Gunshot detection sensor with display

• US 7,688,679 B2
• Filed: 10/24/2007
• Issued: 03/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Shotspotter Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Shotspotter Incorporated
• Inventors: Fisher, Ken, Baxter, Kevin C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pihulic; Dan
• Application Number:
  US11/923,636
• Publication Number:
  US 20080192574A1
• Time in Patent Office: 888 Days
• Field of Search: 367/128, 367/906
• US Class Current: 367/128
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/22 Position of source determined by co-ordinating a plurality of position lines defined by path-difference measurements G01S5/28 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/003 Transmission of data between radar, sonar or lidar systems and remote stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 367/906 Airborne shock-wave detection

Abstract

A system for locating and identifying an acoustic event such as gunfire. The inventive system employs a plurality of man wearable acoustic sensors for detecting gunfire, each acoustic sensor having a display associated therewith for displaying information concerning the acoustic event to a user. In preferred embodiments, the sensor includes a microphone for/receiving acoustic information; an A/D converter; a processor for processing the digitized signal to detect a gunshot and determine a time of arrival; a GPS receiver for determining the position of the acoustic sensor; and a network interface for bidirectional communication with a system server. Preferably the display comprises an LCD; and an electronically readable compass. When the display and acoustic sensor are in separate housings, the acoustic sensor includes a transmitter and the display includes a receiver for transferring the gunshot information.

Claims

1. A weapon fire processing/location system comprising:

an array of sensors, at least one sensor of the array of sensors comprises;

a microphone for receiving acoustic signals;

a processor for processing received acoustic signals to detect an acoustic event;

a display associated with the at least one sensor;

a GPS receiver for determining a sensor position; and

a processing, client or server component in communication with the processor, wherein the processing, client or server component processes information related to the acoustic event and communicates with an external component regarding the information.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is part of a client-server system.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor comprises a transceiver for receiving and transmitting data.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the transceiver transmits data to a center that processes commands associated with the weapon fire.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the information related to the acoustic event includes an azimuth to a source location of the weapon fire.

6. The system of claim 2, wherein the information related to the acoustic event includes an azimuth to a source location of the weapon fire.

7. The system of claim 3, wherein the information related to the acoustic event includes an azimuth to a source location of the weapon fire.

8. A method of processing weapon fire information, the method comprising:

processing, via a processor, acoustic signals received at a sensor microphone to detect an acoustic event;

determining, via a GPS receiver, a position of a sensor containing the sensor microphone that detects the acoustic event, wherein the sensor is part of an array of sensors and has an associated display;

processing, via a processing, client or server component in communication with the processor, information related to the acoustic event; and

communicating with a component external to the sensor array regarding the information.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the processing, client or server component is part of a client-server system.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the sensor includes a transceiver for receiving and transmitting data.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the transceiver is configured to transmit data to a center that processes commands associated with the weapon fire.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the information related to the acoustic event includes an azimuth to a source location of the weapon fire.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the information related to the acoustic event includes an azimuth to a source location of the weapon fire.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the information related to the acoustic event includes an azimuth to a source location of the weapon fire.

15. A computer readable medium having computer readable instructions embodied therein, the computer readable instructions executable to implement a method of processing weapon fire information, the method comprising:

processing, via a processor, acoustic signals received at a sensor microphone to detect an acoustic event;

determining, via a GPS receiver, a position of a sensor containing the sensor microphone that detects the acoustic event, wherein the sensor is part of an array of sensors and has an associated display;

processing, via a processing, client or server component in communication with the processor, information related to the acoustic event; and

communicating with a component external to the sensor array regarding the information.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the processing, client or server component is part of a client-server system.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the sensor comprises a transceiver for receiving and transmitting data.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the transceiver transmits data to a center that processes commands associated with the weapon fire.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the information related to the acoustic event includes an azimuth to a source location of the weapon fire.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the information related to the acoustic event includes an azimuth to a source location of the weapon fire.