The present disclosure relates generally to a system and method for providing evacuation guidance in case of emergency situations.
Generally, public areas such as shopping malls, airports, university campuses, amusement parks, corporate buildings, technology parks etc., are prone to hazardous events such as fire, gas leakage, earthquakes, terrorist attack, gunshot etc. Typically, conventional systems utilize pre-set evacuation plans for guiding building occupants towards safe exit in case of occurrence of such hazardous events in buildings. The pre-set evacuation plans generally include static drawings or other instructions such as exit signs posted in common areas to inform building occupants of primary and alternate emergency exit routes. It is commonly expected that building occupants will take notice and review information provided on the pre-set evacuation plans in case of occurrence of hazardous events.
However, conventional systems fail to adapt according to different emergency situations. For example, during a fire event, the pre-set evacuation plans posted in common areas may not be visible in case of dense smoke. Also, during such emergency situations, building occupants are not always able to check the posted evacuation plans properly, thereby leading to confusion and panic. In addition, legacy evacuation plans, like floor plans are often difficult to understand. One or more notification appliances are also used by the conventional systems such as speakers to notify about occurrence of hazardous events and assist building occupants in evacuating the building. However, notification appliances such as speakers providing audio warnings are not a preferable way to notify hearing-impaired occupants.
Furthermore, in some situations one or more emergency exits are blocked. For example, a fire event may cause certain emergency exit paths to become dangerous and unusable. In such situations, alternate evacuation paths are required for assisting building occupants. However, the pre-set evacuation plans fail to assist building occupants in providing alternate evacuation paths due to non-dynamic nature.
There is therefore felt a need for systems and methods that provide dynamic evacuation plans to guide building occupants during occurrence of hazardous events.
One implementation of the present disclosure relates to a system comprising a plurality of sensors. Each sensor is configured to monitor at least one parameter of an indoor space and generate sensed data. Further, the system comprises one or more visual indicators associated with each sensor and a processing circuit configured to analyze the sensed data to detect occurrence of an event. The processing circuit generates one or more evacuation paths subsequent to detection of the event and operates the one or more visual indicators associated with each sensor to provide directional information to occupants based on the one or more evacuation paths.
Another implementation of the present disclosure relates to a method comprising steps performed by a processing circuit that include analyzing sensed data to detect occurrence of an event. The sensed data is generated by a plurality of sensors monitoring at least one parameter of an indoor space. Further, the steps performed by the processing circuit include generating one or more evacuation paths subsequent to detection of the event and operating one or more visual indicators associated with each sensor to provide directional information to occupants based on the one or more evacuation paths.
Various objects, aspects, features, and advantages of the disclosure will become more apparent and better understood by referring to the detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters identify corresponding elements throughout. In the drawings, like reference numbers generally indicate identical, functionally similar, and/or structurally similar elements.
Before turning to the Figures, it should be understood that the disclosure is not limited to the details or methodology set forth in the description or illustrated in the figures. It should also be understood that the terminology is for the purpose of description only and should not be regarded as limiting.
Referring generally to the Figures, a system for providing evacuation guidance is shown and described. The system may be utilized in conjunction with a plurality of building automation or management systems, subsystems, or as a part high level building automation system. For example, the system may be a part of a Johnson Controls Facility Explorer system.
The present disclosure describes systems and methods that address the shortcomings of conventional systems. As referred in the background, conventional systems fail to provide dynamic evacuation paths to occupants according to different emergency situations.
The present disclosure overcomes the shortcomings of the conventional systems by providing dynamic evacuation paths to occupants according to different emergency situations. For example, embodiments of the system disclosed herein incorporate visual indicators associated with sensors. The visual indicators are operated to emit one or more colors to provide directional information to occupants for navigating along a safest and shortest evacuation path. Further, the evacuation path may be updated by operating the visual indicators to update the one or more colors, thereby displaying an updated evacuation path. The present system provides dynamic evacuation paths in real-time to allow occupants to reach safest emergency exits in minimal time. Additionally, if one or more emergency exits are compromised by an emergency situation, the evacuation path is updated in real-time to alert occupants to avoid the compromised emergency exit and safely evacuate the building using the updated evacuation path.
