Ambient condition detector with variable pitch alarm

• US 20080111706A1
• Filed: 11/09/2006
• Published: 05/15/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Gary J. Morris Phd
• Inventors: Morris, Gary J.
• Granted Patent: US 7,605,687 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/692
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 3/10 using electric transmission; using electromagnetic transmission

Abstract

An ambient condition detector outputs an alarm comprising a tonal pattern comprising at least two distinctly different pitch tones in one embodiment of the invention. Another embodiment comprises a detector whereby a user can select a pitch tone to be output within a tonal pattern alarm when the detector senses an ambient condition. Options include verbal output to indicate the type of ambient condition sensed and/or the location of the detector sensing the ambient condition.

Claims

1. An ambient condition detector comprising:

control electronics with audio pitch control;

at least one ambient condition sensor coupled to the control electronics with audio pitch control;

at least one audio output transducer coupled to the control electronics with audio pitch control; and

the control electronics with audio pitch control outputs a tonal pattern to the at least one audio output transducer when the at least one ambient condition sensor detects an ambient condition, the tonal pattern comprising at least two distinctly different tone pitches with at least one silent period within the tonal pattern.

2. The ambient condition detector in claim 1 wherein the tonal pattern comprises tone groups with intra-group temporal spacing of a first amount and inter-group temporal spacing of a second amount wherein the second amount is at least twice the first amount.

3. The tonal pattern of claim 2 wherein the tone groups comprise two distinctly different pitches.

4. The tonal pattern of claim 2 where the tone groups comprise three distinctly different pitches.

5. The tonal pattern of claim 2 wherein at least two tone groups are used, wherein the tones within one group are of distinctly different pitch than the tones within another group.

6. The tone groups of claim 2 further comprise at least one occurrence where one tone group includes constant pitch tones of a first pitch followed by a tone group including constant pitch tones of a second pitch where the first and second pitches are distinctly different.

7. The ambient condition detector of claim 1 further comprising at least one additional audio output transducer.

8. The tone groups of claim 6 wherein the pitch tones are factory pre-set and user non-selectable.

9. The tonal pattern of claim 1 wherein the at least two distinctly different tone pitches are factory set and are user non-selectable.

10. The tonal pattern of claim 1 wherein during the at least one silent period, verbal output is emitted.

11. The verbal output of claim 10 comprises at least one word to describe the type of ambient condition sensed.

12. The verbal output of claim 10 comprises at least one word to describe the location of the ambient condition detector which sensed the ambient condition.

13. An ambient condition detector comprising:

control electronics;

at least one ambient condition sensor coupled to the control electronics;

at least one audio output transducer coupled to the control electronics;

an audio output pitch selector coupled to the control electronics whereby a user may interface with the audio output pitch selector to select at least one tone pitch to be output by the at least one audio output transducer;

the control electronics signals the at least one audio output transducer to emit a tonal pattern when the ambient condition sensor detects an ambient condition, whereby at least one tone pitch, contained within the tonal pattern, is defined by the control electronics through input from the audio output pitch selector; and

a housing to enclose at least the control electronics, the ambient condition sensor and the at least one audio output transducer.

14. The tonal pattern of claim 13 further comprising at least one silent period.

15. The tonal pattern of claim 14 wherein during the at least one silent period, verbal output is emitted.

16. The verbal output of claim 15 comprises at least one word to describe the type of ambient condition sensed.

17. The verbal output of claim 15 comprises at least one word to describe the location of the ambient condition detector sensing the ambient condition.

18. The ambient condition detector in claim 13 wherein the tonal pattern comprises tone groups with intra-group temporal spacing of a first amount and inter-group temporal spacing of a second amount wherein the second amount is at least twice as much as the first amount.

19. The ambient condition detector of claim 13 wherein the audio output pitch selector comprises a momentary switch.

20. The audio output pitch selector in claim 13 whereby the selector is activated to select a desired alarm tone pitch during set-up of the ambient condition detector as the control electronics plays through a menu of at least two pre-programmed tonal patterns which output at least two distinctly different pitches.

21. The ambient condition detector of claim 13 wherein the audio output pitch selector comprises a multi-position switch.

22. The multi-position switch in claim 21 selects between at least two pre-programmed tonal pitch settings.

23. The ambient condition detector of claim 13 wherein the audio output pitch selector comprises a DIP switch.

24. The ambient condition detector of claim 13 wherein the audio output pitch selector comprises a jumper.

25. The ambient condition detector of claim 13 wherein the audio output pitch selector comprises a variable resistor.

26. The ambient condition detector of claim 13 wherein the audio output pitch selector comprises a radiant energy receiver.

27. The ambient condition detector of claim 13 further comprising at least one additional audio output transducer.

28. A method of operating an ambient condition detector comprising:

providing a choice of at least a first and a second tone group, whereby at least one tone in the first tone group has distinctly different pitch than a tone in the second tone group;

selecting a desired tone group, from the tone groups provided, by actuating an audio output pitch selector, the selected tone group thereby is incorporated into a tonal pattern to be output through an audio output transducer when the ambient condition detector senses an ambient condition; and

installing the ambient condition detector where it may sense an ambient condition.

29. The method of claim 28 wherein the tonal pattern contains at least one silent period.

30. The method of claim 28 further comprising using an infrared source to actuate the audio output pitch selector.

31. The method of claim 28 wherein activating the audio output pitch selector comprises actuating a momentary switch coupled to control electronics to select, during set-up of the ambient condition detector, the desired tone group selection.

32. A method of operating an ambient condition detector comprising:

setting up the ambient condition detector to output at least one tonal pattern with at least one user-desired tone pitch when an ambient condition is sensed;

playing an audible menu of pre-recorded tone pitch selections from electronic memory;

actuating an audio output pitch selector when the desired tone pitch is heard by the user thereby storing the desired pitch selection into electronic memory; and

installing the ambient condition detector where it may sense an ambient condition.