Designing Effective Alarm Sounds

The primary objective of the experiments reported here was to demonstrate the effects of opening up the design envelope for auditory alarms on the ability of people to learn the meanings of a set of alarms. Two sets of alarms were tested, one already extant and one newly-designed set for the same set of functions, designed according to a rationale set out by the authors aimed at increasing the heterogeneity of the alarm set and incorporating some well-established principles of alarm design. For both sets of alarms, a similarity-rating experiment was followed by a learning experiment. The results showed that the newly-designed set was judged to be more internally dissimilar, and easier to learn, than the extant set. The design rationale outlined in the paper is useful for design purposes in a variety of practical domains and shows how alarm designers, even at a relatively late stage in the design process, can improve the efficacy of an alarm set.

In gas concentrations greater than the allowable amounts, these become an imminent danger. It is true that there are devices that already read information, but are intended exclusively for the mining sector and are very expensive. That is why we propose to model and validate a new system for other industrial sectors. Our proposal, The Gas Detection System is based on The Explosive Discussion Triangle method developed by Coward and Jones. We use this method to develop a control system that will allow gas concentrations to be detected in a given environment and send an alarm if a risk situation arises. Formal Specifications allows the use of mathematical notations that help in the process of implementing critical systems and helps to reduce the potential ambiguities that occur in the interpretation of traditional graphic models. This work uses the VDM ++ formal specification language to describe system properties for its subsequent modeling and validation through the VDMToolBox tool. The System architecture is based on sensors, a control module and a set of alarms. Our proposal makes use of formal specifications in order to validate the main properties of the functional requirements.

Matrix isolation is a technique for trapping reactive species at very low temperatures and studying them spectroscopically. This book offers detailed practical advice on how to carry out matrix-isolation experiments, and is a unique introduction to the subject. Chapter 1 introduces a brief historical survey of the development of the technique that incorporates a discussion of its strength and limitations. Chapter 2 provides a thorough description of the building of a matrix-isolation laboratory from scratch. All the necessary equipment is described in full and there are diagrammatic examples throughout. In later chapters, ancillary equipment for generating reactive species, and an informative description of the various methods for forming low-temperature matrices are dealt with. There then follows a chapter on the specialized technique of matrix photochemistry with polarized light. The final chapter comprises an extensive collection of classic matrix experiments which have been selected due to their ease of application and which will thus serve as useful exercises for testing new pieces of equipment. This accessible text offers thorough coverage of the topic and will be invaluable to postgraduate and industrial chemists as an introduction to matrix isolation techniques. Researchers in chemistry and related fields who are considering whether matrix isolation can play a part in their own research will also find this book useful.

Food nanotechnology is a relatively recent discipline as compared with its application in pharmaceutical fields. Many scientists and engineers have recognized the potential role of nanotechnology in leading major food industries through the twenty-first century. In food engineering and processing fields, there are three major applications related to nanotechnology: incorporation of nanoparticles, incorporation or modifying nanostructures in such a way that the development of new equipment, as well as nanoscale devises are current activities. Some areas in which they have been used are in the permeation behavior of packing foils, enhancing barrier properties (mechanical, thermal, chemical, and microbial), and improving mechanical and heat-resistance properties. New pieces of equipment and operations have been developed aiming to handle such low sizes and cost related aspects must be carefully addressed. Nanotechnology has potential applications in all aspects of food sectors including food packaging, food monitoring, production of functional foods, development of foods capable of modifying their color, flavor, or nutritional properties according to a person’s dietary needs, as well as production of stronger flavorings, colorings, and nutritional food additives. Also, new equipment and processes have been developed within the frame of food processing for the preparation of novel products, and, in this regard, special attention must be given to health-related and legislation aspects.