Referring now to
The BMS that serves building 10 includes a fire system 100 (e.g., a fire detection and/or fire suppression system), according to some embodiments. Fire system 100 can include fire safety devices (e.g., notification devices such as fire detectors and pull stations, sprinklers, fire alarm control panels, fire extinguishers, water systems etc.) configured to provide fire detection, fire suppression, fire notification to building occupants 150, or other fire suppression-related services for building 10. Fire system 100 includes water system 130, according to some embodiments. Water system 130 provides water from a city line 102 through a building line 104 to building 10 to suppress fires within one or more rooms/spaces of building 10, according to some embodiments. In some embodiments, a main water line 106 is the dominant piping system that distributes water throughout one or more of the building floors in building 10. The water is distributed to the one or more building floors of building 10 via a piping system 108, according to some embodiments.
Referring still to
Fire notification devices 114 can be any devices capable of relaying audible, visible, or other stimuli to alert building occupants of a fire or other emergency condition. In some embodiments, fire notification devices 114 are powered by Initiating Device Notification Alarm Circuit (IDNAC) power from fire alarm control panel 112. In some embodiments, fire notification devices 114 may be powered by a DC power source (e.g. a battery). In some embodiments, fire notification devices 114 are powered by an external AC power source. Fire notification devices 114 can include a light notification device (e.g., a visual alert device) and a sound notification device (e.g., an aural alert device). The light notification device can be implemented as any component in fire notification devices 114 that alerts occupants 150 of an emergency by emitting visible signals. In some embodiments, fire notification devices 114 include a strobe light configured to emit strobe flashes (e.g., at least 60 flashes per minute) to alert occupants 150 of building 10 of an emergency situation or regarding the presence of a fire 180. A sound notification device can be any component in fire notification devices 114 that alerts occupants of an emergency by providing an aural alert/alarm. In some embodiments, fire notification devices 114 emit signals ranging from approximately 500 Hz (low frequency) to approximately 3 kHz (high frequency).
Fire alarm control panel 112 can be any computer capable of collecting and analyzing data from the fire notification system (e.g., building controllers, conventional panels, addressable panels, etc.). In some embodiments, fire alarm control panel 112 is directly connected to fire notification device 114 through IDNAC power. In some embodiments, fire alarm control panel 112 can be communicably connected to a network for furthering the fire suppression process, including initiating corrective action in response to detection of a fire.
In some embodiments, fire detection devices 118 are configured to detect a presence of fire in an associated room 160. Fire detection devices 118 may include any temperature sensors, light sensors, smoke detectors, etc., or any other sensors/detectors that detect fire. In some embodiments, fire detection devices 118 provide any of the sensed information to fire alarm control panel 112.
Referring particularly to
In some embodiments, fire alarm control panel 112 is configured to provide a BMS controller 366 (see
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In some embodiments, fire alarm control panel 112 also receives pull station status information from any of pull stations 119 throughout building 10. In some embodiments, fire alarm control panel 112 is configured to receive a unique pull station ID (e.g., an identification number, an identification name, a unique ID code, etc.) from each of pull stations 119. In some embodiments, fire alarm control panel 112 is configured to perform a fire detection process based on any of the pull station status information received from pull stations 119 and the fire detection data received from fire detection devices 118. Fire alarm control panel 112 can also determine an approximate location of a fire based on the received device IDs of fire detection devices 118 and the received pull station IDs from pull stations 119.
In some embodiments, fire alarm control panel 112 is configured to cause fire notification devices 114 and/or fire suppression devices 116 to activate in response to determining that a fire is present in building 10. In some embodiments, fire alarm control panel 112 uses a database of locations corresponding to each of the unique device IDs of fire detection devices 118 and pull stations 119. In some embodiments, fire alarm control panel 112 is configured to determine an approximate location in building 10 of the fire. In some embodiments, fire alarm control panel 112 is configured to cause particular fire notification devices 114 and particular fire suppression devices 116 to activate in response to determining that a fire is present in a particular room 160 of building 10.
For example, fire alarm control panel 112 may cause all of fire notification devices 114 to activate in response to determining that a fire is present in any room 160 of building 10. In some embodiments, fire alarm control panel 112 is configured to cause only fire suppression devices 116 that are proximate the location of the detected fire to activate. For example, fire alarm control panel 112 may cause all fire notification devices 114 to activate in response to determining a fire is present in one room 160 of building 10 (to cause occupants 150 to evacuate building 10) but may only activate fire suppression devices 116 that are in the particular room where the fire is present.
