Spatial monitoring system and spatial monitoring method using an audio signal

Abstract

The present invention relates to a space monitoring system and a space monitoring method using acoustic signals. The present invention presents a technique for constructing a database by organizing the frequency response of a space and related data so as to easily, quickly, and accurately determine the situation with respect to a space to be monitored, and a technique for performing space monitoring using the same.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a space monitoring system and a space monitoring method using acoustic signals. The present invention presents a technique for constructing a database by organizing the frequency response of a space and related data so that the situation of a monitoring target space can be easily, quickly, and accurately judged, and a technique for performing space monitoring using the same.

Background Art

[0002] The frequency response of a space is to emit sounds of different frequencies using a speaker or the like in the space, receive the sound using a microphone or the like, and measure the intensity or phase of the sound for each frequency. If the measured frequency response of the space is represented by a graph, the X-axis represents the frequency and the Y-axis represents the intensity or phase of the sound. If there is movement, temperature change, gas leakage, etc. in the monitoring target space, the frequency response of the space measured at this time will be different from the frequency response that becomes the reference value. Thus, a technique for detecting various situations such as intrusion, fire occurrence, gas leakage, etc. in the monitoring target space by measuring the frequency response of the space has been presented.

[0003] The conventional technique emits a composite sound of multiple frequencies, receives the emitted sound, and determines whether an abnormal change has occurred in the monitoring target space by comparing the sound pressure for each frequency of the received sound with a specific reference value. By the way, in order for such a situation judgment to be accurate, the "reference value" must accurately reflect the normal state of the monitoring target space. By the way, since the normal state of the monitoring target space changes at any time, it is difficult to set the reference value to match the variable normal state of the monitoring target space.

[0004] Moreover, a high level of proficiency is required to judge the space situation using the measured sound pressure information for each frequency, and there is also a problem that a considerable amount of time is required for data interpretation. In particular, when there is noise in the measured sound pressure information for each frequency, not only do such problems become more prominent, but the reliability of the judgment made by data interpretation also greatly decreases.

[0005] Also, according to the prior art, when accumulating and storing the measured acoustic signal or frequency-specific sound pressure information, there is a problem that the amount of stored data becomes extremely large.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] The present invention has been devised to solve the problems of the prior art as described above, and presents a scheme for constructing a database so that the situation can be judged easily, quickly, and accurately in a space monitoring system using acoustic signals.

[0007] According to the present invention, problems such as those caused by the comparison target reference value being unable to accurately reflect the normal state of the monitored space, the measured data being difficult to interpret quickly and accurately, the reliability of the data analysis results decreasing in a noisy environment, and the cumulative amount of the measured data increasing are greatly improved.

[0008] The object of the present invention is not limited to those described above, and other objects and advantages of the present invention not described above can be understood from the following description.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0009] One embodiment of the space monitoring method according to the present invention includes a measured value information generation step of generating measured value information about the frequency response of a space measured at a specific time point or a specific time interval, and a measured value information storage step of matching the specific time point or the specific time interval with the measured value information and storing it in a database. The database can be constructed by repeating the measured value information generation step and the measured value information storage step over time.

[0010] Furthermore, it further includes a measured value reliability evaluation information generation step of evaluating the reliability of the measured value information and generating measured value reliability evaluation information. The measured value information storage step can match and store the specific time point or the specific time interval with the measured value information and the measured value reliability evaluation information.

[0011] Furthermore, a comparison value information generation step of generating comparison value information by comparing the measurement value information at the specific point in time or the specific time period with the measurement value information at one or more other points in time or other time periods, and a comparison value information storage step of matching the specific point in time and the compared other points in time or the specific time period and the compared other time periods with the comparison value information and storing them in a database are further included, and the database can be constructed by repeatedly performing the comparison value information generation step and the comparison value information storage step.

[0012] Preferably, a comparison value information generation step of generating comparison value information by comparing the measurement value information at the specific point in time or the specific time period with the measurement value information at one or more other points in time or other time periods, a comparison value reliability evaluation information generation step of evaluating the reliability of the comparison value information based on the measurement value reliability evaluation information for each measurement value information corresponding to the comparison value information to generate comparison value reliability evaluation information, and a comparison value information storage step of matching the specific point in time and the compared other points in time or the specific time period and the compared other time periods with the comparison value information and the comparison value reliability evaluation information and storing them in a database are further included, and the database can be constructed by repeatedly performing the comparison value information generation step to the comparison value information storage step.

[0013] As an example, the database can be constructed by independently repeating the measurement value information storage step from the measurement value information generation step and the comparison value information storage step from the comparison value information generation step.

[0014] As an example, the measurement value reliability evaluation information generation step can generate measurement value reliability evaluation information for the measurement value information by evaluating at least one of noise, measurement safety, spectral variability, and the appropriateness of frequency resolution for the measurement value information.

[0015] As an example, in the comparison value information storage stage, the comparison value information is matched on a coordinate table composed of the specific time point and other compared time points or the specific time interval and other compared time intervals to generate a multi-dimensional data table, and the multi-dimensional data table can be stored in a database.

[0016] As an example, it can further include a multi-dimensional data table storage stage of generating a multi-dimensional data table by matching a plurality of the comparison value information stored on a coordinate table composed of a specific time point and other compared time points or a specific time interval and other compared time intervals, and storing the multi-dimensional data table in a database.

[0017] As an example, in the comparison value information storage stage, the comparison value information and the comparison value reliability evaluation information are matched on a coordinate table composed of the specific time point and other compared time points or the specific time interval and other compared time intervals to generate a multi-dimensional data table, and the multi-dimensional data table can be stored in a database.

[0018] As an example, it can further include a multi-dimensional data table storage stage of generating a multi-dimensional data table by matching a plurality of the comparison value information and a plurality of the comparison value reliability evaluation information on a coordinate table composed of a specific time point and other compared time points or a specific time interval and other compared time intervals, and storing the multi-dimensional data table in a database.

[0019] As an example, it can further include a spatial situation information providing stage of providing a user with a multi-dimensional data table generated based on the comparison value information.

[0020] As an example, it can further include a spatial situation information providing stage of providing a user with a multi-dimensional data table generated based on the comparison value information and the comparison value reliability evaluation information.

[0021] In addition, an embodiment of the space monitoring system according to the present invention can include information generation means for generating measurement value information regarding the frequency response of a space measured at a specific point in time or a specific time period, and database construction means for matching and organizing and storing the specific point in time or specific time period and the measurement value information.

