Systems and methods for active listening/observing and event detection

• US 8,348,839 B2
• Filed: 04/10/2007
• Issued: 01/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Sharda, Pallav, Linthicum, Steven Eric
• Primary Examiner(s): Yao, Sam
• Assistant Examiner(s): SORIANO, BOBBY GILES
• Application Number:
  US11/733,545
• Publication Number:
  US 20080255428A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,100 Days
• Field of Search: 704/200
• US Class Current: 600/300
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 17/00 Speaker identification or verification techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/20 for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/20 for computer-aided diagnosis, e.g. based on medical expert systems
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/70 for mining of medical data, e.g. analysing previous cases of other patients

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention provide a method of monitoring an environment comprising: monitoring at least one data stream wherein the data stream is a data stream in the environment; detecting a specified event from the data stream; and triggering a response to the specified event. Embodiments of the present invention provide a system for monitoring an environment comprising: a receiver adapted to receive at least one input data stream wherein the input data stream is a data stream in the environment; an active listener/observer system adapted to monitor the data stream; and an interface adapted to express at least one output stream. Embodiments of the present invention provide a computer-readable medium having instructions comprising: an active listener/observer routine configured to monitor at least one data stream; a detection routine configured to find specified events in the data stream; and an output routine configured to express a response event.

Claims

1. A method of monitoring a healthcare environment for purposes of early event detection comprising:

actively monitoring a healthcare environment for speech input using a microphone to input speech from the healthcare environment;

activating a speech recognition program in real time upon detection of the speech input to interpret the speech;

using a computer processor to compare the interpreted speech to keywords in a database; and

if the interpreted speech matches a keyword in the database, triggering a response event for the actively monitored healthcare environment that includes outputting an alert and activating an event log that includes a listing of at least one of resuscitation activities and voice identifications,

wherein the speech input at the microphone is actively monitored in substantially real-time using the speech recognition program to interpret the speech and the computer processor to compare the interpreted speech to keywords in the database.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the steps are performed sequentially.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the alert includes at least one of contacting an individual, contacting an agency, initiating a page and initiating a software message pop-up.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

differentiating between speech of a plurality of speakers in the healthcare environment.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

using an input device to input data, wherein the input device includes at least one of a keyboard, a touchscreen, a joystick, a mouse and a touchpad; and

outputting an alert based on the input data.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

triggering an enterprise event if the interpreted speech matches a keyword in the database, wherein the enterprise event includes at least one of locking a door and activating a sprinkler system.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein multiple alerts are triggered.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

using a physiological monitoring device to input patient data; and

outputting an alert based on the patient data.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

inputting information from a healthcare information system; and

outputting an alert based on the information from the healthcare information system.

10. A healthcare environment monitoring system comprising:

a microphone configured to input speech from a healthcare environment in order to actively monitor the healthcare environment, wherein the speech is interpreted in real time upon detection of the speech input using a speech recognition program; and

a computer processor configured to compare the interpreted speech to keywords in a database, the processor configured such that if the interpreted speech matches a keyword in the database, the processor triggers a response event for the actively monitored healthcare environment, the response event including outputting an alert and activating an event log that includes a listing of at least one of resuscitation activities and voice identifications,

wherein the speech input at the microphone is actively monitored in substantially-real time by the speech recognition program and the computer processor.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the alert includes at least one of contacting an individual, contacting an agency, initiating a page and initiating a software message pop-up.

12. The system of claim 10 wherein the speech recognition program is configured to differentiate between a plurality of speakers in the healthcare environment.

13. The system of claim 10 further comprising:

an input device configured to input data, wherein the input device includes at least one of a keyboard, a touchscreen, a joystick, a mouse and a touchpad, and wherein the processor is configured to initiate an alert based on the input data.

14. The system of claim 10 wherein the processor is configured to initiate an enterprise event if the interpreted speech matches a keyword in the database, and wherein the enterprise event includes at least one of locking a door and activating a sprinkler system.

15. The system of claim 10 wherein the processor is configured to initiate multiple alerts.

16. The system of claim 10 further comprising:

a physiological monitoring device configured to input patient data, and wherein the processor is configured to initiate an alert based on the patient data.

17. The system of claim 10 further comprising:

an input receiver configured to input information from a healthcare information system, and wherein the processor is configured to initiate an alert based on the information from the healthcare information system.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having a set of instructions for execution by a computer, the set of instructions comprising:

a first routine configured to allow speech to be interpreted that is input from a microphone actively monitoring a healthcare environment for the speech input; and

a second routine configured to compare the interpreted speech to keywords in a database, the second routine configured such that if the interpreted speech matches a keyword in the database, the second routine triggers a response event for the actively monitored healthcare environment, the response event including outputting an alert and activating an event log that includes a listing of at least one of resuscitation activities and voice identifications,

wherein the input from the microphone is actively monitored in substantially real-time upon detection of the speech input to interpret the speech using the second routine.