In some embodiments, fire detection devices 118 are configured to perform a fire detection process locally and are communicably connected with fire notification devices 114. In some embodiments, fire detection devices 118 are configured to provide fire alarm control panel 112 with an indication of whether a fire is present nearby fire detection devices 118. In some embodiments, fire detection devices 118 are configured to cause fire notification devices 114 to activate in response to determining that a fire is present nearby. In some embodiments, fire detection devices 118 are configured to control an operation of fire suppression devices 116. In some embodiments, fire detection devices 118 are configured to cause one or more (e.g., the nearest) of fire suppression devices 116 to activate in response to detecting a fire.
In some embodiments, fire alarm control panel 112 is configured to provide a status of fire system 100 to network 446 and/or BMS controller 366. For example, fire alarm control panel 112 may provide a status of each of fire suppression devices 116 (e.g., activated or dormant), a status of each of fire notification devices 114 (e.g., activated or dormant), a status of each of fire detection devices 118 (e.g., fire detected, no fire detected), and a status of each of pull stations 119 (e.g., activated). In some embodiments, fire alarm control panel 112 also provides network 446 and/or BMS controller 366 with a location of each of fire notification devices 114, fire suppression devices 116, fire detection devices 118, and pull stations 119. In some embodiments, the location includes a floor, room, and relative location within the room of each of fire notification devices 114, each of fire suppression devices 116, each of fire detection devices 118, and each of pull stations 119. For example, fire alarm control panel 112 may provide BMS controller 366 with a status of a particular fire detection device 118, as well as what floor the particular fire detection device 118 is on, as well as a room 160 that the particular fire detection device 118 is in and what wall of the room (e.g., north wall, west wall, etc.) 160 the particular fire detection device 118 is located on. In some embodiments, fire alarm control panel 112 is configured to provide BMS controller 366 with any of the received information from any or all of fire detection devices 118, any or all of pull stations 119, etc. For example, fire alarm control panel 112 may provide BMS controller 366 with any of the smoke detection data, the temperature sensed data, the light intensity data, etc., of each of fire detection devices 118 as well as the corresponding room 160 within which each of fire detection devices 118 are located.
Referring now to
Communication interface 502 may include wired or wireless interfaces (e.g., jacks, antennas, transmitters, receivers, transceivers, wire terminals, etc.) for conducting data communications with various systems, devices, or networks. For example, communication interface 502 may include an Ethernet card and port for sending and receiving data via an Ethernet-based communications network and/or a Wi-Fi transceiver for communicating via a wireless communications network. Communication interface 502 may be configured to communicate via local area networks or wide area networks (e.g., the Internet, a building WAN, etc.) and may use a variety of communication protocols (e.g., BACnet, IP, LON, etc.). Communication interface 502 may be a network interface configured to facilitate electronic data communications between the control panel 501 and various external systems or devices (e.g., user interfaces 528, security devices 522 etc.)
The processing circuit 504 is shown to include a processor 506 and a memory 508. In some embodiments, the processing circuit 504 can be a processing circuit of the building management systems (BMS) described above. The processor 506 may be a general purpose or specific purpose processor, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), one or more field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), a group of processing components, or other suitable processing components. The processor 506 may be configured to execute computer code or instructions stored in memory 508 or received from other computer readable media (e.g., CDROM, network storage, a remote server, etc.).
The memory 508 may include one or more devices (e.g., memory units, memory devices, storage devices, etc.) for storing data and/or computer code for completing and/or facilitating the various processes described in the present disclosure. The memory 508 may include random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), hard drive storage, temporary storage, non-volatile memory, flash memory, optical memory, or any other suitable memory for storing software objects and/or computer instructions. The memory 508 may include database components, object code components, script components, or any other type of information structure for supporting various activities and information structures described in the present disclosure. The memory 508 may be communicably connected to the processor 506 via the processing circuit 504 and may include computer code for executing (e.g., by processor 506) one or more processes described herein.
Still referring to
In some embodiments, the database 518 may further comprise a knowledge base that may include historical data such as previous commands generated by the control panel 501, device information, etc. In some embodiments, the database 518 may store data pertaining to security devices 522 such as unique identifiers, location of installation within the building, predetermined threshold values etc.
Still referring to
In some embodiments, the sensors 524 may be configured to monitor the at least one parameter of the indoor space, generate sensed data pertaining to the at least one parameter and further provide the sensed data to the control panel 501 via the communication interface 502. For example, the sensed data may include information pertaining to the at least one parameter such as smoke, oxygen, occupancy, pressure, temperature, humidity, sound, motion etc. In some embodiments, the sensed data may include video and/or digital images provided by the sensors 524 such as security cameras. Additionally, unique identifiers of the one or more sensors 524 may be transmitted along with the sensed data to the sensed data receiving module 510.
