Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
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SYSTEM AND METHOD TO IMPROVE EMERGENCY RESPONSE TIME
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is related to United States Patent Application No.
16/425,151, titled
SYSTEM AND METHOD TO IMPROVE EMERGENCY RESPONSE TIME, filed on May 29,
2019.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Aspects of the present invention generally relate to fire detection
and/or notification systems
for buildings and, more particularly, a fire detection/notification system and
method for detecting
and responding to emergencies and other related incidents within a building
environment.
BACKGROUND
[0003] In the event of any emergency, response time is critical. Emergency
response time is
especially important for systems that detect weapons discharge, such as
gunshot detection, because
the majority of shooting events end within 12 minutes. Delays in notifying
emergency responders
may have a substantial impact on the victims of the events. Thus, emergency
response time must be
minimized in order to save lives, and building occupants must be notified as
quickly as possible.
[0004] Generally, fire detection and/or notification systems provide fire-
related monitoring and
protection services for a building. Modern fire detection/notification systems
may be automated and
include various components distributed throughout the building for detecting
fire-related hazards,
such as fire, smoke, or combustion, and alerting occupants of the building.
Components of the fire
detection/notification system may include heat detectors, smoke detectors, CO
detectors,
CO2 detectors, motion detectors, alarms, sirens, annunciators, power supplies,
displays, monitors,
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control panels, air samplers, extinguishers, valves, actuators, call switches
and/or other devices used
for detecting hazards within the building. The system may report a hazard by
sounding an alarm
and/or notifying a fire detection/notification agent, such as a local fire
detection/notification
organization and/or trigger an appropriate corrective action, such as
activating an extinguishing
system.
[0005] A security system may be integrated with the fire
detection/notification system to provide
security-related services for the building, in addition to the fire-related
services. The security system
may include components different from the fire detection/notification system
to provide access
control, intrusion detection, and video surveillance of selected areas of the
building. Even so, the
security system is similar to the fire detection/notification system in that
the security system may
report a hazard by sounding an alarm and/or notifying a security agent, such
as a home security
service. Since the security system reports the hazard in a manner similar to
the fire
detection/notification system, the integration of the security system with the
fire
detection/notification system results in operational synergies and
efficiencies. On the other hand, the
integration of the two systems is challenging due to the differences between
the systems, i.e.,
detection of fire-related hazards vs. detection of security-related hazards.
[0006] Existing systems for detecting weapons discharge do not integrate well
with fire
detection/notification systems. Most buildings already have some form of fire
detection/notification
system and, for those buildings that do not include any type of system, an
existing fire
detection/notification system may be easily installed efficiently and
economically. There may be an
undue financial and timing burden in installing a second system to detect
other emergencies, such as
a weapons discharge detecting system.
SUMMARY
[0007] Briefly described, a fire detection and/or notification system of a
commercial or residential
facility may be enhanced to detect other emergencies, such as detecting a
weapons discharge. The
fire detection/notification system and method combine fire
detection/notification with weapons
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discharge protection. The fire detection/notification system and method may
also provide services
for other emergency indicators such as break-ins, occupant falling and calling
for help, water left
running, vehicle starting in garage/lot (indicating theft), and other acoustic
abnormalities. The fire
detection/notification and the weapons discharge system may share common
functions such as, but
not limited to, common circuitry for communicating with emergency responders.
These functions of
fire detection/notification and weapons discharge are combined in a single
fire detection/notification
system to provide greater visibility and ease of use as well as to minimize
costs and implementation
time.
[0008] One aspect is fire detection/notification system for detecting a
weapons discharge
comprising a network and a control panel. The network includes multiple
devices, and each device
of the multiple devices includes a fire-related detection sensor and a weapons
discharge sensor. The
control panel is connected to the network. The control panel is configured to
identify a fire-related
hazard detected by the fire-related detection sensor and produce a first alert
signal in response to
identifying the fire-related hazard. The control panel is configured to
identify a weapons discharge
hazard detected by the weapons discharge sensor and produce a second alert
signal in response to
identifying the weapons discharge hazard. The control panel includes an output
circuit configured to
communicate with one or more emergency responder devices external to the fire
detection/notification system in response to receiving the first alert signal,
the second alert signal, or
both signals.
[0009] Another aspect is a method of a fire detection/notification system for
detecting a weapons
discharge in which the system including a network of devices and a control
panel. A device of the
network of devices generates first data associated with a fire-related hazard.
The device of the
network of devices generates second data associated with a weapons discharge
hazard. The device
of the network of devices transmits the first data, the second data, or both
sets of data to a control
panel connected to the network. The control panel identifies a fire-related
hazard based on the first
data and produces a first alert signal in response to identifying the fire-
related hazard. The control
panel identifies a weapons discharge hazard based on the second data and
produces a second alert
signal in response to identifying the weapons discharge hazard. The system
communicates with one
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or more emergency responder devices external to the fire
detection/notification system in response
to the first alert signal, the second alert signal, or both signals.
[0009a] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a
fire
detection/notification system for detecting a weapons discharge comprising: a
network including a
plurality of devices, each device of the plurality of devices including a fire-
related detection sensor
and a weapons discharge sensor; and a control panel connected to the network,
wherein: the control
panel is configured to identify a fire-related hazard detected by the fire-
related detection sensor and
produce a first alert signal in response to identifying the fire-related
hazard; and the control panel is
configured to identify a weapons discharge hazard detected by the weapons
discharge sensor and
produce a second alert signal in response to identifying the weapons discharge
hazard, the control
panel includes a module card cage capable of supporting a plurality of module
cards, and the module
card cage includes a weapons discharge module card, the weapons discharge
module card is
configured to identify the weapons discharge hazard based on data generated by
the weapons
discharge sensor and produce the second alert signal in response to
identifying the weapons
discharge hazard, wherein the control panel includes an output circuit
configured to communicate
with at least one emergency responder device external to the fire
detection/notification system in
response to receiving at least one of the first alert signal or the second
alert signal.
