Abstract:
An identification system combines RF identification tags with ambient condition detectors of a monitoring system. The tags could be carried by individuals in the region(s) being monitored to provide occupancy feedback to first responders in the event of an alarm condition.

Description:
FIELD OF INVENTION 
     The invention pertains to ambient condition monitoring systems such as fire or gas monitoring systems, intrusion detection systems and the like. More particularly, the invention pertains to such systems which are capable of detecting the presence of individuals in the region being monitored by the respective system and of providing information to first responders as to the locations of such individuals. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     It has been recognized that ambient condition monitoring systems such as fire, gas or intrusion systems can be very useful in providing information to first responders as well as to individuals on the premises as to the location and type of one or more alarm conditions. Such systems often monitor a variety of ambient conditions such as fire, gas, intrusion and the like to be able to determine the presence of the selected condition in one or more portions of the region being monitored. 
     In addition to monitoring the region itself, it would be desirable to be able to determine the location or locations of individuals who might be in the region being monitored when one or more conditions has been detected. For example, being able to determine that a group of individuals is on the second or third floor of a building which is experiencing a fire condition could be very useful to first responders. 
     It is would be preferable if such feedback could be provided relatively inexpensively without having to burden the respective individuals normally in the area. Further, it would be desirable to be able to communicate such information to remote premises from which first responders might be dispatched so as to provide them as much information as early as possible as to the conditions of the respective building or region being monitored. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a plan view of a floor of a region being monitored in accordance with the invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a block diagram view of various aspects of the system of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  illustrates further aspects of the system of  FIG. 1 ; and 
         FIG. 4  is yet another block diagram illustrating other aspects of the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     While embodiments of this invention can take many different forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown in the drawings and will be described herein in detail with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention, as well as the best mode of practicing same, and is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiment illustrated. 
     A fire alarm control unit or panel (FACP) in one embodiment of the invention is configured to monitor members of a plurality of ambient condition detectors. Some of the detectors are capable of monitoring people. The detectors utilize a wireless signal to monitor a device such as a tag or badge attached to the person. A wireless signal is coupled between the detector(s) and the badge. 
     The connection between the FACP and the detector may be a physical medium such as wire or fiber. Alternately, the connection between the FACP and the detector(s) may also be wireless. The device which is attached to the person may be unique. It may be linked to some personal information about that person, or a general device may be used to simply identify where non-specific occupants are located. 
     A transmitter may be required to “activate” the badge(s). The transmitter may be located in one or more detectors along with a respective RF receiver or somewhere else in the facility. 
     The following scenarios are exemplary only and not limitations of the invention: 
     Scenario 1 (Specific Occupant, Specific Location, Alarm Condition): 
     The FACP is configured to link a unique badge to an individual. 
     At some point in time, the FACP annunciates a fire alarm. The emergency responder can view alarm related information at the FACP. The emergency responder needs to know who is located in the building. When the emergency responder requests a list of people in the building, either by pressing a single button or navigating some type of menu system, the FACP will request this information from the detectors. The detectors evaluate one or more received wireless signals to determine the badges from which a signal is being received. 
     The FACP can then link the badge to the configured information. The emergency responder may either view this information on the screen of the FACP, a displaced screen, or send it to a printer local to the FACP. Sample data include: 
     Badge number 
     Detector number 
     Detector description (such as the generic address or other pertinent information such as a location indicator, such as building number, floor number, room number, etc.) 
     User name (First, Middle, and/or Last, and optional suffix) 
     Contact telephone number 
     User Address 
     Alternate telephone number (such as a cellular telephone number) 
     Emergency contact name (First, Middle, and/or Last, and optional suffix) 
     Emergency contact telephone number 
     Emergency contact alternate telephone number (such as a cellular telephone number) 
     Emergency contact address 
     The FACP may be configured to include any or all of the sample data. 
     Additionally, the FACP will be able to display some grouping information. The FACP may either display or print information pertaining to the density of badge/personnel. This information may include, but not limited to, the following: 
     Detector Number 
     Detector description (such as the generic address or other pertinent information such as a location indicator, such as building number, floor number, room number, etc.) 
     Number of badges present by this detector 
     This information may be repeated for each detector. The list may also be sorted. Some examples of sorted lists include: 
     the detector with the most number of badges is listed first 
     the detectors are listed in order of their address 
     Scenario 2 (Specific Occupant, Specific Location, Continuous Monitoring): 
     The FACP is configured to link a unique badge to an individual 
     In this scenario the FACP continuously monitors the badges as they move throughout the building or facility. At any time the FACP has the ability to immediately display the badge information. 
     The FACP may be configured to include any or all of the sample data listed in Scenario 1. 
     Scenario 3 (Specific People, Specific Location, Additional Devices): 
     The FACP is configured to link a unique badge to an individual. 
     The FACP is connected to other devices, additional FACPs or additional reporting devices, using a network such as a protected premises network. The FACP will have the ability to transmit the badge/occupancy information to other devices on the network. 
     The badge/occupancy information may be sent over the network in accordance with either scenario 1 or scenario 2 listed above. 
     Additional information can be used when displaying information from multiple FACPs on a common display. The additional information which may be displayed includes: 
     Panel Number 
     Panel Description 
     Scenario 4 (General Occupancy, General Location): 
     The FACP is not configured to link unique badges to individuals. 