In some embodiments, the security devices 522 may include one or more visual indicators 526. In some embodiments, one or more visual indicators 526 may be associated with each of the sensors 524. In some embodiments, the visual indicators 526 may be integrated into the sensors 524. In other embodiments, the visual indicators 526 may be mounted on the sensors 524. In some embodiments, the visual indicator 526 is one of an light emitting diode (LED) ring, an LED strip, an illuminating direction signage, or any combination thereof. In one embodiment, the visual indicators 526 may be single colored. For example, each sensor 524 may be provided with one or more single-colored visual indicators 526 that may emit a single color to provide directional information. In an alternate embodiment, the visual indicators 526 may be multi-colored to emit two or more colors to provide directional information in one of several ways. For example, each sensor 524 may be provided with one or more visual indicators 526 that may be operated to emit two or more colors. The visual indicators 526 may be used to provide directional information through visual indication of evacuation paths in response to one or more commands received from the control panel 501.
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In some embodiments, the event detection module 512 may analyze the sensed data received from multiple sensors 524. For example, the event detection module 512 may evaluate sensed data from fire sensors, smoke detectors, heat sensors, thermal imagers, and other fire system sensors to determine that it is likely that a fire event has occurred in the building. Thus, by analyzing sensed data from multiple sensors 524, a probability of detecting a false event may be reduced significantly. In some embodiments, the event detection module 512 may utilize one or more machine learning models stored in the database 518 to analyze the sensed data for detection of one or more events. In some embodiments, the event detection module 512 may generate one or more notifications to the user interface 528 in response to detection of one or more events.
Still referring to
The evacuation path generating module 514 may further determine one or more emergency exits and one or more paths to the one or more emergency exits using the pre-stored building model 520. The location of event may be analyzed with respect to the location of the one or more emergency exits to check if the occurrence of event is detected nearby any of the emergency exits. Further, the evacuation path generating module 514 may determine and generate one or more evacuation paths to the one or more emergency exits based on the analysis of the location of the event and the location of the one or more emergency exits. The one or more evacuation paths may be generated by avoiding the paths nearby the location of the detected event. In some embodiments, evacuation path generating module 514 may utilize one or more artificial intelligence and/or machine learning based models stored in the database 518 to determine the one or more evacuation paths for occupants.
Still referring to
In some embodiments, the evacuation path navigating module 516 may be configured to operate the visual indicators 526 to emit updated colors based on an updated evacuation path generated by the evacuation path generating module 514. The evacuation path navigating module 516 may be configured to dynamically update the evacuation path in real-time based on the location of the detected event. In some embodiments, the evacuation paths may be updated if one of the existing evacuation paths or emergency exits is compromised by a hazardous event such as fire, and that change may be indicated by the visual indicators 526 that update the colors to display the updated evacuation path and provide directional information pertaining to the updated evacuation path in of several ways.
In one embodiment, the evacuation path navigating module 516 may transmit one or more commands having timing information to the visual indicators 526. For example, the evacuation path navigating module 516 may broadcast a first command for one or more visual indicators 526 to blink at time t=X seconds, a second command to blink at time t=X+1 seconds, a third command to blink at time t=X+2 seconds, a fourth command to blink at time t=X+3 seconds, and a fifth command to blink at time t=X+4 seconds. The respective visual indicators 526 may be operated to sequentially blink based on the timing information provided in the commands.
As referred above, the one or more evacuation paths may be updated in real-time based on the hazardous event by operating the visual indicators 526 to emit one or more updated colors. In such case, timing of sequential blinking of the visual indicators 526 may also be updated to display the updated evacuation path. Thus, the sequential blinking and one or more colors emitted by visual indicators 526 may guide occupants to the shortest and safest evacuation path in minimal time.