[0009b] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is
provided a method of a fire
detection/notification system for detecting a weapons discharge, the fire
detection/notification
system including a network of devices and a control panel, the method
comprising: installing a
weapons discharge module card to a module card cage of the control panel;
configuring the weapons
discharge module card to perform a function of identifying a weapons discharge
hazard based on
second data; configuring the weapons discharge module card to produce a second
alert signal in
response to identifying the weapons discharge hazard; generating, at a device
in said network of
devices, first data associated with a fire-related hazard; generating, at the
device, the second data
associated with the weapons discharge hazard; transmitting, from the device,
at least one of the first
data or the second data to the control panel connected to the network;
identifying, at the control
panel, the fire-related hazard based on the first data; producing, at the
control panel, a first alert
signal in response to identifying the fire-related hazard; identifying, at the
control panel, the
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weapons discharge hazard based on the second data; producing, at the control
panel, the second alert
signal in response to identifying the weapons discharge hazard; and
communicating with at least one
emergency responder device external to the fire detection/notification system
in response to at least
one of the first alert signal or the second alert signal.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF TH ______________________ E DRAWINGS
[0010] For a more complete understanding of the present disclosure, and the
advantages thereof,
reference is now made to the following descriptions taken in conjunction with
the accompanying
drawings, wherein like numbers designate like objects.
[0011] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a fire detection and/or notification
system for detecting a
weapons discharge in accordance with the present invention.
[0012] FIG. 2 is another schematic diagram of another fire
detection/notification system for
detecting a weapons discharge in accordance with the present invention.
[0013] FIGs. 3A, 3B, and 3C are perspective views of an example devices that
may be utilized for
the fire detection/notification systems represented by FIGs. 1 and 2.
[0014] FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of an example control panel that
may be utilized for
the fire detection/notification system represented by FIGs. 1 and 2.
[0015] FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an example control panel, and associated
input and output
devices, that may be utilized for the fire detection/notification system
represented by FIGs. 1 and 2.
[0016] FIG. 6 is a front planar view representing an example display of a
mobile device based on
example communications with the fire detection/notification system in
accordance with the present
invention.
[0017] FIG. 7 is a flow diagram representing an example operation of the fire
detection/notification
system in accordance with the present invention.
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0018] To facilitate an understanding of embodiments, principles, and features
of the present
invention, they are explained hereinafter with reference to implementation in
illustrative
embodiments. In particular, they are described in the context of a weapons
discharge detection
system integrated with a fire detection and/or notification system.
Embodiments of the present
invention, however, are not limited to use in the described devices or
methods.
[0019] The components and materials described hereinafter as making up the
various embodiments
are intended to be illustrative and not restrictive. Many suitable components
and materials that
would perform the same or a similar function as the materials described herein
are intended to be
embraced within the scope of embodiments of the present invention.
[0020] The fire detection and/or notification system (also known as fire
detection/notification
system and fire alatin system) and method described herein combines fire
detection/notification with
one or more other emergency related features, such as weapons discharge
protection. Since fire
detection/notification systems are common and readily available, some
embodiments of the system
and method are directed to a fire detection/notification system including, or
retrofitting existing
systems with, weapons discharge detection features and utilize existing
functions of fire
detection/notification systems. For example, fire detection/notification
systems may already include
fire-related sensors, such as smoke detectors, so a fire
detection/notification system may include
audio sensors and a weapons discharge detection circuit to integrate weapons
discharge protection
feature. Also, the system may further include additional sensors, such as
infrared ("IR") sensors,
thermal sensors, pressure/shock sensors, fiber optics sensors, or additional
audio sensors, to reduce
false positives and/or false negatives. Thus, the fire detection/notification
system is an enhancement
of existing systems, which may include smoke detectors, duct detectors, pull
stations, horn/speaker
strobes, and the like, by including the additional features of detecting
weapons discharge, alerting
occupants of the discharge, and notify emergency responders. For some
embodiments, the fire
detection/notification portion of the system and the weapons discharge portion
of the system may
share common functions, such as a common output circuit for communicating with
emergency
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responders, and the use of the one fire detection/notification system for
these functions provides
greater visibility and ease of use than separate systems. In addition,
integration of weapons detection
with existing systems may minimize costs and implementation time. Further
advantages of the fire
detection/notification system described herein may be realized via service
upgrades, product
updates, and migrations as well as test and inspection opportunities.
[0021] In addition, some embodiments of the fire detection/notification system
and method may
include, or retrofit existing systems with, wireless mesh networks. In
particular, wireless devices
may be positioned throughout a commercial or residential facility and
communicate with each other
to form the wireless mesh network. Each wireless device may transmit
information associated with
itself and serve as a relay for other wireless devices of the wireless mesh
network, as well as the
remainder of the fire detection/notification system. Since each wireless
device utilizes the wireless
mesh network, the wireless device may be positioned anywhere within a facility
where a wired,
wireless, or portable power source is available.
