Alarm Management System for Individual Spaces Using Segmented Control

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing centralized management systems for individual spaces under alarm are limited in their ability to manage a large number of individual spaces, typically failing to allow flexible and individualized arming and disarming of alarms beyond a certain number, such as hundreds of storage or warehousing spaces or private safes.

Innovation Solution

A system comprising user central units connected to access controllers and alarm inhibition/disinhibition modules, which allow flexible and individualized management of alarms without structural limitations, enabling selective inhibition and disinhibition of detection points based on user identification and featuring a method with a predefined time delay for automatic reactivation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Quantity of substance

If conventional centralized management systems are used to manage individual spaces under alarm, then the system can manage a limited number of spaces (typically 8-16), but the system becomes totally inoperative when the number of spaces reaches hundreds

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvenumber of individual spaces managedVSAvoidsystem operability
Core Design Contradiction:
Quantity of substanceVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system divides the management architecture into multiple independent alarm centers (first alarm center, second alarm center, etc.), each capable of managing a subset of detection points. This segmentation allows the overall system to manage hundreds of individual spaces by distributing them across multiple centers, thereby resolving the limitation of conventional systems that can only handle 8-16 spaces.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Adaptability or versatility

If individual and decorrelated arming and disarming of alarms is implemented, then flexible management is achieved for small systems, but the system becomes inoperative for large numbers of spaces due to hardware limitations

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveindividualized alarm managementVSAvoidnumber of spaces managed
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The system introduces a hierarchical dimension to the management architecture, with multiple alarm centers operating at the same level but managing different subsets of detection points. This dimensional expansion from a single-center to multi-center architecture enables individualized alarm management to scale from small to large systems without hardware limitations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

3Ease of operation

If a large number of detection points are managed by a single alarm center, then individualized management is possible, but the system exceeds hardware capabilities and becomes inoperative

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveindividualized alarm controlVSAvoidsystem architecture
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments the detection points and alarm centers into multiple manageable groups. Each alarm center manages a specific subset of detection points, maintaining simple individualized control within each center while the overall system handles hundreds of spaces through this segmented architecture.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentEP3956874B1System for managing a plurality of alarmed individual spaces
Publication Date: 2024.06.19 PROPHILTECH
  • EP3956874B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3956874B1 patent drawingFigure 2

AI summary

The present invention relates to a system (1) for managing a plurality of alarmed individual spaces (2), comprising: • a set of detection points (4a-4g) associated with the alarms, each detection point (4a-4g) equipping one of the individual spaces (2); • at least one alarm centre (6a-6c) connected to the detection points (6a-6c) of a subset of the set of detection points; • a set of access controllers (8a-8g), each access controller (8a-8g) being configured to identify a user of one of the individual spaces (2). The system (1) also comprises a user centre (10) to which the access controllers are connected (8a-8g); and, for each alarmed individual space (2), a module (12a-12g) for alarm disabling and enabling connected to the user centre (10) and connected between the or one of the alarm centre(s) (6a-6c) and the detection point (4a-4g) equipping said individual space (2), each alarm disabling or enabling module (12a-12g) being configured to selectively disable and enable the detection point (4a-4g) to which it is connected, and to trigger this disabling following an identification of a user by the access controller (8a-8g) associated with said individual space (2).