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

• US 7,639,147 B2
• Filed: 12/29/2005
• Issued: 12/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Zumsteg, Philip J., Berezowski, Andrew G., Shields, D. Michael, Phelps, John A., Obranovich, Charles R., Heimerdinger, Walter L.
• Primary Examiner(s): La; Anh V
• Application Number:
  US11/322,020
• Publication Number:
  US 20070152809A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,461 Days
• Field of Search: 340/531, 340/540, 340/332, 340/573.1, 340/566, 340/565, 340/815.65, 340/815.4, 340/815.46, 340/384.4, 340/286.05, 340/331, 340/328, 340/521, 340/522, 340/500, 381/56, 381/58, 381/110, 704/246, 367/198, 367/199
• US Class Current: 340/573.1
• 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 via a sensor;

evaluating, the sound pressure levels, frequencies and repetition rates of any alarm patterns in the at least one record; and

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

analyzing the results by comparing the detection characteristic with a predetermined detection characteristic of a Personal Alert Safety System device 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 Personal Alert Safety System 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 of frequencies and repetition rates of alarm patterns;

responsive to the determining, establishing a plurality of selected characteristics for the at least one record;

determining if the plurality of selected characteristics corresponds to 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 with sound characteristics that exceed a predetermined sound threshold, contain predetermined frequencies and repetition rates of alarm patterns thereby forming a second plurality; and

third software that analyzes the members of the second plurality and which determines those members thereof with sound characteristics that have been emitted by a member of a predetermined group of audible Personal Alert Safety System 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.