[0022] The fire detection/notification system, particularly the weapons
discharge feature, may detect
various types of threats or safety issues such as, but not limited to, glass
breakage, forced portal
entries, accident detection, calls for assistance, extended operation of short
duration appliances,
initiation of vehicles at unusual times or locations, acoustic detection of
emergency events (such as
fire and explosions), and the like. The weapons discharge feature of the fire
detection/notification
system may further collect other information that may be useful for evaluating
threats or safety
issues such as, but not limited to, machine failures (e.g., unexpected noise),
occupancy of the
facility, or other abnormalities at the facility.
[0023] The fire detection/notification system can eventually also integrate
with other systems of the
building management system, such as access control, surveillance and building
automation. The fire
detection/notification system operates in conjunction with one or more other
systems to create a
response from the facility, such as closing and potentially locking doors in
areas that do not contain
the threat. The fire detection/notification system may also be accessible to
facility occupants for
improved situation awareness and simplified mass notification in order to save
lives.
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[0024] The fire detection/notification system and method described herein
combines fire
detection/notification with weapons discharge protection. In particular, the
fire detection/notification
system performs the function of multiple systems by combining a system of fire
detection/notification and mass notification with a weapons discharge
detection system. For some
embodiments, the fire detection/notification system allows for leveraging some
components of
existing infrastructure, such as alert notification devices and circuitry for
communicating with
emergency responders, without the need for separate systems for fire
detection/notification and
weapons discharge detection.
[0025] Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a fire detection/notification
system 100 for detecting a
weapons discharge. The fire detection/notification system 100 includes a
communication bus 102 to
facilitate communications among various components, such as a control panel
104 and a
management device 106. The control panel 104 is a device that identifies a
fire-related hazards
based on data received from fire-related input devices and manages fire-
related output devices based
on the identified fire-related hazard. As explained in detail below, the
control panel 104 also
identifies the weapons discharge based on data generated by weapons discharge
sensors and
manages weapons discharge output devices based on the identified weapons
discharge hazard. The
management device 106, such as a workstation and/or server, sets and/or
changes the functions of
the various components communicating via the communication bus 102, such as
control panel 104.
[0026] The other components, such as outside device 108, may communicate
indirectly with
components of the fire detection/notification system 100 via a communication
network 110.
Examples of the outside devices include, but are not limited to, remote
terminals for receiving,
provide, or exchanging data as well as other building management systems for
controlling comfort
functions, such as temperature, humidity, ventilation, lighting, security, and
the like. Other examples
of outside devices include, but are not limited to, building functions such as
alerts, alarms, door
opening/closing, and the like. While a brief description of the fire
detection/notification system 100
is provided below, it is to be understood that the fire detection/notification
system described herein
is only one example of a particular form or configuration for the fire
detection/notification system
and the system may be implemented in any other suitable manner without
departing from the scope
of this disclosure.
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[0027] For the embodiment represented by FIG. 1, the fire
detection/notification system 100
provides connectivity to subsystems for various fire safety parameters. For
example, control panel
104 may be communicating via wired or wireless link with various advanced
devices 112 or basic
devices, such as Notification Appliance Circuit ("NAC") devices 114 and other
basic devices 116,
for monitoring and controlling fire detection/notification for areas within a
commercial or residential
facility or a group of facilities. Examples of advanced devices include, but
are not limited to, smart
detectors 118, conventional detectors 120, air duct devices 122, input/output
modules 124, and pull
stations 126. NAC devices 114 notify occupants of a facility about a fire or
other life-threatening
emergency. The NAC is a physical wire loop that provides power to NAC devices
114, so the NAC
supervises the wires that make up the circuit as opposed to the devices
themselves. The circuit
extends from the control panel 104 to the NAC devices 114 located within the
facility as connected
by the physical wire loop. Examples of the notification appliances includes,
but are not limited to,
strobes 128, horns 130, chimes, bells 132, klaxons, and speakers. Other basic
devices 116 are similar
to the NAC devices 114 but require more management than mere power control,
such as speakers
that require audio signals for providing dynamic sounds and announcements. It
is to be understood
that the fire detection/notification system 100 may comprise any suitable
number of any of
components 112-138 based on particular configurations for each facility or
group of facilities.
[0028] The fire detection/notification system 100 further includes devices and
components for
integration of weapons discharge features. In particular, the advanced devices
112 may include
wired or wireless devices having fire-related detection sensors and weapons
discharge sensors and
the control panel 104 may include one or more weapons discharge circuits to
communicate with the
wired or wireless devices, respond by managing other devices and components of
the fire
detection/notification system, and communicate with an emergency responder
device external to the
fire detection/notification system.
[0029] The fire detection/notification system 100 may include security to
protect communications
among devices and components as well as communications with outside devices.
For example, the
communications may be encrypted, and each device may be identified by signed
credentials. The
security may facilitate prevention of spoofing of signals by a perpetrator and
suppression of
detection of events or eavesdropping on signals by the perpetrator.
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[0030] Referring to FIG. 2, there is shown another fire detection/notification
system for detecting a
weapons discharge. The fire detection/notification system includes a network
202, a control panel
204, and an output device 206. Examples of networks 202 include wired
networks, wireless mesh
networks, or a combination of wired and wireless networks). The network 202
includes multiple
wired or wireless devices 208 having capabilities for communication with each
other via wired or
wireless intra-network links 210. Examples of devices 208 include, but are not
limited to, weapons
discharge detection devices and smoke detection devices. The wireless
communications may include
multi-band wireless communication to hinder an external party, such as a
perpetrator, from blocking
frequencies and to offer greater resilience to outside interference. Each
device 208 may include a
wireless communication module configured to communicate via the network. 202.
