Identifying a change in a home environment

• US 9,984,590 B2
• Filed: 05/04/2016
• Issued: 05/29/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Generac Power Systems Incorporated (Generac Holdings Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Stevens, Mark B., Wilson, John D.
• Primary Examiner(s): McCormack, Thomas
• Application Number:
  US15/146,330
• Publication Number:
  US 20160247416A1
• Time in Patent Office: 755 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/024 Detecting, measuring or recording pulse rate or heart rate A61B5/0205, A61B5/021 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0816 Measuring devices for examining respiratory frequency measuring frequency of electric signals G01R23/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4806 Sleep evaluation A61B5/4821 takes precedence; devices for inducing sleep A61M21/02
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2003/063 with tactile perception
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/501 connected to external computer devices or networks
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/5043 Displays
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/5046 Touch screens
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/5048 Audio interfaces, e.g. voice or music controlled
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/5058 Sensors or detectors
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/5082 Temperature sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/5092 Optical sensor
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/5097 wireless
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 3/06 Walking aids for blind persons replacing direct visual perception by another kind of perception A61F9/08
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 3/061 with electronic detecting or guiding means
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/523 for presence detection burglar, theft or intruder alarms G08B13/00, e.g. G08B13/16
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/89 for mapping or imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/02 Alarms for ensuring the safety of persons
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 21/00 Teaching, or communicating with, the blind, deaf or mute audible presentation of material to be studied G09B5/04; devices or methods for replacing direct visual or auditory perception by another kind of perception A61F9/08, A61F11/04; audible indication of meter readings or of colour G01D7/12; watches for blind persons G04B25/02; speech analysis, speech recognition G10L; sound-recording or reproducing, per se G11B
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 21/001 Teaching or communicating with blind persons G09B21/02 - G09B21/06 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 21/006 using audible presentation of the information
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 21/008 : using visual presentation of the information for the partially sighted
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/004 : Map manufacture or repair; Tear or ink or water resistant maps; Long-life maps printing processes for maps B41M3/02; by permanently attaching map sections to sheets B42B7/00

Abstract

A system and computer implemented method for detecting a change in a home environment for a visually impaired user is disclosed. The method may include monitoring the home environment using a set of sensors configured to collect environment data for a set of areas of the home environment. The method may also include detecting an environmental change in an area of the home environment. The method may also include providing, in response to a triggering event, a notification of the environmental change.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for detecting a change in a home environment for a visually impaired user, the method comprising:

mapping, using a sonar mapping system, a first sonar map of a set of areas of the home environment;

mapping, in response to receiving a noise alert from a sound detection system coupled to the sonar mapping system, a second sonar map of the set of areas;

identifying an object of the second sonar map meeting an obstruction criterion; and

providing a notification to the visually impaired user that the identified object meets the obstruction criterion, in response to an alert from a sleep sensor.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the alert from the sleep sensor includes a change in a pulse beyond a pulse threshold, and a change in respiration frequency beyond a respiration frequency threshold.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

collecting, by the sonar mapping system, a background noise level of the set of areas;

collecting, by the sonar mapping system, a sound baseline of the set of areas; and

creating, using the sound baseline offset by the background noise level, the sonar map.

4. A system for detecting a change in a home environment for a visually impaired user, the system comprising:

a plurality of sound capture devices each configured to emit one or more sound probes in the home environment and to detect reflected sound waves;

a sleep sensor configured to monitor one or more biological signs of the visually impaired user; and

a processor communicatively coupled to the plurality of sound capture devices and the sleep sensor;

wherein the processor is configured to generate a first sonar map of a set of areas of the home environment based on the reflected sound waves detected by the plurality of sound capture devices, and to generate a second sonar map based on subsequent reflected sound waves in response to receiving a noise alert;

wherein the processor is further configured to compare the second sonar map to the first sonar map to identify an object of the second sonar map meeting an obstruction criterion; and

t

wherein the processor is further configured to provide a notification to the visually impaired user that the identified object meets the obstruction criterion in response to an alert from the sleep sensor indicating that the visually impaired user has awoken.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the alert from the sleep sensor includes a change in a pulse beyond a pulse threshold, and a change in respiration frequency beyond a respiration frequency threshold.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the plurality of sound capture devices are further configured to collect a background noise level of the set of areas and a sound baseline of the set of areas;

and wherein the processor is configured to generate the first and second sonar maps using the sound baseline offset by the background noise level.

7. A non-transitory computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having a computer readable program stored therein, wherein the computer readable program, when executed on a first computing device, causes the first computing device to:

map a first sonar map of the set of areas of the home environment;

map, in response to receiving a noise alert from a sound detection system, a second sonar map of the set of areas;

identify an object of the second sonar map meeting an obstruction criterion; and

providing a notification to the visually impaired user that the identified object meets the obstruction criterion, in response to an alert from a sleep sensor.

8. The non-transitory computer program product of claim 7, wherein the alert from the sleep sensor includes a change in a pulse beyond a pulse threshold, and a change in respiration frequency beyond a respiration frequency threshold.

9. The non-transitory computer program product of claim 7, wherein the computer readable program, when executed on the first computing device, further causes the first computing device to generate the first and second sonar maps using a sound baseline offset by a background noise level.