[0022] Preferably, the information generation means further generates measurement value reliability evaluation information by evaluating the reliability of the measurement value information, and the database construction means can match and store the specific point in time or specific time period, the measurement value information, and the measurement value reliability evaluation information.

[0023] Furthermore, the information generation means further generates comparison value information by comparing the measurement value information of a specific point in time or a specific time period with the measurement value information of one or more other points in time or other time periods, and the database construction means can match and further store the specific point in time and the other compared points in time or the specific time period and the other compared time periods with the comparison value information.

[0024] As an example, the information generation means further generates comparison value information by comparing the measurement value information of a specific point in time or a specific time period with the measurement value information of one or more other points in time or other time periods, evaluates the reliability of the comparison value information based on the measurement value reliability evaluation information for each measurement value information corresponding to the comparison value information to further generate comparison value reliability evaluation information, and the database construction means can match and further store the specific point in time and the other compared points in time or the specific time period and the other compared time periods, the comparison value information, and the comparison value reliability evaluation information.

[0025] As an example, the database construction means can match the comparison value information on a coordinate table composed of the specific point in time and the other compared points in time or the specific time period and the other compared time periods to generate a multi-dimensional data table, and store the multi-dimensional data table in the database.

[0026] As an example, the database construction means matches the comparison value information and the comparison value reliability evaluation information on a coordinate table composed of the specific time point and other compared time points or the specific time interval and other compared time intervals to generate a multi-dimensional data table, and can store the multi-dimensional data table in the database.

[0027] As an example, it may further include a spatial situation determination means for providing a user with a multi-dimensional data table generated based on the comparison value information or providing a user with a multi-dimensional data table generated based on the comparison value information and the comparison value reliability evaluation information.

Advantages of the Invention

[0028] In the prior art, it was necessary to set appropriate reference value information as a comparison target for the measured information. By the way, in the present invention, since the measured information is compared with each other, not only is it not necessary to separately set the reference value information, but also the situation of the space can be grasped more accurately than when setting the reference value information.

[0029] Furthermore, by storing reliability evaluation information for the measured value information or reliability evaluation information for the comparison value information in the database, accuracy and reliability can be ensured when making a situation determination for the monitored target space.

[0030] Also, according to the present invention, by providing a multi-dimensional data table for the comparison value information to an administrator or a user as visual information, the administrator or the user can immediately recognize the situation occurring in the target space without difficulty.

[0031] Also, by sequentially arranging and storing the comparison value information obtained by comparing the measured value information at a specific time point with the measured value information at other time points in chronological order, a database can be constructed while significantly reducing the capacity of the stored data.

[0032] The effects of the present invention are not limited to those mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned will be clearly understandable to those with ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention pertains from the following description.

Brief Description of the Drawings

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BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0034] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited or restricted by the embodiments.

[0035] To explain the present invention, the operational advantages of the present invention, and the objectives achieved by the implementation of the present invention, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be illustrated below and described in detail with reference thereto.

[0036] First, the terms used in this application are for explaining specific embodiments only and are not intended to limit the present invention. The singular form can include the plural form unless otherwise clearly indicated in the context. Also, in this application, terms such as "including" or "having" are intended to specify the presence of features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification, and should not be understood as precluding the possibility of the presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

[0037] In the description of the present invention, when it is determined that a detailed description of related known configurations or functions may obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description will be omitted.

[0038] The present invention presents a solution for constructing a database for spatial frequency response related information so as to easily, quickly, and accurately determine the situation of a space to be monitored, and a technique for performing space monitoring using the same.

[0039] In the present invention, the expression "constructing a database" is used to mean including not only the case of organizing and storing information in a permanent storage medium such as a hard disk, but also the case of storing information in a temporary storage medium such as a buffer.

[0040] The present invention relates to a "space monitoring system" and a "space monitoring method" using acoustic signals. First, the space monitoring system according to the present invention will be described.

[0041] FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an embodiment of the space monitoring system according to the present invention.

[0042] The space monitoring system can include an information generation means 100, a database construction means 200, a space situation determination means 300, etc. The information generation means 100, the database construction means 200, the space situation determination means 300, etc. can be configured as a single device and arranged at the same position, or can be configured as different devices from each other and arranged at different positions separated from each other.

[0043] The information generation means 100 can measure the spatial frequency response in a target space at a specific time point or a specific time interval, and generate measurement value information about this. Further, the information generation means 100 can compare a plurality of pieces of measurement value information with each other to generate comparison value information. Also, the information generation means 100 can evaluate the reliability of the measurement value information to generate measurement value reliability evaluation information, and evaluate the reliability of the comparison value information to generate comparison value reliability evaluation information.

[0044] The database construction means 200 can construct a database for determining the space situation for the target space by organizing and processing various data generated by the information generation means 100 and storing them cumulatively.

[0045] As an example, the database construction means 200 can receive the measured value information from the information generation means 100, arrange and store the measured value information in chronological order. Further, the database construction means 200 can receive the comparison value information from the information generation means 100 and generate and store a multi-dimensional data table based on this. Also. The database construction means 200 can also generate and store a higher-dimensional data table by reflecting the comparison value reliability evaluation information in the comparison value information.

[0046] The space situation determination means 300 can determine the situation of the target space based on the frequency response of the space measured by the information generation means 100. Here, the space situation determination means 300 can utilize the database constructed by the database construction means 200 to determine the immediate space situation within a shorter time.

[0047] Furthermore, the space situation determination means 300 can provide the multi-dimensional data table stored in the database construction means 200 in a visual form so that the administrator or user can more easily grasp the situation of the target space.

[0048] That is, the space situation determination means 300 can provide a visual multi-dimensional data table corresponding to the situation determination information about the target space determined by the system, thereby eliminating the situation determination error for the target space and enhancing the situation determination reliability.

[0049] Each component of the space monitoring system according to the present invention will be described in more detail based on an embodiment.

[0050] FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of an embodiment of the information generation means of the space monitoring system according to the present invention.

[0051] The information generation means 100 can include a frequency response measurement unit 110, a measured value information generation unit 130, a comparison value information generation unit 150, a reliability information generation unit 170, and the like.

[0052] As an example, the frequency response measurement unit 110 includes an acoustic signal emitter 111, an acoustic signal processor 113, an acoustic signal receiver 115, etc., and can measure the frequency response of the space to the target space via the acoustic signal.