Examples of the
wireless communication capabilities include, but are not limited to, satellite-
based communications,
cellular-based communications and their variants, and wireless local area
network (WLAN)
communication and their variants. Examples of WLAN communications include, but
are not limited
to, IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), Bluetoothmi, BLE, and ZigBeeTm.
Wireless
communications may further include other forms of communication such as
microwave or infrared
technology (IR). One or more of the devices may also utilize, in addition to
or in the alternative,
wired technology for communication, such as transmission of data over a
physical conduit, e.g., an
electrical cable or optical fiber cable. Each device 208 transmits information
detected by one or
more of its sensors and serves as a relay for other devices of the network
202. If any device fails to
function, the network is not compromised; the network will continue to
function irrespective of the
non-working device or devices.
[0031] Each device 208 also requires a power source for enabling sensor
operation, wireless
communication (and wired communication, if applicable), and other functions of
the device. The
power source for each device 208 may be a wired electrical connection, a
wireless power transfer
("WPT"), or a portable connection (such as a battery).
[0032] Each device 208 further includes wired or wireless communication
capabilities, via the wired
or wireless communication module or another component of the device, for
communication via
inter-device links 212 with the control panel 204. The examples of
communication capabilities for
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intra-network links 210, described above, may also apply for communications
via the inter-device
links 212 with the control panel 204.
[0033] The control panel 204 includes input components configured to receive
inputs 214-220 from
various input devices of the fire detection/notification system 200. Examples
of inputs to the control
panel 204 include, but are not limited to, a smoke detector input 214, a pull
input 216, a heat input
218, and a tamper input 220. The inputs 214-220 received by the control panel
204 may be
processed by various components of the control panel. For example, the control
panel 204 includes
one or more line cards or module cards 222 that process the inputs 214-220 by
themselves or in
conjunction with other circuits of the control panel.
[0034] The control panel 204 may include a module card 222 configured to
receive input relating to
the weapons discharge. The module card 222 may also be capable of detecting
and reacting to other
acoustic abnormalities that may indicate one or more hazards. The input may be
received via an
input component of the control panel 204 or directly via a wireless link 224
to a weapons discharge
module card 226, which is one of the modules cards 222 of the control panel.
The weapons
discharge module card 226 may include a wireless receiver 228 for wireless
communication with the
network 202. The weapons discharge module card 226 may also be configured to
identify the
weapons discharge based on data received from one or more devices 208 of the
network and
produce an alert signal in response to identifying the weapons discharge and,
for some
embodiments, to the potentially changing location of the weapons discharge as
well.
[0035] An output circuit 230 of the control panel 204 may communicate with an
emergency
responder device 232 external to the fire detection/notification system 200 in
response to receiving
the alert signal from the weapons discharge module card 226. The output
circuit 230 of the control
panel 204 is configured to communicate with one or more output devices 206,
such as an internet
communicator, a cellular dialer, a plain old telephone system or landline
("POTS"), and/or a radio.
The output circuit 230 of the control panel 204 may communicate with the
output device(s) 206 via
a wired connection or a wireless external link 234. The output circuit 230 of
the control panel 204 is
configured to communicate with the emergency responder device(s) 232 in
response to receiving the
alert signal from the weapons discharge module card 226. The output circuit
230 of the control panel
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204 may also communicate with building occupants via phone or computer and
send building alerts
and controls.
[0036] For some embodiments, processing of a weapons discharge hazard may be
performed, in part
or entirely, at a device of the network of devices. In addition to the control
panel 204, processing
may be executed at the detection unit; at the smart base; at the detection
unit and the smart base; at
the detection unit and the control panel; at the smart base and the control
panel; or at the detection
unit, the smart base, and the control panel. For example, each component or a
combination of these
components may be configured to identify the weapons discharge based on data
received from one
or more devices of the network and produce an alert signal in response to
identifying the weapons
discharge. By performing some or all processing at the device, bandwidth
requirements across the
network for communications between one or more devices and the control panel
may be minimized.
In addition, objections by users and occupants about privacy concerns may also
be minimized. For
example, instead of forwarding detected audio in a proximal environment to the
control panel, each
device may process the detected audio by matching the detected audio to one or
more audio profiles
stored at the device and verify the weapons detection hazard with a secondary
weapons detection
sensor. In that manner, the device may communicate a result of the processing,
or a processed
version of the detected audio, to the control panel.
[0037] FIG. 3A illustrates an example device 300 of a network that may be
utilized for the fire
detection/notification systems. The device 300 includes a smart base 302 and a
detection unit 304
removably coupled to the smart base. The smart base 302 includes a base
housing 306 to protect the
inner components from external elements, and the detection unit 304 includes a
unit housing 308
and a detector hood 310 to protect the inner components from external
elements. A gap 312 between
the unit housing 308 and the detector hood 310 allows for air flow through an
inner chamber of the
device 300. The detector hood 310 includes two or more protrusions 314 for
releasable attachment
to a lower end of the unit housing 308 to position a non-protrusion portion of
the detector hood 310
a fixed distance from the lower end of the unit housing. Each protrusion 314
of the detector hood
310 may further include an aperture 316 to facilitate airflow through the
inner chamber and/or
flexibility of the protrusion for attachment to, and detachment from, the
lower end of the unit
housing 308.
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[0038] The device 300 further includes and supports hazard detection sensors
318, in the smart base
302, the detection unit 304, or both, to identify any weapons discharge.
