Patent Application
20070279242
While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms, there are shown in the drawing and will be described herein in detail specific embodiments thereof with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiments illustrated.
In accordance with the invention, directional sounders can be activated to provide coordinated audible patterns so as to assist individuals wishing to evacuate from a region travel along an evacuation path to a safe exit. In one aspect of the invention, activation signals can be sent to each member of plurality of directional sounders by a regional monitoring or fire safety network. Synchronized audio patterns can then be emitted. In a disclosed embodiment, these can be at least in part simultaneously output from a plurality of sounders. Preferably, sounders will be energized to emit outputs in multiples of a beat set by one member of the plurality. Sounders can be activated so as to emit audio at an increasing output rate along an evacuation path.
In another aspect of the invention, synchronized sequential patterns can be emitted from the members of a plurality of sounders. As the evacuee travels along the evacuation route, the audio indicia not only increase in rate along the path leading toward the exit, emissions from those members of a plurality at or adjacent to the proximal end of the path can cease while the emissions at the distal end of the path, heading toward the exit, continue with an increasing rate.
In yet another aspect of the invention adjacent sounders can be driven so as to always emit overlapping audio outputs at varying rates to guide the evacuee towards the exit. In accordance with the invention, pauses can be introduced in to the audible output sequence so as to provide separation for the emissions between temporally adjacent sounders. Pauses can be silent. Alternately, they can be, at least in part, filled with verbal instructions and/or information.
The directional sounders can be addressable in one aspect of the invention. Alternately, all of the sounders can be identical, without addressability. In this embodiment they can be selectively controlled using either individual control cables or, add-on wired or wireless address units which provide the required control signals to the respective sounder.
The members of the plurality, such as 30i can be installed throughout the region R in an arbituary fashion. Representative types of detectors include smoke detectors, gas detectors, fire detectors and the like all without limitation.
The members of the plurality 30 can be in wired or wireless communication with a fire alarm monitoring control unit indicated generally at 36. The unit 36 is in the vicinity of the region R.
One form of a directional sounder is marketed by the System Sensor Division of Honeywell International under the brand name “Exit Pointe”. Other broad brand directional sounders are also available in the market place. When activated member of groups of such device operate in a non-synchronized fashion to help evacuation or output paths. It will be understood that the Region of
The fire alarm monitoring control unit 36 is of a type which would generally be known to those of skill in the art. It might include one or more programmable processors 36a which execute control or monitoring software 36b. Additionally, the communications between the members of the plurality 30 and the control unit 36 would also be of a type generally known to those of skill in the art and need not be discussed further.
A plurality of directional sounders, indicated generally at 40 is also installed in the region R. It will be understood that the directional sounders, such as sounder 40i, might be the same as or comparable to the EXIT POINTE directional sounders noted above marketed by System Sensor Division of Honeywell International Inc. The members of plurality 40, for example, member 40i can be energized by and operated under the control of the unit 36. Control can be effected wired or wirelessly all without limitation and all such configurations come within the scope of the invention.
As illustrated in
The system 10 responds to a circumstance where a fire F has been detected by one or more members of the plurality 30 generally in a vicinity of the exit door E1. As described in more detail subsequently, while the individuals I1 and I2 in the region R are actually physically closer to the Exit E1, safer and more appropriate exit routes for them from the region R are via the exit door E2.
In accordance with the present method and system 10, directional sounders such as the group of sounders including 40-1, -2 . . . -6 can be energized, as discussed in more detail subsequently, to define an audible escape path P1 for the individual I1 toward the exit E2. Alternately, a different path P2 can be audibly presented to the individual I2 by activating the sounders 40-10, 12, 14, 16 and sounder 40-6 to lead the individual I2 to audibly toward the exit E2.
It will be understood in accordance with the method and system 10 that the exact spacing of the members of the plurality 40 would be known to those in skill of art and would not represent a limitation of the present invention. The exact number of the members of the plurality 40 would also not represent a limitation of the present invention.
In accordance with the method and system 10 of
In response to information concerning a developing small fire, or alarm condition from the detectors 30 a situation assessor 40, which also can take into account a fire/smoke propagation Model 42 can assess the safety of a variety of evacuation routes in a region R of interest, such as the region R.
A route planner 46, taking into account what might be a prestored evacuation plan 48 in responsive to the safety classification 44 of various evacuation routes in the region R of interest establishes an acceptable evacuation plan having appropriate exit routes from those regions R of a building, offices, conference rooms and the like.
A controller 36′, which could be the same as the fire alarm monitoring and control unit 36, or a different processor as desired, responds to one or more appropriate evacuation plans 48 to generate a route signaling plan 36b′ using control software 36a′.
The controller 36′ takes into account location information of each of the members of the plurality 40 for example in the region R as well as the family of audible sound patterns which each such unit can emit. The subsequent route signaling plan 36b′ can then be executed in a coordinated manner by forwarding activation signals to the members of the plurality 40, for example.
In accordance with the pattern of
From the foregoing, it will be observed that numerous variations and modifications may be effected without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is to be understood that no limitation with respect to the specific apparatus illustrated herein is intended or should be inferred. It is, of course, intended to cover by the appended claims all such modifications as fall within the scope of the claims.
