According to a patent granted to Apple on Tuesday, iPhones, iPads and other branded equipment could one day sport onboard smoke detection hardware to alert users, and interested parties, of a potentially dangerous situation.
Apple iPhone Smoke Detector Apple’s invention proposes building a smoke detectorsensor into the speaker grill of an iPhone or other devices.
Apple’s U.S. Patent No. 9,123,221
An electronic device may include a smoke detector. The electronic device may use the smoke detector to monitor for the presence of smoke. In response to detecting smoke with the smoke detector, the electronic device may issue an alert or take other suitable action. The electronic device may transmit alerts to nearby electronic devices and to remote electronic devices such as electronic devices at emergency services facilities. Alerts may contain maps and graphical representations of buildings in which smoke has been detected. Motion detectors and other sensors and circuitry may be used in determining whether electronic devices are being used by users and may be used in determining where the electronic devices are located. Alerts may contain information on the location of detected smoke and building occupants.
During the operations of step 286, electronic devices 10 may gather sensor data and information from input-output devices and other circuitry in device 10 (e.g., control circuitry 28) to determine which electronic devices are being used. Examples of data that may be gathered to determine whether or not a device is being used include motion sensor data (e.g., to determine whether or not the motion of an electronic device is sufficient to indicate that the electronic device is being carried by a user), information from the touch sensor in the touch pad or touch screen of device 10, information from a keyboard, buttons, or other mechanically actuated structures that are used by a user, temperature sensor data to indicate the presence of a user body part, camera sensor data to visually detect movement of the user near the device, infrared temperature sensor data that indicates whether or not a user is nearby and emitting heat, a proximity sensor to detect whether or not a user’s hand or other body part is near to the device, data from a satellite navigation system indicating whether the device is being moved, information from sensors (e.g., motion sensors) such as a gyroscope or compass to detect device movement, etc. Information on whether users are present and operating devices 10 may be used in identifying occupants of a building.
Credit : USPTO