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The
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The example 900 shows the sensors 524 such as smoke detectors 902, 904, 906 provided with one or more visual indicators (such as visual indicators 526 shown in
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The
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Further, the method 1100 is shown to include receiving the sensed data (Step 1102). The sensed data may be received from the one or more sensors 524 (referred above in
Further, the method 1100 is shown to include detecting occurrence of one or more events (Step 1104). In some embodiments, the occurrence of one or more events may be detected by the event detection module 512 (referred above in
In some embodiments, sensed data received from multiple sensors 524 may be analyzed. For example, sensed data from fire sensors, smoke detectors, heat sensors, thermal imagers, and other fire system sensors may be analyzed to determine that it is likely that a fire event has occurred in the building. Thus, by analyzing sensed data from multiple sensors 524, a probability of detecting a false event may be reduced significantly. In some embodiments, one or more machine learning models stored in the database 518 may be utilized to analyze the sensed data for detection of one or more events.
Further, the method 1100 is shown to include generating one or more evacuation paths (Step 1106). In some embodiments, the one or more evacuation paths may be determined and generated by the evacuation path generating module 514 (referred above in
Additionally, one or more emergency exits and one or more paths to the one or more emergency exits may be determined using the pre-stored building model 520. The location of event may be analyzed with respect to the location of the one or more emergency exits to check if the occurrence of event is detected nearby any of the emergency exits. Further, the one or more evacuation paths to the one or more emergency exits may be determined based on the analysis of the location of the event and the location of the one or more emergency exits. The one or more evacuation paths may be determined by avoiding the paths nearby the location of the detected event. In some embodiments, one or more artificial intelligence and/or machine learning based models stored in the database 518 may be utilized to determine one or more evacuation paths for occupants.
Further, the method 1100 is shown to include displaying the one or more evacuation paths by operating LED rings to emit one or more colors (Step 1108). In some embodiments, the one or more evacuation paths may be displayed by the evacuation path navigating module 516 (referred above in
In some embodiments, the LED rings may be operated to emit updated colors based on an updated evacuation path generated by the evacuation path generating module 514. The one or more evacuation paths may be dynamically updated in real-time based on the location of the detected event. In some embodiments, the one or more evacuation paths may be updated if one of the existing evacuation paths or emergency exits is compromised by a hazardous event such as fire, and that change may be indicated by the LED rings that update the colors to display the updated evacuation paths and provide directional information in of several ways.
In one embodiment, a one or more commands having timing information may be transmitted to the visual indicators 526. For example, a first command may be transmitted for one or more LED rings to blink at time t=X seconds, a second command to blink at time t=X+1 seconds, a third command to blink at time t=X+2 seconds, a fourth command to blink at time t=X+3 seconds, and a fifth command to blink at time t=X+4 seconds. The respective LED rings may be operated to sequentially blink based on the timing information provided in the commands.
In some embodiments, the one or more evacuation paths may be updated in real-time based on the hazardous event by operating the LED rings to emit one or more updated colors. In such case, timing of sequential blinking of the LED rings may also be updated to display the updated evacuation path. The sequential blinking and one or more colors emitted by the LED rings associated with the sensors 524 may guide occupants to the shortest and safest evacuation path in minimal time.
Referring now to
The
In some embodiments, visual indicators 526 such as one or more LED strips 1202 may be provided on the assembly 1200. Further, 1220 shows contacts for LED strips 1202 and smoke detector 1206. The LED strips 1202 may provide directional information to guide occupants to evacuate the building in case of deficiency of oxygen detected by the oxygen sensor 1204. In one embodiment, for a closed room, one or more LED strips 1202 may be provided on a perimeter of the smoke detector 1206 that may be operated to emit red color to alert occupants about oxygen deficiency in the closed room. In another embodiment, for a corridor space, an LED strip may be provided on one side of the smoke detector 1206 that may be operated to emit green color to indicate a safe evacuation path and another LED strip may be provided on other side of the smoke detector 1206 that may be operated to emit red color to indicate a hazardous path.
In some embodiments, a power source such as 24 VDC power may be added at the base for the LED strips 1202. In some embodiments, a 30 inch spacing may be provided between the smoke detector 1206 and the oxygen sensor 1204. Further, 1208 shows a top portion of the assembly 1200, 1212 shows power supply connections for LED strips 1202, 1214 shows internal wiring, 1216 shows circuit contact on smoke detector circuit base for LED strips 1202, 1218 shows circuit contact on smoke detector circuit base to make connection for smoke detector 1206 and oxygen sensor 1204.
