Fire Alarm Multihop Slot Assignment for Faster Alert Transfer

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing multihop networks in fire alarm systems experience delays in information transfer, which is a critical issue that needs to be addressed to ensure timely detection and alerting in fire scenarios.

Innovation Solution

A fire alarm system is configured with a relay device and multiple fire alarms forming a wireless multihop network, where time slots are allocated based on hop count to optimize communication, and synchronization signals are used to establish timing synchronization, reducing delays by prioritizing communication paths.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If a multihop network is formed by a plurality of fire alarms, then the network coverage and alarm dissemination capability are improved, but the delay time in information transfer increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenetwork coverageVSAvoiddelay time in transfer

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent assigns time slots to fire alarms based on their hop count from the reference point before actual alarm transmission occurs. This preliminary assignment ensures that alarms at different network positions are transmitted in an optimized sequence, reducing the overall delay time in the multihop network while maintaining extended coverage.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Loss of time

If time slots are assigned to fire alarms in a multihop network, then the transfer delay is reduced, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetransfer delayVSAvoidtime slot assignment complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of timeVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent uses hop count as a key parameter to determine time slot assignment. By changing the assignment criterion from arbitrary or sequential to hop-count-based, the system achieves optimized transfer delay reduction while maintaining a relatively simple assignment logic that scales with network size.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Reliability

If synchronization signals are transmitted in the multihop network, then timing synchronization is improved, but the use of energy increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetiming synchronizationVSAvoidenergy consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements periodic transmission of synchronization signals at designated time slots rather than continuous transmission. This periodic approach maintains reliable timing synchronization across the multihop network while significantly reducing energy consumption compared to continuous signal transmission.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #19Periodic action

Data Source

PatentEP4191554B1Alarm system, controller, assignment method, program

Publication Date: 2025.10.01 PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO LTD

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AI summary

A technology for reducing the delay time in transfer in a multihop network is provided. A first time slot, of a plurality of time slots arranged on a time axis, is assigned to a first fire alarm 600a. A second time slot, of the plurality of time slots arranged on the time axis, different from the first time slot is assigned to a second fire alarm 600b. An order of the first time slot and the second time slot in the plurality of time slots is determined in accordance with a first hop count between the first fire alarm 600a and the first relay device 700a and a second hop count between the second fire alarm 600b and the first relay device 700a.