Emergency exit route illumination system and methods

A system for enabling visual orientation and providing illumination to evacuees in the event of an emergency requiring evacuation of a residential, commercial, industrial, institutional, vehicular or marine structure or enclosure having portals such as doorways, passageways and/or egress windows, wherein there is a planned path of safe emergency egress from an interior space such as a room, quarters or hallway of said structure or enclosure and wherein said planned path passes through a portal such as an interior or exterior doorway or window of said structure or enclosure, said system comprising:

• a housing mountable relative to a wall of said interior space;
• an electricity source;
• an illuminator comprising at least two linear illuminator segments installed on portions of said wall, a first segment of said at least two linear illuminator segments being installed at a low height in said interior space, parallel to and along a floor of said interior space such as along a baseboard, and a second segment of said at least two linear illuminator segments being installed along a perimeter of said portal;
• an energizer mounted relative to said housing and associated with said illuminator, said energizer being electrically powered;
• and
• a controller mounted relative to said housing and being associated with said electricity source, said controller being operatively connected to control a supply of electricity from said electricity source to cause operation of said energizer, to thereby enable said first and second segments of said at least two linear illuminator segments to illuminate during emergency conditions, thereby illuminating said perimeter of said portal to aid in identification of said portal.

A system for enabling visual orientation and providing illumination to evacuees in the event of an emergency requiring evacuation of a residential, commercial, industrial, institutional, vehicular or marine structure or enclosure having portals such as doorways, passageways and/or egress windows, wherein there is a planned path of safe emergency egress from an interior space such as a room, quarters or hallway of said structure or enclosure and wherein said planned path passes through a portal such as an interior or exterior doorway or window of said structure or enclosure, said system comprising:

• a housing mountable to a wall of said interior space;
• an electricity source within said housing;
• an illuminator, at least a portion of said illuminator being positionable on a portion of said wall;
• an energizer for said illuminator, said energizer being mounted within said housing;
• a sensor that generates a trigger signal in response to an audible, visual or wireless signal produced by a detector such as a fire detector, smoke detector, carbon monoxide detector, or radon gas detector when emergency conditions are detected, said sensor being mounted in said housing;
• a controller mounted within said housing and associated with each of said electricity source, said sensor, and said energizer, said controller being adapted and connected to control a supply of electricity from said electricity source to cause actuation of said energizer in the event said sensor generates said trigger signal, whereby said controller causes said energizer to illuminate said illuminator in response to said trigger signal;
• an electrical connector whereby said system is in electrical communication with a control panel, said control panel being associated with a security system, an emergency lighting system, and/or an access control system within said structure or enclosure such that said system is hard-wired to and integrated with said security system, said emergency lighting system, and/or said access control system, and wherein said control panel is adapted to energize said illuminator to illuminate upon detection of a condition including a security breach, a power failure, and/or a breach of controlled access;
• a rechargeable power source being in electrical communication with an alternating current (AC) power source, wherein said AC power source recharges said rechargeable power source, said system further comprising said controller being adapted and connected to control a supply of electricity from said rechargeable power source to cause actuation of said energizer in the event of a power failure in said structure or enclosure, whereby said controller causes said energizer to illuminate said illuminator in a steady mode as an emergency light source;
• said rechargeable power source comprises a battery backup system;
• said controller being calibrated such that said energizer energizes said illuminator to flash in a pattern;
• said illuminator comprises an electroluminescent light source, wherein said electroluminescent light source comprises a strand of electroluminescent wire, and wherein said strand of electroluminescent wire comprises a clear, flexible, sleeve-like outer casing;
• said illuminator is installed on a lower portion of said wall by direct adhesives, tapes, and/or mechanical fasteners;
• said illuminator comprises a linear illuminator;
• said linear illuminator is installed such that two courses run at a low height on opposite sides of said hallway, to designate said planned path toward said portal, and wherein a segment of said linear illuminator is installed along the perimeter of said portal, for illuminating the perimeter of said portal to aid in identification of said portal;
• said housing comprises an enclosure, wherein said enclosure is recessed into said wall such that said enclosure is flush with the surface of said wall;
• said housing further comprises a low-profile injection-molded housing, and wherein said energizer and said controller are contained within said low-profile injection-molded housing;
• said controller is further adapted to actuate said energizer in response to a radio frequency (RF) switching mechanism initiated in response to detection of emergency conditions by said detector;
• and
• said sensor is an audio sensor that generates a trigger signal in response to an audio signal produced by a detector such as a fire detector, smoke detector, carbon monoxide detector, or radon gas detector when emergency conditions are detected, said audio sensor being mounted in said housing.