Apparatus and Method for Sensing Inappropriate Operational Behavior by Way of an Array of Acoustical Sensors
First Claim
1. An apparatus for detecting inappropriate behavior of a piece of equipment of a system within a facility, the apparatus comprising:
- an array of acoustic sensors respectively positioned at a variety of respective locations within the facility, wherein each of the respective acoustic sensors detects respective sounds arriving at the respective sensor from the system, including the piece of equipment; and
a processing device coupled to the acoustic sensors of the array, wherein the processing device monitors sonic information provided by the acoustic sensors in response to the sounds detected by the acoustic sensors, and detects the inappropriate behavior of the piece of equipment based upon the monitored sonic information.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An apparatus and method for detecting behavior of one or more pieces of equipment of a system within a facility are disclosed. In at least one embodiment, the apparatus includes an array of acoustic sensors respectively positioned at a variety of respective locations within the facility, where each of the respective acoustic sensors detects respective sounds arriving at the respective sensor from the system, including the piece of equipment. The apparatus further includes a processing device coupled to the acoustic sensors of the array, where the processing device monitors sonic information provided by the acoustic sensors in response to the sounds detected by the acoustic sensors, and detects inappropriate behavior of the piece of equipment based upon the monitored sonic information.
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Citations
25 Claims
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1. An apparatus for detecting inappropriate behavior of a piece of equipment of a system within a facility, the apparatus comprising:
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an array of acoustic sensors respectively positioned at a variety of respective locations within the facility, wherein each of the respective acoustic sensors detects respective sounds arriving at the respective sensor from the system, including the piece of equipment; and a processing device coupled to the acoustic sensors of the array, wherein the processing device monitors sonic information provided by the acoustic sensors in response to the sounds detected by the acoustic sensors, and detects the inappropriate behavior of the piece of equipment based upon the monitored sonic information. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. An apparatus for monitoring changes in a piece of equipment comprising:
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at least one acoustical sensor located within proximity of the piece of equipment, for receiving at least one sound input therefrom, and a processing device in communication with the at least one acoustical sensor such that the at least one sound input can be monitored as a sound signature by the processing device, wherein the processing device communicates with a catalog of sound signatures and performs a comparison of the monitored sound signature with at least one of the catalogued sound signatures, the catalog including sound signatures from at least one of a properly functioning piece of equipment and an improperly functioning piece of equipment, and wherein the processing device further performs an additional action upon determining that a change has occurred in the piece of equipment based upon the comparison. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A method for detecting inappropriate behavior of a piece of equipment of a system within a facility, the method comprising:
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positioning an array of acoustic sensors at a variety of respective locations within the facility; detecting sound information produced by the system including the piece of equipment with the acoustic sensors; processing at least some of the detected sound information at a processing device, wherein the processing includes comparing at least a portion of the detected sound information with stored sound signature information and, based upon the comparing, determining if the inappropriate behavior of the piece of equipment has occurred; and taking a further action upon the determining, the further action including at least one of sending a signal to a user indicative of the inappropriate behavior, sending a message to a logging device regarding the inappropriate behavior, causing a shutdown of at least a part of the system, and generating an additional command. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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Specification