Ranco Inc. of Delaware

Maple Chase Company

Ranco Inc.

Seatt Corporation

Other

Ranco Incorporated of Delware

Maple Chase

William Peter Tanguay

Thomas W Kondziolka

Brian J Althoff

James Brodecki

Dale Fiene

Keith Corsello

James McCrink

A method of intermittently disabling the generation of an alarm signal by a plurality of interconnected adverse condition detectors during a temporary alarm locate period such that the adverse condition detector actually detecting the adverse condition can be identified. In an interconnected system of adverse condition detectors, all of the detectors generate an alarm signal when any of the detectors is sensing an adverse condition. When the test switch on any of the detectors not actually sensing the adverse condition is actuated, the alarm signal is inhibited on all of the detectors except the detector actually sensing the adverse condition. The alarm signal is inhibited for a majority of the alarm locate period and allowed to activate for only portions of the alarm locate period.

Temporary alarm locate with intermittent warning

An adverse condition detector that allows the user to visually determine the type of adverse condition being detected. The adverse condition detector includes a sensor and a control unit coupled to the sensor. When the sensor detects an adverse condition above a selected level, the control unit generates an audible alarm signal and a visual alarm signal. The visual alarm signal simulates the type of adverse condition being detected. In one embodiment of the invention, the visual alarm signal includes a plurality of visual indicators operated in a random fashion to simulate the appearance of a flame.

Enhanced visual signaling for an adverse condition detector

An adverse condition detect or that allows the user to test the apparatus in close proximity without having to endure full operational alarm activation. The adverse condition detector includes a detector, a transducer and a test system. When the detector senses an adverse condition, the transducer is activated to generate an alarm signal having an alarm level. When the test switch is activated, a test signal is generated at the alarm level and has a test duration that is substantially less than the duration of the alarm signal. In one embodiment of the invention, the alarm signal includes a plurality of alarm pulses having an alarm pulse duration and the test signal includes a plurality of test pulses each having a test pulse duration substantially less than the alarm pulse.

Adverse condition detector having modulated test signal

A time control unit having both a time base dial that allows the user to set the cycle time duration and a duty cycle dial that allows the user to set the percentage of time a load connected to the time control unit in activated during each cycle time. The time base dial includes a series of discrete time base settings that increase non-linearly from a minimum setting to a maximum setting. The duty cycle dial also includes a series of discrete duty cycle settings ranging between a maximum and a minimum duty cycle value. The amount of increase in the percentage of the cycle time between successive duty cycle settings is smaller near the minimum (0%) and maximum (100%) settings and larger near the midpoint between the minimum and the maximum settings such that the duty cycle dial has greater resolution near the maximum and minimum settings.

Time controls with enhanced timing range

A sensor alarm which provides an alarm notification of a dangerous condition within a monitored space, further provides notice of its current state condition, from among several states, with distinct message comprising a combination of encoded audible and visible mnemonics annunciations.

Enhanced visual and audible signaling for sensed alarm condition

A method and apparatus for synchronizing a series of interconnected alarm devices. The alarm device detecting an alarm condition produces a signal having a distinct rising edge which is detected at each of the remaining alarm devices. A pulsed alarm signal having a fixed number of pulses is generated at each remaining device in response to the rising edge. A reset signal from the alarm device detecting the alarm condition resets each of the remaining alarm devices after each fixed number of pulses is produced so that each of said devices has a pulsed alarm signal which begins and ends at substantially the same time.

Apparatus and method for providing alarm synchronization among multiple alarm devices

A smoke alarm having both an ionization detector and a photoelectric detector coupled to each other to generate an alarm signal when either of the detectors senses a potential fire. The smoke detector includes a power supply circuit having both an AC power supply and a DC battery power supply. During normal operating conditions, the AC power supply operates both the ionization detector and the photoelectric detector of the smoke alarm. Upon power interruption, the DC battery supply provides power to operate both the ionization detector and the photoelectric detector. The smoke alarm includes an interconnect that allows multiple smoke alarms to be coupled together.

Smoke alarm with dual sensing technologies and dual power sources

A photoelectric smoke detector includes a photoelectric chamber having a housing fabricated from an electrically conductive material.

Photoelectric smoke detector

The present invention provides an adverse condition detection apparatus that enables a user to test the apparatus in close proximity without having to endure fully operational alarm noise. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes a detector, a transducer, and a test system. The detector provides an adverse condition signal in response to detecting an adverse condition (e.g., smoke). The transducer is operably connected to the detector for receiving the adverse condition signal. The transducer generates an operational alarm in response to receiving the adverse condition signal when the detector detects the adverse condition. The test system is operably connected to the transducer and causes it to generate a test alarm in response to a user activating the test system. However, the test alarm, at least initially, is lower in audibility than the operational alarm.

