Systems and methods for providing a sound masking environment

• US 10,645,908 B2
• Filed: 02/04/2019
• Issued: 05/12/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Radio Systems Corporation
• Original Assignee: Radio Systems Corporation
• Inventors: Seltzer, Richard Alan, Huber, Jon, Gift, Geoffrey Kyle
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Quang
• Application Number:
  US16/266,781
• Publication Number:
  US 20190166802A1
• Time in Patent Office: 463 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 27/001 Collars
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 29/005 Monitoring or measuring activity, e.g. detecting heat or mating
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/165 Evaluating the state of mind, e.g. depression, anxiety
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7282 Event detection, e.g. detecting unique waveforms indicative of a medical condition A61B5/4094, A61B5/4818, A61B5/349, A61B5/0823 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/1752 Masking
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/178 by electro-acoustically regenerating the original acoustic waves in anti-phase
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/0232 Processing in the frequency domain
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 25/51 for comparison or discrimination

Abstract

A system is described herein that comprises a collar device including a sound masking component, the collar device including one or more collar device sensors for detecting physiological data of an animal. The system includes one or more environmental sensors configured to detect environmental data of the animal'"'"'s environment and to transmit the environmental data to the collar device. The collar device comprises one or more applications running on at least one processor for detecting an occurrence of one or more events using at least one of the physiological data, the environmental data, and outcome data. The one or more applications are configured to use information of the one or more events to select a sound masking signal for delivery after the occurrence of the one or more events The system includes a sound masking component for delivering the sound masking signal.

Claims

1. A system comprising,

a collar device including a sound masking component, the collar device including one or more collar device sensors for detecting physiological data of an animal;

the collar device including one or more environmental sensors for detecting environmental data of the animal'"'"'s environment;

the collar device comprising one or more applications running on at least one processor for detecting an occurrence of one or more events using at least one of the physiological data and the environmental data, wherein the one or more events comprise one or more of at least one auditory event in an environment of the animal and at least one behavior of the animal;

the one or more applications for using outcome data and information of the one or more events to select a sound masking signal for delivery after the occurrence of the one or more events, wherein the outcome date comprises a previously detected difference in a behavior of the animal in response to at least one sound masking signal previously delivered by the sound masking component, wherein the sound masking signal comprises at least one selected combination of frequencies and amplitudes;

the sound masking component for delivering the sound masking signal; and

the one or more applications for logging the outcome date over time, the logging the outcome date including updating the outcome data to include a difference in the at least one behavior of the animal in response to the delivered sound masking signal, wherein the difference in the at least one behavior of the animal is determined using the physiological data of the animal and the environmental data of the animal'"'"'s environment.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one selected combination comprises white noise.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one selected combination comprises pink noise.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one selected combination comprises blue noise.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one selected combination comprises violet noise.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one selected combination comprises grey noise.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one behavior indicates anxiety of the animal.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one behavior comprises barking of the animal.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one behavior comprises whining of the animal.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one behavior comprises continued and rapid movement of the animal.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one auditory event comprises one or more sounds in the environment of the animal including weather event noise, traffic noise, firework noise, and an audible presence of other animals.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the difference in the at least one behavior of the animal comprises a cessation of the at least one behavior.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the difference in the at least one behavior of the animal comprises a diminished occurrence of the at least one behavior.

14. The system of claim 1, the selecting the sound masking signal including selecting time intervals for delivery of the sound masking signal.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more collar device sensors include a heart rate sensor for monitoring heart rate of the animal.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more collar device sensors include an Electrocardiogram to monitor a heart'"'"'s electrical activity (EKG or ECG) of the animal.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more collar device sensors include one or more blood pressure sensors to monitor blood pressure levels of the animal.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more collar device sensors include one or more respiration rate sensors for monitoring respiration rates of the animal.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more collar device sensors include one or more temperature sensors for monitoring body temperature of the animal.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more collar device sensors include an accelerometer and/or gyroscope in order to monitor activity levels and activity types of the animal.

21. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more collar device sensors include one or more first acoustic sensors for detecting frequency, amplitude, and origin of audio signals, wherein the audio signals include the at least one auditory event.

22. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more collar device sensors include one or more first piezoelectric transducers for measuring ambient changes in one or more of pressure, temperature, and force.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the one or more first piezoelectric transducers include at least one piezoelectric transducer located on the animal for detecting auditory signals generated by the animal.

24. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more environmental sensors include temperature sensors.

25. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more environmental sensors include moisture sensors.

26. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more environmental sensors include humidity sensors.

27. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more environmental sensors include air pressure sensors and/or air quality condition sensors.

28. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more environmental sensors include a lightning detector sensor.

29. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more environmental sensors include one or more second acoustic sensors for detecting frequency, amplitude, and origin of audio signals, wherein the audio signals include the at least one auditory event.

30. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more environmental sensors include one or more second piezoelectric transducers for measuring ambient changes in one or more of pressure, temperature, and force.

31. A system comprising,

a collar device including a sound masking component, the collar device including one or more collar device sensors for detecting physiological data of an animal;

one or more environmental sensors for detecting environmental data of the animal'"'"'s environment, the one or more environmental sensors including a transmitter for transmitting the environmental data;

the collar device comprising a transceiver for receiving the environmental data;

the collar device comprising one or more applications running on at least one processor for detecting an occurrence of one or more events using at least one of the physiological data and the environmental data, wherein the one or more events comprise one or more of at least one auditory event in an environment of the animal and at least one behavior of the animal;

the one or more applications for using outcome data and information of the one or more events to select a first sound masking signal for delivery after the occurrence of the one or more events, wherein the outcome date comprises a previously detected difference in a behavior of the animal in response to at least one sound masking signal previously delivered by the sound masking component, wherein the first sound masking signal comprises at least one first selected combination of frequencies and amplitudes, the one or more applications for providing information of the least one first selected combination to at least one remote computing device;

the one or more applications for receiving an instruction from the at least one remote computing device to deliver at least one of the first sound masking signal and a second sound masking signal, wherein the second sound masking signal comprises at least one second selected combination of frequencies and amplitudes;

the sound masking component for delivering at least one of the first sound masking signal and the second sound masking signal; and

the one or more applications for logging the outcome date over time, the logging the outcome date including updating the outcome data to include a difference in the at least one behavior of the animal in response to delivery of the at least one of the first sound masking signal and the second sound masking signal, wherein the difference in the at least one behavior of the animal is determined using the physiological data of the animal and the environmental data of the animal'"'"'s environment.

32. A system comprising,

a collar device including a sound masking component, the collar device including one or more collar device sensors for detecting physiological data of an animal;

one or more environmental sensors for detecting environmental data of the animal'"'"'s environment, the one or more environmental sensors including a transmitter for transmitting the environmental data;

the collar device comprising a transceiver for receiving the environmental data;

the collar device comprising one or more applications running on at least one processor for detecting an occurrence of one or more events using at least one of the physiological data and the environmental data, wherein the one or more events comprise one or more of at least one auditory event in an environment of the animal and at least one behavior of the animal;

the one or more applications for using outcome data and information of the one or more events to select a sound masking signal for delivery after the occurrence of the one or more events, wherein the outcome data comprises a previously detected difference in a behavior of the animal in response to at least one sound masking signal previously delivered by the sound masking component, wherein the sound masking signal comprises at least one selected combination of frequencies and amplitudes;

the sound masking component for delivering the sound masking signal; and

the one or more applications for logging the outcome data over time, the logging the outcome data including updating the outcome data to include a difference in the at least one behavior of the animal in response to the delivered sound masking signal, wherein the difference in the at least one behavior of the animal is determined using the physiological data of the animal and the environmental data of the animal'"'"'s environment.