Alarm Apparatus Low Battery Notification Timing Optimization

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Solution Overview

Problem

Low battery indications in alarm devices often occur during nighttime hours due to cooler ambient temperatures, leading to user annoyance and increased likelihood of disabling the alarm without battery replacement.

Innovation Solution

An alarm apparatus that monitors battery power levels and delays low battery indication until daytime hours by implementing a wait state or estimating time of day based on ambient light or recorded battery levels, ensuring low battery chirps are minimized during undesirable times.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If low battery indication is initiated immediately upon detecting low power battery, then battery replacement is prompted timely, but user annoyance increases during nighttime hours

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebattery replacement timingVSAvoiduser annoyance

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary detection of low battery conditions and waits until a predetermined time (daytime hours) before initiating the low battery indication. This preliminary action allows the system to prepare the notification without immediately disturbing the user during nighttime, thus resolving the contradiction between timely battery replacement prompting and user annoyance reduction.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Loss of information

If low battery chirp is emitted during nighttime hours, then battery status is communicated to user, but likelihood of disabling alarm without battery replacement increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebattery status communicationVSAvoidalarm effectiveness

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically adjusts the timing of low battery indication based on the time of day. During nighttime hours, the system suppresses the low battery chirp to avoid user annoyance and disabling, while still monitoring battery status. When daytime hours arrive, the system immediately communicates the battery status through the chirp. This dynamic timing strategy maintains effective communication while preserving alarm effectiveness.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

3Measurement precision

If battery power level is monitored continuously, then accurate low battery detection is achieved, but energy consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvelow battery detection accuracyVSAvoidpower consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of continuous monitoring, the system performs battery power level checks at periodic intervals. This periodic action maintains accurate low battery detection capability while significantly reducing energy consumption compared to continuous monitoring, thus resolving the contradiction between measurement precision and energy usage.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #19Periodic action

Data Source

PatentUS9019112B2Systems and methods for optimizing low battery indication in alarms

Publication Date: 2015.04.28 KIDDE WALTER PORTABLE EQUIPMENT INC

AI summary

A method and apparatus for utilizing a timing component to optimize low battery indication in alarm devices. The method and apparatus may set a timing component based on a condition detected by a alarm device. Upon detection of a low battery condition within the alarm device, the alarm device can delay low battery indication, using the timing component, until a time of day with a higher probably of user suitability.