# US 12,770,498 B2 · Fire protection system and method for synchronizing control panels and notification appliances technical field > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,770,498 B2 - Document ID: US12770498B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/941,262 - Filed: 2024-11-08 - Published: 2026-05-14 - Granted: 2026-10-20 - Earliest claimed: 2024-11-08 - Assignees: Siemens Industry, Inc. - Applicants: Siemens Industry, Inc. - Inventors: Leslie A. Field; Daniel S. Iasso - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12770498B2 ## CPC - G08B 29/20: Calibration, including self-calibrating arrangements - G08B 17/00: Fire alarms; Alarms responsive to explosion - G08B: SIGNALLING SYSTEMS, e.g. PERSONAL CALLING SYSTEMS; ORDER TELEGRAPHS; ALARM SYSTEMS ## Abstract A fire protection system synchronizes fire panels and notification appliances. A Standard Ethernet Cable couples to a first fire panel to a second fire panel. Each of the first and second fire panels is coupled to a group of fire alarm notification appliances by a notification appliance circuit. The Standard Ethernet Cable communicates first data relating to the fire alarm notification appliances between the first and second fire panels. The Standard Ethernet Cable has a connector including a center tap for communicating second data relating to the fire alarm notification appliances between the first and second fire panels. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A fire protection system for synchronizing fire panels and notification appliances comprising: a first fire panel of the fire protection system coupled to a first plurality of fire alarm notification appliances by a first notification appliance circuit; a second fire panel of the fire protection system coupled to a second plurality of fire alarm notification appliances by a second notification appliance circuit; and a Standard Ethernet Cable coupled to the first and second fire panels, the Standard Ethernet Cable communicating first data relating to the first and second pluralities of fire alarm notification appliances between the first and second fire panels as standard Ethernet data over data wire pairs of the Standard Ethernet Cable, the Standard Ethernet Cable having a connector including a center tap for communicating second data including a sync pulse relating to the first and second pluralities of fire alarm notification appliances between the first and second fire panels, wherein wires of the Standard Ethernet Cable reserved for Power over Ethernet are used as a channel for communicating the sync pulse via the center tap; wherein the center tap of the connector is utilized for transmitting a sync pulse relating to the first and second pluralities of fire alarm notification appliances from the first fire panel to the second fire panel. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The fire protection system as described in claim 1, wherein: the first plurality of fire alarm notification appliances includes a first strobe device and the second plurality of fire alarm notification appliances includes a second strobe device; and the first and second strobe devices activate visually with minimal timing variance in response to the sync pulse transmitted between the first and second fire panels. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The fire protection system as described in claim 1, wherein the first and second pluralities of fire alarm notification appliances are associated solely with a single fire protection system of a multi-floor building or a multi-building campus. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The fire protection system as described in claim 1, wherein the center tap of the connector is utilized for transmitting a low frequency communication relating to the first and second pluralities of fire alarm notification appliances from the first fire panel to the second fire panel. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The fire protection system as described in claim 1, wherein the center tap of the connector is utilized for transmitting a non-Ethernet communication relating to the first and second pluralities of fire alarm notification appliances from the first fire panel to the second fire panel. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The fire protection system as described in claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second fire panels includes at least one bridge rectifier utilized for transmitting a sync pulse relating to the first and second pluralities of fire alarm notification appliances from the first fire panel to the second fire panel for provisioning Power over Ethernet (POE) and synchronization pulses via the center tap. ### Claim 7 A method of a fire protection system for synchronizing fire panels and notification appliances, the method comprising: coupling a first fire panel of the fire protection system to a first plurality of fire alarm notification appliances by a first notification appliance circuit; coupling a second fire panel of the fire protection system to a second plurality of fire alarm notification appliances by a second notification appliance circuit; coupling a Standard Ethernet Cable to the first fire panel and the second fire panel; communicating first data relating to the first and second pluralities of fire alarm notification appliances between the first and second fire panels as standard Ethernet data over data wire pairs of the Standard Ethernet Cable; and communicating second data including a sync pulse relating to the first and second pluralities of fire alarm notification applications via a center tap of a connector of the Standard Ethernet Cable between the first and second fire panels, wherein wires of the Standard Ethernet Cable reserved for Power over Ethernet are used as a channel for communicating the sync pulse via the center tap; wherein communicating the second data includes utilizing the center tap of the connector to transmit a sync pulse relating to the first and second pluralities of fire alarm notification appliances from the first fire panel to the second fire panel. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method as described in claim 7, wherein the first plurality of fire alarm notification appliances includes a first strobe device and the second plurality of fire alarm notification appliances includes a second strobe device, the method further comprising: activating visually the first and second strobe devices with minimal timing variance in response to the sync pulse transmitted between the first and second fire panels. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The method as described in claim 7, wherein the first and second pluralities of fire alarm notification appliances are associated solely with a single fire protection system of a multi-floor building or a multi-building campus. ### Claim 10 (depends on 7) The method as described in claim 7, wherein communicating the second data includes utilizing the center tap of the connector to transmit a low frequency communication relating to the first and second pluralities of fire alarm notification appliances from the first fire panel to the second fire panel. ### Claim 11 (depends on 7) The method as described in claim 7, wherein communicating the second data includes utilizing the center tap of the connector to transmit a non-Ethernet communication relating to the first and second pluralities of fire alarm notification appliances from the first fire panel to the second fire panel. ### Claim 12 (depends on 7) The method as described in claim 7, wherein communicating the second data includes utilizing at least one bridge rectifier to transmit a sync pulse relating to the first and second pluralities of fire alarm notification appliances from the first fire panel to the second fire panel. ### Claim 13 A non-transitory computer readable medium including executable instructions which, when executed, causes at least one processor to synchronize fire panels and notification appliances of a fire protection system by: coupling a first fire panel of the fire protection system to a first plurality of fire alarm notification appliances by a first notification appliance circuit; coupling a second fire panel of the fire protection system to a second plurality of fire alarm notification appliances by a second notification appliance circuit; coupling a Standard Ethernet Cable to the first fire panel and the second fire panel; communicating first data relating to the first and second pluralities of fire alarm notification appliances between the first and second fire panels as standard Ethernet data over data wire pairs of the Standard Ethernet Cable; and communicating second data including a sync pulse relating to the first and second pluralities of fire alarm notification applications via a center tap of a connector of the Standard Ethernet Cable between the first and second fire panels, wherein wires of the Standard Ethernet Cable reserved for Power over Ethernet are used as a channel for communicating the sync pulse via the center tap; wherein communicating the second data includes utilizing the center tap of the connector to transmit a sync pulse relating to the first and second pluralities of fire alarm notification appliances from the first fire panel to the second fire panel. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The non-transitory computer readable medium as described in claim 13, wherein the first plurality of fire alarm notification appliances includes a first strobe device and the second plurality of fire alarm notification appliances includes a second strobe device, the at least one processor to further: activate visually the first and second strobe devices with minimal timing variance in response to the sync pulse transmitted between the first and second fire panels. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The non-transitory computer readable medium as described in claim 13, wherein communicating the second data includes utilizing the center tap of the connector to transmit a low frequency communication relating to the first and second pluralities of fire alarm notification appliances from the first fire panel to the second fire panel. ### Claim 16 (depends on 13) The non-transitory computer readable medium as described in claim 13, wherein communicating the second data includes utilizing the center tap of the connector to transmit a non-Ethernet communication relating to the first and second pluralities of fire alarm notification appliances from the first fire panel to the second fire panel. ### Claim 17 (depends on 13) The non-transitory computer readable medium as described in claim 13, wherein communicating the second data includes utilizing at least one bridge rectifier to transmit a sync pulse relating to the first and second pluralities of fire alarm notification appliances from the first fire panel to the second fire panel.