Flashing color sequence annunciator system with fail-safe features

Claim 2

An annunciator system comprising a plurality of remote sensors for detecting normal and abnormal conditions and a central annunciator station to which said remote sensors are connected by leads, said annunciator station including a plurality of visual annunciators corresponding to respective remote sensors, each of said annunciators comprising alarm signalling means for providing alternate red and white flashing light signalling upon detection by the respective sensor of an abnormal condition, acknowledge signalling means responsive to manual acknowledge operation for causing the alternate red and white flashing light signalling to cease and for providing steady red light signalling, return-to-normal signalling means responsive to detection by the respective sensor of a normal condition following an abnormal condition for causing the steady red light signalling to cease and for providing steady green light signalling and reset means responsive to manual reset operation for causing the steady green light signalling to cease, said annunciator station further including at least one flasher means for effecting said alternate red and white flashing light signalling by the alarm means of respective annunciators, and means responsive to failure of said flasher during detection by a respective sensor of an abnormal condition to cause bright white light alarm signalling by the respective annunciator and thereby provide unique light signalling in the event of failure of the flasher means.

Claim 3

An annunciator system as set forth in claim 1 wherein each of said visual annunciators comprises white, red and green light sources for providing said light signalling.

Claim 4

An annunciator system as set forth in claim 2 wherein each of said visual annunciators comprises normal condition indicator means for causing dim white light signalling to be provided by said light sources in response to manual operation of said reset means.

Claim 5

An annunciator system as set forth in claim 3 wherein said white, red and green light sources comprise respective incandescent bulbs, said white, red and green sourceS being concomitantly energized by connection in parallel across a voltage source to provide said bright white light signalling, said red bulb being connected solely across the voltage source to provide said red light signalling, said green bulb being connected solely across the voltage source to provide said green light signalling, and said white, red and green bulbs concomitantly energized by connection in series across the voltage source to provide said dim white light signalling.

Claim 6

An annunciator system as set forth in claim 4 wherein said red and white flashing light signalling is provided by means for alternately energizing and deenergizing both of said white and green bulbs simultaneously while said red bulb remains energized.

Claim 7

An annunciator system as set forth in claim 1, said central annunciator station further comprising audible warning means for providing first audible signalling upon detection by any of said sensors of an abnormal condition, said audible signalling being terminated by said manual acknowledge operation, said audible means providing further audible signalling in response to a normal condition being detected by any of said sensors following said first audible signalling, said further audible signalling being terminated by said manual reset operation.

Claim 8

An annunciator system as set forth in claim 5 wherein said means responsive to flasher failure includes said silicon controlled rectifier and provides said bright white alarm signalling by causing concomitant energization of said white, red, and green light sources in parallel across said voltage source.

Claim 9

An annunciator system as set forth in claim 1 wherein each of said annunciators further includes an energization bypass means which insures said unique light signalling upon detection by the respective sensor of an abnormal condition if the flasher means has failed in a closed mode.

Claim 10

An annunciator system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said flasher means is solid state and highly reliable and wherein said flasher means has a higher probability of failure in the open mode than in the closed mode.

Claim 11

Annunciator apparatus for use in an annunciator system having at least one remote sensor for detecting normal and abnormal conditions, said annunciator apparatus being controlled by said sensor and comprising: a plurality of light sources for providing first, second and third color light signals; means responsive to detection by said sensor of an abnormal condition for energizing preselected ones of the light sources to provide flashing light signals alternating between two of said colors thereby to provide alarm indication; acknowledge means adapted to be manually actuated for acknowledging the alarm indication; means responsive to actuation of said acknowledge means for terminating said flashing light signals and for energizing one of said light sources to provide a steady light signal of one of said colors thereby to provide an acknowledge indication; means responsive to detection by the sensor of a normal condition for deenergizing the last-said light source and for energizing a further one of the light sources to provide a steady light signal of another color thereby to provide a return-to-normal indication; reset means adapted to be manually actuated for resetting the annunciator apparatus; means responsive to actuation of said reset means for deenergizing said further light source and thereby terminating said return-to-normal indication; and flasher means for causing said flashing light signals to be provided, said flasher means being subject to failure, and means for causing an unique signalling indication to be provided upon failure of said flasher means during detection by the sensor of an abnormal condition.

Claim 12

Annunciator apparatus for use in an annunciator system having at least one remote sensor for detecting normal and abnormal conditions, said annunciator apparatus being controlled by said sensor and comprising: a plurality of light sources for providing first, second and third color light signals; means responsive to detection by said sensor of an abnormal condition for energizing preselected ones of the light sources to provide flashing light signals alternating between two of said colors thereby to provide alarm indication; acknowledge means adapted to be manually actuated for acknowledging the alarm indication; means responsive to actuation of said acknowledge means for terminating said flashing light signals and for energizing one of said light sources to provide a steady light signal of one of said colors thereby to provide an acknowledge indication; means responsive to detection by the sensor of a normal condition for deenergizing the last-said light source and for energizing a further one of the light sources to provide a steady light signal of another color thereby to provide a return-to-normal indication; reset means adapted to be manually actuated for resetting the annunciator apparatus; means responsive to actuation of said reset means for deenergizing said further light source and thereby terminating said return-to-normal indication; and flasher means for causing said flashing light signals to be provided, said flasher means being subject to failure, and means for causing an unique signalling indication to be provided upon failure of said flasher means during detection by the sensor of an abnormal condition.

Claim 13

Annunciator apparatus as set forth in claim 10 wherein said unique signalling indication is bright white, the color providing the acknowledge indication is red, and the color providing the return-to-normal indIcation is green, and wherein said flashing light signals alternate between the colors of white and red.

Claim 14

Annunciator apparatus as set forth in claim 10 wherein said means responsive to actuation of said reset means is operative to cause said light sources to provide a dim steady light thereby to provide a normal condition indication.

Claim 15

Annunicator apparatus as set forth in claim 11 wherein said means for providing said unique bright white signalling indication includes a silicon controlled rectifier and is operative to cause concomitant energization of said plurality of light sources thereby to provide unique visual indication of an abnormal condition in the event of failure of said flasher means.

Claim 18

A method of visual annunciator signalling as set forth in claim 14 further comprising the step of providing normal condition indication following said reset indication by steady dim white light signalling.