Self-cleaning safety system
AssigneeMicrochip Technology Incorporated
InventorsPatrick McFarland, Arthur B. Eck
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus includes a control circuit to connect to an audio device of a safety system. The safety system is to detect a hazardous condition. The audio device is to alert a user of the hazardous condition. The safety system is to include a sensor to sense the hazardous condition. The apparatus includes an interface to connect the control circuit to the audio device. The control circuit is to determine whether to clean a housing of the sensor and, based on a determination to clean the housing of sensor, cause the audio device to vibrate or issue sound waves at an inaudible frequency.
Claims14
A method, comprising:
- determining whether to operate an apparatus in a cleaning mode or in a normal mode;
- based on a determination to operate the apparatus in the normal mode, determining whether a sensor of the apparatus has detected a hazardous condition;
- based on a determination that the sensor of the apparatus has detected the hazardous condition, causing an audio device of the apparatus to alert a user of the hazardous condition;
- based on a determination to operate the apparatus in the cleaning mode, causing a cleaning of a housing of sensor by cause the audio device to vibrate or issue sound waves at an inaudible frequency.
An apparatus, comprising:
- a sensor to detect a hazardous condition;
- an audio device to alert a user of the apparatus of the hazardous condition;
- a housing to include the sensor;
- and
- a control circuit to:
- determine whether to operate the apparatus in a cleaning mode or in a normal mode;
- based on a determination to operate the apparatus in the normal mode, determine whether the sensor has detected the hazardous condition;
- based on a determination that the sensor of the apparatus has detected the hazardous condition, cause the audio device to alert a user of the hazardous condition by causing the audio device to vibrate or issue sound waves at an audible frequency;
- and
- based on a determination to operate the apparatus in the cleaning mode, cause a cleaning of the housing by causing the audio device to vibrate or issue sound waves at an inaudible frequency.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.