Patent Publication Number: US-7714720-B2

Title: Alarm system and alarm device

Description:
The present invention relates to an alarm system, which is provided with a detector for detecting a force instrument, the associated detector with a holster intended for carrying a force instrument the detector detecting if the force instrument is removed from the holster, information on the situation is produced on the basis of the said identification and relayed to the user&#39;s control room. 
   The invention also relates to an alarm device, which is suitable to be used as part of the alarm system according to the invention. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   Different kinds of instruments, by means of which it is possible to respond to different kinds of situations requiring the use of force, are part of the equipment of the police, board guards and other similar authorities. Of these instruments generally belonging to the equipment, a hand gun, a pistol, or a similar weapon can be classified as a deadly force instrument. Respectively, a pepper spray, a tear gas spray, an electric paralyzer or a similar device can be classified as a non-deadly force instrument. In connection with this invention, the common name force instrument will be used of the instruments in either of the above-mentioned groups. The operation of a single authority is generally lead, controlled and assisted by a control room, a direction centre, a command centre, an alarm centre, or similar. In connection with this invention, the term control room will be used of these. 
   It is common for the situations, in which these force instruments are used that they are generally needed in unexpected situations with an evident danger or threat of violence. The opposing party may suddenly attack an authority carrying out his work, or the threat of such a situation comes to a head suddenly and unexpectedly. The objective in the operation of authorities is that no single authority should face the threat or danger of violence in any situation without having sufficient back-up groups to assist and make sure a safe work performance or situation. For communicating information on this situation to and for receiving instructions from the control room, the equipment of an individual authority also includes a means of communication, which can transmit and receive information and which can be, for example, a radiophone or a similar terminal device; preferably, for example, a tetra terminal to be used in an authority network. 
   In practice, when a situation arises in the work of an authority that the possibility of the use of a force instrument arises or exists, the control room needs the information on this situation. One option to act is that the authority informs of the changed situation, for example, orally, by using his means of communication. However, in such a situation the authority also has many other tasks to perform so that the use of a means of communication in very fast situations is somewhat difficult even if it had functions facilitating fast use, such as speech activation or similar properties. 
   DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART 
   The patent specification U.S. Pat. No. 3,530,451 discloses an electronic alarm system, which is connected to a weapon holster worn on the body. The invention includes an instrument for identifying the removal of the weapon from the holster and for activating a radio transmitter. A remote receiving station is provided with a radio receiver so that a situation of danger will be identified on the basis of the received signal. The transmission of the signal can also be activated by a manual switch or by removing the holster from the body. Here the transmitting radio transmitter in question can be identified on the basis of the tone of the radio signal. 
   The patent specification U.S. Pat. No. 5,479,149 discloses a system for monitoring and recording the use of the weapon of an authority. A receiver/recorder/transmitter carried by an authority is activated by removing the weapon from its holster or by a manual switch. This activation causes the information on the removal of the weapon from the holster to be transmitted and, after this all sounds in the vicinity of the authority are transmitted and recorded. Further, it is proposed in this specification that the transmission will be received and recorded to a receiver in a patrol car. From the patrol car, the transmission can be transmitted further to a transmission station, where it will be recorded and the supervisor will get an audio and/or visual alarm, all recorded information, information on the authority in question, and date and time for later use. On the basis of this information, the supervisor can send back-up forces to the authority acting in the situation, when needed. The system can also be provided with a transmitter connected to the weapon, which makes possible the follow-up of the weapon and the defining of its location, if the weapon is separated from the authority. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   For clarity, the term user will be used of the authority, such as persons employed by the police, border guards, and similar authorities or organisations, and of guards or other similar users of the invention. 
   The object of the invention is to further develop and improve the state-of-the-art solutions and to offer a system, which is reliable, simple, functionally safe and serving versatile use. One object of the invention is to achieve a system, by means of which very versatile information can be immediately formed on a situation of threat or danger and this information can be further transmitted to all parties concerned; for example, first and foremost to the user&#39;s control room but secondly, according to choice, to other users in the same organisation present/operating in the vicinity of the user in question. An object is also to obtain classified information on the situation in progress, on the basis of which correct conclusions can be drawn, among other things, concerning additional assistance or back-up. On the basis of the said classified information it is also possible to assess how the situation is going to progress so that it will be easier for the persons in control of the situation to take correct actions. 
