Programable alarm assembly for emergency activation devices
View Patent ↗A programmable safety cover system for protecting an emergency activation device is provided. The system comprises a housing having a cover and a base, and an alarm assembly featuring a programmable controller. A user-actuatable element allows for the initiation of a software-defined grace period, suppressing the alarm during installation or maintenance. The controller is field-programmable, allowing for customization of alarm parameters such as duration, sound and light patterns, and custom audible warnings. The controller can also be configured to continue alarming for a set period after the cover is closed to deter false activations, and to play context-specific spoken warnings to enhance user safety and accessibility.
1 . A programmable safety cover system comprising:
a housing having a cover and a base wherein the cover is movably attached to the base;
an alarm assembly disposed within the housing, the alarm assembly comprising:
a programmable controller,
a at least one sound emitter,
a at least one light source; and
a at least one user-actuatable element communicatively coupled to the controller;
wherein the at least one sound emitter and the at least one light source is triggered when the cover is disengaged from the base; and
wherein the controller is further configured to detect that the cover is re-engaged with the base and, in response to said detection, continue to activate said at least one sound emitter and the at least one light source for a pre-programmed duration after the cover is re-engaged with the base.
2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to, upon actuation of the at least one user-actuatable element, initiate a programmable grace period during which the at least one sound emitter and the at least one light source are suppressed.
3 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the controller is further configured to provide an acknowledgment signal after the grace period expires.
4 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is field-programmable to modify at least one operational parameter.
5 . The system of claim 4 , wherein the operational parameter is selected from the group consisting of: an alarm duration, a sound emitter pattern, a light source flash rate, and a custom audio message.
6 . The system of claim 5 , wherein the custom audio message is a spoken warning corresponding to a specific function of an emergency activation device.
7 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the user-actuatable element is a push-button mechanism comprising a micro switch.
8 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to receive configuration parameters from a mobile computing device.
9 . A method for operating a programmable safety cover, the method comprising:
providing a safety housing comprising a cover and a base;
an alarm assembly within the housing having a programmable controller,
a user-actuatable element,
an at least one sound emitter, and
an at least one light source;
when the alarm is triggered, receiving, at the controller, a signal from the user-actuatable element indicating an installer-initiated action;
in response to the signal, initiating, by the controller, a programmable grace period during which activation of the at least one sound emitter and the at least one light source is suppressed;
at the conclusion of the grace period, generating, by the controller, an acknowledgment signal to indicate the safety housing is armed;
detecting, by the controller, that the cover has been moved to disengage from the base;
in response to said detection, activating the at least one sound emitter and the at least one light source;
further detecting, by the controller, that the cover is re-engaged with the base; and
continuing to activate said at least one sound emitter and the at least one light source for a pre-programmed duration after the cover is re-engaged with the base.
10 . The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
receiving, at the controller, new configuration data; and
modifying an operational parameter of the alarm assembly based on the new configuration data, wherein the operational parameter is selected from the group consisting of: an alarm duration, a sound emitter pattern, a light source flash rate, and a custom audio message to be played by the sound emitter.
11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein receiving the new configuration data comprises receiving a wireless transmission from a mobile computing device.
12 . An alarm assembly for a protective housing for an emergency activation device, the assembly comprising:
a housing having a cover and a base wherein the cover is moveably attached to the base;
a programmable controller disposed within the housing;
an at least one sound emitter and an at least one light source operatively coupled to the controller; and
a delay mechanism accessible from an exterior of the housing and communicatively coupled to the controller;
wherein the controller is configured with software to perform the steps of:
(a) in response to an actuation of the delay mechanism, initiating a programmable time delay during which the sound emitter and light source are deactivated;
(b) in response to the protective cover being opened, activating the sound emitter and light source according to a programmable alarm pattern; and
(c) in response to the cover being re-engaged to the base, continuing to activate the sound emitter and light source for a pre-programmed duration.