# US 2013/0154840 A1 · Radio-based heat and fire detection pellets > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2013/0154840 A1 - Document ID: US20130154840A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 13/329,495 - Filed: 2011-12-19 - Published: 2013-06-20 - Earliest claimed: 2011-12-19 - Assignees: International Business Machines Corporation - Inventors: TIMOTHY M. LYNAR; KENT C. STEER - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20130154840A1 ## CPC - G08B 17/06: Electric actuation of the alarm, e.g. using a thermally-operated switch - G08B: SIGNALLING SYSTEMS, e.g. PERSONAL CALLING SYSTEMS; ORDER TELEGRAPHS; ALARM SYSTEMS ## Abstract A radio-based heat detection pellet is provided. The pellet includes a thermal switch configured to provide a detection signal when exposed to a temperature greater than a predetermined threshold temperature. The pellet further includes a transmitter circuit connected to the thermal switch and configured to transmit an alarm signal to a remote location in response to receiving the detection signal. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A radio-based heat detection pellet, comprising: a thermal switch configured to provide a detection signal when exposed to a temperature greater than a predetermined threshold temperature; and a transmitter circuit connected to the thermal switch and configured to transmit an alarm signal to a remote location in response to receiving the detection signal. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The radio-based heat detection pellet of claim 1, further comprising a location determining device for determining a current location of the pellet, and wherein said transmitter circuit is further configured to transmit the alarm signal along with the current location of the pellet. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The radio-based heat detection pellet of claim 2, wherein the location determining device comprises a global positioning system circuit for determining the current location of the pellet using a global positioning system. ### Claim 4 A method, comprising: providing a set of radio-based heat detection pellets, each having a thermal switch and a transmitter circuit connected to the thermal switch; configuring the thermal switch to provide a detection signal when exposed to a temperature greater than a predetermined threshold temperature; and configuring the transmitter circuit to transmit an alarm signal to a remote location in response to receiving the detection signal. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, further comprising arranging at least some of the pellets in the set into one or more predetermined patterns such that a current location of at least one of a heat source and a fire source, and a direction in which the at least one of the heat source and the fire source is moving, can be determined based on the at least some of the pellets that are currently transmitting. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, further comprising: positioning at least some of the pellets in the set around a given monitoring station and within a maximum transmission distance of the at least some of the pellets; detecting any alarm signals proximate to the given monitoring station transmitted from the at least some of the pellets; and designating a location of at least one of a heat source and a fire source as proximate to the given monitoring station based on the detected alarm signals. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, further comprising using a signal strength of at least some of the alarm signals transmitted proximate to the given monitoring station from the at least some of the pellets to further designate the location of the at least one of the heat source and the fire source. ### Claim 8 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein the method further comprises: positioning at least some of the pellets around a set of three or more monitoring stations; and designating a location of at least one of a heat source and a fire source based on at least a triangulation of one or more alarm signals. ### Claim 9 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, further comprising configuring at least one of the pellets to self-determine a current location thereof and transmit the current location along with the alarm signal to the remote location. ### Claim 10 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, further comprising dropping one or more of the pellets in the set into a destination location by an airborne vehicle. ### Claim 11 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, further comprising identifying a particular location as a location of at least one of a heat source and a fire source based a particular component of the alarm signal transmitted by at least one of the pellets. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the particular component is at least one of a frequency, an amplitude, a wavelength, and an embedded code. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, further comprising varying the particular component relative to each of the pellets in the set so as to particularly identify any given one of the pellets relative to the other pellets. ### Claim 14 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein said designating step designates the location of the at least one of the heat source and the fire source based on a known maximum transmitting range of the pellets. ### Claim 15 A system, comprising: a plurality of radio-based heat detection pellets, each having a thermal switch configured to provide a detection signal when exposed to a temperature greater than a predetermined threshold temperature and having a transmitter circuit configured to transmit an alarm signal to a remote location in response to receiving the detection signal; and one or more monitoring stations, each having a receiver for receiving the alarm signal from any of the plurality of radio-based heat detection pellets. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The system of claim 15, further comprising one or more signal amplifiers disposed intermediately with respect to at least some of the pellets and at least some of the one or more monitoring stations to amplify an alarm signal. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The system of claim 15, wherein at least some of the plurality of radio-based heat detection pellets further comprise a location determining device for determining a current location of the pellet, and wherein the transmitter circuit therein is further configured to transmit the alarm signal along with the current location of the pellet. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The system of claim 17, wherein the location determining device comprises a global positioning system circuit for determining the current location of the pellet using a global positioning system. ### Claim 19 (depends on 15) The system of claim 15, wherein at least some of the pellets in the set are arranged into one or more predetermined patterns such that a current location of at least one of a heat source and a fire source, and a direction in which the at least one of the heat source and the fire source is moving, can be determined based on the at least some of the pellets that are currently transmitting. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The system of claim 19, wherein at least one of the monitoring stations comprises signal processing circuitry configured to determine and use a signal strength of at least some of the alarm signals transmitted proximate to the at least one of the monitoring stations to further designate the location of the at least one of the heat source and the fire source. ### Claim 21 (depends on 15) The system of claim 15, wherein at least one of the monitoring stations comprises signal processing circuitry configured to determine and use a signal strength of at least some of the alarm signals transmitted proximate to the at least one of the monitoring stations to designate a location of at least one of a heat source and a fire source. ### Claim 22 (depends on 15) The system of claim 15, wherein each of the plurality of radio-based heat detection pellets is configured to use a particular component of the alarm signal transmitted thereby as a particular identifier for that respective pellet. ### Claim 23 (depends on 15) The system of claim 15, wherein the particular component is at least one of a frequency, an amplitude, a wavelength, and an embedded code. ### Claim 24 (depends on 15) The system of claim 15, wherein the particular component is varied amongst the plurality of pellets so as to particularly identify any given one of the pellets relative to the other pellets. ### Claim 25 (depends on 15) The system of claim 15, further comprising a real-time locating system for determining respective locations of each of the plurality of pellets.