Supplemental alert generation device with speaker enclosure assembly
First Claim
1. A supplemental alert generation device for monitoring, and supplementing an audible alert generated by, a detector/alert device, the supplemental alert generation device comprising:
- a piezoelectric sensor that passively converts sound into an electric signal;
a threshold detector connected to the piezoelectric sensor and operative to monitor the electrical signal, said threshold detector operative to generate a notification signal when the electrical signal exceeds a threshold level corresponding to a threshold sound level;
a controller programmed to respond to the notification signal by at least initiating a signal analysis process to assess whether an audio signal generated by the piezoelectric sensor represents an audible alert signal, said controller additionally programmed to initiate generation of a supplemental alert signal when the audible alert signal is detected, said supplemental alert signal having a fundamental frequency and a plurality of higher frequency harmonics, wherein the fundamental frequency is lower than a tone frequency of the audible alert signal and falls within a range of 400 to 700 hertz;
a speaker enclosure assembly that outputs the supplemental alert signal, said speaker enclosure assembly comprising an audio speaker mounted to a speaker enclosure structure, said speaker enclosure assembly having an object resonance in the range of 400 to 700 hertz, said speaker enclosure configured to produce a low frequency audible output boost at least partly by causing energy in at least one of the harmonics to be shifted downward in frequency, wherein the speaker enclosure assembly is sealed, such that the low frequency audible output boost is achieved without reliance on a Helmholtz effect; and
a battery-powered amplifier that drives the audio speaker.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A battery-powered supplemental alert generator is disclosed that is adapted to be mounted in close proximity to, such as within 3 or 4 feet of, a conventional smoke, heat and/or fire detector/alert device. The supplemental alert generator operates in a relatively low power mode while listening for the nearby detector/alert device to generate a standard audible alert signal. Upon detecting that a monitored sound level has reached a particular threshold, the supplemental alert generator enters into a higher power analysis mode in which it analyzes the detected signal to assess whether it is an audible alert signal. If an audible alert signal is detected, the supplemental alert generator generates one or more supplemental alert signals, such as a 520 Hz audible square wave signal. The supplemental alert generator may be used to retrofit a house, hotel, or other building to comply with new standards or to otherwise increase the effectiveness of the existing detection/alert system.
56 Citations
44 Claims
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1. A supplemental alert generation device for monitoring, and supplementing an audible alert generated by, a detector/alert device, the supplemental alert generation device comprising:
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a piezoelectric sensor that passively converts sound into an electric signal; a threshold detector connected to the piezoelectric sensor and operative to monitor the electrical signal, said threshold detector operative to generate a notification signal when the electrical signal exceeds a threshold level corresponding to a threshold sound level; a controller programmed to respond to the notification signal by at least initiating a signal analysis process to assess whether an audio signal generated by the piezoelectric sensor represents an audible alert signal, said controller additionally programmed to initiate generation of a supplemental alert signal when the audible alert signal is detected, said supplemental alert signal having a fundamental frequency and a plurality of higher frequency harmonics, wherein the fundamental frequency is lower than a tone frequency of the audible alert signal and falls within a range of 400 to 700 hertz; a speaker enclosure assembly that outputs the supplemental alert signal, said speaker enclosure assembly comprising an audio speaker mounted to a speaker enclosure structure, said speaker enclosure assembly having an object resonance in the range of 400 to 700 hertz, said speaker enclosure configured to produce a low frequency audible output boost at least partly by causing energy in at least one of the harmonics to be shifted downward in frequency, wherein the speaker enclosure assembly is sealed, such that the low frequency audible output boost is achieved without reliance on a Helmholtz effect; and a battery-powered amplifier that drives the audio speaker. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A method performed by a battery-powered supplemental alert generation device to detect an audible alert signal generated by a detector/alert device, the method comprising:
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passively converting sound into an electrical signal using a piezoelectric sensor; monitoring the electrical signal to determine whether a threshold sound level is met; in response to determining that the threshold sound level is met, analyzing the electrical signal with signal processing circuitry to determine whether the electrical signal represents the audible alert signal, wherein analyzing the electrical signal comprises determining whether the electrical signal has a pulse pattern corresponding to a pulse pattern used for audible alert signals; in response to determining that the electrical signal has a pulse pattern corresponding to a pulse pattern used for audible alert signals, outputting, to a speaker enclosure assembly that comprises an audio speaker mounted to a speaker enclosure structure, a supplemental alert signal having a fundamental frequency and a plurality of higher frequency harmonics, said fundamental frequency falling in the range of 400 to 700 hertz, said speaker enclosure assembly having an object resonance falling in the range of 400 to 700 hertz; and outputting an audible representation of the supplemental alert signal with the speaker enclosure assembly, wherein outputting the audible representation comprises producing a low frequency audio output boost at least partly by transferring energy in at least one of said harmonics downward in frequency, wherein the speaker enclosure assembly is sealed, such that the low frequency audio output boost is produced without reliance on a flow of as into or out of an enclosure chamber of the speaker enclosure assembly. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35)
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36. A supplemental alert generation device comprising:
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a speaker enclosure assembly comprising an audio speaker mounted to a speaker enclosure structure, said audio speaker comprising a diaphragm that is driven by a coil to produce sound waves corresponding to a received audio signal, said speaker enclosure assembly having an object resonance in the range of 400 to 700 hertz, said object resonance being dependent upon physical dimensions of the speaker enclosure structure; and processing circuitry that is configured to detect an audible alert signal generated by a detector/alert device, and to respond to the audible alert signal by driving the audio speaker with a supplemental alert audio signal having a fundamental frequency and multiple harmonic frequencies, said fundamental frequency falling in the range of 400 to 700 hertz; said speaker enclosure assembly configured to cause energy in the supplemental alert audio signal to be transferred downward in frequency from at least one of the harmonic frequencies, wherein the speaker enclosure assembly is sealed, such that the transfer of energy occurs without reliance on a Helmholtz effect. - View Dependent Claims (37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44)
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Specification