsystem 23 includes a DC- powered, combined audible alarm and flashing light alarm 72 mounted directly beneath the EXIT light 71 of Figs. 8 & 15.
  • the alarm subsystem 23 is also connected to an exit route illumination subsystem 40 that illuminates exit doors and/or hallways whenever alarm 72 is activated.
  • exit route illumination subsystem 40 of the present invention is networked with emergency system 15 to be activated together with the alarm 72.
  • exit route illumination subsystem 40 is preferably capable of operating on low-voltage DC power the same as alarm 72.
  • the low-voltage power supply may be either battery or inverter powered, preferably at voltages that match the voltage of the existing monitoring and alarm subsystems 22 and 23.
  • other embodiments are adapted to be powered by AC power in one of two modes - either by converting the AC power to DC through an inverter or the like, or by stepping-down the AC power to safe levels and directing the stepped-down AC power directly into the illuminator 20.
  • the power supply line 45 for subsystem 40 can be spliced into the low-voltage power supply line 74 that actuates the alarm 72, such that illumination subsystem 40 is automatically activated when the alarm 72 is activated.
  • subsystem 40 taps into a power connection within alarm 72, as illustrated by phantom lines 45' in Fig. 2.
  • the functional concept is the same whether connected upstream (line 45) or downstream (line 45') of alarm 72. Either way, exit route illumination subsystem 40 receives its operative power whenever alarm 72 receives power through line 74, in response to detection of an alarm condition by controller 21 .
  • the exit route illumination subsystem 40 itself includes a controller 41 and one or more energizers 48 that operate to activate and control the illumination of at least two courses 25, 26 of linear illuminators 20.
  • the controller 41 controls energizers 48 to energize courses 25, 26 such that they emit a bright, readily visible light.
  • this is achieved by embodying the linear illuminators 20 of courses 25 and 26 in the form of electroluminescent (EL) wire, although various alternatives approximate some but not all of the benefits of using EL wire, as will be evident to those of ordinary skill in the art, particularly from further reading of this detailed description in light of the prior art.
  • EL electroluminescent
  • subsystem 40 is the exit route illumination subsystem 40, which is adapted to energize courses of linear illuminators in response to one or more emergency conditions.
  • the linear illuminators are hardly noticeable to a passer- by in the space where they are installed (such as in hallway
  • the linear illuminators when activated by energizers 48, the linear illuminators (numbered as linear illuminators 20, 20' and 420 in various illustrated embodiments) help occupants exit the building 100 by (i) illuminating one or more exit doors (the "door illumination” function), and/or (ii) illuminating the base of the walls around the space leading toward the exit door(s) (the "hall illumination” function).
  • subsystem 40 preferably performs door illumination of doors 103-104 by illuminating the sides of doors 103-104 that face the hallway 105, which we therefore refer to as the "hallward" sides of doors 103 and
  • subsystem 40 also outlines the exit doors 103-104 to highlight doors 103 and 104.
  • subsystem 40 also performs hall illumination by illuminating the base of walls 106-107, preferably along lines at the base of the walls 106-107.
  • hall illumination along the base of walls 106 and 107 outlines the way toward the exit door(s) 103-104.
  • the inherent low height of the baseboards 160, where the illuminators 20 are installed and hall illumination is at its brightest, provides the benefit of being most readily visible to a person in hallway 105 even when hallway 105 is filled with smoke, such as in a fire.
  • Linear illuminators 20 are preferably installed such that two courses 25-26 run from the energizers 48 under a concealed span 49 to two terminal points 23-24 (respectively, shown in Fig. 16) above the exit door 103.
  • span 49 (shown in dashed line) is preferably concealed in the sense that no light is able to be seen emitting from that span 49 by any person in the hallway 105 even when both courses 25 and 26 are energized; such concealment being achieved either by enclosing the span 49 in an opaque sleeve or by feeding it to points 23 and 24 through the enclosed space within wall 107.
  • the remainder of courses 25- 26 are positioned to extend left and right from points 23 and 24, to outline the left and right halves of exit door 103, respectively, and thereafter to illuminate the base of the walls of hallway 105 along the baseboards 160 adjacent the floor 95.
  • similar installations of exit route illumination systems are made relative to exit doors 103, 104 & 403 (shown in Fig. 17) and every other exit door for the entire building 100.
  • FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the internal portion of hallway 105 of building 100, showing the placement of the linear illuminator 20 according to various aspects of this invention.
  • Fig. 16 is a perspective view of the internal portion of hallway 105 much like that of
  • FIG. 1 1 except with a closer perspective of exit door 103, illustrating more detail on the placement of linear illuminator 20 relative to that exit door 103.
  • illuminator courses 25 and 26 are similar to each other in basic characteristics. From the terminal points 23 and 24 above exit door
  • points 23 and 24 mark the start of the illuminated portions 21 and 22 of the two courses 25 and 26.
  • the illuminated portions 21 and 22 are placed to course in opposite directions around the illuminated exit door 103 and beyond.
  • Course 21 proceeds from terminal point 23 to the left in Fig. 16; whereas course 22 proceeds from terminal point 24 to the right in Fig. 16.
