Multiple sensor system for alarm determination with device-to-device communications

An ambient condition monitoring system comprising:

• a communications medium;
• and
• a plurality of ambient condition detectors wherein the detectors include circuitry for transmitting messages on the medium, wherein at least some of the messages pertain to sensed ambient conditions and circuitry for receiving messages transmitted on the medium by other detectors wherein at least some of the messages pertain to ambient conditions sensed at the respective transmitting detectors and wherein at least one of the detectors includes circuitry for establishing the existence of a selected ambient condition in response, at least in part, to received messages from other detectors.

A system comprising:

• a bi-directional communications medium;
• a plurality of programmed units coupled to the medium wherein selected of the units include condition monitoring circuitry, and circuitry for receiving messages transmitted via the medium from other units and wherein the selected message receiving units include prestored instructions for combining condition related information received from other units.

An ambient condition monitoring system comprising:

• a communications medium;
• and a plurality of ambient condition detectors wherein the detectors include circuitry for transmitting messages on the medium wherein the messages pertain, at least in part, to sensed ambient conditions and circuitry for receiving messages transmitted on the medium by other detectors wherein at least some of the messages pertain to ambient conditions sensed at the respective transmitting detectors and wherein at least some of the detectors include prestored instructions for establishing the existence of a selected ambient condition in response, at least in part, to received messages received from other detectors.

A system comprising:

• a bi-directional communications medium;
• a plurality of programmed processors coupled to the medium wherein selected of the processors include both condition monitoring circuitry, and circuitry for receiving messages transmitted via the medium from other processors and wherein the selected message receiving processors include prestored instructions for combining condition related information received from other processors wherein multiple selected processors independently combine condition related information from other processors;
• and at least one output device.

A monitoring system comprising:

• a transmission medium;
• a plurality of ambient condition detectors coupled to the medium wherein the detectors include executable instructions for coupling condition information from the respective detector to the medium to be received by other members of the plurality and for receiving and locally storing condition information from other members of the plurality.