Examples of hazard
detection sensors include, but are not limited to, a fire-related detection
sensor, a first weapons
discharge sensor, a second weapons discharge sensor. Examples of hazard
detection sensors may
also include, but are not limited to, additional sensors for other acoustic
abnormalities and other
sensors for detecting one or more hazards. A fire-related detection sensor is
any type of sensor that
may be used to detect a hazard associated with fire detection/notification
systems, such as a smoke
detector. A weapons discharge sensor is any type of sensor that may be used to
detect a hazard
associated with weapons detection systems, such as an audio sensor to listen
for gunshot-based
sounds. One or more sensor apertures 320 may be included in the smart base 302
and/or detection
unit 304 to facilitate or enhance operation of associated sensors adjacent to
the sensor aperture.
[0039] FIG. 3B illustrates core components of an example device 340 that may
be utilized for the
fire detection/notification systems in which many lesser components are
omitted for ease of
understanding. The example device 340 includes a smart base 342 that may be
installed to an
existing fire alarm system that already includes smoke detectors or similar
devices. The example
device 340 may be retrofitted to an existing system to facilitate the addition
of weapons discharge
detection features and utilize existing functions of fire systems. For
example, a simple base may be
swapped-out for a smart base 342 of the example device 340, as well as changes
to other
components of the system such as the control panel, to retrofit the system
with weapons discharge
detection features.
[0040] As shown in FIG. 3B, the example device 340 includes the smart base 342
that may be
affixed to a building structure 344, such as a ceiling or wall, as well as a
detection unit 346 that may
be removably attached to the smart base. For the embodiment shown in FIG. 3B,
the smart base 342
may include a first weapons discharge sensor 350 and a second weapons
discharge sensor 352, and
the detection unit 346 may include a fire-related detection sensor 348.
Examples of a fire-related
detection sensor 348 may include an ionization or photoelectric sensor such as
a smoke detector.
Examples of a first weapons discharge sensor 350 may include an audio input
sensor such as a
microphone, and examples of a second weapons discharge sensor 352 may include
any type of
sensor to supplement the first weapons discharge sensor such as an infrared
sensor. Specific
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examples of the second weapons discharge sensor include audio sensors and non-
audio sensors.
Examples of audio sensors include, but are not limited to, a glass breakage
sensor, a portal intrusion
sensor, a request for assistance sensor, an unattended appliance sensor, a
machine failure sensor, and
an occupancy sensor. Examples of non-audio sensors include, but are not
limited to, an infrared
sensor (as identified above), a thermal sensor, a pressure sensor, a fiber
optics sensor, and a portal
status sensor.
[0041] The device 340, or a device separate from the network, may include a
thermal sensor or an
infrared ("IR") sensor to detect occupancy at determined locations throughout
a facility. By utilizing
the devices to detect people and their locations within a facility, the fire
detection/notification
system may facilitate the ability of emergency responders to locate
individuals, whether alive or not.
The devices and the other devices of the fire detection/notification system
may also identify and/or
determine the status of these individuals, such as the occupants who are
injured, dead or hiding. The
fire detection/notification system may further utilize the occupancy
information to locate and attend
to injured or hiding individuals as soon as possible once the hazard situation
has been cleared.
[0042] For some embodiments, the smart base 342 of the device 340 may include
a wireless
communication module 354 configured to communicate via a network 356. The
wireless
communication module 354 may be located in the smart base 342, as opposed to
the detection unit,
in order to provide certain benefits to the device 340 and the fire
detection/notification system. By
including the wireless communication module 354 in the smart base 342,
wireless communication
capabilities may be added to a detection unit that is only capable of wired
communications during
installation or post-installation modifications. Thus, for these embodiments,
the smart base 342 also
provides easy installation and positioning of a detection unit at desirable
and/or optimal locations of
a commercial or residential facility. Further, a network may continue to
operate even if the detector
unit of the device 340 is disabled. For example, a perpetrator may attempt to
disable the fire
detection/notification system or the weapons discharge feature by removing the
detector unit from
the smart base 342 or otherwise damaging the detector unit. The smart base 342
may continue to
operate while the detector unit is disable so the network will not be
compromised. Also, even if the
smart base 342 is disabled by the perpetrator, the network may continue to
operate by routing
signals through other devices, thereby bypassing the disabled smart base.
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[0043] FIG. 3C illustrates core components of another example device 370 that
may be utilized for
the fire detection/notification systems in which, similar to the example
device 340 of FIG. 3B, many
lesser components are omitted for ease of understanding. The example device
370 includes a base
372 that may be affixed to a building structure 374 and a detection unit 376
that may be removably
attached to the base. The example device 370 may be retrofitted to an existing
system to facilitate
the addition of weapons discharge detection features and utilize existing
functions of fire systems.
For example, an existing smoke detector may be swapped-out for a detection
unit 376 of the
example device 370, as well as changes to other components of the system such
as the control panel,
to retrofit the system with weapons discharge detection features.
[0044] As shown in FIG. 3C, the detection unit 376 of the example device 370
may include a fire-
related detection sensor 378, a first weapons discharge sensor 380, and a
second weapons discharge
sensor 382. Examples of the fire-related detection sensor 378, the first
weapons discharge sensor
380, and the second weapons discharge sensor 382, as well as the audio sensors
and non-audio
sensors of the second weapons discharge sensor, are similar to those sensors
described above for the
example device 340 of FIG. 3B. In addition, the device 370, or a device
separate from the network,
may include a thermal sensor or an infrared ("IR") sensor to detect occupancy
at determined
locations throughout a facility for the advantages described above with
respect to example device
340 of FIG. 3B.
