Emergency Button with Movable Display Panel for Cascaded Alarm Triggering
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing emergency buttons in buildings lack a compact, aesthetically pleasing, and highly functional design while also requiring enhanced safety features to ensure reliable operation, particularly in recognizing and initiating emergency signals quickly and securely.
Innovation Solution
An emergency button with a movably mounted display that includes proximity and touch-sensitive elements, allowing for a cascaded triggering of emergency signals through both touch and mechanical actuation, with a control unit that distinguishes between pre-alarm and main alarm functions, and a locking device for secure operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a traditional mechanical emergency button is used, then the device is simple and reliable, but it lacks aesthetic appeal and additional functionality
Solution Approach 1:
The display panel is designed to serve multiple functions: it displays information, detects touch inputs for pre-alarm, and when pressed mechanically, triggers the main alarm. This multi-functionality allows a single component to replace what would traditionally require separate elements (display, sensor, and switching mechanism), thereby increasing adaptability while managing device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the display panel, touch-sensitive sensor, and mechanical switching element into a single integrated structure. The display panel is movably mounted on the housing and directly couples with the switching element, merging what would traditionally be separate components into one unified assembly that enhances functionality without proportionally increasing complexity
2Ease of operation
If a touch-sensitive display is added to the emergency button, then aesthetic appeal and user-friendliness improve, but the risk of unintentional activation increases
Solution Approach 1:
The alarm triggering function is segmented into two distinct modes: touch activation for pre-alarm and mechanical press activation for main alarm. This segmentation allows the system to differentiate between intentional and unintentional inputs, maintaining ease of operation while enhancing reliability by requiring a more deliberate action for the primary alarm function
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements a pre-alarm function that activates before the main alarm when the display is touched. This preliminary action serves as a confirmation step, allowing the user to verify their intention before triggering the full alarm sequence, thereby reducing unintentional activations while maintaining user-friendly operation
3Ease of operation
If the display is fixed on the housing, then the structure is simple, but the switching element cannot be actuated mechanically
Solution Approach 1:
The display panel is designed with movable mounting on the housing, allowing it to transition between a resting position and a pressed position. This dynamic mounting enables the display to be actuated mechanically by the user, directly coupling the display movement with the switching element actuation, thereby enabling mechanical operation while managing mounting complexity through an integrated design
Data Source
AI summary
The emergency button (1) has a mechanically actuated switch element that is arranged in the housing (2) for delivering an emergency signal in actuated state. A control unit controls displacement of a touch-sensitive display panel (8) which is movably mounted in direction of the switch element so that the switch element is mechanically actuated to deliver the emergency signal. An independent claim is included for method for operating emergency button.