Object proximity/security adaptive event detection

• US 6,300,872 B1
• Filed: 06/20/2000
• Issued: 10/09/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Philips Electronics North America Corporation (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Philips Electronics North America Corporation (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Schaffer, J. David, Mathias, Keith E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hofsass, Jeffery
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, HUNG T
• Application Number:
  US09/597,197
• Time in Patent Office: 476 Days
• Field of Search: 340/540, 340/572, 340/522, 340/568, 340/825.32, 340/825.34
• US Class Current: 340/540
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/28 the pass enabling tracking or indicating presence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0227 System arrangements with a plurality of child units
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/26 by updating and storing reference thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 31/00 Predictive alarm systems characterised by extrapolation or other computation using updated historic data

Abstract

A security system incorporates a reasoning system and security rules and processes that are designed to be as unobtrusive as the situation permits. Two independent aspects of the system facilitate the enforcement of rules and processes in an unobtrusive manner. First, transponders that can be triggered and sensed from a distance are preferably used to identify both items and individuals. These remotely sensed identifiers are processed by the reasoning system to determine whether each identified item is authorized, or likely to be authorized, to be removed from, or brought into, a secured location by the identified individual. Second, the system continually modifies and optimizes its rules and processes based on assessments of security events. An initial set of rules is created for the security system that, generally, prohibit the removal of secured items from the secured location, except that certain individuals are authorized to remove specified items from the secured location. Thereafter, the security system is configured to enforce these security rules and processes, and to receive feedback from authorized security personnel regarding the efficacy of the enforced security rules and processes. Coupled to the security system is a learning system that is configured to modify existing rules or create new rules, in conformance with the feedback from the authorized security personnel. By dynamically adjusting the security rules and processes, the intrusion of the security system on the monitored individuals is substantially reduced, and the system continues to be optimized based on continued feedback.

Claims

1. A security system comprising:

an item detector that is configured to detect an identified item,

an individual detector that is configured to detect an identified person,

a reasoning system that is configured to;

generate alerts in dependence upon the identified item, the identified person, and set if security rules, and

receive feedback in response to the alert, and

a learning system that is configured to continually modify the set of security rules in dependence upon the feedback.

2. The security system of claim 1, wherein

the identified item and the identified person each have an associated transponder with a unique unit identification, and

the item detector and the individual detector comprise a single detector unit that is configured to detect the unit identification from each associated transponder.

3. The security system of claim 1, wherein

at least one of the item detector and the individual detector comprise at least one of:

a card reader,

a biometric device,

an image processing device,

a pattern recognition device, and

a transponder detector.

4. The security system of claim 1, wherein

the learning system comprises at least one of:

a neural network, an expert system, an agent system, an associative memory, a genetic algorithm, a fuzzy logic system, and a rule-based system.

5. The security system of claim 1, wherein

the learning system is further configured to modify the set of rules in dependence upon at least one other parameter associated with the alert,

the at least one other parameter including at least one of:

a time of day,

a day of a week,

a temperature,

a direction of movement of at least one of the identified item and the identified person,

a presence of an other identified item,

a presence of an other identified person, and

a state of security.

6. The security system of claim 1, wherein

the feedback includes a class-type, and

the learning system is further configured to modify the set of rules in dependence upon the class-type of the feedback,

the class-type including at least one of:

routine, considered, temporary, absolute, and override.

7. A method of security comprising:

detecting a presence of an identified item,

detecting a presence of an identified person,

generating an alert in dependence upon the identified item, the identified person, and a set of security rules,

receiving a feedback associated with the alert, and

automatically modifying the set of security rules based upon the feedback.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein

the identified item and the identified person each have an associated unique identifier, and

detecting the presence of at least one of the identified item and the identified person includes at least one of:

receiving the unique identifier from a transponder that is associated with the at least one of the identified item and the identified person;

reading the unique identifier from a card that is associated with the at least one of the identified item and the identified person;

processing an image corresponding to at least one of the identified item and the identified person; and

reading a characteristic that is embodied in the at least one of the identified item and the identified person to determine the associated unique identifier.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein

automatically modifying the set of security rules includes a use of at least one of:

a neural network, an expert system, an agent system, an associative memory, a genetic algorithm, a fuzzy logic system, and a rule-based system.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein

automatically modifying the set of security rules is further based on at least one of:

a time of day,

a day of a week,

a temperature,

a direction of movement of at least one of the identified item and the identified person,

a presence of an other identified item,

a presence of an other identified person, and

a state of security.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein

automatically modifying the set of security rules is further based on a class-type associated with the feedback,

the class-type including at least one of:

routine, considered, temporary, absolute, and override.

12. A security system comprising:

a detector that is configured to;

emit one or more trigger signals, and

receive two or more responses from the one or more trigger signals from two or more transponders that are remote from the detector,

one of the two or more responses corresponding to an identification of an individual, and

an other of the two or more responses corresponding to an identification of an item,

a reasoning system, operably coupled to the detector, that is configured to provide a security event in dependence upon the identification of the individual and the identification of the item,

a security interface, operably coupled to the reasoning system, that is configured to

provide a notification of the security event to a security person, and

receive feedback from the security person based on the notification, and

a learning system, operably coupled to the reasoning system and the security interface, that is configured to affect the reasoning system'"'"'s determination of a subsequent security event, based on the feedback received from the security person based on the notification.

13. The security system of claim 12 further including

a set of security rules, and

wherein

the learning system is configured to affect the reasoning system'"'"'s determination of the subsequent security event by modifying the set of security rules.