Backgrounds and Objective: Advancements in technology have led to great strides in research and innovation that have improved healthcare provision around the world. However, the majority of the technology available is underutilized in Sub-Saharan Africa. In addition, the ever-increasing sophistication and cost of medical equipment means that access and proper use is limited in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). There is, however, a general paucity of well-documented evidence for the utilization of medical equipment in LMICs. Therefore, this study evaluates the current availability and utilization of medical equipment in tertiary hospitals and research facilities in Uganda and provides baseline information to clinical/biomedical engineers, innovators, managers, and policymakers.Material and Methods: The study evaluated the equipment currently used in 9 purposively selected public tertiary hospitals and 5 research laboratories representing different regions of Uganda. Data were collected by personnel specialized in biomedical engineering utilizing a mixed-method approach that involved inventory taking and surveys directed to the health workers in the designated health facilities. Results: The hospitals contributed 1995 (85%) pieces of medical equipment while the research laboratories contributed 343 (15%) pieces amounting to 2338 pieces of equipment involved in the study. On average, 34% of the medical equipment in the health facilities was faulty, and 85.6% lacked manuals.Discussion and conclusion: Although innovative solutions and donated equipment address the immediate and long-term goals of resource-constrained settings, our study demonstrated several issues around existing medical devices, and these need immediate attention.

In many safety-critical applications, battery performance is a significant limiting factor that affects the feasibility of electronic safety devices intended to alert workers to hazardous situations. In particular, battery capacity and lifetime are difficult to predict when safety devices are exposed to extremes of temperature, humidity, shock, and vibration that are common in construction, excavation, drill rigs, and mining work sites. Because battery failure is unacceptable in safety devices, periodic preventative maintenance is required, adding to device cost and labor cost and reducing acceptance of electronic safety devices. Energy harvesting and communications techniques based on passive UHF RFID technology may offer an alternative to battery power for some types of safety alert devices, particularly where hazardous conditions are created by powered heavy equipment. We present a worker safety device designed around a passive UHF RFID platform that derives its operating power from specialized interrogators mounted on heavy equipment. This device is designed to be integrated with plastic hard hats that are commonly used in the construction industry to yield an intelligent hard hat, called a “SmartHat”, that delivers an audible alert directly to workers in proximity to a particular piece of equipment. It is addressible using an ASK interrogator-to-tag link, and backscatters confirmation that an alert has been delivered to the worker. We present the design of the SmartHat tag, including a compact printed-circuit vee style antenna, an RF-to-DC power harvesting circuit, and a microprocessor-driven alert speaker. The tag's average operating power while delivering a pulsed alert is 1.8V at 61μA, or 110μW (−9.6 dBm). Its power-up threshold when not delivering an alert is 1.8 V at ≈ 10μA. We also present a specialized interrogator device operating under FCC Part 18 rules in the 902–928 MHz band that is mounted to a piece of construction equipment to power and communicate with nearby SmartHats. In outdoor testing of the SmartHat tag and its companion interrogator device, +35 dBm transmitter output power feeding a 9dBi Yagi antenna (+44 dBm EIRP) allows for safety alerts to be delivered at distances of up to 16.46 m.

Background: Auditory alarms in patient monitoring are vital for clinical safety, but their harsh acoustic properties and high frequency contribute to stress, alarm fatigue, and reduced acceptance among healthcare staff. In collaboration with Sen Sound, Philips redesigned its alarm sounds to reduce auditory harshness, particularly for low- and medium-priority alarms, while preserving the salience of high-priority alerts. This study evaluated the impact of these refined alarm sounds in a real-world clinical setting. Objective: The goal was to determine whether anesthesia professionals perceive the refined Philips alarm sounds as more pleasant, clinically appropriate, and reliably recognizable compared with the traditional sounds. Methods: We conducted a single-center, pre–post intervention study at the University Hospital Zurich, Switzerland. Anesthesia providers assessed traditional and refined Philips alarm sounds with respect to perceived sound appeal, perceived functionality, and recognition accuracy. The primary outcome (sound appeal) was tested for superiority; using mixed-effects regression models. Results: Seventy-seven participants completed both study phases. Refined alarm sounds significantly improved perceived sound appeal (mean difference +0.51; 95% CI, 0.37–0.64; p < 0.001), while perceived functionality showed a small decrease (mean difference −0.15; 95% CI, −0.27 to −0.03). Recognition accuracy for low- and medium-priority alarms was higher with traditional sounds (low: 95.2% vs. 87.5%, p = 0.002; medium: 81.1% vs. 62.0%, p < 0.001), while high-priority alarms were more accurately identified with refined sounds (89.0% vs. 81.4%, p = 0.002). Overall, 71% of participants preferred the refined sounds, and 92% supported further development. Conclusions: Refined alarm sounds reduced perceived harshness and improved auditory comfort for anesthesia providers, but were associated with slightly lower perceived functionality and mixed recognition accuracy. High-priority alarms were identified more reliably, whereas low- and medium-priority alarms were less distinctly recognized, indicating a limited trade-off between sound appeal and clarity that primarily affected lower-priority signals. These findings suggest that while refinement can enhance the auditory environment, further development, potentially incorporating auditory icons or voice-based alerts, will be needed to optimize both user experience and patient safety in clinical practice.

