Invention Coach:
Public Inventor(s):
Motivation:
Krake Alarm Functionality
The goal of the Krake is to inform human operators of alarm conditions they need to know about through making loud noises and flashing lights.
Although some of this functionality could and should be done with smartphones, there are valuable reasons to have a dedicated hardware annunciator.
For instance, the Krake can be a dedicated alarm device for sophisticated medical instruments, such as the PolyVent ventilator. In this case, the Krake serves the essential need of alarming users of life-threatening mechanical failures, such as a hose disconnect.
Alarm System Collaboration
It is still the case that some algorithm must decide when to raise an alarm, however. Thus, the Krake team hopes to systematize that decision through partnering with the open-source ADaM project.
Story:
Krake Development
The Name
We hoped to develop the initial design for a wireless alarm device to alert nearby parties of a particular state. We developed the name of this invention team based on a Crake: a bird with a distinctive, slightly alarming cry. We changed the spelling as a joke. “Flaycrake” is an old term for a scarecrow, which also aligned with our mission.
The Krake Prototype
The current physical invention consists of a solderless circuit design connecting an ESP32 Dev kit, DF player, SD card, 16 GB speaker, 5 emergency lamps, a mute button, resistors on a breadboard (solderless), and a microcontroller. Below is its functionality:
The Krake can connect as a station to a Wi-Fi Access Point. For set up, a user interface is provided to manage Wi-Fi credentials by the user of a smart device. The Krake also provides a Wi-Fi Access Point and can fetch input value through Wi-Fi.
Five LEDs flash at a rate corresponding to the received emergency level.
The device plays WAV files which are stored at program time. It also connects to a LCD display depicting the input value and the emergency level. The size, duration, and number of emergency messages is only limited by the size of an SDI card.
The Krake is an HTTP server and receives alarm level requests from an HTTP client ‘Put’ or ‘Get’ message. It also returns a client browser to a web page with the system alarm state.
Finally, there is a mute button that can silence the alarm.
Related Open-Source Projects
If interested in learning more about our other projects, check the following pages for updates and volunteer opportunities:
Status:
Skills Needed
The Krake team is looking for new team members with the following backgrounds:
- Electrical Engineering
- Computer Engineering
- PCB Board Design
- Electromechanical Sensor Design
- Firmware Skills
- Mechanical Drafting Skills
If interested in joining the project, please reach out to Robert L. Read, Volunteer Coordinator Miriam Castillo, or Volunteer Now.
Quarterly Goals
The Future of the Krake
In the future, the Krake team hopes to accomplish the following:
- Create a soldered prototype of the device
- Design a 3D enclosure
- Generate gerber files and order the PCB
- Assemble all the parts together, including the enclosure, PCB, and upload the program
- Begin testing the device
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