Strobe Notification Appliance with Directional LED Guidance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fire and emergency notification systems lack the ability to effectively provide directional information to building occupants during emergencies, particularly when exit paths are compromised or when occupants need to remain in place, especially for the hearing-impaired and in high-noise environments.
Innovation Solution
The integration of strobe notification appliances and emergency lighting systems that use visual cues, such as LED lights, to provide directional information separately or in conjunction with fire or emergency alerts, using color codes, flash rates, and timing to indicate safe or unsafe paths, and to instruct occupants on actions like staying in place or exiting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional auditory notification appliances (horns, loudspeakers) are used, then the notification can be heard by occupants, but the notification is ineffective for hearing-impaired individuals and in high-noise environments
Solution Approach 1:
The notification system is segmented into separate auditory and visual channels. The auditory notification appliance (horn/loudspeaker) handles audible alerts, while a separate visual notification appliance (strobe) provides visual alerts. This segmentation allows the system to address different user needs independently, making the notification effective for both hearing-impaired individuals and those in noisy environments without compromising overall reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The notification system is designed with multi-functionality to serve diverse user groups simultaneously. By integrating both auditory and visual notification capabilities into a single system, it becomes universally applicable to occupants with different hearing abilities and environmental conditions, thereby improving both reliability and adaptability
2Ease of operation
If fire alarm control panel drives notification appliances over notification appliance circuits, then the system can control multiple devices, but the system lacks the ability to provide directional information to occupants
Solution Approach 1:
The system transitions from providing only auditory notification in a single dimension to incorporating visual notification with directional indication in multiple dimensions. The visual notification appliance displays directional information (such as arrow patterns or illuminated segments indicating safe exit paths) alongside the alert function, thereby compensating for the loss of directional information while maintaining ease of operation through the existing control panel and circuits
3Illumination intensity
If emergency lighting appliances provide illumination during power outage, then occupants can see, but the lighting does not provide directional guidance
Solution Approach 1:
The emergency lighting appliance merges two functions: general illumination and directional guidance. The lighting elements are configured to not only provide visibility during power outages but also to indicate directional information (such as illuminated exit paths or directional arrows). This combination resolves the contradiction by maintaining illumination intensity while preventing the loss of directional information
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
Enables clear and accessible communication of directional information to occupants, enhancing safety by guiding them through emergencies, particularly for those with hearing impairments and in noisy conditions, by using visual signals that are distinct from traditional auditory alerts.
Implementation Method 1
A strobe notification appliance includes a strobe element and associated circuitry, and directional information element and associated circuitry
Implementation Method 2
The lights in the emergency lighting appliances may comprise one or more incandescent bulbs or one or more clusters of high-intensity light-emitting diodes (LED)
Implementation Method 3
The lights in the emergency lighting appliances may comprise one or more incandescent bulbs
Data Source
AI summary
A strobe notification appliance and an emergency lighting appliance that output directional information are disclosed. The strobe notification appliance may generate, in addition to notification of the fire condition, directional information (e.g., such as away from the unavailable exit paths and/or toward the preferred exit paths). For example, the strobe notification appliance includes a strobe element outputting fire notification information and a directional light element outputting directional information. The emergency lighting appliance may also operate in different modes, such as a power failure mode in which the emergency lighting appliance outputs light responsive to a power failure, and an alert mode (e.g., fire alert or mass notification alert mode) in which the emergency lighting appliance outputs light to convey directional information in order to guide occupants of a building. In this way, the occupants may be notified of an alarm event and notified of available or unavailable exit paths.