Communications: electrical – Condition responsive indicating system – Specific condition
Reexamination Certificate
2001-01-25
2004-03-23
Hofsass, Jeffery (Department: 2636)
Communications: electrical
Condition responsive indicating system
Specific condition
C340S539230, C340S870030, C340S311200, C340S540000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06710715
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to alarm systems and, more particularly to an alarm system having an integrated weather alert function.
2. Relevant Background
Use of fire, burglar, or combination alarm systems has become increasing popular, both as a life saving measure from fires and also as a deterrent to intrusion as the incidence of crime has risen. Alarm systems are regularly installed into new residences and are frequently installed into older homes. The alarm systems typically consist of at least three parts: a central control unit, one or more remote user interfaces, and one or more sirens, strobe lights or other audible or visual indicators. Connections between parts of the system may use wires or can be connected wirelessly using radio frequency waves as a means of signaling. At minimum, the central unit contains an interface for burglar and/or fire sensors, a controller that implements timing and logic functions and output circuitry to drive audible or visual indicators. The system also contains systems necessary, but ancillary to, the overall operation. Most systems, but especially those that monitor for fire, usually include a backup battery to allow operation to continue for some time after the mains power has been lost.
Burglar and fire alarm systems are generally economical to own due to the business model taken by a majority of companies providing them in the market. Many systems are installed as a part of a deal whereby the consumer enters into a contractual obligation to purchase monitoring over a time period. Thus the purchase cost of the alarm system to the consumer is minimal at the time of installation due the actual cost being deferred into the monitoring fees charged over the lifetime of the contract. Some alarm systems are low cost in their own right due to trends of decreasing cost of electronic systems. In addition, many insurance companies reduce the rate of homeowner insurance for homes with an installed alarm system. These factors result in alarm systems being installed into a large percentage of residences as well as small businesses and other buildings.
The National Weather Service (NWS) is an agency with the Department of Commerce's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Beginning in the late 1950s, the NWS, then the U.S. Weather Bureau, started developing a voice radio broadcast system to provide more frequent and specialized weather information to the general public and users with unique weather needs than was available from the commercial radio and television services. The service was eventually named NOAA Weather Radio (NWR). Operating frequencies are in the Federal Government's Very High Frequency (VHF) band between 162.400 and 162.550 MHz.
A special feature of the NWR system that evolved in the 1960s was the transmission of a single tone at 1050 Hz prior to the broadcast of any message about a life or property-threatening event. This became known as the Warning Alarm Tone (WAT). Special receivers that are electronically switched on and receiving the broadcast signal, but the speaker is in a muted state, are made by several companies. When this type of radio detects the WAT, it automatically turns on the speaker allowing the alerting tone, then the alert message to be heard without the need for the owner/user to do anything.
Starting in 1985, the NWS began experimenting with putting special digital codes at the beginning and end of any message about a life beginning and end of any message about a life or property-threatening event. The intent was to ultimately transmit a code with the initial broadcast of all NWR messages. The system evolved into what is known today as NWR Specific Area Message Encoding (NWR SAME). The general specifications are described briefly in the following sections. Complete and up-to-date specifications can be obtained by contacting the National Weather Service.
The main purpose of the code created by NWR SAME is to provide enough information before and after the broadcast of a message so software routines can match preprogrammed user instructions. Its greatest value is to significantly improve the automatic selection and distribution of messages about events that threaten people and/or property.
An NWR SAME transmitted data message consists of six possible elements in the following sequence:
1) Preamble
2) Header code
3) Warning Alarm Tone/Attention Signal
4) Voice Message
5) Preamble
6) End of Message
The coded message is transmitted, using audio frequency shift keying (AFSK), on the audio channel of the VHF NWR transmitter system. It is transmitted at no less than 80% modulation (+/−4.0 kHz deviation minimum, +/−5 kHz deviation maximum). The coded message and voice program audio is transmitted using standard pre-emphasis for narrow band VHF FM of 6 dB per octave increasing slope from 300 Hz to 3 kHz applied to the modulator.
The preamble and header code are transmitted three times with a one second pause (+/−5%) between each coded burst prior to the broadcast of the actual message. The End Of Message (EOM) consists of the preamble and EOM code transmitted three times with a one second pause (+/−5%) between each EOM burst. Each header and EOM data transmission consists of a string of eight 8-bit bytes with no start, stop, or parity bits. Bit and byte synchronization is attained by a preamble code at the beginning of each header code or EOM data transmission. Data transmissions are phase continous at the bit boundary.
One bit period equals 1920 microseconds (+/−1 microsecond). This equates to a data rate of 520.83 bits per second. A logic zero is 1562.5 Hz, a logic one is 2083.3 Hz.
The first 16 bytes (prior to the header code and EOM) of the data transmission is a preamble with each byte having the same value of hexadecimal AB (8 bit byte [10101011]). For all bytes, the least significant bit (LSB) is sent first. The bytes following the preamble constitute the actual message data transmission. The message data (header) code is transmitted using ASCII characters as defined in ANSI X.3.4-1977 with the eighth (8th) bit always set to zero.
The Warning Alarm Tone (WAT), if transmitted, is sent within one to three seconds following the third header code burst. The frequency of the WAT is 1050 Hz (+/−0.3%) for 8 to 10 seconds at no less than 80% modulation (+/−4.0 kHz deviation minimum, +/−5.0 kHz deviation maximum).
If transmitted, the actual voiced message begins within three to five seconds following the last NWR SAME code burst or WAT, whichever is last. The voice audio ranges between 20% modulation (+/−1 kHz deviation) and 90% modulation (+/−4.5 kHz) with occasional lulls near zero and peaks as high as but not exceeding 100% modulation (+/−5 kHz deviation). The total length of the message should not exceed two minutes.
NWS will occasionally send a continuous string of Preamble code, (Hex AB) or a continuous tone through its communications links to the NWR transmitters, for several seconds up to around one minute. This will be done to align the program console, communications links, and transmitters for optimum system performance.
In symbolic form, the message code format is:
(Preamble) ZCZC-WXR-EEE-PSSCCC-PSSCCC+TTTT-JJJHHMM-LLLLLLLL-
(one second pause)
(Preamble) ZCZC-WXR-EEE-PSSCCC-PSSCCC+TTTT-JJJHHMM-LLLLLLLL-
(one second pause)
(Preamble) ZCZC-WXR-EEE-PSSCCC-PSSCCC+TTTT-JJJHHMM-LLLLLLLL-
(one to three second pause)
1050 Hz Warning Alarm Tone (WAT) for 8 to 10 seconds (if transmitted)
Verbal/spoken oral text of message (if transmitted)
(Preamble) NNNN
(one second pause)
(Preamble) NNNN
(one second pause)
(Preamble) NNNN
Symbol Definitions
(Preamble)
This is a consecutive string of bits (sixteen bytes of hexadecimal AB [8 bit byte 10101011]) sent to clear the system, set automatic gain controls, and set asynchronous decoder clocking cycles. The preamble must be transmitted before each header cod
Hofsass Jeffery
Nguyen Hung T
LandOfFree
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