Referring now to
The schematic diagram shows a visual indicator such as LED strips 1302 associated with the smoke detector 1300. The LED strips 1302 may be operated by the control panel 501 to emit one or more colors such as red or green to provide directional information to occupants for evacuating the building along a safe evacuation path in case of occurrence of a hazardous event in the building. The one or more colors emitted by the LED strips 1302 may provide one or more types of directional information. For example, the LED strip 1302 while emitting red color may indicate an unsafe zone, thereby alerting the occupants to avoid approaching in the direction. Additionally, the LED strip 1302 while emitting green color may indicate a safe evacuation path, thereby alerting occupants to traverse along the evacuation path to safely evacuate the building via the safest emergency exit.
Referring now to
The schematic diagram shows wiring details for the assembly 1200 such as a 24V external power supply may be added at 1402 for LED strips 1202 (referred above in
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The schematic diagram shows the assembly 1200 having the oxygen sensor 1204. Further, as referred above, the oxygen sensor 1204 may include an electrochemical cell configured to measure oxygen level within the building and provide sensed data regarding measured oxygen levels to the control panel 501 (shown in
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The
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For example, one or more occupants approaching the corridor from Unit E1 shown at 1702 may observe that the assembly 1704 in the left direction is emitting red color indicating an unsafe zone. Thus, the occupants may avoid proceeding in the left direction towards assembly 1704. On the other hand, the occupants may observe that assembly 1706 in the right direction is emitting green color indicating a safe zone. Thus, the occupants may proceed in the right direction towards assembly 1706 to safely evacuate the building.
Referring now to
The method 1800 is shown to include receiving the sensed data (Step 1802). The sensed data may be received from the one or more sensors 524 (referred above in
Further, the method 1800 is shown to include detecting occurrence of one or more events (Step 1804). In some embodiments, the occurrence of one or more events may be detected by the event detection module 512 (referred above in
Further, in some embodiments, sensed data received from multiple sensors 524 may be analyzed. For example, sensed data from fire sensors, smoke detectors, heat sensors, thermal imagers, or other fire system sensors may be analyzed to determine that it is likely that a fire event has occurred in the building. Thus, by analyzing sensed data from multiple sensors 524, a probability of detecting a false event may be reduced significantly. In some embodiments, one or more machine learning models stored in the database 518 may be utilized to analyze the sensed data for detection of one or more events.
Further, the method 1800 is shown to include generating one or more evacuation paths (Step 1806). In some embodiments, the one or more evacuation paths may be determined and generated by the evacuation path generating module 514 (referred above in
Furthermore, one or more emergency exits and one or more paths to the one or more emergency exits may be determined using the pre-stored building model 520. The location of the event may be analyzed with respect to the location of the one or more emergency exits to check if the occurrence of the event is detected nearby any of the emergency exits. Further, the one or more evacuation paths to the one or more emergency exits may be determined based on the analysis of the location of the event and the location of the one or more emergency exits. The one or more evacuation paths may be determined by avoiding the paths nearby the location of the detected event. In some embodiments, one or more artificial intelligence and/or machine learning models stored in the database 518 may be utilized to determine one or more evacuation paths for occupants.
Further, the method 1800 is shown to include displaying the one or more evacuation paths by operating one or more LED strips to emit one or more colors (Step 1808). In some embodiments, the one or more evacuation paths may be displayed by the evacuation path navigating module 516 (referred above in
In some embodiments, the LED strips may be operated to emit updated colors based on an updated evacuation path generated by the evacuation path generating module 514. The one or more evacuation paths may be dynamically updated in real-time based on the location of the detected event. In some embodiments, the one or more evacuation paths may be updated if one of the existing evacuation paths or emergency exits is compromised by a hazardous event such as fire, and that change may be indicated by the LED strips that update the colors to display the updated evacuation paths and provide directional information in of several ways. The colors emitted by the LED strips associated with the sensors 524 may guide occupants to the shortest and safest evacuation path in minimal time.
Referring now to
The schematic diagram shows an example of a building space 1900 having a plurality of smoke detectors 1902 installed at one or more locations within the building space 1900. The plurality of smoke detectors 1902 are triggering an alarm due to detection of occurrence of a fire event in the building space 1900. In case of plurality of smoke detectors 1902 triggering an alarm, a panic situation may be created, as occupants fail to determine an evacuation path to safely evacuate the building space 1900.
