1. A strobe notification device for use in an alarm system, the strobe notification device comprising:
a communication interface;
a strobe element; and
a controller in communication with the communication interface and the strobe element, the controller configured to:
determine a candela setting programmed for the strobe notification appliance, the programmed candela setting selected from a plurality of available candela settings;
receive an indication of an environmental condition;
select, based on the indication of the environmental condition, at least one aspect of operation of the strobe element such that the strobe element operates at least at the programmed candela setting;
receive, via the communication interface, a command to activate the strobe element; and
in response to receiving the command, use the selected at least one aspect in order to control the strobe element to operate the strobe element at least at the programmed candela setting.
2. The strobe notification device of claim 1, further comprising a sensor, the sensor in communication with the controller and configured to sense the indication of the environmental condition.
3. The strobe notification device of claim 2, wherein the controller is configured to select at least one aspect of operation of the strobe element by selecting, based on the environmental condition, intensity and duration of the pulse to generate an output of the strobe element to equal the programmed candela setting; and
wherein the controller is configured to use the selected at least one aspect by controlling the strobe element for the intensity and the duration of the pulse to equal the programmed candela setting.
4. The strobe notification device of claim 3, wherein the sensor is configured to sense an indication of ambient light; and
wherein the controller is configured to select the intensity and the duration of a pulse, from a plurality of intensities and a plurality of durations, based on the indication of ambient light and the programmed candela setting.
5. The strobe notification device of claim 4, wherein the controller is configured to select the intensity and the duration of a pulse by:
comparing the indication of ambient light with at least one threshold; and
accessing a look-up table using as inputs the programmed candela setting and the comparison of the indication of ambient light with at least one threshold.
6. The strobe notification device of claim 5, wherein the controller is further configured to receive, from a fire alarm panel, the look-up table.
7. The strobe notification device of claim 2, wherein the indication of the environmental condition comprises an indication of ambient light; and
wherein the controller is configured to select the intensity and the duration of a pulse by:
comparing the indication of ambient light with a threshold;
in response to the indication of ambient light being greater than the threshold, selecting a first drive current and a first duration;
in response to the indication of ambient light being less than the threshold,
selecting a second drive current and a second duration;
wherein the first drive current is greater than the second drive current;
wherein the first duration is shorter than the second duration;
wherein the strobe element driven at the first drive current for the first duration equals the programmed candela setting; and
wherein the strobe element driven at the second drive current for the second duration equals the programmed candela setting.
8. The strobe notification device of claim 1, further comprising a multi-position switch, the multi-position switch in communication with the controller; and
wherein the controller is configured to determine the programmed candela setting for the strobe notification appliance by communicating with the multi-position switch to determine its setting.
9. The strobe notification device of claim 2, wherein the controller is configured to select at least one aspect of operation of the strobe element by selecting, based on the environmental condition, intensity, duration of the pulse, or pulse width modulation to generate an output of the strobe element to be greater than the programmed candela setting; and
wherein the controller is configured to use the selected at least one aspect by controlling the strobe element for the intensity and the duration of the pulse to be greater than the programmed candela setting.
10. The strobe notification device of claim 9, wherein the controller is configured to select, based on the indication of the environmental condition, an environmental candela setting, the environmental candela setting being greater than the programmed candela setting and selected from the plurality of available candela settings; and
wherein the controller is configured to control the strobe element for the intensity and the duration of the pulse to be greater than the programmed candela setting by controlling the strobe element to operate at the environmental candela setting.
11. The strobe notification device of claim 10, wherein the controller is configured to select the environmental candela setting by:
receiving a measurement of ambient light when the strobe is not flashing;
receiving a measurement of ambient light when the strobe is flashing;
comparing the measurement of the ambient light when the strobe is flashing with the measurement of the ambient light when the strobe is not flashing;
determining whether the comparison of the measurement of the ambient light when the strobe is flashing with the measurement of the ambient light when the strobe is not flashing is less than a predetermined margin;
in response to determining that the comparison is less than the predetermined margin, select the environmental candela setting to be greater than the programmed candela setting.
12. The strobe notification device of claim 11, wherein the controller is configured to select the environmental candela setting further by:
in response to determining that the comparison is greater than the predetermined margin, reduce a current candela setting so that the environmental candela setting is no less than the programmed candela setting.
13. A method for operating a strobe notification device used in an alarm system, the method comprising:
determining a candela setting programmed for the strobe notification appliance, the programmed candela setting selected from a plurality of available candela settings;
receiving an indication of an environmental condition;
selecting, based on the indication of the environmental condition, at least one aspect of operation of the strobe element such that the strobe element operates at least at the programmed candela setting;
receiving, via the communication interface, a command to activate the strobe element; and
in response to receiving the command, using the selected at least one aspect in order to control the strobe element to operate the strobe element at least at the programmed candela setting.
14. The method of claim 13, wherein selecting at least one aspect of operation of the strobe element comprises selecting, based on the environmental condition, intensity and duration of the pulse to generate an output of the strobe element to equal the programmed candela setting; and
wherein using the selected at least one aspect comprises controlling the strobe element for the intensity and the duration of the pulse to equal the programmed candela setting.
15. The method of claim 13, wherein the indication of the environmental condition comprises an indication of ambient light; and
wherein selecting the intensity and the duration of a pulse comprises:
comparing the indication of ambient light with a threshold;
in response to the indication of ambient light being greater than the threshold, selecting a first drive current and a first duration;
in response to the indication of ambient light being less than the threshold,
selecting a second drive current and a second duration;
wherein the first drive current is greater than the second drive current;
wherein the first duration is shorter than the second duration;
wherein the strobe element driven at the first drive current for the first duration equals the programmed candela setting; and
wherein the strobe element driven at the second drive current for the second duration equals the programmed candela setting.
