Patent attributes
A building alarm system includes addressable notification appliances connected to a system controller, with each notification appliance having a status indicator and an alarm indicator. The status indicator, such as an LED, provides for system test modes that avoid disruption of building occupants. To test the alarm system, the system controller selects which notification appliances to operate in response to a test alarm input and communicates to each selected appliance an instruction to operate its associated status indicator without operating its associated audible or flashing visible alarm indicators. In a troubleshooting mode, the system controller polls each of the notification appliances and receives an answer in response to the poll from any of the appliances. The controller operates the LED indicators of those appliances which answer the poll. This allows a technician to locate for troubleshooting only those appliances having an nonoperating LED indicator, perhaps due to a failure to respond to its poll. According to another aspect, each addressable notification appliances includes a microprocessor and a manually-activated switch. The microprocessor is programmed to transmit a first message in response to an activation of the switch. The system controller receives the first message from the activated appliance and in response transmits a second message instructing the appliance to operate its associated alarm indicator for a test time interval.
