Systems and methods associated with detection of indoor gunfire

• US 10,032,351 B2
• Filed: 01/18/2016
• Issued: 07/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Shotspotter Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Shotspotter Incorporated
• Inventors: Showen, Robert, Beldock, James, Stone, Gregory, Johnson, Murphey, Calhoun, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Baghdasaryan, Hovhannes
• Application Number:
  US14/997,893
• Publication Number:
  US 20160133107A1
• Time in Patent Office: 918 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/18 using ultrasonic, sonic, or infrasonic waves
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1672 using sonic detecting means, e.g. a microphone operating in the audio frequency range
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 17/08 Actuation involving the use of explosive means
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/183 Single detectors using dual technologies G08B13/1672, G08B13/2448, G08B13/2494 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/188 Data fusion; cooperative systems, e.g. voting among different detectors

Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed for reliably detecting gunfire in enclosed spaces having significant acoustic reverberation. Implementations are configured to quickly and reliably report the room or portion of a room where gunfire is located. Innovations herein may ensure low false alarm rate by thresholding, pattern recognition and/or detecting the muzzle optical flash. In some embodiments, a review center with trained personnel may evaluate the incident before reporting to local authorities. The indoor system can be incorporated into an outdoor gunshot location system to better protect a local area such as a campus or a transportation hub. Systems and methods herein may involve features and functionality associated with additional resources, such as intercoms, cellphones, and access control, to provide mitigation of harm in case of a shooting.

Claims

1. An indoor gunshot detection system comprising:

indoor sensors arranged to detect gunfire in a series of enclosed spaces having significant acoustic reverberation;

wherein the sensors are constructed with microphones designed to detect high amplitude impulses between about 120 dB to about 160 dB from nearby gunfire;

one or more processing components and/or computer readable media configured to process potential gunshot data utilizing knowledge of particular sensor positions and designed to;

analyze impulses received by the indoor sensors, determine if the impulses are gunfire, and

pass alerts to at least one of local authorities, persons at risk, or a central alert facility; and

at least one networking component constructed and arranged to transmit communications between the indoor acoustic sensors, the processing components and/or computer readable media, and computing devices that receive the alerts;

wherein the one or more processing components and/or computer readable media are configured perform comparison processing between the acoustic impulse and IR impulse onset times to classify a received impulse as a potential threat.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein a threshold of an acoustic impulse'"'"'s magnitude is reached before an alert is passed, in order to discard impulsive events too weak to be gunfire.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the passing alerts comprises transmitting data to human reviewers of the data via the communication network, and wherein the data sent to the human reviewers comprise recorded impulsive sounds from the enclosed spaces and/or information defining a visual presentation of the acoustic and/or IR waveforms.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein sound data sent to the human reviewers comprise any distressed occupant sounds within the enclosed spaces where the putative event occurs.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensors include cameras that capture picture or video data, and wherein one or more pictures or videos, recorded by a camera starting at an instant of concern triggered by an impulsive sound, are transmitted to a central alert facility.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the processing components are further configured to process data collected from outdoor acoustic sensors disposed in areas adjacent to the series of enclosed spaces, such that shooting incidents transitioning between indoor areas and outdoor areas are detected.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the processing further comprises comparing the one or more of decay times and/or shapes of both a low gain channel and a high gain channel of a multi-channel room sensor against the expected theoretical decay times and/or shapes.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein relative strengths of the acoustic and the IR impulses are measured and processed to determine if they match a pattern of a known source.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein one or more of the sensors are configured to provide audio and/or visual announcement(s), including speakers or other sources of sound and/or light that alert nearby persons during an active threat.

10. The system of claim 1, one or more of the sensors include an antenna, a wireless communication component, and/or circuitry that detects presence of nearby mobile phones to establish communication therewith and/or to determine if a nearby phone is associated with a known person or a possible shooter.

11. An indoor gunshot detection system comprising:

indoor sensors arranged to detect gunfire in a series of enclosed spaces having significant acoustic reverberation;

wherein the sensors are constructed with microphones designed to detect high amplitude impulses between about 120 dB to about 160 dB from nearby gunfire;

one or more processing components and/or computer readable media configured to process potential gunshot data utilizing knowledge of particular sensor positions and designed to;

analyze impulses received by the indoor sensors, determine if the impulses are gunfire, and

pass alerts to at least one of local authorities, persons at risk, or a central alert facility; and

at least one networking component constructed and arranged to transmit communications between the indoor acoustic sensors, the processing components and/or computer readable media, and computing devices that receive the alerts;

wherein the one or more processing components and/or computer readable media are configured to perform comparison processing between the acoustic impulse and IR impulse characteristics to classify a received impulse as a potential threat.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the processing involves one or more of decay times and/or shapes corresponding to expected theoretical decay times and/or shapes which depend on a known size and acoustic treatment of the room.

13. The system of claim 11 wherein, when an entire decay curve cannot be processed due to saturation of the signal, a slope of the decay can be used instead of the decay time.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein a threshold of an acoustic impulse'"'"'s magnitude is reached before an alert is passed, in order to discard impulsive events too weak to be gunfire.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the passing alerts comprises transmitting data to human reviewers of the data via the communication network, and wherein the data sent to the human reviewers comprise recorded impulsive sounds from the enclosed spaces and/or information defining a visual presentation of the acoustic and/or IR waveforms.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the sound data sent to the human reviewers comprise any distressed occupant sounds within the enclosed spaces where the putative event occurs.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the sensors include cameras that capture picture or video data, and wherein one or more pictures or videos, recorded by a camera starting at an instant of concern triggered by an impulsive sound, are transmitted to a central alert facility.

18. The system of claim 11 wherein the processing components are further configured to process data collected from outdoor acoustic sensors disposed in areas adjacent to the series of enclosed spaces, such that shooting incidents transitioning between indoor areas and outdoor areas are detected.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the processing further comprises comparing the one or more of decay times and/or shapes of both a low gain channel and a high gain channel of a multi-channel room sensor against the expected theoretical decay times and/or shapes.

20. The system of claim 11 wherein relative strengths of the acoustic and the IR impulses are measured and processed to determine if they match a pattern of a known source.

21. The system of claim 11, wherein one or more of the sensors are configured to provide audio and/or visual announcement(s), and including speakers or other sources of sound and/or light to alert nearby persons during an active threat.

22. The system of claim 11, wherein the system is configured to provide one or more audio announcements, via at least one intercom and/or one or more of the sensors, comprising verbal information providing instructions to people located in one or more rooms.

23. The system of claim 11, one or more of the sensors include an antenna, a wireless communication component, and/or circuitry that detects presence of nearby mobile phones.

24. The system of claim 23 wherein presence of the nearby mobile phones is determined to establish communication therewith and/or to determine if a nearby phone is associated with a known person or a possible shooter.