[0045] The base 372 of the device 370 may include a wireless communication
module 384
configured to communicate via a network 386. The wireless communication module
384 may be
located in the base 372, as opposed to the detection unit, in order to provide
certain benefits to the
device 370 and the fire detection/notification system. By including the
wireless communication
module 384 in the base 372, wireless communication capabilities may be added
to a detection unit
that is only capable of wired communications during installation or post-
installation modifications.
The base 372 also provides other advantages due to its ease of installation
and positioning, ability of
continual operation similar to the smart base 342 of the example device 340 of
FIG. 3B.
[0046] Referring to FIG. 4, there is shown an example control panel 400 that
may be utilized for the
fire detection/notification system. The control panel 400 includes a back box
402, an inner door
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mounting plate 404, and an outer door 406, in which the outer door is
positioned over the inner door
mounting plate to secure and/or protect the inner door mounting plate adjacent
to the back box.
[0047] The back box 402 of the control panel 400 includes a module card cage
408, one or more
module cards (also known as line cards) 410, a power supply 412, and one or
more batteries 414.
The module card cage 408 is capable of supporting the module card or cards
410, such as the
weapons discharge module card. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 4, the
module card cage 408
may include multiple compartments in which each compaitinent includes an
electrical interface. A
module card 410 may be inserted in a particular compartment of the module card
cage 408 for
connecting with the corresponding electrical interface and communicating with
other components of
the fire detection/notification system, and the module card may be removed
from the particular
compartment for disconnecting from the corresponding electrical interface. The
weapons discharge
module card, in particular, may be configured to identify the weapons
discharge based on data
generated by the weapons discharge sensors and produce an alert signal in
response to identifying
the weapons discharge. The weapons discharge module card may also detect and
react to other
acoustic abnormalities that indicate one or more hazards. The power supply 412
provides electrical
power to the various components of the control panel 400, and the batteries
414 provide additional
electrical power to the various components where the electrical power provided
by the power supply
is insufficient.
[0048] The inner door mounting plate 404 includes a master microphone 416, a
master telephone
418, one or more control modules 420, and a user interface 422. The master
microphone 416 may be
used for one-way communications to speakers and other audio output devices of
the fire
detection/notification system to emit voice announcements. The master
telephone 418 may be used
for two-way communications with other two-way devices within, or in
communication with, the fire
detection/notification system. The control modules 420 configures the control
panel 400 for general
operations such as controlling output devices, input devices, fans, switches,
and lighting of the fire
detection/notification system that are connected to and managed by the control
panel. The user
interface 422 allows a user to interact, monitor, and control various
functions of the control panel
400, such as an operator interface.
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[0049] The outer door 406 of the control panel 400 provides general support
and protection of the
components of the back box 402 and the inner door mounting plate 404. The
outer door 406 also
provides access to certain components of the inner door mounting plate 404 to
a user. For example,
as shown in FIG. 4, the outer door 406 may include a first outer door opening
424 which provides
access to the master microphone 416, the master telephone 418, and the user
interface 422 of the
inner door mounting plate 404 and a second outer door opening 426 which
provides access to the
control modules 420 of the inner door mounting plate.
[0050] Referring to FIG. 5, there is shown a fire detection/notification
subsystem 500 of an example
control panel 504 and associated input devices 502 and output devices 506
communicating with the
control panel. Examples of the input devices 502 include, but are not limited
to, weapons
discharge/smoke detectors 508, manual stations 510, waterflow switches 512,
sprinkler supervisory
switches 514, light sensors 516, thermal sensors 518, pressure sensors 520,
and fiber optics 522.
Some or all of the input devices 502 may provide data to the control panel 504
that may be useful
for detecting and identifying a weapons discharge. For example, the light
sensors 516 may include
illumination, motion, detection, image, air quality, and occupancy detection
components that may
share environmental information with the control panel. Also, the thermal and
pressure sensors 518,
520 may detect thermal signatures and air pressure signatures, respectively,
to assist with
identification of the weapons discharge. In addition, fiber optics 522, such
as fiber optic cables, may
be positioned in walls, floors, ceilings, and/or other structures of a
facility may detect acoustic
waves travelling through the fiber optics and provide information about the
acoustic waves to the
control panel 504. The information about the acoustic waves may assist the
control panel 504 to
identify a weapons discharge in proximity to the fiber optics 522. Additional
sensors may be added,
or existing sensors may be enhanced to detect other hazards such as break-ins,
calls for help,
abnormal acoustics, etc.
[0051] The control panel 504 includes an initiating device circuit ("IDC")
524, one or more
processors 526, and one or more memory components 528. The initiating device
circuit 524 is
configured to receive signals from one or more initiating devices, such as
input devices 502, and
provide data to the processor 526 based on the received signals. The processor
526 may execute
code and process data received from other components of the control panel 504,
such as information
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received at the initiating device circuit 524 or stored at the memory
component 528. The code
associated with the fire detection/notification system, particularly the
weapons discharge feature,
and stored by the memory component 528 may include, but is not limited to,
operating systems,
applications, modules, drivers, and the like. An operating system includes
executable code that
controls basic functions of the control panel 504, such as interactions among
the various components
of the control panel, communication with responding devices via responding
device circuits, such as
NAC circuit 530 and auxiliary relay circuit 532, and storage/retrieval of
code/data to and from the
memory component 528. Each application includes executable code to provide
specific functionality
for the processor 526 and/or remainder of the control panel 504. Examples of
applications
executable by the processor 526 and stored by the memory component 528
include, but are not
limited to, fire detection/notification applications and weapons discharge
detection applications.
