Home Security Surveillance System with Dual-Protocol Fail-Safe
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing home security surveillance systems face reliability and fail-safety issues when integrating in-house alarm networks with computer networks, as communication errors and detector defects can lead to failures in notifying servers of hazard conditions.
Innovation Solution
A home security surveillance system with detection terminals that can function as both master and slave, using different communication networks for hazard signals and aid-requesting signals, and a gateway unit that relays signals to a server, ensuring fail-safe acknowledgement and immediate notification of hazard conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the same communication protocol is used for both in-house alarm network and gateway communication, then device complexity is reduced, but reliability deteriorates due to communication errors and detector defects
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the communication system into two separate networks: the in-house alarm network using its native protocol for detector-to-detector communication, and a separate gateway communication network using a different protocol for detector-to-gateway communication. This segmentation isolates communication errors to specific networks, preventing them from affecting the entire system and thereby improving reliability while maintaining manageable complexity in each individual network.
Solution Approach 2:
The gateway unit serves as an intermediary between the in-house alarm network and the external monitoring server. It receives hazard signals from detectors through the first communication network, processes them, and transmits aid-requesting signals to the server through the second communication network. This intermediary role allows the system to use different communication protocols for different communication stages, improving overall reliability by preventing protocol-related errors from propagating throughout the entire system.
2Device complexity
If only the master detector relays hazard signals, then system simplicity is maintained, but reliability deteriorates due to possible master detector failure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables all detection terminals to function as both master and slave detectors, making them multi-functional. Each detector can relay hazard signals to the gateway unit independently, not just the designated master detector. This universality ensures that if the master detector fails, any other detector can take over the relaying function, thereby improving reliability while maintaining relatively simple system architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The system prepares for potential master detector failure by enabling all detectors to independently communicate with the gateway unit through the second communication network. This prior cushioning ensures that the system has built-in redundancy before any failure occurs, so that hazard notifications can still reach the server reliably even if the master detector becomes defective.
3Loss of time
If detectors communicate directly with the server, then response time is reduced, but device complexity increases due to direct server integration requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The gateway unit acts as an intermediary that enables detectors to communicate with the server without requiring direct integration between detectors and the server. The gateway handles protocol conversion, signal processing, and communication management, allowing detectors to send hazard notifications quickly through the first communication network while the gateway manages the second communication network to the server, thus reducing response time without increasing detector complexity.
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
The system provides reliable and fail-safe home security surveillance by ensuring the server receives hazard notifications through multiple signal paths, avoiding interference and ensuring timely acknowledgement of hazard conditions, even in case of temporary communication failures.
Implementation Method 1
Each detection terminal includes a radio transceiver for transmitting the hazard signal to the other detection terminal through a first communication network
Implementation Method 2
The gateway unit includes a communication means which is arranged to communicate with the server through the public computer network, and also to communicate with the detection terminals through a second communication network
Data Source
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AI summary
A home security surveillance system has a plurality of terminal detectors one of which functions as a master, and the other function as a slave to constitute an in-house alarm network. The in-house network is linked to a server on the side of a service provider to transmit an aid-requesting signal through a gateway unit upon detection of a hazardous condition at each of the terminals. Upon detecting a hazardous condition, each slave transmits a hazard signal through a first communication network to the master which responds to transmit the aid-requesting signal. The aid-requesting signal is transmitted through a second communication network which has a communication protocol different from the first communication network such that the server can receive the aid-requesting signal either from the master or the slave for fail-safe acknowledgement of the hazard condition detected in the customer's home.