Glassbreak noise detector and video positioning locator

• US 7,812,855 B2
• Filed: 02/18/2005
• Issued: 10/12/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ademco Inc. (Resideo Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Babich, Thomas S., Piel, Kevin G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan; Jason
• Assistant Examiner(s): Prabhakher; Pritham
• Application Number:
  US11/061,421
• Publication Number:
  US 20060197666A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,062 Days
• Field of Search: 348143-160, 348/550, 348169-172, 379 37- 51, 340/511, 340541-69312, 340/426.27
• US Class Current: 348/143
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/04 by breaking of glass
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19695 Arrangements wherein non-video detectors start video recording or forwarding but do not generate an alarm themselves
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19697 Arrangements wherein non-video detectors generate an alarm themselves

Abstract

A glass break detector is provided with microphones for detecting glass breaking, and microphones for detecting noise, and generating a noise output once a noise is detected. The noise output triggers a video camera to record in the area of the glass break detector. Also, a security apparatus is provided, having a video dome, a video camera provided in the video dome, and one or more microphones provided on an outside surface of the video dome. If a noise is detected by the one or more microphones, the video camera points to a direction of the noise by determining the time of arrival of the noise, and the camera begins to record.

Claims

1. A glass break detector, comprising:

a wall mounted housing;

a terminal block carried by the housing;

a first output of the terminal block for a glass break detecting means that detects glass breaking only for noise above a glass breakage threshold; and

a second output of the terminal block for a noise detecting means that detects noise at least in an audible frequency range and generates an audible noise output once a noise is detected in the audible range without breaking glass;

said glass break detector having a plurality of modes settable by a user from within the housing including a first mode wherein only the second output triggers a video camera to record in the area of the glass break detector and a second mode wherein only the first output triggers the video camera to record in the area of the glass break detector.

2. The glass break detector of claim 1, wherein the glass break detecting means comprises one or more microphones.

3. The glass break detector of claim 1, wherein the noise detecting means comprises one or more microphones.

4. The glass break detector of claim 1, further comprising a terminal block, wherein said terminal block has a glass break output and the noise output.

5. The glass break detector of claim 1, further comprising a setting to set a predetermined threshold for glass break detection.

6. The glass break detector of claim 1, further comprising a setting to set a predetermined threshold of a level of noise, wherein if the noise detected is above the threshold level, the noise output is generated.

7. The glass break detector of claim 1, wherein a signal is sent to a control center to alert the control center that a noise has been detected.

8. The glass break detector of claim 1, further comprising a DIP switch for setting a video recording mode of the glass break detector, wherein the mode is selected from a group of modes including only detecting glass breaking, only detecting noise and detecting glass breaking and noise.

9. The glass break detector of claim 8, wherein the mode is set to only detect glass breaking.

10. The glass break detector of claim 8, wherein the mode is set to detect glass breaking and noise.

11. The glass break detector of claim 1, further comprising a transmitter for transmitting a signal to a central monitoring station said signal causing at least one monitoring screen to activate.

12. The glass break detector of claim 1, further comprising a first setting to set a first predetermined threshold for glass break detection;

and a second setting to set a second predetermined threshold of a level of noise, wherein the first and second predetermined thresholds distinguish noise and glass break, and wherein if the noise detected is above the second threshold level, the noise output is generated.

13. The glass break detector of claim 12, wherein the first and second predetermined thresholds are set remotely.

14. A security apparatus comprising:

a wall mounted housing;

a video dome;

a video camera provided in the video dome;

a glass breakage detector within the wall mounted housing;

a switch in the glass breakage detector having a plurality of switch positions settable by a user from within the housing and one or more microphones provided on an outside surface of the video dome;

wherein the switch has a first position of the plurality of positions that causes the video camera to point in the direction of a noise only upon detection of an audible noise without breaking glass at least in an audible frequency range by the one or more microphones and a second position of the plurality of positions that causes the video camera to point in the direction of the noise upon detection of an audible noise with breaking glass.

15. The security apparatus of claim 14, wherein said number of microphones is three.

16. The security apparatus of claim 14, wherein the video camera is capable of up to 180 degree rotation.

17. The security apparatus of claim 14, wherein the video camera is capable of up to 360 degree rotation.

18. The security apparatus of claim 14, further comprising a time of arrival processing circuit that determines the direction of the noise by the time of arrival of the noise at the one or more microphones.

19. The security apparatus of claim 14, further comprising a circuit board that directs the video camera to the source of the noise detected by the one or more microphones.

20. The security apparatus of claim 14, wherein the video camera starts recording once directed to the source of the noise.

21. The security apparatus of claim 14, wherein the video camera is continuously directed to the source of the noise and continuously tracks a source of the noise.

22. The security apparatus of claim 21, wherein the video camera continuously tracks the source of the noise by the one or more microphones continuously monitoring a time of arrival of the noise from the noise'"'"' source.

23. A method of tracking a noise source, comprising:

providing a glass breakage detector within a wall mounted housing;

providing a video recording mode switch in the glass breakage detector having a plurality of video recording modes of settable by a user from within the housing, the plurality of video recording modes including a first mode in which records video only upon detecting an audible noise without glass breakage exceeding a first threshold value; and

a second mode which records video only upon detecting an audible noise exceeding a second threshold associated with glass breakage;

in the first mode detecting an audible noise exceeding the first threshold without breaking glass at least in an audible frequency range by providing one or more microphones on an outside surface of a video dome and in the second mode detecting an audible noise exceeding the second threshold with breaking glass;

providing a video camera inside the video dome;

determining a direction that the audible noise is coming from based upon the selected mode; and

directing the camera to a direction of the audible noise.

24. The method of tracking a noise source of claim 23, wherein the direction that the noise is coming from is determined by the time of arrival of the noise at the one or more microphones.

25. The method of tracking a noise source of claim 23, further comprising recording video on the video camera once the noise is detected and the camera is directed to the direction of the noise.

26. The method of tracking a noise source of claim 23, wherein three microphones are provided on the outside surface of the video dome.

27. The method of tracking a noise source of claim 23, wherein a video camera capable of up to 360 degree rotation inside the video dome is provided.

28. The method of tracking a noise source of claim 23, further comprising continuously tracking a source of the noise.

29. The method of tracking a noise source of claim 28, wherein the one or more microphones continuously tracks the source of the noise by continuously monitoring a time of arrival of the noise.

30. The method of tracking a noise source of claim 29, further comprising continuously directing the video camera to the direction of the noise and continuously recording in that direction.