Caregiving is an inherently difficult role, replete with the emotional strains of watching a loved one deteriorate physically or mentally while trying to balance work and home responsibilities, and finding needed services with little or no guidance. These challenges are compounded by extreme stress, emotional overload, and a sense of isolation. Family caregiving is a lifespan issue, encompassing those with chronic conditions, disabilities, disease or the frailties of old age. Caregiving embraces a wide spectrum, ranging from the families of children with special needs to adult children caring for parents with Alzheimer's disease. Many family caregivers interact with medical devices in home settings.Advances in medical technology have allowed care recipients to remain ambulatory and independent. Because care recipients expect to be able to stay independent, mobile or active, the term “home use” extends beyond the home to encompass all environments in which a person plans to use his or her medical device to continue or enhance the quality of daily life.1For medical equipment designed for longterm use in the home, labeling will often not be with the device. In such cases, the home healthcare provider must develop his or her own basic instructions for use, maintenance, and cleaning. Through the MedWatch adverse event reporting system, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) receives medical device reports of problems that stem from missing, absent or inadequate labeling, or misinterpretations of the information in labeling and instructions for use (IFU).The FDA also receives anecdotal information from consumers, healthcare practitioners (HCPs), healthcare organizations and device manufacturers suggesting interest in enhancing medical device equipment labeling content and format. Consumers and HCPs are particularly interested in having a searchable website containing medical device labeling and instructions for products intended for home use.This study was conducted to help the FDA better understand device labeling-related challenges that family caregivers face when care is provided in the home environment. Study respondents are members of the Caregiver Action Network (CAN), formerly the National Family Caregivers Association (NFCA), which educates, supports, empowers, and advocates for the more than 65 million Americans who care for loved ones with a chronic illness or disability or the frailties of old age,2 advocating for the needs of family caregivers, including their desires and need for instruction in the safe and effective use of medical devices in the home. These findings will assist in guiding the FDA's future efforts to characterize information pertinent to medical device labeling and provide online access in order to facilitate safe medical device use at home.A web-based survey contained multiple choice questions with pre-coded responses offering CAN respondents the opportunity to provide free-text responses and comments. The questionnaires were developed collaboratively by CAN, FDA/CDRH, and contractor to the FDA Social and Scientific Systems (SSS). Questions for both methods were based around the following topics:The survey questionnaire was administered via e-mail to a random sample of CAN members who met selection criteria (n=557; See Appendix 1 in online version of this article). The email provided background information about the FDA and the purpose of the study.The web-based survey was conducted October 5, 2011 through January 6, 2012. Reminders were sent four times over the course of the study, in October, November, and two in December. After the survey closed, results were collated and de-identified to maintain respondent confidentiality and then analyzed by the authors.One hundred twenty-seven respondents completed the web-based survey, a 22% response rate. Ninety-five percent of all respondents care for adult family members (over 21 years old). Forty-nine percent and 45% of these respondents care for a family member 65 years or over (n=63) or a family member between the ages 21–64 years (n=58), respectively.Of these 127 respondents, 77% care for their family member in their own home (n=99) and 59% of all respondents have cared for their family member more than five years (n=76). Forty-four percent of all respondents care for their spouse/partner (n=56).The majority of respondents indicated that they have been using their medical equipment for two or more years for chronic conditions, including heart disease, lung disease, and diabetes, or conditions related to stroke and cancer. Free text responses also included conditions, such as dementia and Alzheimer's disease.The survey determined that the home medical equipment respondents most commonly used in the care of family members included wheelchairs, specialty hospital beds, blood glucose monitors, patient lifts, nebulizers, and assistive equipment, such as canes, walkers, and bathroom handrails. Survey questions allowed respondents to share their experiences using the aforementioned medical products, specifically their experiences with the labeling and instructions that accompany the products they use.Respondents indicated that their medical equipment is most often delivered to their homes from the manufacturer or received from a pharmacy or drug store. From the free-text responses, respondents indicated that their equipment was handed down from friends or family after previous use. Respondents specified that it was ‘somewhat easy to very easy' to learn how to use their medical equipment, and most received training prior to use. Equipment use training was most often provided from the medical supply company representative.Other responses indicated that no training was received; or that training had been provided by the home health provider, rehabilitation staff, or hospital staff. Other methods besides training that helped respondents learn how to use their medical equipment included trial and error, following written (paper) instructions from the manufacturer, Internet instructions, verbal instruction, or observation and return demonstration.