Data is information of the fire detection/notification system that may be
referenced and/or
manipulated by an operating system or application for performing functions of
the control panel
504. Examples of data associated with the fire detection/notification system
and stored by the
memory component 528 may include, but are not limited to, data received from
the initiating device
circuit 524 based on the input devices 502, data directed to the responding
device circuits 530, 532,
and data utilized by the weapons discharge module card to identify the weapons
discharge based on
the received data and produce an alert signal in response to identifying the
weapons discharge.
[0052] The processor 526 and the memory component 528 of the control panel 504
also represent
and include a module card cage capable of supporting multiple module cards,
such as the weapons
discharge module card (as shown in FIG. 2 and 4). The weapons discharge module
card may be
configured to identify the weapons discharge based on the data generated by
the weapons discharge
sensors of one or more input devices 502 and produce the alert signal in
response to identifying the
weapons discharge.
[0053] The control panel 504 may further include a user interface 534 and
wireless component 536.
For example, the user interface 534 may include a combination of hardware and
software to provide
a user with a desired user experience for managing the control panel 504. The
components of the
user interface may include a variety of video, audio, and/or mechanical
components. For example,
the user interface 220 may include one or more input components to allow the
user to enter
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information and one or more output components to provide information to the
user. The user
interface 534, or components thereof, may be separate from the control panel
504 such as an
annunciator panel in communication with the control panel 504. The wireless
component 536
provides additional wireless communications capabilities to the control panel
504, in addition to the
wireless communications for any wireless mesh network by the initiating device
circuit 524. For
example, the control panel 504 may include a weapons discharge module card
configured to receive
input relating to the weapons discharge, and the input may be received at the
initiating device circuit
524 or the wireless component 536 to provide information about the weapons
discharge to the
weapons discharge module card.
[0054] The processor 526 is configured to manage responding devices via the
responding device
circuits, namely NAC circuit 530 and the auxiliary relay circuit 532. The
processor 526 also contacts
one or more emergency responder devices via the output circuit 538 in response
to the signals
received from one or more initiating device, such as input devices 502, via
the initiating device
circuit 524. The output circuit 538 of the control panel 504 may utilize wired
or wireless
technologies to communicate with external devices associated with the
emergency responder
devices, such as an internet communicator, a cellular dialer, a plain old
telephone system or landline
("POTS"), or a radio. The wireless technologies may utilize multi-band
wireless communication to
hinder an external party, such as a perpetrator, from blocking frequencies and
to offer greater
resilience to outside interference. Examples of the wireless technologies for
communication include,
but are not limited to, satellite-based communications, cellular-based
communications and their
variants, and wireless local area network (WLAN) communication and their
variants. Examples of
WLAN communications include, but are not limited to, IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE
802.16
(WiMAX), Bluetooth', BLE, and ZigBee'. Wireless communications may further
include other
forms of communication such as microwave or infrared technology (IR). Examples
of the wired
technologies for communication include, but are not limited to, physical
conduits, such as an
electrical cable or optical fiber cable.
[0055] The control panel 504 may further comprise a power source, such as a
power supply 540
and/or portable batteries 542. The power source provides primary or auxiliary
power to the other
components of the control panel 504 of the fire detection/notification system.
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[0056] As stated above, the control panel 504 includes responding device
circuits to communicate
with the output devices 506 of the fire detection/notification subsystem 500.
A responding device
circuit may be, for example, the NAC circuit 530 or the auxiliary relay
circuit 532. Examples of the
output devices 506 include, but are not limited to, audible devices 544,
visible devices 546, HVAC
fans and dampers 548, door locks 550, mobile apps 552, and exit lighting 554.
Some or all of the
output devices 506 may receive signals from the control panel 504 that for
managing a situation
involving a weapons discharge. For example, the door locks 550 may secure
certain portals of a
facility in response to detection of a weapons discharge based on the location
of the perpetrator
and/or other occupants. Also, the control panel 504 may provide information
about the situation to
any communication device, such as a mobile device or a computer, within
communication range.
Further, the exit lighting 554 may be activated or controlled to provide
guidance to occupants of the
facility in response to detection of the weapons discharge.
[0057] As stated above, the control panel 504 may communicate with one or more
emergency
responder devices external to the fire detection/notification system via the
output circuit 538.
Examples of emergency responder devices external to the fire
detection/notification system include,
but are not limited to, a fire department 556, a law enforcement agency 558,
and a hospital facility.
For example, the control panel 504 may be configured to identify a fire-
related hazard based on first
data generated by the fire-related detection sensor and produce a first alert
signal in response to
identifying the fire-related hazard. In response, the output circuit 538 may
be configured to
communicate with the fire department 556 and the hospital facility in response
to receiving the first
alert signal. Similarly, the control panel 504 may be configured to identify
the weapons discharge
based on second data generated by the first and second weapons discharge
sensors and produce a
second alert signal in response to identifying the weapons discharge. In
response, the output circuit
538 may be configured to communicate with the law enforcement agency 558 and
the hospital
facility in response to receiving the second alert signal.
[0058] It is to be understood that FIG. 5 is provided for illustrative
purposes only to represent
examples of the components of an example control panel 504 and its associated
input and output
devices 502, 506, and is not intended to be a complete diagram of the various
components that may
be utilized by the panel and devices. Therefore, the control panel 504 may
include various other
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components not shown in FIG. 5, may include a combination of two or more
components, or a
division of a particular component into two or more separate components, and
still be within the
scope of the present invention.