[0053] The acoustic signal emitter 111 includes means for emitting an acoustic signal, such as a speaker, and can emit an acoustic signal into the target space. Here, the acoustic signal emitter 111 can emit various forms of acoustic signals.

[0054] As an example, the acoustic signal emitter 111 can emit an acoustic signal of a single tone whose frequency changes with time, although it emits only a single frequency of sound at a specific time. Here, it can also emit an acoustic signal of a single tone whose frequency changes linearly with time, or can emit an acoustic signal of a single tone whose frequency changes step by step over time while maintaining the same frequency for a certain period of time.

[0055] Alternatively, it can emit an acoustic signal of a synthesized sound including a plurality of frequency components whose frequencies do not change with time. Alternatively, it can emit an acoustic signal of a synthesized sound composed of a plurality of frequency components whose frequencies change with time. Alternatively, it can emit an acoustic signal in which a single tone and a synthesized sound alternate.

[0056] Also, the acoustic signal emitter 111 can emit an acoustic signal via a single speaker, or can emit an acoustic signal via a plurality of speakers. When emitting an acoustic signal via a plurality of speakers, the same acoustic signal can be emitted, or different acoustic signals can be emitted respectively.

[0057] The acoustic signal receiver 115 can include various measuring means such as a microphone that can measure sound pressure, sound intensity, and the like. The acoustic signal receiver 115 can receive an acoustic signal via a single microphone or can also receive an acoustic signal via a plurality of microphones.

[0058] The acoustic signal emitter 111 and the acoustic signal receiver 115 can be configured as a single device and arranged at the same position, or the acoustic signal emitter 111 and the acoustic signal receiver 115 can be configured as different devices and arranged at different positions separated from each other.

[0059] The acoustic signal processor 113 can provide an acoustic signal to be emitted into the target space to the acoustic signal emitter 111. Further, the acoustic signal processor 113 can measure the frequency response of the space based on the acoustic signal received by the acoustic signal receiver 115.

[0060] As an example, in the case where the acoustic signal is a composite sound composed of a plurality of frequency components, the acoustic signal processor 113 can convert the received acoustic signal into the frequency domain by Fourier transform (FT) or fast Fourier transform (FFT) to measure the frequency response of the space. As another example, in the case where the acoustic signal is a single sound whose frequency changes with time, the sound pressure or phase value that changes with time can be measured and replaced with the sound pressure or phase value information that changes with frequency. Therefore, in such a case, the acoustic signal processor 113 can measure the frequency response of the space immediately without going through the process of Fourier-transforming the received acoustic signal.

[0061] As in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the frequency response measurement unit 110 can be included as a configuration of the information generation means 100, but depending on the situation, the frequency response measurement unit 110 can also be configured as a separate terminal separated from the information generation means 100 as a separate device.

[0062] The measurement value information generation unit 130 can generate measurement value information including frequency response information of a space measured at a specific time point or within a specific time interval. Hypothetically, the measurement value information generation unit 130 can be transmitted the frequency response information of the space measured by the frequency response measurement unit 110 at a specific time point or within a specific time interval, and can generate measurement value information including the time point information or the time interval information and the frequency response information of the space.

[0063] Then, the measurement value information generated by the measurement value information generation unit 130 can be transmitted to the database construction means 200 and can be organized and stored.

[0064] The comparison value information generation unit 150 can generate comparison value information by comparing the measurement value information at a specific time point or within a specific time interval with the measurement value information at another time point or within another time interval.

[0065] As an example, the comparison value information generation unit 150 can generate comparison value information by comparing the measurement value information at the current time point or within the current time interval generated by the measurement value information generation unit 130 with the measurement value information at another time point or within another time interval stored in the database construction means 200. Alternatively, the comparison value information generation unit 150 can also generate comparison value information by comparing a plurality of pieces of measurement value information stored in the database construction means 200 with each other. That is, the comparison value information generation unit 150 can generate information in conjunction with the measurement value information generation unit 130 in terms of time, or can also generate information independently.

[0066] The comparison value information generated by the comparison value information generation unit 150 can be organized and stored in the database construction means 200.

[0067] The reliability information generation unit 170 can evaluate the reliability of the measurement value information to generate measurement value reliability evaluation information. Also, the reliability information generation unit 170 can evaluate the reliability of the comparison value information to generate comparison value reliability evaluation information.

[0068] As an example, the reliability information generation unit 170 can evaluate one or more of various reliability evaluation factors such as noise with respect to the measured value information, measurement safety, spectrum variability, and appropriateness of frequency resolution to evaluate the reliability of the measured value information, and generate measurement value reliability evaluation information based on this.

[0069] As an example, the reliability information generation unit 170 can evaluate the reliability of the comparison value information based on the measurement value reliability evaluation information for each measurement value information corresponding to the comparison value information, and generate comparison value reliability evaluation information based on this. For example, the reliability information generation unit 170 can select the minimum value from the measurement value reliability evaluation information for each measurement value information corresponding to the comparison value information or calculate a multiplication value, and generate this as the comparison value reliability evaluation information for the comparison value information. The generation of the comparison value reliability evaluation information can be performed in time linkage with the generation of the measurement value reliability evaluation information, or can be performed independently.

[0070] In this way, by including the above-described configuration, the information generation means 100 can periodically measure the spatial frequency response of the target space or in response to a control signal, generate and provide various data for constructing a database based on this, and can also provide it as real-time data for situation determination of the target space.

[0071] FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of an embodiment of the database construction means of the space monitoring system according to the present invention.

[0072] The database construction means 200 can include a measured value information processing unit 210, a comparison value information processing unit 230, a data management unit 250, a database 260, and the like. The database 260 can be configured as a single integrated storage medium, or can be configured as a storage medium separated into a measured value information storage unit 270 and a comparison value information storage unit 290.

[0073] The measurement value information processing unit 210 can sort the measurement value information measured at a specific point in time or within a specific time period in chronological order in conjunction with the information generation means 100 and store it in the database 260. Preferably, the measurement value information processing unit 210 can store the measurement value information in the measurement value information storage unit 270 corresponding to a specific point in time or a specific time period. Here, the measurement value information storage unit 270 can include various storage means or a temporary storage buffer for storing the measurement value information.

[0074] As an example, when the information generation means 100 evaluates the reliability of the measurement value information, the measurement value information processing unit 210 can also select only the measurement value information whose reliability evaluation for the measurement value information is equal to or higher than the reference value and store it in the measurement value information storage unit 270.