* Respondents noted that the best time to receive written instructions was upon delivery of equipment at home and the worst time was at the hospital.When manufacturer instructions came with their medical equipment, respondents indicated that it was ‘somewhat easy' to follow. Instructions were typically provided in a manual, booklet, or information sheet format. Respondents specify that the table of contents was most helpful in finding the information they need to use their equipment. When seeking information to troubleshoot their product, respondents believed they could ‘quickly and easily' find the information in the manufacturer's instructions.In free-text responses, respondents indicated that they would make use of the 1-800 helpline, or ask a nurse or company representative when they need information about using their product in general or for information about troubleshooting. Free-text comments indicated that a DVD would be helpful for these purposes.In addition to manufacturer's instructions, respondents indicated that they obtained information from medical supply companies, home health agencies, and hospitals, in the same format as the manufacturer's instructions. Interestingly, even when manufacturer's instructions are provided, information from additional sources is obtained in order to simplify and clarify the manufacturer's instructions.Respondents did not always use the instructions, because they felt the training they received was enough. The survey results indicated that most respondents commonly used their instructions when they were first learning to use their equipment; until they felt comfortable using it; and for information about cleaning.Respondents often referred back to their instructions when there was a problem, to find a phone number, or to refresh their memory and ensure they were using their equipment correctly. When respondents referred back to their instructions, they found what they needed to know. However, respondents specified that the information they needed was not always contained in the manufacturer's instructions. Instead, this information could come from other sources, such as from friends.Respondents who keep their instructions often file them with other medical information for as long as they own the equipment, which allows for easy access if needed. However, not all respondents have the instructions for their equipment. Whether this is because they never received it, or because they lost it requires further exploration.Most instructions include pictures and diagrams; however, whether respondents find them helpful is unclear. Interestingly, free-text responses indicated that pictures, diagrams, and other visuals are indeed useful and suggest that these be included in the instructions. Respondents report that the information they need to have to use their medical equipment, in the order of importance, includes the following:Respondents indicate that they most prefer to find information via paper instructions, such as a manual, brochure, or quick-start guide affixed to the equipment itself. In addition, respondents will also seek information online and find it helpful to obtain instructional information by phone with a company representative or home health nurse. To that end, respondents commonly turn to these sources, in addition to seeking advice from friends or others with the same condition or equipment.Respondents specify that a short version or quick-start guide would be helpful, especially if it includes the following:Sixty-five percent of all respondents are very comfortable with using computers (n=83), and 70% of respondents indicate they would welcome and make use of an FDA ‘searchable website that contained instructions for medical equipment used in the home' (n=90). Respondents noted that if the FDA created a searchable website, it should include videos to supplement the written instructions, diagrams, and pictures, all of which should be easy to print, and parallel the instruction preferences discussed above.Individuals likely to use medical products in the home setting may be elderly, chronically ill patients of any age, pregnant women, high-risk infants, and rehabilitation patients. These individuals vary significantly in their ability to operate and maintain devices. Complex instructions with multiple steps could confuse the user's ability to understand or adequately operate the device. To that end, instructions and information written in simple language should accompany any home use device product. Photographs, diagrams or other graphical representations may be used to provide clarity, as evidenced by respondent preferences.Survey results about medical equipment training portray an interesting situation: More complex devices used in the home environment are designed to be used by trained healthcare professionals in an acute care facility, rather than in a nonclinical setting. Furthermore, care recipients may not be able to choose the devices that they will ultimately use, as the device may be pre-selected by their insurance, for example.For these reasons, care recipients may not receive devices that are optimal for their comprehension level or that of a family caregiver. Therefore, it is imperative that home care recipients are properly trained on how to use their device as well as provided with instructional information that is readily accessible, easily understood and in a format that meets the users' needs.While this study generated important feedback on medical device labeling and use instructions, not all respondents (n=127) answered every question. Toward the end of the survey, there was attrition, evidenced by the dwindling number of responses to all remaining questions. This is likely due to the fact that respondents were requested to answer questions related to three pieces of medical equipment, which, in hindsight, is a large time commitment. While the free-text responses presented respondents with an opportunity to elaborate on their responses, many free-text reactions include ‘gripes' about the specific equipment(s) they use. Future studies like this one should consider responses of this nature during survey question development.Social desirability respondent bias was also present in this study. When comparing responses to questions with pre-coded selections with responses to questions that offered free text, there was a tendency for respondents to select favorable pre-coded responses to downplay the difficulties they experience, especially with regard to learning, following instructions, and using medical equipment.The pre-coded responses do not always match free-text feedback, which many times express frustration and confusion with regard to following medical device labeling and instructions. Furthermore, many free-text responses indicate that respondents do not recall receiving or did not receive instructions upon receipt of their medical equipment, which may also skew the results.Many study respondents are comfortable using computers, and often refer to information sources online and using a website that contains instructions for medical equipment used in the home. This finding, however, cannot be generalized to the entire population. Clearly there is selection bias at play: Respondents taking a web-based survey are likely to be more comfortable with computers, which could impact their ability to accurately respond to these questions.Another limitation to this study is that CAN respondent educational levels were not captured, nor were they included as part of the selection criteria eligibility. Authors suggest that in future studies of this nature, a question to obtain respondents' educational levels be included to determine whether there are relationships between education and labeling comprehension ease.

