System and method of acoustic detection and location of audible alarm devices

• US 20070152809A1
• Filed: 12/29/2005
• Published: 07/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Zumsteg, Philip, Heimerdinger, Walter, Berezowski, Andrew, Shields, D., Phelps, John, Obranovich, Charles
• Granted Patent: US 7,639,147 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/531
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/10 Monitoring of the annunciator circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 3/10 using electric transmission; using electromagnetic transmission

Abstract

A system and method to detect PASS-type device audio alarm signals and to locate such devices in alarm in a public building, airport, sports stadium or other structure which can include a system to measure speech intelligibility. Time and frequency domain analysis are carried out to establish the pressure of PASS-type device audio output signals.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

collecting a least one ambient sound time based record;

evaluating the sound pressure levels in the at least one record; and

responsive thereto, establishing a detection characteristic for at least the one record; and

analyzing the results to determine if the at least one record has been emitted by a predetermined type of electrical unit.

2. A method as in claim 1 where collecting includes collecting a plurality of records.

3. A method as in claim 2 which includes evaluating each member of the plurality.

4. A method as in claim 2 which includes evaluating if a minimum pressure exceeds a predetermined threshold for at least some of the members of the plurality.

5. A method as in claim 2 which includes evaluation if a difference between a maximum pressure and the minimum pressure exceeds a predetermined first threshold for at least some of the members of the plurality.

6. A method as in claim 5 which includes evaluating if a minimum pressure exceeds a predetermined second threshold for at least some of the members of the plurality.

7. A method as in claim 5 which includes establishing a second plurality of the at least some members.

8. A method as in claim 6 which includes establishing a second plurality having members with respective pressure levels above the predetermined threshold.

9. A method as in claim 7 which includes establishing a respective detection characteristic for at least some of the members of the second plurality.

10. A method as in claim 9 which includes, responsive to establishing the respective detection characteristic;

determining if at least some members of the second plurality have been emitted by a member of a third plurality of audible output devices.

11. A method comprising:

establishing a first plurality of audible output devices;

collecting at least one record of sounds emitted by an audible output device;

determining if the at least one record has an output parameter that falls within a predetermined range;

responsive to the determining, establishing at least one selected characteristic for the at least one record;

determining if the at least one selected characteristic corresponds to a respective characteristic of a member of the first plurality.

12. A method as in claim 11 which includes collecting a plurality of temporally spaced records of sounds emitted by the audible output device.

13. A method as in claim 12 which includes determining which members of the plurality fall within the predetermined range.

14. A method as in claim 13 which includes evaluating those members of the plurality which fall within the predetermined range, and, determining which if any were emitted by a member of the first plurality.

15. A method as in claim 14 which includes generating an indicium indicative of the determined member of the first plurality.

16. A system comprising:

at least one programmable processor;

first software that establishes a first plurality of time based records of received audio;

second software that selects members of the first plurality that exceed a predetermined threshold thereby forming a second plurality; and

third software that analyzes the members of the second plurality and which determines those members thereof that have been emitted by a member of a predetermined group of audible output devices.

17. A system as in claim 16 which includes:

fourth software that establishes audible output characteristics of members of the predetermined group.

18. A system as in claim 16 which includes a pre-stored identification of audible output characteristics of the members of the predetermined group.

19. A system as in claim 16 which includes communication software that forwards an identifier of each determined member of the group and the location thereof to a displaced site.

20. A system as in claim 16 including additional software which establishes a location of each determined member of the group.