Referring now to
The schematic diagram shows an example of a building space 2000 having a plurality of smoke detectors 2002 installed at one or more locations within the building space 2000. The plurality of smoke detectors 2002 are triggering an alarm due to detection of occurrence of a fire event in the building space 2000 by the control panel 501. Additionally, each of the smoke detector 2002 is provided with one or more direction signages 2004 that emit one or more colors to provide directional information to occupants for evacuating the building. For example, the one or more colors may be least one of, but not limited to, red, green etc. The color emitted by the direction signages 2004 may depend on the location of occurrence of hazardous event such as fire. For example, the direction signages 2004 may be operated to emit red color indicating an unsafe zone and alerting occupants to avoid proceeding in that direction. Additionally, the direction signages 2004 may be operated to emit green color indicating a safe evacuation path, thereby alerting occupants to proceed in that direction to safely evacuate the building.
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The
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Further, the method 2200 is shown to include receiving the sensed data (Step 2202). The sensed data may be received from the one or more sensors 524 (referred above in
Further, the method 2200 is shown to include detecting occurrence of one or more events (Step 2204). In some embodiments, the occurrence of one or more events may be detected by the event detection module 512 (referred above in
Further, the method 2200 is shown to include generating one or more evacuation paths (Step 2206). In some embodiments, the one or more evacuation paths may be determined and generated by the evacuation path generating module 514 (referred above in
Further, one or more emergency exits and one or more paths to the one or more emergency exits may be determined using the building model 520 stored in the database 518. The location of the event may be analyzed with respect to the location of the one or more emergency exits to check if the occurrence of event is detected nearby any of the emergency exits. Further, the one or more evacuation paths to the one or more emergency exits may be determined based on the analysis of the location of the event and the location of the one or more emergency exits. The one or more evacuation paths may be determined by avoiding the paths nearby the location of the detected event. In some embodiments, one or more artificial intelligence and/or machine learning based models stored in the database 518 may be utilized to determine one or more evacuation paths for occupants.
Further, the method 2200 is shown to include displaying the one or more evacuation paths by operating direction signages to emit one or more colors (Step 2208). In some embodiments, the one or more evacuation paths may be displayed by the evacuation path navigating module 516 (referred above in
In some embodiments, the direction signages 2100 may be operated to emit updated colors based on an updated evacuation path generated by the evacuation path generating module 514. The one or more evacuation paths may be dynamically updated in real-time based on the location of the detected event. In some embodiments, the one or more evacuation paths may be updated if one of the existing evacuation paths or emergency exits is compromised by a hazardous event such as fire, and that change may be indicated by the direction signages 2100 that update the colors to display the updated evacuation paths and provide directional information in of several ways. The one or more colors emitted by the direction signages 2100 associated with the sensors 524 may guide occupants to the shortest and safest evacuation path in minimal time.
The construction and arrangement of the systems and methods as shown in the various exemplary embodiments are illustrative only. Although only a few embodiments have been described in detail in this disclosure, many modifications are possible (e.g., variations in sizes, dimensions, structures, shapes and proportions of the various elements, values of parameters, mounting arrangements, use of materials, colors, orientations, etc.). For example, the position of elements can be reversed or otherwise varied and the nature or number of discrete elements or positions can be altered or varied. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure. The order or sequence of any process or method steps can be varied or re-sequenced according to alternative embodiments. Other substitutions, modifications, changes, and omissions can be made in the design, operating conditions and arrangement of the exemplary embodiments without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.
The present disclosure contemplates methods, systems and program products on any machine-readable media for accomplishing various operations. The embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented using existing computer processors, or by a special purpose computer processor for an appropriate system, incorporated for this or another purpose, or by a hardwired system. Embodiments within the scope of the present disclosure include program products comprising machine-readable media for carrying or having machine-executable instructions or data structures stored thereon. Such machine-readable media can be any available media that can be accessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer or other machine with a processor. By way of example, such machine-readable media can comprise RAM, ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium which can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of machine-executable instructions or data structures and which can be accessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer or other machine with a processor. Combinations of the above are also included within the scope of machine-readable media. Machine-executable instructions include, for example, instructions and data which cause a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or special purpose processing machines to perform a certain function or group of functions.
Although the figures show a specific order of method steps, the order of the steps may differ from what is depicted. Also two or more steps can be performed concurrently or with partial concurrence. Such variation will depend on the software and hardware systems chosen and on designer choice. All such variations are within the scope of the disclosure. Likewise, software implementations could be accomplished with standard programming techniques with rule based logic and other logic to accomplish the various connection steps, processing steps, comparison steps and decision steps.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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202221012712 | Mar 2022 | IN | national |