METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DETECTING A HAZARD ALARM SIGNAL

摘要

An apparatus and method for detecting a pattern warning signal from a hazard alarm. In one embodiment, a buffer memory is used to store filtered, digitized information from an audio or optical detection device. A processor evaluates the information in the buffer memory to determine when a long lull time occurs between energy peaks present in a sampling of information from the analog-to-digital converter. The results are compared to at least one temporal pattern characteristic to determine if the hazard alarm has detected a hazardous condition.

主权项

1. An apparatus for detecting a pattern warning signal from a hazard alarm and in response thereto sending an alert signal to a home security panel for notification to a remote monitoring station, comprising:
circuitry for converting said pattern warning signal from the hazard alarm into digital values; a buffer memory for storing the digital values as they are produced by the circuitry; a memory device for storing processor-executable instructions and at least one temporal pattern characteristic associated with a first temporal pattern; a processer coupled to the memory device for executing the processor-executable instructions that causes the apparatus to:
perform a number of evaluations of at least some of the digital values stored in the buffer memory to determine when a predetermined number or percentage of the digital values exceed a predetermined threshold number, indicating an energy within a passband of the filter, or to determine when a predetermined number or percentage of the digital values falls below a second predetermined threshold number or percentage, indicating a lack of energy within the passband of the filter;compare a result of the evaluations to the at least one temporal pattern characteristic; andtransmit an alarm signal to the home security panel when the result substantially matches the at least one temporal pattern characteristic.