Adverse condition detection and notification apparatus

A heat detector that includes a temperature sensing and testing circuit that provides an increased accuracy temperature sensing range and a push-to-test circuit that is electronically functional at low ambient temperatures. The heat detector includes a sensing circuit consisting of a voltage divider formed from a supply resistor and a thermistor. The thermistor is connected directly between a detector voltage input to a control unit and ground. The push-to-test circuit includes a parallel combination of a test resistor and a transistor each connected between the supply resistor and a voltage source. During normal operating conditions, base current is supplied to the transistor such that the transistor functions as a short circuit connection between the supply resistor and the voltage source. Upon depression of a push button, the base of the transistor is connected to the emitter such that the transistor acts as an open circuit. When the push button is depressed, a test resistor is connected in series with the supply resistor to simulate an increase in the ambient temperature to test the heat detector.

Heat detector having an increased accuracy alarm temperature threshold and improved low temperature testing capabilities

A battery operable dangerous condition warning device adapted to issue an alarm when a sensed dangerous condition exceeds a predetermined status incorporates a monitoring device circuit including: a processor, a dangerous condition sensor, a horn, a battery condition monitoring procedure cooperating with the processor to periodically check the integrity of the battery for detecting a first battery integrity condition in which battery failure can be expected after a relatively long period and a second battery integrity condition in which battery failure is imminent. The circuit further implements an audio low battery warning generator adapted to drive the horn to issue a distinctive audio warning (e.g., a single pulse of about 10 milliseconds duration each minute) in response to the detection of both the first and second battery integrity conditions A manually-actuable switch coupled to the processor permits inhibiting drive to the horn for a predetermined period if the first battery integrity condition is detected; however, actuation of the switch after the second battery integrity condition has been detected is prevented from temporarily inhibiting the drive to the horn. A visual battery condition indicator may also be provided to identify which of a plurality of dangerous condition warning devices in a given installation is experiencing the failing battery.

Dangerous condition warning device incorporating a time-limited hush

In a processor controlled, battery operated dangerous condition warning device employing a DC-to-DC converter, the converter selectively operates at two voltage outputs. A first output voltage is used when a sensor is polled and when audio visual devices, such as LEDs and a horn, are driven; i.e., when higher power is momentarily required; at all other times, a second, lower voltage output, sufficient for ongoing operation of the processor as it keeps time and processes information, is issued by the converter. In a presently preferred embodiment, when the processor determines that the higher voltage is momentarily required, it sends a first signal to a transistor switch to change the voltage at a reference input to the converter which responds by issuing the higher voltage. When the higher voltage is no longer needed, the processor sends a second signal to change the state of the transistor switch such that the converter reverts to the lower output voltage, thus decreasing the load on the battery.

Battery saving circuit for a dangerous condition warning device

In order to facilitate determination of which of a plurality of dangerous condition warning devices is issuing an audio failing battery signal, the device incorporates a circuit including: a processor, an audio annunciator such as a horn, at least one visual indicator such as an LED and a processor controlled, periodically invoked battery condition determining procedure to check the output voltage of the battery under load. If a low battery condition is detected, the horn is driven to issue an audio warning (e.g., a pulse of about 10 milliseconds duration every minute) and the LED is driven to issue a distinctive series brief flashes (e.g., five flashes of about 10 milliseconds each spaced about 500 milliseconds apart), the first flash being issued in coordination with the issuance of each brief audio warning. Thus, the single device having the failing battery can be quickly identified by the visual indication, thereby eliminating the uncertainty which is experienced when only an audio failing battery indication is employed.

Visual indicator for identifying which of a plurality of dangerous

A CO concentration monitoring device operating under the control of a processor periodically checks the CO sensor to insure its ongoing integrity and to issue a distinctive audio signal to a user if sensor integrity has become suspect. The periodic integrity check procedure places a predetermined DC voltage across the sensor. Then, the voltage source is removed leaving the sensor charged as a capacitor such that reading the voltage remaining across the sensor, reading the temperature of the sensor and comparing a temperature adjusted representation of the voltage appearing across the sensor to at least one predetermined representation of a voltage representing a threshold at which sensor integrity becomes suspect. If this condition is determined, a sensor condition alert signal responsive is issued to drive a horn in a distinctive audio sequence (e.g., three 10 millisecond duration pulses spaced at about 500 millisecond intervals). In an optional feature, a manually actuable switch serves to selectively inhibit drive to the horn for a predetermined period if the sensor integrity condition has been determined to be marginal, but not yet failing.

Growing community of inventors

Downers Grove, IL, United States of America

William Peter Tanguay