Facility and method for monitoring a defined, predetermined area using at least one acoustic sensor

• US 8,830,059 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2010
• Issued: 09/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Commissariat a L'Energie Atomique (French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission), Brigham Young University (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints)
• Original Assignee: Commissariat a L'Energie Atomique (French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission)
• Inventors: Nikolovski, Jean-Pierre
• Primary Examiner(s): Bugg, George
• Assistant Examiner(s): Labbees, Edny
• Application Number:
  US13/501,863
• Publication Number:
  US 20120262294A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,440 Days
• Field of Search: 340/500, 340/502, 340/503, 340/504, 340/506, 340/523, 340/529, 340/539.1, 340/539.11, 340/539.12, 340/539.13, 340/565, 379/37, 379/38, 379/45, 455/403, 455/404.1
• US Class Current: 340/565
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1672 using sonic detecting means, e.g. a microphone operating in the audio frequency range
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/02 Alarms for ensuring the safety of persons
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/04 responsive to non-activity, e.g. of elderly persons G08B21/06 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/043 detecting an emergency event, e.g. a fall
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/001 Alarm cancelling procedures or alarm forwarding decisions, e.g. based on absence of alarm confirmation

Abstract

A monitoring facility includes at least one acoustic sensor arranged in a monitoring area to convert an acoustic wave picked up following the occurrence of an activity in the monitoring area into an information signal, and a processing device to receive the information signal. Also included is a system for transmitting at least one alarm and a database including, for each one of at least one predetermined reference activity, an occurrence of which is likely to generate acoustic waves in the monitoring area, reference characteristics relating to said predetermined reference activity. The processing device includes an analysis system to analyze the information signal according to reference characteristics of at least one predetermined reference activity of the database, and to activate the system for transmitting at least one alarm according to said analysis. Furthermore, at least one acoustic sensor is included to detect seismic waves propagating in a solid medium.

Claims

1. A facility for monitoring a predetermined delineated monitoring area, comprising:

at least one acoustic sensor arranged in the monitoring area and configured to convert an acoustic wave picked up following the occurrence of an activity in the monitoring area into an information signal;

a processing device configured to receive the information signal;

a system to transmit the information signal to the processing device;

a system to transmit at least one alarm; and

a database comprising, for each of at least one predetermined reference activity whose occurrence is likely to generate acoustic waves in the monitoring area, reference characteristics relating to said predetermined reference activity, wherein

the processing device includes an analysis system configured to;

analyze the information signal according to the reference characteristics of at least one predetermined reference activity of the database, and

activate the system to transmit at least one alarm according to the analysis of the information signal,

the monitoring area includes the at least one acoustic sensor detecting seismic waves propagating in a solid medium,

the system to transmit at least one alarm includes a device, arranged in the monitoring area, to generate a level one alarm and a device to generate, to outside of the monitoring area, a level two alarm, and

the analysis system is configured to receive an acknowledgment signal from a user and to;

activate the device to generate the level two alarm when no acknowledgment signal is received in a predetermined time period following the generation of the level one alarm, and

update the reference characteristics of a predetermined reference activity in the database when an acknowledgment signal is received in said predetermined time period following the generation of the level one alarm.

2. The monitoring facility according to claim 1, further comprising:

an acknowledgement device arranged in the monitoring area and configured to be activated by the user to generate the acknowledgment signal.

3. The monitoring installation according to claim 1, wherein the analysis system is configured to:

select, from the reference characteristics in the database, a predetermined reference activity from the database that corresponds to the activity, known as the detected activity, from which the information signal results,

record a value related to a time when the detected activity occurred and associate this value to the selected reference activity, and

determine whether to activate the system to transmit at least one alarm based on at least this value and the reference activity to which it is associated.

4. The monitoring facility according to claim 1, wherein the database comprises, for each of a set of predetermined reference activities, reference characteristics relating to each predetermined reference activity.

5. A method for monitoring a predetermined delineated monitoring area, comprising:

receiving an information signal obtained from a conversion carried out by an acoustic sensor for an acoustic wave resulting from an occurrence of an activity in the monitoring area;

analyzing the information signal from reference characteristics related to at least one predetermined reference activity; and

transmitting at least one alarm based on this analysis, wherein

the sensor is an acoustic sensor for seismic waved propagating in a solid medium and the transmitting at least one alarm includes the generation of a level one alarm, and

the generation of a level two alarm when no acknowledgment signal is received in a predetermined time period following the generation of the level one alarm, and

an update to the reference characteristics of at least one predetermined reference activity when an acknowledgment signal is received in said predetermined time period following the generation of the level one alarm.

6. A nontransitory computer-readable medium storing a computer program comprising instructions to execute the method for monitoring according to claim 5, when said computer program is executed on a computer by a processor.