   The alarm system of the invention is characterised in that the message will be relayed to the means of communication of the user of the force instrument, which will further transmit the message via a base station to the control room. 
   The alarm device of the invention is again characterised in that it has:
         a detector fitted into the holster or in a connection with the holster of a force instrument, the detector being adapted to detect if the force instrument is in place, if it is missing, or if it is being removed from or put into the holster;   a detector-cpu adapted to receive a signal or message from the detector, the detector-cpu being adapted to form, on the basis of the signal or message, at least part of the contents of the message, and to control the means of communication for transmitting the message.       

   According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the system includes a detector-cpu, which receives the signal or message produced by the detector, and which forms a message and/or control command that the means of communications will understand. Thus, the detector-cpu works as the “brains” of the system, receiving data, processing and modifying it further and control the means of communications to perform the necessary further transmission of the data. Preferably, the detector-cpu is programmable and/or configurable in a desired way. In this case, a task-specific, user-specific or user group-specific message can be programmed as an alarm message, which can be automatically transmitted to a predetermined address, such as the control room. 
   One special application of the alarm system is police use. When a force instrument, such as a pistol, is removed from the holster, the situation is generally extremely threatening and there is not necessarily enough time to send a spoken message by radio to request back-up. However, the need for further assistance is often essential or, at the least, information on the situation must be sent further, in which case the purpose of the application is to automatically transmit a message of the need of further assistance to the control room, when the force instrument is removed from the holster. With the system according to the invention, the message can be transmitted to be used by the control room in an exact format, and it is possible to form exact information on the situation, including, when so desired, the information: who, what, where, when, in which situation, how the situation is developing, etc. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The invention will next be explained in more detail, referring to the enclosed drawings, in which 
       FIG. 1  represents the alarm system, and 
       FIGS. 2   a - 2   f  represent different embodiment alternatives for configuring components of the system from the detector  10  to the transmission of the message  25 . 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   The operation of the system will next be explained by way of an example, referring to the enclosed  FIG. 1 . A user, such as a policeman, suddenly faces a threatening situation and needs a force instrument  1 , such as his hand gun. The user draws his hand gun  1  from its holster  2 , and a detector  10  detects this. The detector  10  transmits a message  15  to a detector-cpu  11 , which is located in an auxiliary device, such as a monophone, connected to the user&#39;s means of communication  20 . The detector-cpu  11  forms a text-form message  25  from the message  15  and the identification data of the means of communication  20 , and controls the means of communication  20 , i.e. in this example the Tetra terminal device, to transmit this as a SDS message  25  via a base station  30  to the control room  40 . On the basis of the SDS message  25 , the control room  40  knows that the message  25  has been received from the terminal device  20 , the ID of which is XXXXXXXXX (in which case the user is N.N.) and that the force instrument  1  has been removed from the holster  2 . After receiving the information, the control room may draw its own conclusions of the situation and decide on the possible sending of additional assistance. As the situation progresses further, the user makes a decision that the force instrument  1 , the hand gun, first taken into use is overreacting to the situation and returns it to its holster  2 , in which case the system can transmit a new message  25  concerning the changed situation to the control room  40 . However, the user may, for example, remove a gas spray  1  from its holster  2 , in which case a new message  25  will be transmitted to the control room  40 . Within such a short period of time, the control room  40  will thus have access to the information that the user has been in a threatening situation, in which the first reaction caused the removal of a deadly force instrument  1  from the holster, but after the situation or an assessment of the situation was specified further, the deadly force instrument  1  was returned to the holster  2  and only a non-deadly force instrument  1  may possibly be needed to clear the situation. When needed, the control room  40  can ask the terminal device, i.e. the means of communication  20  for positioning information, i.e. coordinates, unless the system has been adapted to transmit this positioning data by default as part of the message  25 . Similarly, according to an advantageous additional feature, also information on the task in progress will be sent as part of the message  25 ; for example, the user is performing the task XYZ. 