[0075] Also, the measurement value information processing unit 210 can match the measurement value information and the measurement value reliability evaluation information and store them in the measurement value information storage unit 270.

[0076] The comparison value information processing unit 230 can receive the comparison value information in conjunction with the information generation means 100, sort and process it, and store it in the comparison value information storage unit 290.

[0077] As an example, the comparison value information processing unit 230 can match a specific point in time corresponding to the comparison value information and another point in time to be compared with it, or a specific time period corresponding to the comparison value information and another time period to be contrasted with it to the comparison value information to generate a multi-dimensional data table in chronological order and store it in the comparison value information storage unit 290. Here, the comparison value information processing unit 230 can also generate a numerical multi-dimensional data table with the data values of the comparison value information, or can generate a visual multi-dimensional data table by expressing the data values of the comparison value information with various elements such as light and dark, color, size, height, etc.

[0078] Furthermore, the comparison value information processing unit 230 can also generate a multi-dimensional data table in time sequence reflecting the comparison value reliability evaluation information for the comparison value information.

[0079] As an example, the comparison value information processing unit 230 can generate a higher-dimensional data table by reflecting the comparison value reliability evaluation information in the multi-dimensional data table for the comparison value information. Here, the comparison value information processing unit 230 can also generate a numerical multi-dimensional data table by matching the data value of the comparison value information and the data value of the comparison value reliability evaluation information, or can generate a visual multi-dimensional data table expressed in various elements such as brightness, color, size, and height by matching the data value of the comparison value information and the data value of the comparison value reliability evaluation information.

[0080] In addition, the comparison value information processing unit 230 can store the multi-dimensional data table in which the comparison value reliability evaluation information is reflected in the comparison value information in the comparison value information storage unit 290.

[0081] The data management unit 250 can maintain and manage the data and data tables stored in the measurement value information storage unit 270 and the comparison value information storage unit 290.

[0082] As an example, when the number of measurement value information stored in the measurement value information storage unit 270 exceeds a predetermined holding number or the holding time of the stored measurement value information exceeds a predetermined holding time, the data management unit 250 can sequentially remove the older measurement value information from the measurement value information storage unit 270 in the measured time order.

[0083] In this way, by including the above-described configuration, the database construction means 200 can organize and process the measurement value information and the comparison value information and store them cumulatively, and can provide the stored data when making a situation judgment on the target space.

[0084] In particular, the database construction means 200 can significantly improve the data processing speed for the space situation judgment of the space situation judgment means 300 by providing not only the measurement value information corresponding to the spatial frequency response but also the comparison value information obtained by comparing the measurement value information at different times or in different time intervals to the multi-dimensional data table for the space situation judgment means 300.

[0085] FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram of an embodiment of the spatial situation determination means of the spatial monitoring system according to the present invention.

[0086] The spatial situation determination means 300 can include a data analysis unit 310, an event situation determination unit 330, a situation information providing unit 350, and the like.

[0087] The data analysis unit 310 can receive measurement value information of a specific time point or a specific time period from the information generation means 100 and receive measurement value information of a plurality of other time points or a plurality of other time periods from the database construction means 200. Then, the data analysis unit 310 can analyze the degree of change and the change pattern of the measurement value information by comparing the measurement value information of a specific time point or a specific time period with the measurement value information of a plurality of other time points or a plurality of other time periods.

[0088] Alternatively, the data analysis unit 310 can also receive a multidimensional data table from the database construction means 200 and analyze the degree of change and the change pattern of the comparison value information.

[0089] The event situation determination unit 330 can determine the situation of the target space based on the analysis result of the data analysis unit 310.

[0090] As an example, the event situation determination unit 330 can determine the situation of the target space by comparing the analysis results such as the degree of change and the change pattern of the measurement value information and the degree of change and the change pattern of the comparison value information with the situation-specific information held in advance.

[0091] In this way, the data analysis unit 310 can analyze the data stored in the database construction means 200, and the event situation determination unit 330 can determine the situation for the target space based on the analysis result.

[0092] The situation information providing unit 350 can provide the state information of the target space determined by the event situation determination unit 330.

[0093] The status information provided by the status information providing unit 350 can include various event status information such as intrusion into the target space, fire, etc. Further, the status information can include a multi-dimensional data table that visually represents the current status. As an example, the status information providing unit 350 can extract and provide the visual multi-dimensional data table stored in the database construction means 200. Alternatively, the status information providing unit 350 can extract the numerical multi-dimensional data table stored in the database construction means 200 and use it to generate and provide a visual multi-dimensional data table. Here, a visual multi-dimensional data table that represents data with various elements such as brightness, color, size, height, etc. can be generated and provided to the user.

[0094] Furthermore, the status information providing unit 350 can provide a multi-dimensional data table that visually represents the reference status together with the multi-dimensional data table that visually represents the current status. Here, the visual multi-dimensional data table for the reference status information can be a typical visual multi-dimensional data table corresponding to the event status such as intrusion, fire, etc., and the status information providing unit 350 can hold the multi-dimensional data table corresponding to each reference status in advance. Thereby, the user or the administrator can visually compare the multi-dimensional data table for the current status and the multi-dimensional data table for the reference status, and immediately recognize the current status of the target space.

[0095] Thus, the present invention presents a space monitoring system that can construct a database for organizing and storing various situation-specific analysis data and accurately judge the space situation immediately based on this.

[0096] In addition, the present invention presents a space monitoring method using an acoustic signal. Hereinafter, the space monitoring method according to the present invention will be described with reference to the embodiments of the space monitoring system according to the present invention described above. First, the database construction process of the space monitoring system will be described based on the embodiments, and the space situation monitoring process using the constructed database will be described based on the embodiments.

[0097] FIG. 5 is a flowchart of an example of the database construction process of the space monitoring method according to the present invention.

[0098] The information generation means 100 can measure the frequency response of the space with respect to the target space (S110), and generate measurement value information based on this (S120).

[0099] As an example, the information generation means 100 can emit an acoustic signal into the target space and receive the acoustic signal of the target space. Here, as described above, the acoustic signal can be various acoustic signals such as an acoustic signal of a synthesized sound composed of a plurality of frequency components, an acoustic signal of a single sound whose frequency changes with time, or an acoustic signal in which the synthesized sound and the single sound alternate.

[0100] The information generation means 100 can measure the sound pressure or phase for each frequency based on the acoustic signal received at a specific time point or a specific time interval.

