Vibration Alert Method and Monitor System

• US 20080169932A1
• Filed: 04/16/2007
• Published: 07/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Graco Children's Products, Inc. (Newell Brands Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Graco Children's Products, Inc. (Newell Brands Inc.)
• Inventors: Desrosiers, Craig, Swan, Jeffrey
• Application Number:
  US11/735,783
• Publication Number:
  US 20080169932A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/573.1
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0208 Combination with audio or video communication, e.g. combination with "baby phone" function
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 23/00 Alarms responsive to unspecified undesired or abnormal conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 6/00 Tactile signalling systems, e.g. personal calling systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/04 with alarm systems, e.g. fire, police or burglar alarm systems

Abstract

Disclosed herein are child monitor systems and methods in which a device includes a receiver that receives a wireless signal including audio data indicative of sounds captured at a remote location. The receiver includes a demodulator to derive a digital data stream from the wireless signal. The device further includes a processor coupled to the receiver to obtain the digital data stream and configured to analyze the digital data stream to determine whether to initiate a vibration alert. In some cases, a transmitter device includes a processor configured to generate a vibration alert command based on an analysis of the digital audio data and for incorporation in the wireless signal.

Claims

1. A child monitor device, comprising:

a receiver to receive a wireless signal comprising audio data indicative of sounds captured at a remote location, the receiver comprising a demodulator to derive a digital data stream from the wireless signal;

a processor coupled to the receiver to obtain the digital data stream and configured to analyze the digital data stream to determine whether to initiate a vibration alert;

a vibration motor to vibrate the child monitor device in accordance with the vibration alert;

a digital-to-analog converter coupled to the microprocessor to receive the audio data from the digital data stream for conversion; and

a speaker output coupled to the digital-to-analog converter to reproduce the sounds captured at the remote location in accordance with the audio data.

2. The child monitor device of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to determine whether to initiate the vibration alert based on whether the digital data stream comprises a vibration alert command.

3. The child monitor device of claim 2, wherein the processor is configured to decompress the digital data stream to seek a vibration alert command transmitted in a packet of the digital data stream separately from audio data packets of the digital data stream carrying the audio data.

4. The child monitor device of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to detect a characteristic of the audio data to determine whether to initiate the vibration alert.

5. The child monitor device of claim 1, wherein the wireless signal further comprises image data indicative of images captured at the remote location.

6. The child monitor device of claim 5, wherein the processor is configured to detect a characteristic of the image data to determine whether to initiate the vibration alert.

7. The child monitor device of claim 6, wherein the characteristic is indicative of a brightness difference in the images captured in successive frames of the image data.

8. The child monitor device of claim 6, wherein the characteristic is indicative of a color difference in the images captured in successive frames of the image data.

9. The child monitor device of claim 6, wherein the characteristic is indicative of motion between the images captured in successive frames of the image data.

10. A child monitor system, comprising:

a first unit comprising a transducer to capture sounds, an analog-to-digital converter to generate digital audio data representative of the sounds, and an RF transmitter to generate an RF signal carrying the digital audio data;

a second unit configured to receive the RF signal wirelessly and comprising a vibration motor and an RF receiver to derive a digital data stream from the RF signal;

wherein—

the first unit further comprises a processor configured to generate a vibration alert command based on an analysis of the digital audio data and configured to provide the vibration alert command to the RF transmission module for incorporation in the RF signal;

the second unit further comprises a processor to control operation of the vibration motor in accordance with the vibration alert command.

11. The child monitor system of claim 10, the processor of the first unit is configured to detect a characteristic of the audio data to determine whether to initiate the vibration alert.

12. The child monitor system of claim 10, wherein the first unit further comprises a camera such that the RF signal further comprises image data indicative of images captured by the camera.

13. The child monitor system of claim 12, wherein the processor of the first unit is configured to detect a characteristic of the image data to determine whether to initiate the vibration alert.

14. The child monitor system of claim 13, wherein the characteristic is indicative of a brightness difference in the images captured in successive frames of the image data.

15. The child monitor system of claim 13, wherein the characteristic is indicative of a color difference in the images captured in successive frames of the image data.

16. The child monitor system of claim 13, wherein the characteristic is indicative of motion between the images captured in successive frames of the image data.

17. A child monitor method, comprising:

generating a digital data stream comprising audio data representative of captured sounds and image data representative of captured images;

evaluating a characteristic of the digital data stream via analysis of the digital data stream; and

generating a vibration alert command in accordance with the analysis.

18. The child monitor method of claim 17, further comprising the step of modifying the digital data stream to include the vibration alert command.

19. The child monitor method of claim 18, further comprising the step of receiving an RF signal representative of the modified digital data stream, and wherein the evaluating step comprises determining whether the vibration alert command is included within the modified digital data stream.

20. The child monitor method of claim 17, further comprising the step of receiving an RF signal representative of the digital data stream, and wherein the evaluating step is performed after the receiving step.

21. A child monitor system, comprising:

a first unit comprising a microphone to capture audio data, a camera to capture video data, and an RF transmitter to generate an RF signal carrying the audio data and the video data; and

a second unit comprising an RF receiver to generate a digital data stream from the RF signal, a vibration motor, and a processor to analyze the digital data stream to control operation of the vibration motor;

wherein the operation of the vibration motor is controlled based on an audio/video (A/V) characteristic of either the audio data or the video data.