  • Points 23 and 24 are generally on the center line of the doorway of door 103, positioned adjacent each other beneath sign 71.
  • the courses 21 and 22 of illuminator 20 respectively outline the left and right halves of door 103, preferably being adhered or tacked in place along the outside edge of frame molding 97 of door 103 until the courses meet the top edge of baseboard 160 at corners 18 and 19, respectively.
  • corners 18 and 19 mark the end of the door-outlining portions of courses 21 and 22, respectively.
  • the illuminators in this outline of exit door 103 are preferably sheathed in a transparent red sleeve to color the door-outlining portions red for viewers in the hallway 105.
  • the linear illuminators 20 are operatively installed along the base of walls 106-107, along where walls 106-107 meet the floor 95 of hallway 105. Aside from the above-described door-outlining portions of illuminator 20 for each exit door 103-104, from the vantage point of one standing in hallway 105, essentially all other portions of illuminator 20 in the preferred embodiment are positioned along the base of walls 106-107, which preferably includes baseboard 160.
  • illuminator 20 With such positioning of linear illuminator 20 lengthwise along the lower portions of the side walls 106 of hallway 105, preferably along baseboards 160, illuminator 20 is positioned to hall illumination as well as to designate the route (or path) toward exit doors 103 and 104. When operatively energized, illuminator 20 illuminates each side of the hallway 105 along the baseboard 160, adjacent to floor 95. Because of the proximity of illuminator 20 to the floor 95, much of the floor 95 itself is also illuminated to help light the way for occupants to exit building 100. Because of such positioning, these portions of illuminator 20 along baseboards 160 are referred to for reference as the "hall- defining portions" of illuminator 20.
  • placement along baseboards 160 is achieved by adhering or tacking illuminator 20 along the baseboard, much as the door-frame- outlining portions are adhered or tacked along the outer edge of the door frame 97 of door 103.
  • baseboards 160 secures the hall-defining portions of linear illuminator 20 in place relative to baseboards 160.
  • baseboards 160 are preferably embodied as elastomeric vinyl cove base material that is adhered to the lower edge of walls 106 with mastic or other conventional construction adhesives.
  • Groove 165 is preferably pre-formed in the cove base material, being formed during the process of manufacturing (i.e., extruding) the cove base material 160. As illustrated the groove 165 is a continuous groove along the top edge 160a of cove base baseboard
  • the groove 165 may alternatively be positioned either at the bottom edge 160d, at the bend 160c, or anywhere midway on the vertical face 160b of the baseboard 160.
  • the groove 165 allows not only for convenient and secure placement of illuminator 20, but also provides a smaller protrusion (profile) for illuminator 20 such that it is not highly noticeable until and unless it is illuminated.
  • Fig. 12 is a cross-sectional view of wall 106 of the hallway 105 within which linear illuminator 20 is installed in a pre-formed groove 165 of cove base 160, as is one preferred way of associating illuminator 20 with wall 106 at its base height adjacent to the floor 95.
  • the preferred embodiment of illuminator 20 includes a clear, flexible, sleeve-like casing or jacket 14 (shown in phantom lines in Fig. 18).
  • Jacket 14 is preferably a flexible, clear PVC coating or a clear LSZH (low smoke zero halogen) jacket.
  • the relatively small diameter and clear properties of jacket 14 help provide relative inconspicuousness (i.e., virtual invisibility to the casual observer in hallway 105) of illuminator 20 along baseboard 160.
  • This configuration allows the hall-defining portions of linear illuminator 20 to follow the course of the hallway 105 while also being relatively invisible when not illuminated, due in part to its subdued placement on the lines of cove base 160 and its minimal profile protruding therefrom.
  • Fig. 14 is very similar to Fig. 12, except that Fig. 14 illustrates an alternative embodiment of illuminator 20, namely illuminator 20' that has an integral lengthwise flange (or "tail") 320.
  • flange 320 is preferably formed integral with the jacket 14 of illuminator 20.
  • the lengthwise flange 320 (or its equivalent) is preferably formed from the same material as the outer sheath or casing 14 of illuminator 20.
  • Flange 320 accordingly has a flexible elastomeric composition.
  • Flange 320 also has a thin cross-section that preferably slightly tapers toward its distal end (as shown in Fig.
  • flange 320 enables mounting of flange 320 (with nails, staples, adhesive or the like) behind baseboard 160 as shown in Fig. 14.
  • Such mounting of flange 320 behind baseboard 160 i.e., in the crack between baseboard 160 and wall 106) positions the remainder of illuminator 20 (i.e., its bulk that has a generally circular cross section in Fig. 19) such that it appears to rest along the top edge 160a of baseboard 160.
  • variations of illuminator 20 that include a flange 320 are particularly well suited for embodiments in which baseboard 160 is not adapted with a groove 165.
  • Bypassing the hallward sides of upstream doors 130-148 is itself preferably accomplished by one of two techniques - either by routing the illuminator under the door jamb for the upstream doors 130-148 such that it is not visible in that span (while also not presenting a tripping hazard), or by illuminating the opposite side (i.e., the roomward side) of such doors 130-148.
  • illuminator 20 on the roomward side of door 130 can be more particularly seen by cross-referencing Figs. 11 , 13 and 15.
