Portable Alarm System with Protective Housing and Supercapacitor Backup
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing portable alarm systems are vulnerable to destruction or disablement by perpetrators, relying on mains power for broadband connections, and suffer from bandwidth limitations and cyber security risks, with high fixed monitoring and data usage costs.
Innovation Solution
Incorporation of a secondary protective housing made from durable materials, a super capacitor for backup power, and a 3G/4G LTE transceiver to establish a private cellular hotspot, along with on-demand monitoring and dual communication sensors, ensuring communication to monitoring stations and mobile devices even under abuse, and reducing data costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a portable alarm system relies on mains power for broadband connections, then it can maintain continuous communication with monitoring stations, but it becomes vulnerable to destruction or disablement by perpetrators and suffers from power outages
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the power source parameter from mains power to a super capacitor energy storage device. This allows the alarm system to operate independently of mains power, maintaining communication reliability during power outages while reducing vulnerability to destruction. The super capacitor provides sufficient energy to maintain cellular transceiver operation and alarm functions during emergencies.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the alarm system from dependence on mains power infrastructure by implementing a self-contained energy storage system. The super capacitor and battery combination creates an independent power source that can operate the alarm system without external power connections, eliminating the vulnerability associated with mains power reliance.
2Ease of operation
If the alarm system uses a cellular transceiver with broadband connection, then it can communicate alarm signals to remote locations, but it incurs high data usage costs and bandwidth limitations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic action by using event-triggered communication rather than continuous broadband connection. The cellular transceiver activates only when alarm conditions are detected, sending brief alarm signals to remote locations. This dramatically reduces data usage costs while maintaining full communication capability when needed.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the alarm system uses conventional wireless sensors, then it can detect trigger events, but it lacks protection against cyber security risks and tampering
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary anti-action by implementing a secondary protective housing that physically protects the sensor and electronic components from tampering before any cyber attack can occur. The housing includes tamper detection capabilities that trigger alarm signals if unauthorized access is attempted, preventing security breaches before they can compromise system reliability.
4Ease of manufacture
If the alarm system uses a single housing structure, then it is simpler to manufacture, but it lacks protection against physical abuse and environmental damage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the housing into two distinct structures: a primary housing for basic protection and a secondary protective housing for enhanced protection against physical abuse. This segmentation allows each housing layer to be optimized for its specific function while maintaining manufacturing feasibility. The secondary housing acts as a protective bunker for critical electronic components.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements nested doll principle by placing the primary housing inside the secondary protective housing. The critical electronic components are nested within the primary housing, which is in turn nested within the secondary housing. This nested structure provides layered protection while maintaining a compact form factor suitable for portable deployment.
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
Enhances security by maintaining communication despite abuse, provides power resilience, reduces data costs, and improves network security and efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
a super capacitor for backup power
Data Source
AI summary
A portable alarm system has a base unit including a processor electrically connected to a wireless transceiver configured to communicate wireless signals to an external location. The base unit is further configured to receive wireless alarm signals from at least a first sensor and a second sensor, both of the first and second sensors being physically separated from the base unit. The processor is configured to be selectively programmed by a user to cause the base unit to communicate with a remote monitoring station in response to receiving an alarm signal from the first sensor, but not in response to receiving an alarm signal from the second sensor. Instead, when an alarm signal is received from the second sensor, the processor causes a different action, other than communicating with the monitoring station, to occur. Such action can include, for example, sending a wireless communication to a mobile electronic device.