[0101] As an example, when using an acoustic signal of a synthesized sound composed of a plurality of frequency components, the received acoustic signal can be converted into the frequency domain by a Fourier Transform algorithm or a Fast Fourier Transform algorithm to measure the sound pressure for each frequency.

[0102] As another example, when using an acoustic signal of a single sound whose frequency changes with time, since an acoustic of a specific single frequency is emitted at a specific time point, the information generation means 100 can also measure the frequency response of the space by converting the measured sound pressure value or phase value at the specific time point into a sound pressure value or phase value according to the emission frequency. That is, in this case, since the sound pressure value according to the frequency is measured almost in real time, Fourier transform may not be necessary separately.

[0103] The information generation means 100 can generate measurement value information by associating specific time point information or specific time interval information with the measured frequency response information of the space.

[0104] The information generation means 100 transmits the measured value information to the database construction means 200, and the database construction means 200 can arrange and store the measured value information in chronological order (S140).

[0105] Preferably, the information generation means 100 can evaluate the reliability of the measured value information (S130). As an example, the information generation means 100 can evaluate one or more of various reliability evaluation elements such as noise, measurement safety, spectrum variability, and appropriateness of frequency resolution for the measured value information. Then, the information generation means 100 can further generate measured value reliability evaluation information for the measured value information.

[0106] The database construction means 200 can match the measured value reliability evaluation information to the measured value information, and arrange and store this in chronological order (S140).

[0107] As an example, when the reliability evaluation of the measured value information is performed, the information generation means 100 can provide only the measured value information for which the measured value reliability evaluation information is equal to or greater than the reference value to the database construction means 200. Alternatively, the information generation means 100 transmits the measured value reliability evaluation information together with the measured value information to the database construction means 200, and the database construction means 200 can also select and store only the measured value information for which the measured value reliability evaluation information is equal to or greater than the reference value.

[0108] As yet another example, regardless of whether the measured value reliability evaluation information is equal to or greater than the reference value, the database construction means 200 can match the measured value reliability evaluation information to the measured value information, and arrange and store this in chronological order.

[0109] The information generation means 100 and the database construction means 200 can repeatedly execute the above process periodically or in response to a control signal to construct a database (S150).

[0110] Furthermore, the database construction means 200 can maintain and manage the stored data (S160). As an example, when the number of stored measurement value information exceeds a certain number or exceeds a certain holding time, the database construction means 200 can remove and organize the old measurement value information.

[0111] In this regard, FIG. 6 shows an example of maintaining and managing a database in the database construction process of the space monitoring method according to the present invention.

[0112] Referring to FIG. 6, the database construction means 200 can store sequential measurement value information 420a, 420b, 420n at 3-second intervals from 0 seconds to 60 seconds as the measurement value information data 400. When new measurement value information 410 for the current time is transmitted as time passes, the database construction means 200 can delete the measurement value information 430 at a past time that has passed 60 seconds or more based on the current time, and organize and store the new measurement value information 410 at the current time in chronological order.

[0113] This is an example, and the measurement value information stored in the database construction means 200 can be continuously deleted and updated according to the set holding time or the set holding number. Here, the set holding time and the holding number can be appropriately changed as needed.

[0114] Next, the process of evaluating the reliability of the measurement value information based on various reliability evaluation elements according to the present invention will be described.

[0115] FIG. 7 is a flowchart of an example of evaluating the reliability of measurement value information in the database construction process of the space monitoring method according to the present invention.

[0116] When the measurement value information is generated (S210), the information generation means 100 can evaluate the reliability of the measurement value information by various evaluation elements.

[0117] As an example, noise with respect to the measured value information can be evaluated (S220). Also, the safety of the measurement can be evaluated (S230). Also, the spectral variability of the measured value information can be evaluated (S240). Also, the frequency resolution compatibility of the measured value information can be evaluated (S250). Such reliability evaluation elements are just an example, and various evaluation elements capable of confirming the reliability with respect to the measured value information can be considered.

[0118] The information generation means 100 can selectively evaluate any one or more of various reliability evaluation elements such as noise evaluation, measurement safety evaluation, spectral variability evaluation, and frequency resolution compatibility evaluation, or can evaluate a plurality of evaluation elements simultaneously.

[0119] Then, the information generation means 100 can generate measured value reliability evaluation information by reflecting the evaluation result by the reliability evaluation element (S260). The information generation means 100 can generate measured value reliability evaluation information including the evaluation results by a plurality of reliability evaluation elements individually. Alternatively, a single comprehensive evaluation result obtained by integrating a plurality of evaluation results by a plurality of reliability evaluation elements can also be generated as the measured value reliability evaluation information.

[0120] As an example, when the information generation means 100 calculates the evaluation result by the reliability evaluation element as a numerical value or a level, the information generation means 100 can select the lowest value or the lowest level evaluation result among the evaluation results for each reliability evaluation element, or can generate the measured value reliability evaluation information using the product value of the evaluation result values for each reliability evaluation element.

[0121] Each reliability evaluation element for evaluating the reliability with respect to the measured value information will be described more specifically.

[0122] Regarding the noise evaluation with respect to the measured value information, FIG. 8 shows an example of the "noise" evaluation which is one of the measured value reliability evaluations with respect to the measured value information in the database construction process according to the present invention.

[0123] When noise that occurs temporarily or continuously in the target space is received mixed in the acoustic signal, errors may occur in grasping the situation of the space due to the noise. There may be an error in misjudging that a specific situation that did not actually occur has occurred in the space, or an error may occur in which the noise prevents recognition of an emergency situation even when it has occurred.

[0124] Due to such inflow of noise, the sensing reliability of the space monitoring system may be greatly reduced. In particular, when a plurality of frequency response measurement units 110 are arranged in adjacent spaces, the acoustic signals emitted from other frequency response measurement units can act as noise on a specific frequency response measurement unit. Thus, arranging a plurality of frequency response measurement units to more densely monitor the monitoring target space may rather cause a decrease in the monitoring performance of the space monitoring system.

[0125] According to the present invention, the reliability information generation unit 170 of the information generation means 100 can evaluate the noise with respect to the measured value information and generate the measured value reliability evaluation information.

[0126] The reliability information generation unit 170 receives the transmission (S321) of the measured value information generated by the frequency response measurement unit 110, and can evaluate the noise with respect to the measured value information by applying various methods such as envelope analysis, frequency component analysis, and pause time interval analysis to the measured value information.

