System and methods for providing mass notification using existing fire system
AssigneeUTC Fire & Security Americas Corporation, Inc.
InventorsDennis Ted Rock, Steven Hein, Munro Howard Sykes, Gary Pollack
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Abstract
An apparatus configured to integrate with existing fire system strobe/horn plates. The apparatus may be a mass notification plate. Also disclosed are embodiments of a strobe housing configured to mix and/or reflect light emitted from one or more light emitters, such as high intensity LEDs, through a lens. The lens may be configured to produce a mass notification pattern. Further disclosed are embodiments of systems and methods that may be configured to deliver strobe control signals and/or strobe color control signals over a two-wire fire system powerline.
Claims11
A method of selectively emitting either a strobing white light signaling a fire alarm or a strobing amber light signaling a mass notification, said method comprising:
- receiving a control signal over a two-wire fire system powerline;
- decoding the received control signal;
- selecting one of a fire system strobe and a mass notification strobe based upon the decoded control signal;
- if the fire system strobe is selected, and the decoded control signal is a strobe ON command, activating the fire system strobe to emit strobing white light;
- if the fire system strobe is selected, and the decoded control signal is a strobe OFF command, deactivating the fire system strobe;
- if the mass notification strobe is selected, and the decoded control signal is a strobe ON command, simultaneously activating at least two light emitters positioned in an optical chamber having a highly reflective surface, wherein the activated light emitters each emit a different color of light such that strobing light outputted from the activated light emitters mixes within the optical chamber to produce strobing mixed light having the amber mass notification color, said amber mass notification color being different from the color of light emitted by each of the activated light emitters;
- and
- if the mass notification strobe is selected, and the decoded control signal is a strobe OFF command simultaneously deactivating the activated light emitters.
A system, comprising:
- a fire system strobe/horn plate coupled with a two-wire fire system powerline and including a fire alarm strobe for emitting strobing white light;
- a mass notification plate coupled with the fire system strobe/horn plate said mass notification plate comprising:
- an optical chamber having a highly reflective surface;
- and
- a mass notification strobe positioned in the optical chamber for emitting strobing amber light;
- and
- a microprocessor coupled with the two-wire system powerline and configured to receive a control signal over the two-wire fire system powerline, to decode the received control signal, and to select either the fire alarm strobe or the mass notification strobe to emit light based upon the decoded control signal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.