Electronic Door Lock Display for Fire Alert Identification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Firefighters face challenges in identifying which room in a multi-room building has a fire and is occupied, leading to a time-consuming and dangerous process when prioritizing room inspections.
Innovation Solution
An electronic door lock system that integrates a locking mechanism, communications interface, and display unit, capable of receiving alerts from fire detectors and displaying occupancy information using LEDs, allowing firefighters to quickly identify rooms with fires and occupants.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If firefighters manually inspect each room to identify fire locations and occupancy, then they can obtain accurate information, but the process becomes time-consuming and dangerous
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses display units on door locks as external indicators that copy and display fire alarm status and occupancy information from remote sensors. This allows firefighters to obtain accurate room status information without physically entering each room, resolving the contradiction between information accuracy and inspection time.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces display units and communication systems as intermediaries between the fire detection sensors and firefighters. These intermediaries transmit room status information externally, eliminating the need for direct room inspection while maintaining information accuracy.
2Reliability
If firefighters inspect rooms in random order, then they can ensure thorough coverage, but the process becomes inefficient and dangerous due to lack of prioritization
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses color-coded display units (e.g., red for fire, green for safe) to visually prioritize rooms. This allows firefighters to quickly identify which rooms require immediate attention while maintaining a systematic approach to ensure all rooms are eventually checked, resolving the contradiction between inspection completeness and response efficiency.
3Loss of information
If no external indication system is used, then the door lock system remains simple, but firefighters cannot quickly identify which rooms have fires or occupants
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates display units into existing door lock systems, allowing these multi-functional devices to serve both their original locking purpose and the new function of displaying fire alarm and occupancy information. This reduces the need for separate dedicated indication systems while providing comprehensive information visibility.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Facilitates rapid identification of fire locations and occupancies, enabling prioritization of room inspections and enhancing safety by providing clear visual alerts through color-coded indications.
Implementation Method 1
the display unit includes one or more light-emitting diode (LEDs), in which the display unit is configured to emit a first color via the one or more LEDs
Data Source
AI summary
Provided are electronic door locks, systems, and computer implemented methods of use. In one example, the electronic door lock includes a locking mechanism configured to change a state of a door of a room between a locked state and an unlocked state. The electronic door lock further includes a communications interface configured to communicate wirelessly or wired with one or more fire devices. The one of more fire devices are configured to transmit a wireless or wired alert signal to the communications interface in response to detecting an occurrence of fire. The electronic door lock further includes a display unit configured to display an alert upon the communications interface receiving the wireless alert signal from the one or more fire devices, and configured to display an indication as to occupancy of the room.