MULTI-SENSOR DETECTION SYSTEM

SYSTEME DE DETECTION A CAPTEURS MULTIPLES

English Abstract

An alarm for sensing different conditions of an
ambient air presents a housing for an alarm circuit, the housing
having lobes for first, second and third circuit sensors
surrounding a single circuit alarm. The alarm circuit delivers
the current to a logic chip which produces a current for sounding
the alarm in different patterns according to the sensed air
condition. The configuration of the housing depends the alarm
below the housing proper so as not to interfere with the alarm
sound. The housing allows the installation of three air
condition sensors at one selected location.

French Abstract

Alarme conçue pour détecter différentes conditions de l'air ambiant. L'alarme comporte un logement, renfermant un circuit d'alarme, constitué de lobes pour un premier, un second et un troisième circuits de détection entourant un seul circuit d'alarme. Ce dernier transmet un courant à une puce logique qui peut générer différents courants de déclenchement d'alarme en vue de produire différents signaux d'alarme correspondant fonction de la condition d'air détectée. Afin de ne pas gêner le signal sonore, le logement est construit de sorte que l'alarme est placée sous le corps principal de ce dernier. Le logement permet d'installer trois détecteurs de condition d'air dans un endroit sélectionné.

Claims

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THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:-


1. An alarm for sensing a plurality of conditions of
an ambient air comprising:
a housing, said housing having a generally triangular
configuration and including:
first, second and third lobes at corners of said
housing;
perforations in a lower surface of said housing and
at said lobes for passage of the ambient air
therethrough;
a perforated central portion in said lower surface
of said housing for passage of sound
therethrough;
an alarm circuit in said housing comprising:
a power source for said circuit;
an alarm adjacent said central portion of said
housing;
an air sensor in each respective lobe, each sensor
causing a particular current flow to sound said
alarm upon sensing a predetermined condition of
the ambient air, the alarm sound passing through
said central portion.





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2. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said
alarm circuit further comprises logic means intermediate said
sensors and said alarm, said logic means delivering a current to
energize said alarm according to said particular current flow
received from said sensors.


3. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein one of
said sensors monitors a carbon monoxide condition of the ambient
air.


4. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein one of
said sensors monitors a temperature condition of the ambient air.


5. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein one of
said sensors monitors a smoke condition of the ambient air.


6. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said
alarm circuit further comprises at least one solar cell
interposed in said housing between said housing lobes for
converting outside light energy into electrical energy for
charging said power source.


7. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said
central portion of said housing depends below said lobes, whereby
said housing does not interfere with said alarm sound.




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8. A device for containing an alarm circuit
comprising:
a housing, said housing having a generally triangular
configuration and including:
first, second and third lobes at corners of said
housing for containing ambient air sensors of
the alarm circuit;
apertures in a lower surface of said housing and at
said lobes for passage of the ambient air
therethrough and onto the sensors;
a perforated central portion in said lower surface
of said housing for passage of sound
therethrough from an alarm of the circuit; and
means for mounting said housing to a selected
surface.


9. The device as claimed in claim 8 wherein said
central portion depends below said lobes.

10. The device as claimed in claim 8 wherein said
housing further comprises a sidewall extending between said
lobes, said sidewall presenting an aperture between said lobes
for entry of light therethrough and onto a solar cell of the
circuit.




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11. An alarm for sensing a plurality of conditions
of an ambient air comprising:
a housing, said housing having a configuration presenting a
plurality of spaced apart lobes;
perforations in said lobes for passage of the ambient air
therethrough;
a perforated central portion in said lower surface of said
housing encompassed by said lobes for passage of sound
therethrough;
an alarm circuit in said housing comprising:
a power source for said circuit;
an alarm adjacent said central portion of said
housing;
an ambient air sensor respectively positioned in
each lobe, each of said sensors causing a
particular current flow to sound upon sensing a
predetermined condition of the ambient air, the
alarm sound passing through said central
portion.


12. The system as claimed in claim 11 wherein said
alarm circuit further comprises logic means intermediate said
sensors and said alarm, said logic means delivering a current to
energize said alarm according to said particular current flow
received from said sensors.




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13. The system as claimed in claim 11 wherein one of
said sensors monitors a carbon monoxide condition of the ambient
air.


14. The system as claimed in claim 11 wherein one of
said sensors monitors a temperature condition of the ambient air.


15. The system as claimed in claim 11 wherein one of
said sensors monitors a smoke condition of the ambient air.


16. The system as claimed in claim 11 wherein said
circuit further comprises at least one solar cell interposed in
said housing between said housing lobes for converting outside
light energy into electrical energy for charging said power
source.

17. The system as claimed in claim 11 wherein said
central portion of said housing depends below said lobes, whereby
said housing does not interfere with said alarm sound.

Description

21 76397

MULTI-SENSOR DETECTION SYSTEM



BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a warning device and, more
particularly, to a housing for a warning system capable of
detecting the presence of various dangerous ambient air
conditions and providing a warning signal according to said
sensed conditions.
The use of various types of alarms to sense
potentially dangerous conditions in the home, such as carbon
monoxide, smoke and heat, are known. However, to simultaneously
sense all three conditions, it may be necessary to utilize three
separate devices which increases the overall costs. Moreover,
installation of these devices at a single site may be awkward,
if not impossible. Accordingly, it is desirable to have a device
which can incorporate at least three sensors and an alarm
circuit, the alarm sounding a different audio pattern according
to the condition being sensed. It is also desirable to enable
the power source of the device to be charged by outside light,
the housing of the system being able to receive solar or light
energy from various directions.
In response thereto I have invented a tri-modal
warning system having three units capable of detecting dangerous
conditions such as smoke, heat and carbon monoxide. The housing
enables the three sensing units to be simultaneously positioned
at a single location. Solar cells are located about the housing
which convert light into a trickle electrical charge delivered
to the alarm circuit's battery. An integrated circuit logic chip

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receives the current, as regulated by the sensors, and presents
an output current to the alarm in preselected patterns according
to the input current received.
Accordingly, it is a general object of this invention
to provide a warning system capable of sensing a plurality of
dangerous conditions of the surrounding air.
It is another general object of this invention to
provide a warning system, as aforesaid, wherein the pattern of
the warning alarm will vary according to the sensed condition.