     In this scenario the FACP is only capable of determining badge locations. The information provided under this scenario will be that detector X has determined the total number of badges/occupants in the area of that detector. 
     The information which may be displayed at the FACP, printed by the FACP, or transmitted by this FACP to another annunciating device is not limited to but can include: 
     Detector number 
     Detector description (such as the generic address or more pertinent information such as a location indicator, such as building number, floor number, room number, etc.) 
     Number of occupants/badges in the area 
     This information may collected and sent over a network in accordance with Scenarios 1, 2, and 3. 
       FIG. 1  a plan view of a region R illustrates an installed fire alarm monitoring system generally indicated at  10 . The system incorporates a fire alarm control panel  12  which is coupled via a medium, wired or wireless, generally indicated at  14  to a plurality of ambient condition detectors indicated generally at  16 . 
     The detectors  16 A . . .  16 I will be understood could monitor conditions such as fire, smoke, gas, temperature, all without limitation. As those of skill in the art will understand the members of a plurality  16  would be distributed throughout the region R and coupled via medium  14  to the control unit  12 . Control unit  12  incorporates a visual display  12   a , a programmable processor or processors  12   b , control software  12   c  various circuits associated with communicating with the detectors  16 , indicated generally at  12   d  and one or more printers  12   e.    
     The control unit  12  can incorporate condition monitoring processing software  12   c  of a conventional type in determining the presence of one or more predetermined alarm conditions based on wired or wireless signals received from the members of the plurality  16  via interface  12   e . Further, the system  10  can be in communication, via a network  10 - 1 , with one or more displaced systems all without limitation. 
     In accordance with the invention, at least some of the detectors such as detectors  16 A, B or C or the like incorporate wireless receivers  20 A,  20 B,  20 C . . .  20 N which might be configured as transceivers to receive signals from remote RF identification units such as  24   a  which could be, for example, passive RFID tags which have been incorporated into the identification passes or badges  24  which could be worn by individuals such as the individual I of  FIG. 3  who are visiting or working the region R. Such RFID-type tags, where passive, rely on the presence of a local RF field for energy and transmit in response thereto, wirelessly, to a local receiver. 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the system  10  can incorporate in various of the detectors such as the detector  16 A, illustrated in  FIG. 2 , at least a receiver indicated generally at  20 A for receipt of signals from a local RFID tag  24   a , embedded in badge XYZ,  24 . As noted above, such tags, such as a tag  24   a  can be energized by local RF signals indicated generally as RF from a variety of sources. 
     One source could be transceivers associated with the various detectors such as detector  16 A . . .  16 N all without limitation. Another source could be one or more transmitters scattered throughout the region R, apart from the various detectors, for the purpose of generating local RF fields to energize nearby RFID tags. Alternately, RFID tags with a power supply built into a name tag for example could be used. 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , signals, such as indicated generally as RF 1  can be received from one or more tags such as a tag  24   a  via receiver or transceiver  20 A in a respective detector such as  16 A in response to the presence of the respective tag or tags  24   a  in the vicinity of the receiver or transceiver  20 A, B, . . . N. Information concerning relevant ambient conditions as well as information pertaining to identified RF tags in the vicinity of respective detectors can be coupled via medium  14  and interface  12   e  to the control panel or control unit  12 . Such information can be displayed, generally indicated at  30  on the display  12   a  local to the control panel  12 . 
     If desired the information can be transmitted via the network  10 - 1  to other sites for graphical presentation. The information  30 , on display  12   a  can disclose to first responders the individual or individuals I in the vicinity of the detector  16 A. 
     The information  30  can be provided prior to, along with or subsequent to the respective detector such as  16 A communicating one or more ambient condition indicia to the control panel  12 . It Will be understood that the exact relationship between information  30  and the ambient condition information coupled from the detector  16 A . . .  16 N to the control unit  12  is not a limitation of the present invention. 
       FIG. 4  illustrates an alternate configuration where first and second monitoring systems generally indicated at  40  and  42  can be coupled via the network  10 - 1  to a displaced display device  44  which could be located at a dispatching station, a firehouse, in or on first responders vehicles or the like all without limitation. As illustrated in  FIG. 4 , the respective detectors in the systems of  40 ,  42  each include an RF receiver, comparable to the RF receiver  20 A of detector  16 A for purpose of receiving RF signals, such as signals RF 2 , RF 3  from respective badges  24 - 1 , - 2  which incorporate RF identification tags. It will be understood that the systems  40 ,  42  could be associated with regions R 1 , R 2  in a common building or in physically displaced buildings. 
     Further, the local displays on the control units  42 ,  52  such as displays  42   a  and  52   a  could, if desired display the information  30 - 1  and  30 - 2  on the respective displays  42   a ,  52   a.    
     It will also be understood that the type of monitoring system is not a limitation of the present invention. Embodiments of the invention can incorporate HVAC as well as intrusion indicating monitoring systems. 
     From the foregoing, it will be observed that numerous variations and modifications may be effected without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is to be understood that no limitation with respect to the specific apparatus illustrated herein is intended or should be inferred. It is, of course, intended to cover by the appended claims all such modifications as fall within the scope of the claims.