Alarm system

• US 7,893,826 B2
• Filed: 02/07/2005
• Issued: 02/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Vendolocus AB
• Original Assignee: Vendolocus AB
• Inventors: Stenlund, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Bugg; George A
• Assistant Examiner(s): WANG, JACK K
• Application Number:
  US10/587,332
• Publication Number:
  US 20070188321A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,206 Days
• Field of Search: 340/540, 340/573.1
• US Class Current: 340/521
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2325/205 Mobile phones
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2325/304 Boats
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/1004 Alarm systems characterised by the type of sensor, e.g. current sensing means using door lock sensors B60R25/1001
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/102 a signal being sent to a remote location, e.g. a radio signal being transmitted to a police station, a security company or the owner
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/305 using a camera
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/33 of global position, e.g. by providing GPS coordinates
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 1/008 Earthquake measurement or prediction event detection for microseismic events G01V1/288
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 1/01 Measuring or predicting earthquakes
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/02 Alarms for ensuring the safety of persons

Abstract

The present invention relates to an alarm system intended to trigger an alarm signal upon deviation from at least one environment-dependent reference predetermined for a specific environment. The alarm system comprises at least one portable unit intended to be placed in said environment, which unit has a size corresponding to a mobile telephone. Each unit comprises a sensor system adapted for detecting different states comprising at least vibrations. Furthermore, the alarm system comprises a processor member connected to the sensor system and adapted for the comparison of signals received from the sensor system and said predetermined environment-dependent reference/references. The alarm system further comprises a communication member connected to the processor member and adapted for wireless communication upon, for instance, the triggering of an alarm signal. Furthermore, the alarm system comprises a memory member connected to the processor member via a distributed computer network and adapted for the storage of said predetermined reference/references.

Claims

1. An alarm system intended to trigger an alarm signal upon deviation from at least one environment-dependent reference predetermined for a specific environment, the alarm system comprising:

at least one portable unit having a size not greater than a mobile telephone and intended to be placed in said environment, each portable unit comprising;

a sensor system that records a normal state of the environment when placed in the environment, the predetermined environment-dependent reference being comprised of at least a recorded sound/vibration image of the normal state of the environment in which the at least one portable unit is placed, the sensor system comprising an accelerometer/silicon crystal, microphone and temperature sensor, said accelerometer being triaxial,

a processor member connected to the sensor system that compares signals received from the sensor system and said predetermined environment-dependent reference and that causes an alarm to be triggered upon determining an occurrence of a predetermined deviation of the signals received from the sensor system from the predetermined environment-dependent reference,

a communication member of a unique identity connected to the processor member for wireless communication at least upon the triggering of the alarm signal, and

a positioning member connected to the processor member that indicates, at least upon the triggering of an alarm signal, the position of said unit, and

a memory member connected to the processor member via a distributed computer network, the memory member storing said predetermined reference for dynamic and interactive update and development for different purposes by maneuvering via fixed and/or mobile telephony and/or radio and/or computer unit.

2. The alarm system according to claim 1, wherein each sensor system further comprises at least one of the following sensors:

frequency transmitters, strain gauges, a camera, UV/photocells, electronic noses, anemometers, infrared sensors, gamma transducers, laser sensors, inductive sensors, flow sensors, level transducers, tension gauges and pressure gauges.

3. The alarm system according to claim 1, wherein each positioning member is comprised of at least one of the following units:

GPS unit, GPRS unit and GSM unit.

4. The alarm system according to claim 1, wherein each portable unit comprises at least one basic module, as well as a protecting cover.

5. The alarm system according to claim 1, wherein the memory member continuously stores comparisons and/or deviations.

6. The alarm system according to claim 1, wherein the memory member is comprised of a database.

13. The alarm system according to claim 1, wherein the state comprises at least one of vibrations, relative position changes or accelerations.

14. The alarm system according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined environment-dependent reference is default settings for the portable unit supplemented by the recorded normal state of the environment.

15. The alarm system according to claim 1, wherein the sensor system is comprised of a plurality of different environment-dependent sound/vibration sensors.

16. The alarm system according to claim 1, wherein the sensor system is comprised of a plurality of different types of sensors and wherein an alarm signal is triggered when at least three different types of sensors simultaneously detect deviation from corresponding predetermined environment-dependent references stored in the memory member.

17. The alarm system according to claim 1, wherein the recorded image is a sound/vibration image.

18. The alarm system according to claim 1, wherein the recorded image is a recording of an amplitude of at least one parameter of the normal state of the environment varying over a specified period.

7. A method for triggering an alarm signal by means of an alarm system comprised of at least one portable unit having a size not greater than a mobile telephone and intended to be placed in an environment, each portable unit comprising a sensor system that records a sound/vibration image of a normal state of the environment in which the at least one portable unit is placed while the portable unit is in the environment, the sensor system comprising an accelerometer/silicon crystal, microphone and temperature sensor, the accelerometer being triaxial, a processor member connected to the sensor system that compares signals received from the sensor system and a recorded predetermined environment-dependent reference, a communication member of a unique identity connected to the processor member and adapted for wireless communication at least upon the triggering of an alarm signal, and a positioning member connected to the processor member and adapted to indicate, at least upon the triggering of an alarm signal, the position of said unit, a memory member connected to the processor member via a distributed computer network, and for dynamic and interactive update and development for different purposes by maneuvering via fixed and/or mobile telephony and/or radio and/or computer unit, the method comprising the steps of:

by means of the sensor system, detecting different states comprising vibrations, relative position changes, accelerations and temperature, wherein said accelerations are detected against three axes;

comparing the signals received from the sensor system and the at least one environment-dependent reference predetermined for a specific environment and stored in the memory member, the predetermined environment-dependent reference being at least a sound/vibration image of the recorded normal state of the environment in which the at least one portable unit is placed;

upon deviation of signals received from the sensor system from said environment-dependent reference, triggering an alarm signal; and

according to instantaneous control or predetermined configuration, by means of the communication member of a unique identity, transmitting a message to at least one receiver; and

according to instantaneous control or predetermined configuration, by means of the positioning member, determining the position of the unit;

transmitting the position to the at least one receiver; and

dynamically and interactively updating and developing said memory member for different purposes by maneuvering via fixed and/or mobile telephony and/or radio and/or computer unit.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the detection step comprises:

detecting different states by means of an accelerometer/silicon crystal, microphone and a temperature sensor.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the detection step further comprises:

detecting different states by means of the following sensors;

frequency transmitters, strain gauges, a camera, UV/photocells, electronic noses, anemometers, infrared sensors, gamma transducers, laser sensors, inductive sensors, flow sensors, level transducers, tension gauges and pressure gauges.

10. The method according to claim 7, wherein the positioning step comprises:

determining the position by means of at least one of the following units;

GPS unit, GPRS unit and GSM unit.

11. The method according to claim 7, wherein the method further comprises the step of:

registering, and in the memory member, storing the environment-dependent reference which is comprised of the sound/vibration image that is specific to the portable unit.

12. At least one computer software product directly downloadable in the internal memory of at least one digital computer, comprising software code portions for executing the steps according to claim 7 when said at least one product is run on said at least one computer.

19. The method according to claim 7, wherein the recorded image is a sound/vibration image only.

20. The method according to claim 7, wherein the recorded image is a recording of an amplitude of at least one parameter of the normal state of the environment varying over a specified period.