Patent Publication Number: US-7710284-B2

Title: Automatic garage door response system for carbon monoxide or carbon monoxide and smoke detection

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present application is a Continuation-in-Part of Ser. No. 11/087,931 U.S. Pub. No. 2005/0212681 A1 and now U.S. Pat. No. 7,183,933, and as such, claims the benefit of the Mar. 23, 2005 filing date. The entire disclosure and the contents of (&#39;681) are hereby incorporated by reference as if fully rewritten herein. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to an improved carbon monoxide monitoring system and, more specifically, to such a system that conditionally opens a motorized garage door at the times that carbon monoxide levels, as controlled by the presence or absence of smoke, reach unsafe thresholds. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     U.S. Pub. No. 2005/0,212,681, to the present inventors, discloses a garage monitoring system that includes a carbon monoxide (“CO”) detector and smoke detector that generates an audible alarm when it senses CO and/or smoke at a predetermined level. There is presently no similar system that is incorporated in or works in conjunction with a standard, motorized garage door assembly. 
     The garage monitoring system also includes a method of determining if the garage door is opened or closed. This is necessary because the system will not issue a move door command if the garage door is already opened and it will not issue a move door command if smoke is detected first. 
     A carbon monoxide and smoke detector placed in a garage or a similar space has been a controversial, but a desired, feature considered to enhance a home or business&#39; safety for many years. To enhance safety, the system will have terminals to which remote alarm can be sounded or a security system notified. To assist in determining the cause of high CO levels or smoke, the system will internal store the order of the alarm sequence (which came first, smoke or CO) and data about the concentration levels if that can be extracted from the sensor modules. 
     Optionally, the system may have an external carriage that accommodates garage door systems that are not activated by a wired wall switch. This is referred to as RF (Radio Frequency) only garage door opening systems. The carriage would contain the garage door opener that came with the garage door. If a garage door move command is issued, a motorized cam assembly would “press” the garage door opener&#39;s switch thus opening the door. The system could therefore be interfaced to almost any garage door opening system. 
     The alarm would be a sounding device that meets the loudness requirement standard and may include a light and/or voice enunciator. 
     The system may include a heater that helps to keep the smoke and/or CO sensors within their designated temperature range. 
     The system may include indirect methods of fire detection by setting a maximum temperature and/or rate of temperature change and/or infrared signature to initiate an alarm. As stated previously, in this circumstance the position of the garage door would not be changed. 
     The system may include indirect methods of CO detection that include the identification or periodic sounds made from running cars, lawn mowers, etc. A circuit would be included to determine if the sound origination was inside or outside of the garage. 
     The system will use a switch mounted on the garage door rail or some other place on the garage door assembly to determine the position of the garage door. Optionally other methods to determine the position of the garage door may be used, such as ultrasonic and/or infrared reflection techniques. 
     The system may contain batteries to operate during commercial power failures. 
     The system electronics may optionally have a timer that will indicate when the smoke or CO&#39;s sensor has reached end of life. 
     The present and the improved monitoring system provides the foregoing advantages by means of the emergency interface and the smoke detector. The present invention further improves home and business safety through early detection. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved monitoring system that comprises a possible smoke detector in combination with the CO detector disclosed in the parent patent. 
     It is a first object of the present invention to include an improved acoustic sensor that recognizes and detects the sound that resonates from a vehicle engine that runs in a closed garage. It is an object of the improved acoustic sensor to signal the garage door to open if it detects that the sound continues for a preprogrammed time, e.g., five minutes. 
     It is the object of the present invention to engineer the improved monitoring system to alarm only when smoke is present, but neither open or close the garage door in those situations where smoke is detected first. 
     It is a further object of the present invention to program the system to reduce the risks to occupants&#39; safety at the times when both CO and smoke are detected. This is accomplished by means of a series of programs that directs the system to leave a door closed at the times when smoke is detected first or open the door at the times CO is detected first. 
     It is an object of the present invention to accomplish the latter object by comprising a data recorder or a process memory in the present system. It is envisioned that the information that can be retrieved from the data recorder relates to the positions of the garage door and the levels of smoke or the levels of CO detected in the structure for the periods prior to the time when the alarm activated. 
     It is a further object of the present and the improved invention to comprise a manual alarm silencer on the interface of the monitoring system. It is an object of the alarm silencer to provide a means for the occupants of a structure to silence the alarm at the times that they acknowledge that there was a risk to their safety. 
