Audible alarm relay system

• US 20040155770A1
• Filed: 08/22/2003
• Published: 08/12/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Johns Hopkins University
• Original Assignee: Johns Hopkins University
• Inventors: Nelson, Carl V., Lesho, Jeffery C.
• Application Number:
  US10/646,286
• Publication Number:
  US 20040155770A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/531
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 1/08 using electric transmission ; transformation of alarm signals to electrical signals from a different medium, e.g. transmission of an electric alarm signal upon detection of an audible alarm signal
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/009 Signalling of the alarm condition to a substation whose identity is signalled to a central station, e.g. relaying alarm signals in order to extend communication range
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 3/10 using electric transmission; using electromagnetic transmission

Abstract

Disclosed herein is an audible alarm relay system comprising a microphone for converting environmental sounds to electrical sound signals; processing circuitry for receiving the electrical sound signals, sampling the sound signals, and analyzing the sampled sound signals to determine if the sampled sound signals contain a sound pattern that matches a stored sound pattern; and an output device for notifying a user that the sampled sound signal contains a sound pattern that matches a stored sound pattern.

Claims

1. An audible alarm relay system comprising:

a microphone for converting environmental sounds to electrical sound signals;

processing circuitry for receiving the electrical sound signals, and analyzing the sound signals to determine if the sound signals contain a sound pattern that matches a stored sound pattern; and

an output device for notifying a user that the digital sound signal contains a sound pattern that matches a stored sound pattern.

2. The audible alarm relay system of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry comprises:

a processor for controlling the system;

a time sampler for sampling the sound signals;

a memory for storing the stored sound patterns;

a band pass filter for determining if the sampled sound signals contain at least one frequency that matches a stored frequency; and

a rate detector for determining if the sampled sound signals contain at least one rate that matches a stored rate.

3. The audible alarm relay system of claim 2, wherein the output device notifies the user if the processing circuitry determines that the sampled sound signal contains both a frequency and a rate that matches a stored sound pattern.

4. The audible alarm relay system of claim 3, wherein the output device is one of an audio, visual and tactile device.

5. The audible alarm relay system of claim 1, wherein the audible alarm is any predetermined sound.

6. The audible alarm relay system of claim 1, further comprising noise cancellation means for monitoring the ambient noise and canceling the ambient noise from the environmental sounds.

7. The audible alarm relay system of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry comprises:

a processor for controlling the system;

a time sampler for sampling the sound signals;

a correlator for correlating the sound signal with the stored sound pattern; and

an analog memory for storing the stored sound patterns.

8. The audible alarm relay system of claim 7, wherein the time sampler performs the time sampling in one of the analog domain and digital domain.

9. The audible alarm relay system of claim 7, wherein the correlator performs the correlation in one of the analog domain and digital domain.

10. The audible alarm system of claim 1, wherein the system is an after-market add-on device for detecting pre-existing sound signals.

11. The audible alarm system of claim 1, further comprising:

a transmitting unit, having the microphone and processing circuitry, for transmitting a wireless alarm command signal if a matching sound pattern is found; and

a receiving unit having second processing circuitry and the output device for receiving the alarm command signal and notifying the user that the alarm command signal has been received.

12. A method for relaying an audible alarm, comprising the steps of:

storing a sound pattern of at least one audible alarm in a memory;

monitoring the environment through a microphone;

determining if a sound is detected in the environment;

analyzing the detected sound if a sound is detected;

determining if a sound pattern of the detected sound matches a sound pattern stored in the memory; and

outputting a secondary alarm if it is determined that a matching sound pattern is stored in the memory.

13. The method for relaying an audible alarm of claim 12, wherein the storing step comprises the steps of:

inputting the sound pattern of the at least one audible alarm through the microphone;

analyzing the input sound pattern; and

storing the sound pattern in memory.

14. The method for relaying an audible alarm of claim 13, wherein the analyzing step determines the frequency and rate of the sound pattern and stores the frequency and rate of the sound pattern in the memory.

15. The method for relaying an audible alarm of claim 12, further comprising the steps of monitoring the ambient noise and canceling the ambient noise from the environmental sounds.

16. The method for relaying an audible alarm of claim 12, wherein the analyzing step comprises the steps of:

time sampling the sound signals;

correlating the sound signal with the stored sound pattern.

17. The method for relaying an audible alarm of claim 12, wherein the time sampling is performed in one of the analog domain and digital domain.

18. The method for relaying an audible alarm of claim 12, wherein the correlating is performed in one of the analog domain and digital domain.

19. The method for relaying an audible alarm of claim 12, wherein the method is performed in an after-market add-on device for detecting pre-existing sound signals.

20. The method for relaying an audible alarm of claim 12, further comprising the steps of:

transmitting from a wireless transmitter a wireless alarm command signal if a matching sound pattern is found; and

,

receiving at a wireless receiver the alarm command signal and notifying the user that the alarm command signal has been received.

21. An audible alarm relay system comprising:

a memory for storing the frequency and rate of at least one predetermined sound pattern;

a microphone for converting environmental sounds to electrical sound signals;

an analog to digital converter for converting the electrical sound signals to digital sound signals;

a processor for determining if the digital sound signals contain at least one frequency that matches a stored frequency, and determining if the digital sound signals contain at least one rate that matches a stored rate; and

an output device for notifying a user if the processing circuitry determines that the digital sound signal contains both a frequency and a rate that matches the frequency and rate of the at least one predetermined sound pattern.

22. The audible alarm relay system of claim 21, wherein the output device is one of an audio, visual and tactile device.

23. The audible alarm relay system of claim 21, wherein the audible alarm is any predetermined sound.

24. The audible alarm relay system of claim 21, further comprising noise cancellation means for monitoring the ambient noise and canceling the ambient noise from the environmental sounds.

25. A method for relaying an audible alarm, comprising the steps of:

inputting a sound pattern of at least one audible alarm through a microphone;

analyzing the sound pattern of the at least one input audible alarm;

storing the sound pattern in memory;

monitoring the environment through the microphone;

determining if a sound is detected in the environment;

analyzing the detected sound if a sound is detected;

determining if a sound pattern of the detected sound matches a sound pattern stored in the memory; and

outputting a secondary alarm if it is determined that a matching sound pattern is stored in the memory.

26. The method for relaying an audible alarm of claim 25, wherein the analyzing step determines the frequency and rate of the sound pattern and stores the frequency and rate of the sound pattern in the memory.

27. The method for relaying an audible alarm of claim 25, further comprising the steps of monitoring the ambient noise and canceling the ambient noise from the environmental sounds.