  • illuminator 20 As illuminator 20 is being installed, its course proceeding away from exit door 103 first enters room 110 through a hole drilled from wall 106 through wall 149, entering room 110 at the junction point 149a where baseboard 152 abuts the roomward frame 150 of door 130.
  • the course of illuminator 20 is then directed up and around the perimeter 151 of doorframe 150 to produce a door-illuminating portion 20" of illuminator 20, for illuminating and/or outlining the roomward side of door 130 inside room 110.
  • the door-illuminating portion 20" in room 110 then terminates at the junction point 149b where the perimeter 151 of frame 150 again intersects with the baseboard 152 in room 0.
  • the course of illuminator 20 penetrates wall 149 and wall 106 to leave room 110 and re-enter hallway 105.
  • wall 149 and wall 106 are actually the sheetrock faces of opposite sides of the same wall. So, for the course of illuminator 20 to penetrate the wall from room 110 to hallway 105 (or, by analogy, the opposite way from hallway 105 to one of the rooms 110-128), it passes through both layers of sheetrock and everything in between. This can be accomplished by drilling or otherwise providing a hole 149b' at the point 149b on wall 149, preferably aligned with a comparable hole 106a in wall 106. The hole 106a is positioned on the hallward side of wall 106 close to the corner where the top edge 160a of cove base 160 abuts the edge 108b of frame molding 108.
  • the linear illuminator is then fed from room 110 through holes 149b' and 106a. Back within hallway 105, the illuminator 20 can then be re-secured along cove base 160 to reconvene the hall-defining course in the manner previously described.
  • each of the upstream doors for a particular space such as each of doors 130-148 for hallway 105, are preferably bypassed on their hallward sides and illuminated instead on their roomward (or upstream) sides.
  • the outlining and/or illumination of the roomward sides of doors 130-148 enables occupants within rooms 110-128 to visually identify the way to safety in the event of an emergency condition detected by system 15.
  • SUCCESSIVELY-ILLUMINATED EXIT DOORS in use, when illumination is energized from a single circuit of linear illuminators 20 from a given exit door (such as exit door 103), the illuminated circuit guides an occupant in an upstream room through successive doors leading to safety.
  • the illuminator circuit based at exit door 103 for instance, if a guest in the hotel of structure 100 is asleep in bed 110' of room 110 when system 15 detects a fire or other emergency, the system 15 controls its subsystems 23 and 40 to bring the guest progressively toward a safe exit from structure 100. Such a progression begins with sounding of the audible alarm from alarm 72, waking and alerting the guest.
  • the room-exit process that the guest just experienced in exiting room 110 through an illuminated door 130 has trained the guest to exit through successive illuminated doors.
  • the door illumination of illuminator 20 therefore, draws the guest to exit through door 103 as the guest sees its illumination while other upstream doors (for example, doors 132 and 133) are relatively darkened on their sides facing hallway 105.
  • the illumination system is preferably installed such that the appearance of the door illumination within rooms 1 10-128 is substantially the same as the appearance of door 103 in hallway 105.
  • the door illuminating portion 20" in the individual rooms are preferably also adapted with sleeves, coatings or the like to illuminate red in the same way as with door 103.
  • each of the doorways 130-148 are illuminated as seen from inside rooms 110-128 which indicates to the room occupants that the doorway connects to the main corridor of hallway 105. Yet, from the perspective of an occupant already in hallway 105 outside the rooms 1 10-128, the hallward sides of the same doorways 130-148 are relatively darkened.
  • Fig. 17 is a perspective view from within a stairwell such as North Stair 101 of Fig. 1 B, to illustrate another and/or an expanded embodiment of an exit route illumination subsystem 40 according to teachings of the present invention.
  • linear illuminator 420 and its controller
  • illuminator 440 and other related components are like illuminator 20 of Figs. 9 - 1 5, except that illuminator 420 is installed in a stairwell.
  • stairwell 101 there are two doors 103 and 403. From inside the stairwell 101 , door 403 is the one that leads to safety while door 103 leads back to hallway 105, which makes door 403 the one that occupants should proceed through in the event of an emergency.
  • opposing courses 421 -422 of illuminator 420 outline door frame molding 497 and then follow baseboard 460 laterally on wall 407 and then along baseboard 460 at the bottom of side wall 406, along the length of the pathway in the stairwell and up or down the stairs away from the exit door 403 (downward on wall 406 in Fig. 17).
  • baseboard 460 laterally on wall 407 and then along baseboard 460 at the bottom of side wall 406, along the length of the pathway in the stairwell and up or down the stairs away from the exit door 403 (downward on wall 406 in Fig. 17).
  • stairwell illuminator 420 its course can be adjusted to highlight the stair-step profile of stairs 496, along the base of wall
  • This alternative presents the linear illuminator 20 following the exact step-profile shape of the stairs 496.
  • the controller and energizers are similar to that depicted in other figures including Fig. 17, with the exception of the stair-step appearance of illuminator 420 between the two doors.
  • Similar successions of exit door illumination may also extend further upstream into still further halls, rooms and the like, whether they be sleeping quarters, dining rooms, banquet halls, restrooms, ballrooms or any other type of room that can exit into and through hallway 105.