The design of the system includes temperature acquisition, temperature control range setting, sound and light alarm, temperature control fan, wireless transmission and LCD display.It is a multifunctional real time control and detection system. The circuit can work stably and display clearly after many times of tests. It is widely used in daily life and industrial production.

Under the situation of gas and silo operating, accidents caused by carbon monoxide occurred frequently, for example the gas poisoning, explosion and fire hazard. For this reason, it is very important to the safety of people’s life and property to measure the concentration of the gas accurately at any time. A kind of intelligence type carbon monoxide supervision system is introduced in the paper. The system is mainly composed of three parts: detector system, signal amplifying and processing system and display system. The functions, i.e. alarm setting, sound and light alarm, dynamic display of the concentration, error checking and auto adjustment is provided in this system. The principle, the structure and the main specification are introduced. The key technology and relevant solution are discussed in the paper.

&lt;div class="htmlview paragraph"&gt;Most pieces of mobile equipment (machines) produce an audible signal to indicate movement in the rearward direction. This signal is intended to alert nearby personnel of the potential danger associated with the machine moving in a direction where the operator may not be able to see people or objects in the machine path. Anyone who has been on or near a construction site recognizes the familiar “beep…beep…beep…” of this signal as the backup alarm. To be effective, the backup alarm must be discernible, timely, and relevant to those people where a reaction is intended. As machine designers respond to various sound directives for reducing sound emissions (including the backup alarm), the performance of the backup alarm is receiving special attention. An emerging solution is an alarm capable of sensing ambient sounds and producing an audible signal proportional to the sensed sound levels-a self-adjusting backup alarm. This paper compares the characteristics of these self-adjusting alarms with the stated requirements of a stand-alone device and as part of the overall machine. A procedure for evaluating the appropriateness of self-adjusting alarms for a specific machine is described. The self-adjusting alarm offers several distinct advantages over fixed-level alarms.&lt;/div&gt;

Monitoring of methane gas concentration in the mine is directly related to the safety of coal mine production and lives of the vast majority of miners. Based on the requirement of methane gas monitoring in the mine, an intelligent methane gas alarm based on ADuC812 microcontroller of Analog Device is designed. Besides the traditional functions of concentration display and sound and light alarm, this methane gas alarm has new characteristics of data filter and voice broadcast. It could start up sound and light alarm and voice alarm within 8 seconds when methane concentration in the air is higher than alarm point(1.92V). It insures the high precision of system and functional reliability. By testing at laboratory and running at workshop ,this methane gas alarm has good result in practical implements.