16. The method of claim 13, wherein selecting at least one aspect of operation of the strobe element comprises selecting, based on the environmental condition, intensity, duration of the pulse, or pulse width modulation to generate an output of the strobe element to be greater than the programmed candela setting; and
wherein using the selected at least one aspect comprises controlling the strobe element for the intensity, the duration of the pulse or the pulse width modulation to be greater than the programmed candela setting.
17. A strobe notification device for use in an alarm system, the strobe notification device comprising:
a communication interface;
a sensor;
a strobe element; and
a controller in communication with the communication interface, the sensor, and the strobe element, the controller configured to:
receive, from the sensor, an indication of an environmental condition when the strobe element is generating an output;
select, based on the indication of the environmental condition, at least one aspect of operation of the strobe element;
receive, via the communication interface, a command to activate the strobe element; and
in response to receiving the command, using the selected at least one aspect in order to control the strobe element.
18. The strobe notification device of claim 17, wherein the controller is configured to receive an indication of an environmental condition when the strobe element is generating an output by:
determining whether the strobe element is generating the output; and
in response to determining that the strobe element is generating the output, the controller is configured to save the indication of the environmental condition sent from the sensor.
19. The strobe notification device of claim 18, wherein the controller is configured to determine whether the strobe element is generating the output by determining whether the controller is sending a control signal to the strobe element to generate a flash.
20. The strobe notification device of claim 18, wherein the controller is further configured to, in response to determining that the strobe element is not generating the output, save the indication of the environmental condition sent from the sensor.
21. The strobe notification device of claim 20, wherein the controller is configured to select, based on the indication of the environmental condition, at least one aspect of operation of the strobe element by:
comparing the indication of the environmental condition sent from the sensor when the strobe is flashing with the indication of the environmental condition sent from the sensor when the strobe is not flashing.
22. A method for operating a strobe notification device used in an alarm system, the method comprising:
receiving, from a sensor, an indication of an environmental condition when a strobe element of the strobe notification device is generating an output;
selecting, based on the indication of the environmental condition, at least one aspect of operation of the strobe element;
receive, via the communication interface, a command to activate the strobe element; and
in response to receiving the command, using the selected at least one aspect in order to control the strobe element.
23. The method of claim 22, wherein receiving an indication of an environmental condition when the strobe element is generating an output comprises:
determining whether the strobe element is generating the output; and
in response to determining that the strobe element is generating the output, the controller is configured to save the indication of the environmental condition sent from the sensor.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A solid-state image pickup device comprising:
a pixel array area in which pixels each including a photoelectric conversion element are two-dimensionally arranged;
first control unit for performing control such that signals of pixels in a desired region of the pixel array area are sequentially read row by row; and
second control unit for performing control such that, at least some of the pixels in regions except for the desired region are sequentially reset row by row, and further wherein the reset operation is performed such that reset of any rows immediately adjacent the desired region is always performed for a selective read operation thereby ensuring that overflow from rows immediately adjacent the desired region does not interfere with signals from the desired region, wherein the second control unit causes reset of adjacent rows both immediately above and below the rows of pixels in the desired region provided that there are rows of pixels both above and below the desired region.
2. The solid-state image pickup device according to claim 1, wherein the number of rows in the regions is changeable in accordance with external setting.
3. The solid-state image pickup device according to Claim 1, wherein the number of rows of each of the regions is set to half the number of rows of the desired region.
4. The solid-state image pickup device according to claim 2, wherein:
the second control unit includes
calculating unit for calculating a start row and an end row of each of the regions in accordance with information on a start row and an end row of the desired region and information on the number of rows of each of the regions,
an address counter in which counting start and counting end are controlled in accordance with calculation results of the calculating unit, and
an address decode circuit that performs control for a desired row at desired timing in accordance with a count output of the address counter and a timing signal; and
the calculating unit includes
a subtracter that subtracts the number of rows of each of the regions from the start row of the desired region,
an underflow detector that controls the counting start of the address counter when underflow occurs in a subtraction result of the subtracter,
an adder that adds the number of rows of each of the regions to the end row of the desired region, and
an overflow detector that controls the counting end of the address counter when overflow occurs in an addition result of the adder.
5. The solid-state image pickup device according to claim 3, wherein:
the second control unit includes
calculating unit for calculating a start row and an end row of each of the regions in accordance with information on a start row and an end row of the desired region,
an address counter in which counting start and counting end are controlled in accordance with calculation results of the calculating unit, and
an address decode circuit that performs control for a desired row at desired timing in accordance with a count output of the address counter and a timing signal; and
the calculating unit includes
a divider that divides the number of rows of the desired region into half,
a subtracter that subtracts a division result of the divider from the start row of the desired region,
an underflow detector that controls the counting start of the address counter when underflow occurs in a subtraction result of the subtracter,
an adder that adds the division result of the divider to the end row of the desired region, and
an overflow detector that controls the counting end of the address counter when overflow occurs in an addition result of the adder.
6. The solid-state image pickup device according to claim 5, wherein the divider is a shift divider that performs division by bit shift.
7. A solid-state image pickup device comprising:
a pixel array area in which pixels each including a photoelectric conversion element are two-dimensionally arranged;
a first controller that performs control such that signals of pixels in a desired region of the pixel array area are sequentially read row by row; and
a second controller that performs control such that, at least some of the pixels in regions except for the desired region are sequentially reset row by row, and further wherein the reset operation is performed such that reset of any rows immediately adjacent the desired region is always performed for a selective read operation thereby ensuring that overflow from rows immediately adjacent the desired region does not interfere with signals from the desired region, wherein the second control unit causes reset of adjacent rows both immediately above and below the rows of pixels in the desired region provided that there are rows of pixels both above and below the desired region.