Smoke detector with strobed visual alarm and remote alarm coupling

Claim 1

A portable, smoke detector and alarm unit comprising: (a) smoke sensor means for sensing the presence of smoke and outputting a smoke indicator signal; (b) smoke detection means responsive to the smoke indicator signal from said smoke sensor means for comparing the smoke indicator signal with a predetermined threshold and outputting a first alarm signal when said smoke indicator passes said threshold; (c) a strobe light for providing a visual alarm; (d) a power supply; (e) triggering means responsive to the first alarm signal for providing a triggering signal to said strobe light such that said strobe light is triggered to flash at a substantial constant rate, said triggering means including: (i) a timing capacitor operatively coupled to the power supply and to a trigger electrode of said strobe light; (ii) first switch means operatively connected to said timing capacitor and responsive to the first alarm signal for enabling said timing capacitor to charge to at least a threshold voltage to trigger said strobe light; (iii) second switch means responsive to the voltage across said timing capacitor and activated to complete a circuit to cause discharging of said timing capacitor when the timing capacitor voltage is at least at the threshold voltage to trigger said strobe light for flashing; and (f) an energy storage capacitor connected to the power supply and to said strobe light for storing electrical energy independently of said first alarm signal to flash said strobe light when triggered.