[0127] As one method of noise evaluation, the noise can be evaluated by envelope analysis (S322) with respect to the measured value information. If the envelope with respect to the measured value information is detected, the noise can be evaluated by comparing the form and size of the detected envelope with the envelope of the reference value.

[0128] As another method of noise evaluation, noise can be evaluated by frequency component analysis (S323) of measurement value information. If frequency components other than the frequency components of the acoustic signal emitted into the target space appear as sound pressure above a certain level in the measurement value information, this can be evaluated as the presence of noise. Alternatively, if the frequency response of the measurement value information differs from the normal frequency response by more than a certain criterion, it can be evaluated that noise has flowed in.

[0129] Alternatively, the measurement value information can be filtered by a frequency filter to measure the intensity of frequency components other than the frequency of the acoustic signal emitted into the target space, and the noise can be evaluated. If there is no external noise at all, no sound should be received in frequency regions other than the frequency of the acoustic signal emitted from the frequency response measurement unit 110. However, if sound pressure above a certain level is measured in a frequency region other than the frequency of the emitted acoustic signal, it can be evaluated that noise has flowed in.

[0130] Such a method starts from the reasonable assumption that when noise of a frequency component different from the frequency of the emitted acoustic signal is measured, there is a high probability of causing an error in the process of grasping the spatial situation, whether noise of the same frequency component as the emitted acoustic signal is also included or not.

[0131] As yet another method for noise evaluation, when the activation time interval and the rest time interval are divided and sound is emitted into the target space only during the activation time interval, the noise for the rest time intervals before and after a specific activation time interval is analyzed (S324), and based on this, the noise for the specific activation time interval can be evaluated. For example, if it is evaluated that there is noise in the rest time interval before or after a specific activation time interval, it can be determined that the measurement value information for the specific activation time interval is likely to contain noise.

[0132] Furthermore, the various noise evaluation methods described above can be selectively or superimposedly applied to evaluate the noise with respect to the measurement value information (S325). Through the above process, the noise can be evaluated as one of the measurement value reliability evaluation elements with respect to the measurement value information.

[0133] Then, measurement value reliability evaluation information for the measurement value information can be generated based on the noise evaluation result. For example, measurement value reliability evaluation information can be generated to distinguish whether noise has flowed into the measurement value information. Alternatively, the degree of noise inflow can be converted into a numerical value or classified by level to generate measurement value reliability evaluation information for the measurement value information.

[0134] FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 show an example of the "measurement safety" evaluation, which is one of the measurement value reliability evaluation methods for measurement value information, in the database construction process according to the present invention.

[0135] When there is no situation change in the same target space, it can be said that the safety of the space monitoring system is ensured only when there is no significant difference between the frequency responses of the repeatedly measured spaces. If the frequency responses of the space are measured differently even though there is no situation variation in the same target space, the reliability of the space monitoring system may decrease. By the way, the reliability (measurement safety) of the space monitoring system can vary depending on, for example, the frequency of the emitted acoustic signal.

[0136] To determine the measurement safety, the frequency response measurement unit 110 of the information generation means 100 repeatedly emits an acoustic signal into the target space (S331) and receives the acoustic signal of the target space (S332). Then, the frequency response of the space can be repeatedly measured using the received acoustic signal (S333).

[0137] The frequency response measurement unit 110 of the information generation means 100 can acquire measurement value information during the set number of times (S334). Then, the reliability information generation unit 170 of the information generation means 100 analyzes the correlation or similarity for each measurement value information (S335), and based on this, can evaluate the safety of the measurement for the emitted acoustic signal (S336).

[0138] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the spatial frequency response in the sound pressure spectrum. Assume a case where the emission and reception of the same acoustic signal are repeatedly performed on the target space to obtain a first sound pressure spectrum 511 as shown in FIG. 10(a) and a second sound pressure spectrum 512 as shown in FIG. 10(b).

[0139] If the correlation between the first sound pressure spectrum 511 and the second sound pressure spectrum 512 is analyzed to grasp the degree of similarity, it can be evaluated that they are similar to or above the reference value. Eventually, it can be determined that the safety of the measurement is satisfied. When the safety of the measurement is satisfied at a certain level by repeatedly evaluating the safety of the measurement for the emitted acoustic signal, the emitted acoustic signal can be regarded as an acoustic signal suitable for monitoring the target space.

[0140] As a different case, assume a case where the emission and reception of the same acoustic signal are repeatedly performed on the target space to obtain a first sound pressure spectrum 511 as shown in FIG. 10(a) and a third sound pressure spectrum 513 as shown in FIG. 10(c).

[0141] When the correlation between the first sound pressure spectrum 511 and the third sound pressure spectrum 513 is analyzed to grasp the degree of similarity, it can be evaluated that they are not similar and are below the reference value. In this case, it can be determined that the safety of the measurement was not satisfied. In such a case, the emitted acoustic signal can be regarded as an acoustic signal not suitable for monitoring the target space. That is, the frequency response of the space measured by emitting such an acoustic signal may not be suitable for the situation judgment of the target space.

[0142] Through the above process, it is possible to evaluate the safety of measurement as one of the measurement value reliability evaluation elements. And based on the measurement safety evaluation result, it is possible to generate measurement value reliability evaluation information for distinguishing whether the measurement is safe and compliant with respect to the measurement value information. Or, it is possible to convert the degree of measurement safety into a numerical value or classify it by level to generate measurement value reliability evaluation information for the measurement value information.

[0143] FIG. 11 and FIG. 12 show an embodiment of the "spectral variability" evaluation, which is one of the methods for evaluating the reliability of measurement values with respect to measurement value information in the database construction process according to the present invention.

[0144] Taking the sound pressure spectrum as an example of the spatial frequency response, if the sound pressure of the spectrum measured by emitting a specific acoustic signal into the target space has a width greater than or equal to the reference range, it can be determined that the spectrum has appropriate variability. However, conversely, if the sound pressure of the measured spectrum has a width less than the reference range, since the spectrum does not have appropriate variability, it can be determined that it is not suitable to grasp the situation of the target space using such an acoustic signal.

[0145] By measuring the frequency shift between the repeatedly measured sound pressure spectra, the temperature change of the space can be grasped. The measurement precision of the frequency shift can be improved as the difference between the maximum value and the minimum value of the sound pressure values that change with frequency increases. If the difference between the maximum value and the minimum value of the sound pressure value is too small and the sound pressure spectrum appears as a flat curve, it is difficult to precisely measure the frequency shift. Therefore, it is necessary to select an acoustic signal in which the difference between the maximum value and the minimum value of the sound pressure value in the sound pressure spectrum is above a certain level.