  • additional illuminator subsystems like subsystem 40 may be deployed to direct the occupants toward hallway 105, where the system illustrated in Fig. 1 B then leads them to exit doors 103-104, thereby leading the occupant progressively to an eventual exit from the structure 100.
  • EL-WIRE EMBODIMENTS AS described previously, some preferred embodiments embody the linear illuminator 20 as EL-Wire, which is capable of providing bright illumination with minimal power consumption. Indeed, currently available variations of EL-Wire consume only about 0.15 amps per linear foot with a 0.9 mm diameter EL-Wire (available from Lytech of Israel and other manufacturers in China and worldwide). On a single readily-available 2-Volt battery, eight hundred to a thousand feet of EL-Wire can be easily illuminated in some preferred embodiments.
  • the preferred EL-Wire embodiment uses commercially-available "High
  • Each illuminator 20 is preferably constructed of at least one strand of EL-Wire, although multiple strands of EL-Wire (or other form of illuminator) are used for enhanced features in some embodiments (as described further herein).
  • the human eye can see over 10 million colors, the human eye is most sensitive to light emitted at a wavelength of 495 nm which in dark or contrasted settings is seen as white light to the human eye and brain. That wavelength (495 nm) is precisely halfway between green and blue in the color spectrum; exactly where the EMVNA light color falls. This area of the color spectrum is most visible and easiest to see (for the human brain to process) because this color actually demands the least amount of energy by the human eye and brain to see and process, respectively, the light. This is especially true in a contrasted setting in a dark or darkening volume of space; such as in a building space filling with smoke.
  • the EMVNA light pulses conform to the code required UL Standards for flash rates as they flash in a variety of frequencies (model's flash rates vary depending on the model and use).
  • the EMVNA combined pulse and color combination are uniquely designed to easily catch the attention of human eye in a crisis situation; particularly at night or in a dark or darkening volume of space where smoke, in a fire, is billowing in and quickly darkens the space by blocking out the existing conventional forms of light found in most buildings and homes or spaces today.
  • NASA has contracted with one of its larger aerospace vendors to redevelop the International Space Station (ISS) to "swap a fluorescent lighting panel with a solid-state lighting module (SSLM) containing LED's which produces a blue, whitish or red-colored light depending on the time" of day.
  • SSLM solid-state lighting module
  • Flash blindness is caused by bleaching (oversaturation) of the retinal pigment of the eye when high intensity light like that broadcast by emergency strobe lights, or camera flashes, is suddenly flashed into one's eyes.
  • This effect can be even more debilitating in dark settings (like in a fire) when the dark-adapted pupil of the eye is wide open, giving the flash blindness a greater and longer effect.
  • This visual impairment during and following exposure to that light flash may last for a few seconds to a few minutes.
  • the EMVNA is specifically designed to deliver a light emission color and intensity that diminishes the chances for occupants to suffer flash blindness when seeking the exits underneath the smoke in the then-dark setting of a smoky fire.
  • the EMVNA is designed to be situated at and around the doorway or along low-lying areas when demarking a path of egress, the occupants passing through such an exit porthole will be close to the light.
  • the EMVNA design takes this into account by calibrating its light intensity to a
  • illuminator 20 preferably can continue illuminating effectively despite being bent (or junctioned) to course through 90-degree turns such as at the points 18, 19, 149a and 149b shown in various illustrations or as otherwise needed for outlining doorframes and for the transitions between doors and baseboards, etc.
  • the EL-Wire embodiments of the present invention are preferred in part for this reason - because EL-Wire illuminators can readily be bent at or beyond the 90- degree angles. Despite such sharp bends, EL-Wire does not easily crack or break and will continue to transmit light.
  • Directionality in this context refers to the quality of an illumination system or an individual illuminator to indicate to an occupant in structure 100 which way to go toward an exit. Hall illumination alone does not indicate directionality, unless the individual sections of the illuminators are specially adapted for directionality as taught herein. However, door illumination does provide directionality because it designates a door through which an occupant can exit.
  • an overall illumination subsystem 40 provides directionality by combining hall illumination with exit door illumination, illumination of the exit doors 103-104 communicating to occupants that they are the ways out of the hallway 105, and hall illumination of hallway 105 outlining and illuminating the way to those exit doors 103-
  • linear illuminator 20 are specially adapted in certain embodiments to provide directionality even if the occupant is not able to see the exit door illumination or is unable to notice the different colors or the like.
  • the alternatives for providing this type of directionality to illuminator 20 preferably achieve such directionality with one or more of three approaches: (1 ) adapting and controlling the illuminator to create the illusion that light emitted from illuminator 20 is moving in a particular direction along the length of the linear illuminator 20, preferably toward the exit 103, thereby producing a wave-like motion
  • illuminator 20 preferably not only illuminates the route to exit doors 103 and 102 (and exit door 203 in Fig. 17), but is also adapted to indicate direction. Hence, someone looking at illuminator 20 in a hall (such as hallway 105) can tell which way to go in order to reach an exit.
  • the illuminator 20 in Fig. 18, for instance, is a preferred embodiment that combines three discrete illuminator strands 11 -13 that can be energized in successive cycles to produce a pulse effect. While each strand 11 -13 is preferably less than a millimeter in diameter (to still enable relative invisibility), each strand 11-13 has the composition of a linear illuminator in and of itself.