A further object of this invention is to provide a
warning system, as aforesaid, within a housing which effectively
posltlons a plurality of ambient air sensors at a common
location.
Still a further object of this invention is to
provide a warning system with housing, as aforesaid, the housing
presenting solar cells for convertlng light into energy for the
internal power source of the system.
A further object of this invention is to provide a
warning system, as aforesaid, wherein the sensing units can be
selected according to the desired conditions to be sensed.
A particular object of this invention is to provide
a housing which effectively contains an electrical warning system
activated by three sensors capable of detecting various
conditions of the ambient air.
Other objects and advantages of this invention will
become apparent from the following description taken in


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connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein is set forth
by way of illustration and example, an embodiment of this
invention.



BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the housing for the
alarm system generally from the underside thereof;
Fig. 2 is a side view of the housing of Fig. 1 and
showing the mounting apparatus in an exploded condition;
Fig. 3 is a top perspective view of the warning
system of Fig. l;
Fig. 4 i~ a ~ide elevation view of the mounting
brackets of the system on an enlarged and exploded scale~
Fig. 5 is a block diagram showing the components of
the warning system;
Fig. 6 is one electrical schematic diagram for the
warning system;
Fig. 7 is a view of the underside of the ceiling
mounting bracket; ,
Fig. 8 is a view of the top plate of the housing
mounting bracket.


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DESCRIPTION OF THE P~FERRED EMBODIMENT
Turnlng more particularly to the drawings, Fig. 1
illustrates a houslng 100 as generally comprlsing a trlangular
configuration presenting lobes 110, 120, 130 at the corners
thereof. The bottom surface 140 of the hou~lng presents
perforations 146 at these lobes 110, 120, 130 for passage of the
alr of the surrounding envlronment therethrough. Thls bottom
surface 140 presents a depending central portlon 142 of surface
140, this central portion 142 being disposed below the sldewall
144 of houslng 100 (Fig. 2). Perforations 302 for passage of
sound therethrough are in this central portion 142.
Interposed between the lobes 110, 120, 130 are solar
cells 9oo for converting light, as received from outside sources,
to electrlcal energy. Such energy trickle charges the power
source 910 of the assoclated alarm circultry, one form belng
shown in Fig. 6. As such one or more of the cells 900 can
receive outside light from various directions irrespective of the
mounted position of the housing 100.
The houslng 100 ls mounted to a ceiling or like by
means of a bracket assembly 170 attached to the ceiling bracket
160. The housing bracket assembly 170 extends from the top
surface 148 of housing 100, the length of extension of the
bracket 170 from hou~lng 100 surface 148 being ad~ustable by
rotation of a screw 172. Extending from the top plate 174 of
bracket 170 are a plurality of lugs 176, 178 and heads 177, 179.

Either lug 176, 178 18 designed to engage aperture 164 found


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within flange 166 extending from the plate 162 of bracket 160
(Fig. 8). The bolt heads 177, 179 engage apertures 167, 169
found in flanges 168a, 168b depending from plate 162 (Fig. 8).
Other methods of mounting the housing 100 to the ceiling may be
utilized.
As shown in Figs. 5 and 6, three sensor units 930,
940, 950 are utilized which can sense various conditions of the
ambient air passing through the lobe 110, 120, 130 perforations
142 such as carbon monoxide, smoke and heat. These sensors 930,
940, 950 are part of the alarm circuitry (Fig. 6) and are placed
in the various lobe portlons 110, 120, 130 of the housing 100
ad~acent perforations 142.
One form of alarm circuitry is shown in Fig. 6
wherein the sensors 930, 940, 950 receive current from power
source 910. Sensors 930, 940, 950 at a predesigned ambient air
condition will cause current to flow to an integrated circuit
logic chip 960. The delivered current value is varied by
resistors 932, 934. The integrated logic chip 960 will receive
the input current and regulate the output current to alarm 980.
The integrated chip may ~e made up of a combination of gates
and/or flip-fIops such that the output current from chip 960 at
982 will depend upon the input current at 932, 942, 952. Thus,
the pattern of current flow to the alarm 980 can be varied so
that the alarm 980 will sound in a pattern according to the type
of ambient air condition being sensed. (In lieu of chip 960


21 76097




various relays may be used which can vary the pattern of current
flow to alarm 980.)
The power for the Fig. 6 circuitry is provided by a
nickel cadmium battery 910, the current being delivered to the
sensors 930, 940, 950 through the normally closed circuit
deactivation switch 970. The solar cells soo as shown will
deliver a trickle charge through the diode 902 so as to assure
that the power is avallable to keep sensors 930, 940, 950 ln a
ready state. It i~ understood that various forms of other

circuitry may be utilized.
The use of the trlangular housing enables the sensors
930, 940~ 950 to be easily spaced about a central alarm, the
sensors being part of an alarm circuit stored within houslng 100.
Moreover, the depending alarm at 142 assures that the sound waves
of the alarm 980 will pro~ect beyond the housing.
It is to be understood that while a certain form of
this inventlon has been lllustrated and described, it is no~
llmited thereto except insofar as such limitations are included
in the following claims and allowable functional equivalents
thereof.

Representative Drawing