Automatic audio systems for fire detection and diagnosis, and crew and person locating during fires

• US 7,953,228 B2
• Filed: 11/18/2003
• Issued: 05/31/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Faltesek, Anthony E., Gonia, Patrick S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee; Ping
• Application Number:
  US10/716,157
• Publication Number:
  US 20050105743A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,751 Days
• Field of Search: 381/77, 381/80, 381/81, 381/82, 381/57, 381/58, 381/56, 340/286.05, 340/521, 340/522, 340/566, 340/577, 340/588, 340/332, 340/628, 340/506, 340/517, 340/692
• US Class Current: 381/56
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/18 using ultrasonic, sonic, or infrasonic waves
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 17/00 Fire alarms; Alarms responsive to explosion
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 7/06 using electric transmission , e.g. involving audible and visible signalling through the use of sound and light sources
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 27/00 Public address systems circuits for preventing acoustic reaction H04R3/02; circuits for distributing signals to loudspeakers H04R3/12; monitoring or testing arrangements for public address systems H04R29/007; amplifiers H03F

Abstract

A system and method that use audio feedback from a region being monitored can provide location information pertaining to fire or individuals in the region. Units of a public address system can each be equipped with a microphone. Audio from the microphones can be processed at a common location, such as an alarm control panel. The audio can provide fire profiles as well as information as to individuals in the region being monitored.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a plurality of audio modules;

at least one audio output transducer and at least one audio input transducer that directly detects human audible sound directly associated with each of the plurality of audio modules;

a common control unit in communication with the plurality of audio modules;

a plurality of stored fire signatures associated with the common control unit where each stored fire signature identifies a different type of fire;

an output device coupled to the control unit, the control unit presents at least audio information received at various of the modules, via the output device, with the presented audio indicative of the presence of individuals and selected environmental conditions in the vicinity of the respective module; and

at least one of circuitry or software to associated with the common control unit that automatically compares human audible sound directly detected by the audio input transducers and received at the control unit with the plurality of fire signatures, to establish that a fire is present in the vicinity of at least one of the modules by matching the human audible sound with at least one of the plurality of fire detection signatures.

2. A system as in claim 1 which includes an audio input device, at the control unit for transmitting audio messages to be output by transducers in at least some of the audio modules.

3. A system as in claim 1 which includes at least one of circuitry or software to identify the at least one audio input transducer.

4. A system as in claim 1 which includes at least one of circuitry or software to filter fire related noise if combined with voice.

5. A system as in claim 1 which includes speech recognition software for processing received audio.

6. A system as in claim 1 where at least some of the plurality of modules include thermal sensors.

7. A system as in claim 6 including software for processing thermal related signals received from at least some of the thermal sensors of the plurality of modules.

8. A method of monitoring a region comprising:

directly sensing human audible sounds via respective microphones from spaced apart locations in the region;

automatically analyzing the sensed human audible sounds by comparing the sensed human audible sounds with a plurality of stored signatures of a fire where each stored signature identifies a different type of fire;

matching the sensed human audible sounds from at least one of the respective microphones with one of the plurality of stored signatures; and

responsive to recognizing an audio fire signature of characteristic sounds emitted by a fire by matching the sensed human audible sound from the at least one microphone with the one of the plurality of stored signatures, displaying a location of origination thereof.

9. A method as in claim 8 which includes recognizing sounds of individuals at one or more locations in the regions.

10. A method as in claim 8 which includes suppressing fire sounds from at least some of the sensed audio signals in order to more effectively recognize other sources of sound.

11. A system comprising:

a plurality of audio input transducers that each directly detects human audible sound;

at least one audio output transducer;

a control unit in communication with the output transducer and the plurality of input transducers the control unit contains a plurality of audio signatures of fires where each of the plurality of audio signatures identifies a different type of fire, the control unit compares the directly detected human audible sound with the audio signatures to detect a fire;

a user interface device coupled to the control unit; and

the control unit presents at least location related audio information, received at various input transducers, via the interface device with the presented audio indicative of the presence of individuals or certain environmental conditions including at least the detected fire in the vicinity of the respective module.

12. A system as in claim 11 where the control unit uniquely identifies each of the audio input transducers.

13. A system as in claim 11 where the control unit suppresses fire sounds in order to more effectively detect human voice.

14. A system as in claim 11 which includes speech recognition software for processing received audio.