  • each strand includes a central conductor 11 a-13a coated with a phosphorous-based illumination layer 11 b-13b as is characteristic of EL-Wire, and the other components (not shown) as are necessary for EL-Wire technology.
  • each strand is operatively energized in a controlled fashion such that the brightness of its illumination varies in a wave-like manner, and the energizing cycles are timed such that each strand 11- 13 is illuminated at the same frequency but out of phase with each other, such that the combined multi-strand illuminator 20 produces the illusion of successive pulses moving along the length of illuminator 20.
  • Fig. 16 is sufficient to allow installation of hall illumination past doors 132-135.
  • the length of course 26 (including visible portion 22 in Fig. 16) is sufficient to allow installation of hall illumination past doors 130 and 131 .
  • the two courses 25-26 provide an operative pair of illuminator circuits based around exit door 103. Similar pairs of illuminator circuits are preferably installed for each major exit door 103-104 in structure 100, although variations will naturally be made depending on the geometry of the hallway 105 around the corresponding exit door 103-104.
  • additional illuminator circuits i.e., more than a pair
  • supplemental controllers 41 or supplemental power supplies and energizers 48 may be added when necessary for more complicated hall geometries.
  • a flash selector toggle switch 37 is provided to enable the pulse effect when desired. If the pulse effect is not enabled, the entirety of courses 25-26 is illuminated steadily, without producing the pulse effect.
  • Control console 40' also has a knob 39 for adjusting the speed that the pulse appears to travel along either course 25-26 of the linear illuminator 20, by adjusting the frequency at which each of strands 11 -13 is illuminated.
  • alternative multi-strand embodiments of linear illuminator 20 may include other numbers of strands 1 1 -13 (two or more) with varying benefits. Still other alternative multi-strand embodiments combine the plurality of strands 1 1 -13 in a manner that is different than a simple twist (as in Fig. 18) while still enabling directionality, by braiding or weaving the strands together or into a supporting substrate.
  • Directionality of illuminators 20 can also be achieved by the inclusion of directionally-shaped images on illuminator 20 when energized, either alone or in combination with other directionality features.
  • Fig. 19 shows illuminator 20' , for example, as an alternative embodiment of illuminator 20. Strands 1 1 -13 of illuminator 20' are the same as strands 1 1 -13 of illuminator 20. The directionality difference in Fig. 19 is that the circumferential casing 14' of illuminator 20' includes arrow-shaped features 331 and 332.
  • the features when illuminator 20' is operatively installed relative to baseboards 160 and energized, the features present arrow-shaped images that point along the length of illuminator 20 in the general direction back toward the origin terminal points above the corresponding exit door 103, to indicate directionality to a viewer.
  • the arrow shaped features 331 -332 are clear, arrow-shaped windows on darkened bands 14b and 14d of the casing 14' of illuminator 20'. Creation of such windows can be achieved in many ways that will be evident, such as by painting, printing or the like, or by the addition of a separable plastic or metal clip that has the arrow-shaped window pre-made in it.
  • the remainder of casing 14' (i.e. , the segments 14a, 14c and 14e) are preferably clear, to allow maximum illumination in those segments 14a, 14c and 14e.
  • other arrow shapes may be used as alternatives, such as triangles, deltas, or carrot-shaped images (i.e. , greater- than/less-than symbols) either alone or as multiple images grouped in series.
  • darkened arrow-shaped features against an illuminated background can be fabricated as an alternative to the clear windows against a darkened band as in Fig. 19.
  • the position of arrow-shaped features 331 and 332 is pre-determined relative to the likely vantage point of a person viewing it after it has been operatively installed and illuminated during operation. More particularly, in the cross-sectional orientation shown in Fig.
  • each of such positions is referred to as being on a surface of illuminator 20' opposite flange 320, and any positions in the range of 1 :00 to 2:30 are referred to as positions having an "obtuse off-set from the vertical.”
  • a similar arrow-shaped feature is included on the back side of illuminator 20' at a mirror-image orientation relative to the centerline of flange 320, to allow illuminator 20' to be installed in a reverse orientation.
  • the arrow-shaped features 331 -332 are positioned at twelve o'clock, no such mirror image is included because the mirror image would be at the same location as the primary image.
  • arrow-like shapes are illuminated (or masked) adjacent (or across the face of) groove 165 to indicate the appropriate direction to a fire exit, to be illuminated by the proximity of the arrow-like shapes to the linear illuminator 20.
  • linear illuminator 20 Another feature of preferred variations of linear illuminator 20 is the use of color to indicate directionality and aid occupants in more readily locating the Exit doorways 102-103. As mentioned earlier, a distinctive color (preferably red) can be rendered onto the linear illuminator 20 in those portions that surround (or are near, in some embodiments) the exit doors 102 and 103 to provide a very basic level of color directionality for the illumination subsystem 40. Most preferably, color differentiation differentiates exit door illumination from hall illumination, but in some embodiments it may also differentiate door illumination of an exit door 103 from door illumination of an upstream door.