[0146] As an example for determining the variability of a spectrum, the maximum and minimum values of the sound pressure are grasped from the measured sound pressure spectrum (S341). Then, the difference between the maximum value and the minimum value is calculated (S342), and by comparing this with the reference range (S343), the variability of the spectrum with respect to the acoustic signal can be evaluated (S344).

[0147] As an example for the evaluation of the variability of a spectrum, it will be described with reference to FIG. 12. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the spatial frequency response in the sound pressure spectrum.

[0148] Assume a case where a specific acoustic signal is emitted and received in the target space, and the fourth sound pressure spectrum 521 as shown in FIG. 12(a) is obtained. In the fourth sound pressure spectrum 521, the difference value between the maximum value MAX and the minimum value MIN of the sound pressure appears as H1. When the difference value H1 satisfies the set reference range, the variability of the spectrum can be satisfied. In this case, the frequency response of the space measured using the specific emitted acoustic signal used can ensure reliability in relation to the spectrum variability when sensing the temperature change of the space.

[0149] As a different case, assume a case where a specific acoustic signal is emitted and received in the target space, and the fifth sound pressure spectrum 522 as shown in FIG. 12(b) is obtained.

[0150] In the fifth sound pressure spectrum 522, the difference value between the maximum value MAX and the minimum value MIN of the sound pressure appears as H2. When the difference value H2 cannot satisfy the set reference range, the variability of the spectrum cannot be satisfied. In this case, measuring the frequency response of the space using the specific emitted acoustic signal used may not be suitable for sensing the temperature change of the target space.

[0151] In the above, the difference value between the maximum value and the minimum value of the spectral sound pressure value is used as a criterion for judging the variability of the spectrum. In addition, the degree of scattering such as the variance, standard deviation, mean deviation, and quartile deviation of the sound pressure value can also be used as a criterion for judging the variability of the spectrum.

[0152] By the above process, the variability of the spectrum can be evaluated as one of the measurement value reliability evaluation factors. And based on the spectrum variability evaluation result, if necessary, measurement value reliability evaluation information for classifying whether the spectrum variability conforms to the measurement value information can be generated. Or, the spectrum variability level can be converted into a numerical value or classified by level to generate measurement value reliability evaluation information for the measurement value information.

[0153] FIG. 13 and FIG. 14 show an example of the "appropriateness of frequency resolution", which is one of the methods for evaluating the reliability of measurement value information in the database construction process according to the present invention.

[0154] If the variability of the spectrum described above is satisfied but the appropriateness of the frequency resolution cannot be satisfied, there may be an error in the spatial frequency response measurement.

[0155] The frequency resolution refers to the interval between the closest distinguishable frequencies. If an acoustic signal of a synthesized sound including N frequency components is emitted to measure the spatial frequency response, the measured sound pressure spectrum can be represented by N points indicating the sound pressure of N frequencies. In this case, the frequency interval between each point can immediately become the resolution.

[0156] If the emitted sound is in the form of a sine sweep where a single frequency changes linearly with time, the measured sound pressure spectrum cannot be displayed at integer points but can be displayed as a curve. By the way, even if the spectrum is expressed as a curve, there is actually a resolution as the ability to distinguish the frequencies closest to a specific frequency. In this case, the resolution is determined by the performance of the components constituting the space monitoring system, the operating conditions or data processing conditions of the space monitoring system, the sampling rate, etc.

[0157] If there are too many peaks within the frequency band (window) of the spectrum, the spectrum cannot be accurately represented without ensuring sufficient resolution. In such a case, the spatial frequency response can be accurately measured only when the acoustic signal is changed so that the frequency resolution becomes appropriate.

[0158] As an example, comparing (a) and (b) of FIG. 14, in both cases, the difference between the maximum value and the minimum value of the sound pressure, that is, the variability of the spectrum is the same. However, in FIG. 14(a), spectrum 531 is relatively flat and the number of peaks within the window is small, while in FIG. 14(b), spectrum 532 is severely bent and the number of peaks within the window is large. Therefore, in the case of spectrum 531 as in FIG. 14(a), it can be represented at 20 points using 20 frequencies as an example. However, in order to normally represent spectrum 532 as in FIG. 14(b), it has to be represented at 200 points using 200 frequencies as an example. Thus, the frequency interval or the frequency resolution has to be that much narrower.

[0159] If it is evaluated that the frequency resolution is not appropriate, the center frequency can be changed to evaluate the appropriateness of the frequency resolution at the frequencies of other bands, or the resolution (for example, the frequency interval) itself can be adjusted while leaving the center frequency as it is.

[0160] As an example, the evaluation of the appropriateness of the frequency resolution can be determined based on the spectrum gradient. For example, assume that a single sound pressure spectrum is represented by the sound pressure values (vertical axis coordinate values) for N frequencies (horizontal axis coordinate values) having a frequency interval d. If the average of the absolute values of the spectrum gradients is small as shown in Fig. 14(a), the spectrum shape can be appropriately represented even if the frequency interval d is large. On the other hand, in the case of Fig. 14(b) where the average of the absolute values of the spectrum gradients is large, the spectrum can be completely represented only when the frequency interval d is sufficiently narrow.

[0161] When the spectrum is represented by the sound pressure values for N frequencies, there will be N - 1 absolute values of the differences between the sound pressure values between adjacent frequencies. The sum of the N - 1 values of p is divided by the window width d * and this can be the average of the absolute values of the spectrum waveform gradients. On the other hand, if the spectrum is represented by a curve, the sum of the absolute values of the differences between the maximum and minimum values for a large number of peaks present in the spectrum is divided by the window width, and this is the average of the absolute values of the spectrum gradients.

[0162] Referring to Fig. 13, to evaluate the appropriateness of the frequency resolution, the frequency band of the sound pressure spectrum is grasped (S351), the gradient of the spectrum waveform is grasped (S352), and the average value of the absolute values of the gradients is calculated (S353). Then, by comparing the calculated average value with the reference range (S354), the appropriateness of the frequency resolution can be evaluated (S355).

[0163] By the above process, the appropriateness of the frequency resolution, which is one of the reliability evaluation elements for the measured value information, can be evaluated. And based on the evaluation result of the appropriateness of the frequency resolution, if necessary, measurement value reliability evaluation information for classifying the appropriateness of the frequency resolution for the measured value information can be generated. Or, the degree of resolution appropriateness can be converted into a numerical value or classified by level to generate the measurement value reliability evaluation information for the measured value information.