     It is a final object of the present invention to provide all of the advantages that the foregoing objects entail. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The advantages and the features of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following and more detailed description and the claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like elements are identified with like symbols, and in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the garage door monitoring system disclosed in the prior art; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a garage door assembly having the improved garage monitor according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 3  is a side view of a portion of the garage door assembly and the improved garage monitor in  FIG. 2 . 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The best mode for carrying out the invention is presented in terms of its preferred embodiment, herein depicted within the Figures. 
     In order to describe the complete relationship of the improved invention to its parent invention, it is essential that some description be given to the manner and to the practice of the functional utility of the garage monitoring system both disclosed in U.S. Pub. No. 2005/0212681 and incorporated herein as if fully rewritten. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 1 , according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention a system is located in a plastic case  15  which is typically affixed to the ceiling or wall by screws through mounting holes  4 . A power cord  12  goes to a plug-in wall transformer that powers the system. Cord  2  goes to a switch on the door rail or door assembly that tells the system whether the current position of the door is opened or closed. Alternately, the switch may be replaced by an ultrasonic, infrared ranging or other method to determine the position of the door. 
     Cord  3  goes to the terminals on the garage door controller. If the system issues a move door command, the connection across the wires are shorted for a period of time that signals the garage door opener to open the door. Insect and dust guards  13  protect the CO sensor detector module  5  and smoke sensor detector module  6 . When CO and/or smoke is detected, an alarm is sounded  1  which may include voice annunciation and light  7  turns on. When an alarm is detected terminal strip  11  signals and remote alarm sounders or security systems. 
     Internal electronics  14  operate the system in accord with the operational description. An indicator  8  occasionally flashes to indicate normal smoke detector operation and comes on solid to indicate a smoke alarm. An indicator occasionally  9  occasionally flashes to indicate normal CO detector operation and comes on solid to indicate a CO alarm. Smoke alarm test switch  10  tests the operation of the smoke detector and is designed to be manually pressed. CO alarm test switch  18  tests the operation of the CO detector and is designed to be manually pressed. 
     Microphone  19  detects periodic sounds to indirectly identify possible sources of CO and cord  21  goes to a microphone outside of the protected area to determine if the periodic sound is coming from inside or outside of the protected area. Internal electronics  14  make a determination based upon sound intensity. 
     Thermal sensor in absolute temperature sensor  20  provides the internal electronics  14  the ambient temperature. The internal electronic can use this information to turn on the sensor heaters  15  located inside of the case or to sound an alarm for high temperatures or to sound an alarm if the rate of change of the ambient environment is too high. 
     Mounting clips  22  and electrical interface  23  serve to support the optional carriage that hold standard garage door openers for RF (radio frequency) only garage door systems. 
     Refer to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the carriage attaches to the system mechanically  26  and electrically  27 . A standard garage door opener  29  sits in the carriage assembly  24 . Sliding brackets  25  and  26  move to locate and secure the garage door opener  29  so the arrange door opener&#39;s switch  28  is in the center of the carriage. The hinged  31  lid assembly  34  is then closed and latched  32 . When a move door command is issued ( FIG. 3  shows cam pressing switch), the motor/cam assembly  30  turns and pushes the garage door opener button  28 . Spring assembly  33  adjusts tension so the garage door opener  29  is not damaged. 
     2. Operation of the Preferred Embodiment 
     The garage monitoring system also includes a method of determining if the garage door is opened or closed. This is necessary because the system will not issue a move door command if the garage door is already opened and it will not issue a move door command if smoke is detected first. The system&#39;s sequence of operation is can thus be described as follows:
         a. If CO is detected first, high concentration, sound alarm and open door immediately.   b. If CO is detected first, low concentration, sound alarm and wait a time period to see if smoke alarm activates. If smoke alarm does not activate, open garage door, otherwise do not change the position of the garage door.   c. If smoke is detected first, sound alarm and do not change the position of the garage door.       

     The foregoing descriptions of the specific embodiments of the present invention have been presented for the purposes of illustration and description only. They are neither intended to be exhaustive nor to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed and, obviously, many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention and its various embodiments with the various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the Claims appended hereto and to their equivalents. Therefore, the scope of the invention is to be limited only by the following claims.