Breathing sound monitoring and alarm response method, system and device

• US 7,477,144 B2
• Filed: 09/18/2006
• Issued: 01/13/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: InnovAlarm Corporation
• Original Assignee: InnovAlarm Corporation
• Inventors: Albert, David E.
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAM, TOAN NGOC
• Application Number:
  US11/522,569
• Publication Number:
  US 20070008154A1
• Time in Patent Office: 848 Days
• Field of Search: 340/521, 340/517, 340/539.26, 340/506, 340/539.11, 340/539.27, 340/573.1, 340/575, 340/825.19, 340/407.1, 381/56, 381/57, 715/867, 705/2, 128/920
• US Class Current: 340/521
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 17/00 Fire alarms; Alarms responsive to explosion
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0423 detecting deviation from an expected pattern of behaviour or schedule
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0446 worn on the body to detect changes of posture, e.g. a fall, inclination, acceleration, gait
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0453 worn on the body to detect health condition by physiological monitoring, e.g. electrocardiogram, temperature, breathing detecting, measuring or recording for diagnostic purposes A61B5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0461 integrated or attached to an item closely associated with the person but not worn by the person, e.g. chair, walking stick, bed sensor
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0469 Presence detectors to detect unsafe condition, e.g. infrared sensor, microphone G08B21/0476 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/22 responsive to presence or absence of persons

Abstract

Home safety and security are provided using a bedside sound monitoring unit including a microphone, microprocessor, memory and a communications port. The unit utilizes a sound monitoring program for determining when sound received through the microphone of the unit represents a signal from a home security device or a breathing pattern representing an alarm condition. The unit communicates responsive signals to an appropriate site when an alarm condition is determined.

Claims

1. An alarm monitor comprising:

a sound monitoring unit including a microphone, microprocessor, memory and a communications port; and

a sound monitoring program stored within the memory, including;

first instructional signals for determining when sound received through the microphone of the unit represents a signal from a home security device representing an alarm condition, wherein the first instructional signals include a digital acoustic signature recognition technology comprising a technique selected from the group consisting of matched filtering, cross correlation, and neural networking; and

second instructional signals for communicating responsive signals from the unit when an alarm condition is determined.

2. The alarm monitor of claim 1 wherein the communications port is a wireless communications port.

3. The alarm monitor of claim 1 wherein the sound monitoring unit is a bedside unit further including a switch for controlling supply of power to a waking device and the sound monitoring program further includes third instructional signals for determining when sound received through the microphone of the bedside unit represents a smoke detector alarm and fourth instructional signals for engaging the switch to activate the waking device when a smoke detector alarm is determined.

4. The alarm monitor of claim 3 further comprising battery backup power for operation of the monitoring unit including powering the waking device.

5. The alarm monitor of claim 1, wherein the sound monitoring unit additionally includes a library of acoustic alarm signals stored in the memory.

6. The alarm monitor of claim 1, wherein the sound monitoring program additionally includes instructions to provide, during initial setup, a list from which one or more standardized security device acoustic signals can be selected.

7. The alarm monitor of claim 1, wherein the sound monitoring program includes a learning mode during initial setup allowing one or more home security devices to be activated, detected and identified as such.

8. The alarm monitor of claim 1, wherein the sound monitoring program additionally includes instructional signals for determining when sound received through the microphone of the unit includes a breathing pattern representing an alarm condition.

9. The alarm monitor of claim 8, wherein the sound monitoring program includes a learning mode during initial setup wherein breathing sounds are presented, detected and identified as such.

10. The alarm monitor of claim 8, wherein the breathing pattern representing an alarm condition comprises an absence of breathing sounds for a predetermined period of time.

11. The alarm monitor of claim 8, wherein the breathing pattern representing an alarm condition comprises the presence of breathing sounds later than a predetermined time of day.

12. An alarm monitor as defined in claim 1, wherein the second instructional signals for communicating responsive signals include instructions for sending an alarm notification signal to an Internet Web site address encoded within the sound monitoring program.