Patent · US Expired

Method and apparatus for alarm volume control using pulse width modulation

US7079036B2 · kind B2 · utility

64Cited by
31References
24Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJun 24, 2004
Grant dateJul 18, 2006
Priority date
Expiry dateOct 5, 2024

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG08B3/10
  • WIPO fieldControl
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

There is provided herein a first preferred arrangement of the instant invention, wherein an electronic patient monitor utilizes a computer CPU as an alarm signal generator, which CPU is preferably directly connected to a power amplifier and/or a speaker without an intervening (or subsequent) conventional volume control. The alarm signal is preferably expressed as a series of square waves. The volume of the alarm signal as heard through the speaker is controlled by varying the width of the square waves that represent the alarm signal with the duty cycle of the square waves being shortened to reduce the output alarm volume and lengthened to increase it.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.