  • color differentiation differentiates exit door illumination from hall illumination, but in some embodiments it may also differentiate door illumination of an exit door 103 from door illumination of an upstream door.
  • Such color is applied to the illuminator 20 either with a thin layer of transparent red paint, stain or the like, or by applying a transparent colored jacket, preferably made from fire retardant materials.
  • a fire-retardant spray can further enhance the fire retardant nature of illuminator 20.
  • Alternative embodiments also employ other uses of color-coding in addition to the red highlighting of exit doors.
  • the color of the hall illumination changes progressively for portions of the illuminator that are further away from the exit door 103.
  • the color progression begins at points 18-19 as the same color as illuminator 20 around door 103, and becomes more and more distinct from the color of the door illumination as it progresses away from door 103. So, with door illumination at exit door 103 preferably red, beginning at the base of either side of the exit door (at points 18-19 in Fig.
  • linear illuminator 20 emits increasingly pale (less red) light along the bottom of wall 106 until it displays as a white band of light (no red at all) in the area furthest from the exit door 103.
  • Baseboard linear illuminator 20 leading from upstream or non-exit doors towards the closest (or perhaps the safest) exit stairwell or exit door will likewise preferably display light that progresses from white to increasing redness as the stairwell or exit door are approached.
  • the progression of color may be achieved in steps, where every so many feet of hall illumination is the same color, and the next so many feet is slightly lighter in color, etc.
  • Some alternative patterns for color progression used to indicate directionality and aid in navigating to doorways and in particular the exit doors 102-103 white gradually turning red hall illumination closer to exit doors 102-103; red around frame of exit door; white around frame of hallward side of internal upstream door; alternating red-white-red around frame of exit doorway.
  • Still other alternatives use differing colors on the upstream side of a door versus the downstream side of a door.
  • preferred embodiments include red color in the portion of linear illuminator 20 that surrounds the upstream side of door 130, illuminator 20 being fastened to outline the door frame molding 150 of the door 130 leading to the hallway 105 beyond.
  • the hallward side of the same door 130 is preferably relatively dark or, in alternative embodiments, the hallward side is illuminated the same color as the adjacent hall illumination.
  • occupants in the rooms 1 10-1 28 and hall 105 can also understand the right direction to proceed based on color directionality, following the baseboard 160 linear illuminator 20 in the direction of increasing redness until the red exit door 103 is reached.
  • connectors, colors, arrows and pulsation are all combined to provide an overall illumination circuit with beneficial characteristics, among which are the combination of static door illumination with pulsed hall illumination.
  • the static/pulsed combination is accomplished by splicing together and installing an individual circuit of two different types of multi-strand illuminators 20 arranged in alternating succession.
  • One of the alternating types is constructed with twisted wire to produce the pulse effect when energized (as in Fig.
  • the static sections are also prepared in advance in lengths that match the distance needed for sections 20" (numbered in Fig. 15) that fit around the perimeter of the standard sized doors for structure 100.
  • the static/pulsed combination can also be fabricated from continuous strands 11 -13 - either sheathed in casing 14 at the site of installation, or produced and sheathed at the factory based on measurements of the needed dimensions and arrangements for each type of multi-strand illuminator 20 given the spacing of the doors in a given hall.
  • each illuminator is constructed as a twisted combination of two, three or more EL-Wires (or other illuminators) contained in a clear jacket, sleeve or casing, as illustrated in Fig. 18. With such twisted (or alternatively, braided) combinations of multi-strand illuminators are then controlled in a sequentially flashing manner to simulate visual motion to indicate direction toward the nearest or best choice of the appropriate exit doors 203 or 204.
  • Fig. 10 is a pictorial illustration of the control box 40' for at least one alternative embodiment of the illumination subsystem 40 depicted in Fig. 19.
  • LED FLEX RIBBON STRIP is a low voltage
  • LED NEON-FLEX is made of an inner plastic extrusion that houses a flexible linear series of individual low voltage LED lights and has an outer transparent plastic jacket to further protect the inner tube of lights.
  • LED NEON-FLEX is comprised of solid-state Light Emitting Diodes (LED's) in series housed by an inner plastic extrusion core, and a UV stable outer plastic jacket further protects the inner core and is available in a vast array of colors.
  • these LED lighting components would preferably be sized in the .15mm to 5mm sizes and the flexible nature of these light sources enable one to attach it to any flat or curved surface in installation.
  • the LED lights are covered by silicon coating or a PVC jacket which makes the lighting source able to withstand great strain, pressure and stress without tearing or breaking, and they are weather resistant and water proof.
  • Laser-illuminated fiber optic filaments such as side-light and end-light plastic optical fiber (often called “POF” or “fiber”) which is an optical fiber made out of plastic.
  • PPF plastic optical fiber
  • PMMA acrylic
  • fluorinated polymers are the cladding material.
  • These plastic optical fibers are designed for flexible and controlled light transfer of light from one point to another and along the sides of the cable/fiber no matter the visible color of the light source. The light can be transferred over long distances without much visible changing of the input color. In some instances, a careful mechanical treatment of the fiber surface could produce a side glow line of visible light.