   The detector  10  is fitted in the holster  2  of the force instrument  1  or in a connection with the holster  2  so that it will detect the existence of the force instrument  1  in the holster, if the instrument is missing or if it is moved out of or into the holster  2 . The operating principle of the detector can be, for example, inductive, capacitive, resistive, mechanical or optical. For example, if the operating principle is inductive, as the force instrument  1  is in the holster, the total inductance of the detector  10  measured from the coil is bigger than without the force instrument  1 . The force instrument can be read, for example, at intervals of 0.5 . . . 1 seconds so that a change in the signal of the detector will be detected immediately or almost immediately. Because the force instruments come in innumerable models and materials, steel, stainless steel, plastic components, etc, and because the measuring values obtained from these are different, detectors  10  based on inductive or capacitive identification are preferable types of detectors. Likewise, holsters for force instruments come in numerous different models so that the fitting of the detector in the holster is easier if the detector is chosen so that its physical dimensions are relatively small. When needed, for example, a sticker or some other corresponding surface can be fastened to the force instrument to facilitate the reading of the detector and for improving the reliability of the reading, the detector being able to measure or read the necessary physical value from this surface. 
   The detector-cpu  11  receives the signal or message  15  produced by the detector  10 . Here, the signal refers to a value or change in a value of a physically measurable quantity, such as a change in voltage, inductance, capacitance, resistance, or similar, and the message  15  refers to similar, but it can be interpreted to contain information, which can be presented in an analogue or digital format. For example, the message  15  can be of the so-called “proprietor” type, which can be determined fully according to the device in question. After obtaining the signal or message  15 , the detector-cpu  11  forms or builds or generates a message understood by the terminal device, i.e. the means of communication  20 , such as a message concerning an auxiliary device and/or a control command for transmitting the message further. An example of such an embodiment is the means of communication  20 , which is a tetra terminal, supporting the SDS message of the auxiliary device. According to an advantageous embodiment, the detector-cpu  11  controls the terminal device, i.e. means of communication  20  to transmit the message  25  further to the base station  30 . The detector-cpu  11  can be, for example, a physical device containing both electronic components and a program, or it can be a purely programmatic device, in which case the detector-cpu  11  can be, for example, a program to be loaded into the means of communication  20  or to an auxiliary device of the means of communication. By means of programmability and/or configurability, it is, for example, possible to program the criteria for the activation of an alarm in a user-specific manner, a delay can be programmed to the trigger function of the alarm, or the alarm can be cancelled before it has been transmitted further by radio. 
     FIGS. 2   a - 2   f  represent different options for configuring the detector  10 , the detector-cpu  11 , and the means of communication  20 . 
   In  FIG. 2   a , the detector  10  and the detector-cpu  11  are connected to each other by means of a wire so that the signal of the detector will be lead directly to the detector-cpu  11 , which forms at least part of the message  25  and controls the means of communication  20  to transmit the message  25  further. 
   In  FIG. 2   b , the detector  10 , the detector-cpu  11 , and the means of communication  20  are all separate devices, and they are connected to each other wirelessly, for example, by way of a radio. The detector  10  transmits the signal via radio to the detector-cpu  11 , which again forms part of the message and controls the means of communication  20  to transmit the message  25  further. 
   In  FIG. 2   c , the detector-cpu  11  is located, for example, to a separate monophone, headset, transmission button or a similar auxiliary device of the means of communication  20 . In this case, the detector-cpu can control the means of communication  20  and the transmission of the message  25  directly through contact pins of the connector for the auxiliary device. 
   In  FIG. 2   d , the detector-cpu  11  is arranged to the connector for the auxiliary device connected to the means of communication  20 . The detector  10  transmits a signal by way of radio to the detector-cpu, which control the means of communication through the contact pins of the connector for the auxiliary device, similarly to the arrangement in  FIG. 2   c.    
   In  FIG. 2   e , the detector-cpu  11  is integrated to the means of communication  20 . In this case, the means of communication thus understands directly the signal transmitted by the detector  10 , processes the message  25  and transmits it to the base station. 