[0059] Referring to FIG. 6, there is illustrated a communication device, such
as a mobile device
600, that may receive information about weapons discharge situation from the
fire
detection/notification system or, more particularly, the control panel of the
fire detection/notification
system. The mobile device 600 may include various basic components, such as an
earpiece 602, a
microphone 604, one or more sensors 606, and a display 608. The display 608 of
the mobile device
600 may include general information 610 for operation of the mobile device and
specific
information 612-634 about a weapons discharge situation. For some embodiments,
the specific
information may include helpful information about the weapons discharge
situation, such as an
importance indicator 612, incident status 614, perpetrator status 616, law
enforcement status 618,
and guidance 630 for the user of the mobile device 600. For some embodiments,
the specific
information may include the estimated time of arrival 622 by law enforcement
or other emergency
responders, information about establishing communication 624 with an emergency
contact and/or a
button or link 626 to establish communication with the emergency contact. For
some embodiments,
the specific information may include a map 628 of the facility impacted by the
weapons discharge.
The map 628 may or may not indicate one or more exit locations 630, a mobile
device location 632,
and/or one or more perpetrator locations 634.
[0060] Referring to FIG. 7, there is shown an example operation 700 of the
fire
detection/notification system for detecting a weapons discharge. As described
above, the fire
detection/notification system includes a network of devices and a control
panel. The network of
devices may be a wired network of wired devices or a wireless mesh network of
wireless devices.
The network of devices may be formed for the fire detection/notification
system, and one or more
control panels of the fire detection/notification system may be configured at
step 702. The network
of devices may be formed so that each device includes a fire-related detection
sensor, a first
weapons discharge sensor, and a second weapons discharge sensor. The control
panel may be
configured to perform a function of identifying the weapons discharge based
on, and in response to,
the data received from one or more devices. For example, a weapons discharge
module card may be
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installed to a module card cage of the control panel and the weapons discharge
module card may
then be configured to perform the function.
[0061] After forming the network of devices and configuring the control panel,
first data associated
with a fire-related hazard and second data associated with a weapons discharge
hazard may be
generated at a detection unit of each device at step 704. The first and second
data may be
transmitted, from a base or smart base of each device, to a control panel
connected by wired or
wireless connection to the network at step 706. A fire-related hazard is any
type of emergency
situation associated with fire detection/notification systems, such as
hazardous air quality detected
by a smoke detector. A weapons discharge hazard is any type of emergency
situation associated
with weapons detection systems, such as a hazardous gunshot-like sound
detected by an audio
sensor or another sensor.
[0062] After receiving the first and second data, the control panel identifies
a fire-related hazard
based on the first data at step 708 and produces a first alert signal in
response to identifying the fire-
related hazard at step 710. Also, after receiving the first and second data,
the control panel identifies
a weapons discharge based on the second data at step 708 and produces a second
alert signal in
response to identifying the weapons discharge at step 710. It is to be
understood that the first alert
signal, the second alert signal, or both alert signals may be produced by the
control panel at step
710. Regarding the second alert signal in particular, a weapons discharge
module card of the control
panel may identify the weapons discharge based on the second data and produce
the second alert
signal in response to identifying the weapons discharge.
[0063] After producing the alert signal or signals, the control panel may
communicate with one or
more emergency responder devices external to the fire detection/notification
system in response to
receiving the first alert signal, the second alert signal, or both signals, at
step 712. For example, the
control panel may communicate with a fire department in response to receiving
the first alert signal.
For another example, the control panel may communicate with a law enforcement
agency in
response to receiving the second alert signal. For yet another example, the
control panel may
communicate with the fire department and the law enforcement agency in
response to receiving the
first and second alert signals. The control panel may also communicate with
one or more
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communication devices, such as the mobile device illustrated by FIG. 6 or a
computer, in response
to the first alert signal, the second alert signal, or both signals. The
control panel may further send an
audible and visible alarm in the facility as well as control facility access
and portals.
[0064] Those skilled in the art will recognize that, for simplicity and
clarity, the full structure and
operation of all systems suitable for use with the present disclosure are not
being depicted or
described herein. Also, none of the various features or processes described
herein should be
considered essential to any or all embodiments, except as described herein.
Various features may be
omitted or duplicated in various embodiments. Various processes described may
be omitted,
repeated, performed sequentially, concurrently, or in a different order.
Various features and
processes described herein can be combined in still other embodiments as may
be described in the
claims.
[0065] It is important to note that while the disclosure includes a
description in the context of fully
functional systems, those skilled in the art will appreciate that at least
portions of the mechanism of
the present disclosure are capable of being distributed in the form of
instructions contained within a
machine-usable, computer-usable, or computer-readable medium in any of a
variety of forms, and
that the present disclosure applies equally regardless of the particular type
of instruction or signal
bearing medium or storage medium utilized to actually carry out the
distribution. Examples of
machine usable/readable or computer usable/readable mediums include:
nonvolatile, hard-coded
type mediums such as read only memories (ROMs) or erasable, electrically
programmable read only
memories (EEPROMs), and user-recordable type mediums such as floppy disks,
hard disk drives
and compact disk read only memories (CD-ROMs) or digital versatile disks
(DVDs).
[0066] Although an example embodiment of the present disclosure has been
described in detail,
those skilled in the art will understand that various changes, substitutions,
variations, and
improvements disclosed herein may be made without departing from the spirit
and scope of the
disclosure in its broadest form.
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