  • Fiber optic cables are composed of several individual strands of PMMA acrylic fibers (also referred to as plastic fiber optic cable) covered by a clear PVC coating. All fiber optic lighting utilizes an illuminator is often referred to as the light engine, light pump, light source and even transformer which is affixed to one end of the cable that pumps the light through the length of the cable.
  • the illuminator houses the lamp that provides the light for the fiber optic cable.
  • the fiber is connected to the illuminator via a fiber head.
  • One fiber optic preferred embodiment is multimode, multi-strand, OFNP cable.
  • LED systems can also be adapted to approximate a linear illuminator and, indeed, provide alternate ways of achieving sequencing of the illumination in order to indicate directionality. It should also be understood that illumination may also be achieved by using still other technologies that have not been mentioned in this description. Among such other options would be organic LED (OLED) technologies, LCD technologies, or excitable inert gasses such as neon or halogen lighting.
  • OLED organic LED
  • LCD liquid crystal display
  • excitable inert gasses such as neon or halogen lighting.
  • controller 41 (referenced in Fig. 9) is preferably adapted to control illumination of courses 25 and 26 to be illuminated either continuously or in a sequencing manner by use of toggle switch 37 (referenced in Fig. 10).
  • the sequencing manner refers to any manner that achieves the pulse effect as has been described previously herein, or the equivalent, in order to indicate directionality to the hall illumination, thereby communicating the direction that someone should move in order to reach an exit.
  • conspicuous linear illuminators which have dimensions much larger in diameter than the preferred range for inconspicuous illuminators 20 referenced previously. While the inconspicuous variations have diameters of 3.5mm or less, the conspicuous embodiments have diameters greater than 3.5mm but preferably less than 15mm. Although such conspicuous embodiments compromise on some aspects of the inconspicuous embodiments, the conspicuous embodiments are still suitable for applications where inconspicuousness is not a concern. Such applications may be in industrial and commercial settings where aesthetics are of little relative importance. Moreover, the conspicuous embodiments generally produce brighter illumination when energized, given the increased size of the illuminator.
  • Embodiments of aspects of the invention that are not limited in the type of technology may also combine more than one type of illumination technology, such as by combining EL-Wire together with LED components or Fiber Optic Laser Fiber(s), or vice versa, all interconnected in the same system in a given structure 100 or portion of that building structure.
  • EL-Wire together with LED components or Fiber Optic Laser Fiber(s)
  • fiber optic illumination for exit doors, all in combination with sequenced LED illuminators in sections where more variable directionality is desired.
  • illuminator 20 preferably optimizes illumination, uses minimal power and simple transceiver equipment, is lightweight yet wide and/or brilliant enough to be highly visible when energized, and is cost-effective.
  • CASING MATERIAL ALTERNATIVES The materials incorporated in and/or encasing illuminator 20 are preferably fire-resistant and/or fire-retardant. Several options are available commercially in EL-Wire and fiber optic cable, and it is expected that similar fire resistance and retardant characteristics could be made in other variations of illuminator 20 through substitution of materials or the addition of fire retardant coatings or casings. When not inherently fire retardant, illuminator 20 is preferably encased in transparent, specially-treated, fire-retardant casings or jackets 14 such as "Low Smoke Zero Halogen" (LSZH) jackets or as is commercially available under the "Plenum” designation. Flame Seal Products, Inc. also offers an
  • Intumescent Fire Barrier Coating that may be used to provide an invisible coating that reportedly can be sprayed onto the linear illuminator 20 as a thin 18-mil coating to render the illuminator fire retardant.
  • such materials can be applied onto the illuminator 20 and associated components and assemblies after they have been operatively installed in structure 100.
  • a "Plenum" jacket or a LSZH jacket is used as the outer casing 14 of the illuminator to provide fire resistance in compliance with regulatory guidelines.
  • Either of such jacket types provides a fire retardant jacket 14 that is slow-burning and emits little smoke during combustion. Installations using Plenum-rated jacketing help to ensure the safety of personnel by reducing the spread of dangerous gases in the event of a fire.
  • remote wireless actuators can be used in any of the referenced configurations to trigger activation of the illumination subsystem 40 or variations of that system. While using such wireless actuators is beneficial for numerous applications of the invention, particular benefits can be appreciated in residential or post-construction security applications, particularly where the monitoring subsystem is installed in a pre-existing structure.
  • RF (Radio Frequency) transmitter/receiver triggering mechanisms allow installation of strips of the product under windows, in corridors, etc., where AC power is either not available or is economically unfeasible.
  • RF capacity would operate on a frequency(ies) designed for same that would turn on the remote battery pack(s) associated with the controllers 41 installed in remote areas of the building structure. Such signal would be triggered by a signal transmitter switch mechanism triggered by the emergency response subsystem 24.
  • each of the entire courses of illuminator 20 may either be one continuous linear illuminator, or it may be composed of various segments that are spliced together using a suitable connector that transfers the necessary illuminating energy over the discontinuity in the linear illuminator.
  • Such splicing of discontinuities in linear illuminator 20 preferably involves cutting, preparing the terminal ends
  • the extent of hallway 105 to be illuminated preferably is such that the illuminator from one door extends as far down the hall as designers want occupants to be directed toward the subject exit door, presumably to the center of the hall.