With the increasing aging population and personalized health management needs, this paper proposes an IoT-based home heart rate monitoring system. The system uses the STM32 microcontroller as the core, integrating a PPG sensor and a body temperature sensor to collect physiological data such as heart rate, blood oxygen saturation, and body temperature. The data is transmitted in real-time to the server and mobile application via the ESP8266 module. Users can view historical data, set alarm thresholds, and receive alerts through sound alarms and push notifications when abnormalities are detected. The test results show that the heart rate measurement error is less than 5%, verifying the practicality and reliability of the system in home health monitoring and chronic disease prevention. This research provides a cost-effective solution for home users who require convenient and continuous health monitoring, especially for the elderly and patients with chronic diseases.

A formal specification for analysing and implementing multiple fault diagnosis software is proposed in this paper. The specification computes all potential fault sources that correspond to a set of triggered alarms for a safety-related system, or part of a system. The detection of faults occurring in a safety-related system is a fundamental function that needs to be addressed efficiently. Safety monitors for fault diagnosis have been extensively studied in areas such as aircraft systems and chemical industries. With the introduction of intelligent sensors, diagnosis results are made available to monitoring systems and operators. For complex systems composed of thousands of components and sensors, the diagnosis of multiple faults and the computational burden of processing test results are substantial. This paper addresses the multiple fault diagnosis problem for zero-time propagation using a fault propagation graph. Components represented as nodes in a fault propagation graph are allocated with alarms. When faults occur and are propagated some of these alarms are triggered. The allocation of alarms to nodes is based on a severity analysis performed using a form of failure mode and effect analysis on components in the system.

Spurred by the increasing competition among the Electronics Manufacturing Service (EMS) providers and in response to the needs of the Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), a new model of manufacturing that epitomizes an integrated and predictive manufacturing environment is being proposed. The dynamic nature of the EMS environment mandates the need for a manufacturing schema that is both integrated and predictive (rather than reactive). This research is part of an ongoing effort to establish an integrated predictive manufacturing model through the concept of ‘continuous improvement’. The first step was to perform a general analysis of the operational structure and losses in a manufacturing environment. Once the losses were identified, they were grouped into equipment, production, process, operational, and material related losses. The key performance indicators for monitoring the variety of losses were identified. Process, equipment, operational and production monitoring tools were developed based on these performance indicators. Based on this understanding, a formal requirement specification was established. Shop floor control systems that provide on-line information on Work In Progress (WIP) status, defect-data, finished goods ‘genealogy’ and unitlevel traceability through data captured throughout the entire manufacturing cycle are being developed and implemented. Process metrics like first pass yield, Defects Per Unit (DPU), and Defects Per Million Opportunities (DPMO) are shared with shop floor personnel in real time by the application of proven Internet technologies. Real time Statistical Process Control (SPC) charts and process triggers, which serve as proactive tools in predicting ‘out-of-control’ situations, were also developed. Process metrology tools were developed through interfaces developed for inspection equipments like Automated Optical Inspection (AOI) and X-ray Laminography. Since a major portion of electronics manufacturing at an EMS provider is performed by capital intensive Surface Mount Technology (SMT) equipment, the performance of these pieces of equipment plays a major role in deciding the performance of the line, which in turn impacts the performance of the plant. Therefore, an integrated system with the capability to collect real-time data from production equipment and provide information on critical performance indicators like machine/line/plant utilization, downtime and component placement reports, which enhance the operational efficiency of the plant, are being implemented. Standardization of manufacturing practices and documentation and their influence on reduction in manufacturing lead-time is investigated in this paper.