   In  FIG. 2   f , the detector  10 , the detector-cpu  11 , and the means of communication  20  are all connected to each other by means of a wire. 
   As can be seen from  FIGS. 2   a - 2   f , there are several options. Advantageously, a message  15  from a detector  10  to a detector-cpu  11  is transmitted by radio as a signal with radio frequency, but also a message to be relayed along a wire is possible. Technically, there is no great difference between these options. It is mainly a question of the comfort of the user and, to some extent, of the reliability of the system; a big number of devices connected to each other with wires, especially when the user does physical work, exposes the system to a disconnection of a wire contact and thus to a failure in the system. Likewise, the available devices, especially the properties of the means of communication  20  affect the recommendable configuration. An example of an affecting property is the possibility or ability of the means of communication  20  to receive a message of an auxiliary device or a control command by radio or only through the contact pins of a connector for the auxiliary device. 
   The means of communication  20  of the user typically functions, for example, in an authority network in use in each country, in which case the invention will make use of the properties of this data communications network. One property of the network is to transmit the message  25  from a terminal device, i.e. the means of communication  20  to a base station  30 , from which the message will be relayed further to the desired target, such as the control room  40 . Examples of such data communication networks suitable for this purpose and types of messages  25  used in these are, for example, SDS messages to be relayed in Tetra networks. It is also possible to transmit a text-format message in the P25 networks, i.e. the digital P25 network in use in the USA. The same principles are also used, for example, in the Tetrapol network. In principle, the minimum contents of the message  25  is “who” and “what”, i.e. the message contains at least the identification of the user or some kind of ID information, such as the telephone number of the user&#39;s means of communication and information about the removal of the force instrument from its holster. The contents of the message  25  may partly be information  21  formed by the detector-cpu  11 , such as “what”, and partly information  21  formed by the means of communication  20 , such as “who”. If the user  5  has several force instruments  1  belonging to different categories, such as a hand gun and a pepper spray, the above-mentioned “what” information specifies also the category or other identification information of the force instrument. In the same way, the date-time information belongs to the basic properties of these messages to be transmitted via the above-mentioned and other similar networks so that upon logging into the log of the control room  40 , also this information provides useful data, especially when analysing the situation afterwards. 
   In addition to the above-mentioned minimum contents, the message  25  can contain a lot of other information. One especially useful piece of information is “where”, i.e. the user&#39;s current or last known location. This information is advantageously based on the location determined by the GPS positioning device in the user&#39;s means of communication  20 . GPS or a similar satellite positioning does not function reliably inside, and the removal of the force instrument  1  from its holster may as well occur inside as outside. In this case, the user is either in a blind spot or in a coverage area in relation to the GPS signal. Because of this it is preferable that a part of the system remembers the latest reliable positioning information determined with relatively accuracy, and this information will be stored to be relayed along with the message  25  or as a consequence of it. The positioning information determined by the positioning device can be arranged as a parameter, in which case it will be generated and relayed either immediately with the message  25  or, alternatively, the control room will ask the data from the user&#39;s means of communication after having received information on the situation that has arisen. 
   Advantageous properties of the base station  30  and the network for using the invention are, in addition to the ones mentioned above, among others the possibility of the control room to switch on a so-called “ambient listening” property in the means of communication  20  so that it is possible in the control room to listen to possible conversations or shots in the vicinity of the user, and when needed or desired, to record them. 
   Other advantageous additional features or properties of the alarm system or alarm device of the invention are, among others, low power consumption so that the operating time would be as long as possible, and a detector on the running out of the battery so that the user knows when to change the battery in order to keep the system operating. The use of the alarm device and alarm system is also facilitated by a switch, with which the device can be switched off for the duration of a break, or if the force instrument, such as a gun is removed from the holster for service, etc. 
   REFERENCE NUMBERS IN THE FIGURES 
   
       
         1  force instrument 
         2  holster 
         5  user 
         10  detector 
         11  detector-cpu 
         15  message (between the detector  10  and the detector-cpu  11 ) 
         16  data (formed by the detector-cpu) 
         20  means of communication 
         21  data (formed by the means of communication) 
         25  message (transmitted by the means of communication) 
         30  base station 
         40  control room