  • the device may utilize any form of illumination, including but not limited to a laser light source, a linear light source and/or a single or multiple braided or twisted strands of electroluminescent wires (possibly wrapped in a single translucent or colored PVC jacket), side-light emitting plastic optical fiber, reflective mirrors possibly in conjunction with reflective luminescent paints, sprays, strips, tapes or adhesives containing of reflective material(s) to enhance the devices luminescence around and/or near a safe exit portal of an enclosed or semi-enclosed structure.
  • illumination including but not limited to a laser light source, a linear light source and/or a single or multiple braided or twisted strands of electroluminescent wires (possibly wrapped in a single translucent or colored PVC jacket), side-light emitting plastic optical fiber, reflective mirrors possibly in conjunction with reflective luminescent paints, sprays, strips, tapes or adhesives containing of reflective material(s) to enhance the devices luminescence around and/or near a safe exit portal of an enclosed
  • the device may be triggered by any or all of an audible emergency fire protection alarm system, such as smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors or other emergency alarms or detection systems that emit an audible alarm and/or may be triggered by its own sensing devices included in its construction.
  • an audible emergency fire protection alarm system such as smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors or other emergency alarms or detection systems that emit an audible alarm and/or may be triggered by its own sensing devices included in its construction.
  • the device may be directly connected to its own DC powered battery source and, in some alternative embodiments it is powered by an alternative AC current electrical power source or system, both of which power and support the operation thereof.
  • an alternative AC current electrical power source or system both of which power and support the operation thereof.
  • DC current energizes the electrical components comprising the device which may channel the electrification through the light source in a sequence from one line to the next repeatedly and continuously which causes the light to provide the visual perception of light moving laterally and directionally from one end of the wire to the opposite end of the wire while simultaneously providing an uninterrupted line of floor level directional lighting that is inconspicuous until activated by an emergency signal.
  • the luminary portion of the device may be located near floor level to provide evacuees with better visibility in smoke environments.
  • the lighting and system in general, may be operated repetitively and nondestructively to allow inclusion of the lighting and system in fire and other emergency drills and/or to train building structure occupants in such drills.
  • the linear emergency light source may be constructed of a laser light source wherein the laser light is triggered immediately by the audible tones and/or frequencies of smoke alarms or other alarms or by the device's own internal sensing device(s) and such laser light is directed along the outside periphery of an exit door and/or along the floor area near such door immediately adjacent thereto by using side-light emitting

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Abstract

L'invention concerne un système et un procédé qui aident des personnes évacuées à sortir d'une structure résidentielle en cas d'une urgence telle qu'un incendie, un tremblement de terre, une violation de la sécurité ou similaire, en fournissant un éclairage d'urgence autour de la périphérie d'une porte de sortie et/ou d'un portail de sortie sécurisé alternatif conjointement à un éclairage au niveau du rez-de-chaussée le long du chemin vers le portail, et en fournissant un enregistrement sonore ou vocal audible pour guider les occupants vers le portail de sortie. Diverses formes de dispositifs d'éclairage linéaires parallèles à et à proximité du sol d'une pièce ou d'un hall à l'intérieur fournissent l'identification au niveau du rez-de-chaussée et l'éclairage de la voie de sortie devant être utilisée en cas d'urgence, avec des dispositifs d'éclairage linéaires ayant des aspects directionnels le long de halls afin de guider les personnes évacuées vers une sortie, et d'autres dispositifs d'éclairage délimitant le périmètre de portails par lesquels il n'est pas dangereux de sortir.
PCT/US2014/058416 2008-12-12 2014-09-30 Système et procédés d'éclairage de voie de sortie d'urgence WO2015048782A1 (fr)

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US14/851,979 US9689542B2 (en) 2008-12-12 2015-09-11 Emergency exit route illumination system and methods

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US201361884485P 2013-09-30 2013-09-30
US61/884,485 2013-09-30

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WO2017069788A1 (fr) * 2015-10-21 2017-04-27 Kinkade Clifford Assistance visuelle de sécurité incendie
CN107316443A (zh) * 2017-06-30 2017-11-03 合肥久能图文科技有限公司 一种基于互联网的智能消防广播系统
CN108819884A (zh) * 2018-05-30 2018-11-16 江铃汽车股份有限公司 一种车联网终端电源控制方法
WO2020257855A1 (fr) * 2019-06-28 2020-12-30 Wat Export Import Pty Limited Dispositif et procédé pour indiquer une issue de secours

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* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2017069788A1 (fr) * 2015-10-21 2017-04-27 Kinkade Clifford Assistance visuelle de sécurité incendie
CN107316443A (zh) * 2017-06-30 2017-11-03 合肥久能图文科技有限公司 一种基于互联网的智能消防广播系统
CN108819884A (zh) * 2018-05-30 2018-11-16 江铃汽车股份有限公司 一种车联网终端电源控制方法
CN108819884B (zh) * 2018-05-30 2022-01-25 江铃汽车股份有限公司 一种车联网终端电源控制方法
WO2020257855A1 (fr) * 2019-06-28 2020-12-30 Wat Export Import Pty Limited Dispositif et procédé pour indiquer une issue de secours

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