Visual and auditory user notification methods for smart-home hazard detector

A method for providing a pre-alarm of a developing hazardous condition, the method comprising:

• detecting a first hazard level, the first hazard level indicating an amount of at least one of smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) present at a hazard detector;
• comparing the first hazard level with an emergency threshold;
• determining that the first hazard level is greater than the emergency threshold;
• activating a horn that generates an audible alarm in response to determining that the first hazard level is greater than the emergency threshold;
• activating a first light source that generates a red colored light in response to determining that the first hazard level is greater than the emergency threshold;
• detecting a second hazard level;
• comparing the second hazard level with the emergency threshold;
• determining that the second hazard level is less than the emergency threshold;
• comparing the second hazard level with a pre-alarm threshold, the pre-alarm threshold being less than the emergency threshold;
• determining that the second hazard level is greater than the pre-alarm threshold;
• activating a second light source that generates a yellow colored light in response to determining that the second hazard level is greater than the pre-alarm threshold and less than the emergency threshold;
• activating a speaker that generates an audible pre-alarm speech at a lower volume than the horn in response to determining that the second hazard level is greater than the pre-alarm threshold and less than the emergency threshold, the audible pre-alarm speech including content that warns of the developing hazardous conditions;
• receiving user input via a user interface module of the hazard detector;
• and
• stopping generation of the audible pre-alarm speech in response to receiving the user input.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium, having instructions stored therein, which when executed cause a computer to perform a set of operations comprising:

• detecting a hazard level that indicates an amount of at least one of smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) present at a hazard detector;
• comparing the hazard level with an emergency threshold;
• determining that the hazard level is less than the emergency threshold;
• comparing the hazard level with a pre-alarm threshold, the pre-alarm threshold being less than the emergency threshold;
• determining that the hazard level is greater than the pre-alarm threshold;
• activating a light source that generates light in a first color, a second color, and a third color, the second color being between the first color and the third color on a color spectrum, the light source being activated in the second color in response to determining that the hazard level is greater than the pre-alarm threshold and less than the emergency threshold;
• activating a speaker that generates an audible pre-alarm speech in response to determining that the hazard level is greater than the pre-alarm threshold and less than the emergency threshold, the audible pre-alarm speech including content that warns of a developing hazardous condition;
• receiving user input via a user interface module of the hazard detector;
• and
• ceasing generation of the audible pre-alarm speech in response to receiving the user input.