The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jun. 22, 2004
Filed:
Aug. 11, 2000
Michael W. Apperson, Chapel Hill, NC (US);
John J. Andres, Colorado Springs, CO (US);
Joseph G DeLuca, Colorado Springs, CO (US);
Chris R. Gilbert, Colorado Springs, CO (US);
Larry Ratzlaff, Elgin, IL (US);
Walter Kidde Portable Equipment, Inc., Mebane, NC (US);
Abstract
A microcontroller-based hazardous condition detector having an intelligent hush feature is presented. The microcontroller controls the operational mode of the detector by monitoring a single user-actuated switch, the inputs from a smoke chamber and a carbon monoxide detector circuit, and the current operating mode of the detector. When in a normal or no-alarm mode, actuation of the switch will cause the microcontroller to place the detector in a test mode of operation. If the detector is in a carbon monoxide alarm mode, actuation of the switch will act to reset the accumulator function of the microprocessor for the carbon monoxide alarm sensing. If the detector is in a smoke alarm mode, actuation of the switch may place the detector in a hush mode if the level of smoke is sufficiently low, or will have no effect if the level of smoke is too high. Once in the hush mode, actuation of the switch will place the detector into the smoke alarm mode. The microcontroller will also place the detector in the smoke alarm mode if the level of smoke increases beyond a certain limit, and after the expiration of a hush mode time limit. To coordinate this operation, the sensitivity of the detector is not changed in any mode of operation, and the microcontroller monitors both an alarm and a hush threshold.