[0164] The reliability information generation unit 170 of the information generation means 100 can generate measurement value reliability evaluation information that individually includes the evaluation results based on a plurality of reliability evaluation factors. Alternatively, it can also generate a single comprehensive evaluation result obtained by integrating a plurality of evaluation results based on a plurality of reliability evaluation factors as the measurement value reliability evaluation information.

[0165] In the present invention, the database construction means 200 can minimize the spatial situation grasping error and reduce the amount of data to be stored by matching and storing the above-described measurement value reliability evaluation information with the measurement value information.

[0166] The received acoustic signal itself has the most information, but its capacity is correspondingly large. For example, in order to measure the frequency response once, acoustic signals must be received for 3 seconds. At this time, if the voltage output from the microphone is measured 200,000 times per second with a precision of 2 bytes, ultimately 1.2 megabytes of data must be stored for one frequency response measurement.

[0167] By the way, if the received acoustic signal itself is not permanently stored and only the measured frequency response data is stored, and if one frequency response spectrum consists of 100 points with a precision of 2 bytes, then one frequency response measurement value will have a capacity of 200 bytes.

[0168] By the way, in this case, the amount of data to be stored is reduced by 6000 times, but instead, important information contained in the received acoustic signal itself may be lost. The most typical one is noise information.

[0169] The present invention stores 200-byte frequency response data instead of storing a received acoustic signal of 1.2 megabytes, for example. In addition, reliability information including noise is stored with a capacity of, for example, 2 bytes. Therefore, while significantly reducing the amount of data to be stored, important information such as measurement value reliability information that must not be lost is separately stored, so that reliability can be ensured when finally grasping the situation of the monitored space.

[0170] Furthermore, while storing the measured value information for a certain period of time, the present invention compares the measured value information at a specific point in time or in a specific time interval with the measured value information at another point in time or in another time interval to generate comparison value information, and arranges and stores this information in chronological order, thereby being able to further reduce the amount of stored data. For example, it takes 400 bytes of capacity to store two pieces of frequency response measurement value information, but in the present invention, by comparing two pieces of frequency response measurement values and storing the comparison value information, a capacity of 8 bytes may be sufficient.

[0171] In this regard, FIG. 15 is a flowchart of another embodiment for the database construction process of the space monitoring method according to the present invention.

[0172] When the information generation means 100 acquires the measured value information at a specific point in time or in a specific time interval (S410), it extracts the measured value information at another point in time or in another time interval stored from the measured value information storage unit 270 (S420). Then, the comparison value information generation unit 150 of the information generation means 100 can generate comparison value information by comparing the measured value information at a specific point in time with the measured value information at another point in time or the measured value information in a specific time interval with the measured value information in another time interval (S430) (S440).

[0173] Here, the comparison value information generation unit 150 of the information generation means 100 can generate comparison value information by comparing the measured value information with the same frequency with each other. As an example, the comparison value information can be generated based on the difference value between the measured value information at a specific point in time and the measured value information at another point in time. As another example, the comparison value information can also be generated based on the correlation analysis, frequency shift, etc. between the measured value information in a specific time interval and the measured value information in another time interval.

[0174] The comparison value information generation unit 150 can generate comparison value information by comparing the measured value information at a specific time point with all the measured value information or the selected measured value information of the same frequency at other time points stored in the measured value information storage unit 270. Alternatively, the comparison value information generation unit 150 can generate comparison value information by comparing the measured value information in a specific time period with all the measured value information or the selected measured value information in other time periods stored in the measured value information storage unit 270.

[0175] The comparison value information processing unit 230 of the database construction means 200 can match the comparison value information to the specific time point and the other time points compared therewith, or the specific time period and the other time periods compared therewith, and store it in the database 260.

[0176] As an example, the comparison value information processing unit 230 of the database construction means 200 can generate a multi-dimensional data table in chronological order for the comparison value information (S450). As an example, the database construction means 200 can also generate a numerical multi-dimensional data table with the data values of the comparison value information, or can also generate a visual multi-dimensional data table by expressing the data values of the comparison value information with various elements such as light and dark, color, size, height, etc.

[0177] And the generated multi-dimensional data table can be stored in the comparison value information storage unit 290.

[0178] When the comparison value information processing unit 230 obtains new comparison value information, it can continuously update the database 260 to construct a database for the comparison value information (S460). If new comparison value information is obtained as time passes, the comparison value information processing unit 230 can continuously update the multi-dimensional data table to construct a database for the comparison value information (S460).

[0179] In this embodiment, after the generation of the measurement value information, it has been described that the measurement value information is immediately compared with each other to generate the comparison value information. However, the generation of the measurement value information and the generation of the comparison value information can be performed independently. For example, while continuously adding measurement value information over time to construct a database, independently of the measurement value information generation process, the measurement value information stored in the database can be extracted periodically or in response to a control signal to generate the comparison value information.

[0180] Furthermore, when generating the comparison value information, a multi-dimensional data table can be immediately generated by reflecting this, or after constructing a database for the comparison value information, a multi-dimensional data table for the comparison value information can be generated periodically or selectively.

[0181] Here, the database construction means 200 can also generate a numerical multi-dimensional data table with the data values of the comparison value information, or can represent the data values of the comparison value information with various elements such as light and dark, color, size, height, etc. to generate a visual multi-dimensional data table. Regarding the multi-dimensional data table for the comparison value information, FIGS. 16 to 21 visually represent various situation-specific multi-dimensional data tables generated by the database construction process of the space monitoring method according to the present invention.

[0182] Due to the constraints of the patent application, the multi-dimensional data tables in the attached drawings are represented in black and white. However, since the inventor of the present invention has actually embodied the multi-dimensional data table in color, the following description will be based on the premise of a multi-dimensional data table embodied in color.

[0183] In FIGS. 16 to 21, the a value on the Y-axis indicates the time difference between a specific point in time or a specific time interval and the current point in time in units exceeding the unit. On the other hand, the b value on the X-axis is a relative value with respect to the a value, and indicates the time difference between the specific point in time or the specific time interval indicated by a and another point in time or another time interval to be compared with this in units exceeding the unit. In other words, FIGS. 16 to 21 compare the measured value information measured a seconds before the current point in time with the measured value information measured (a + b) seconds before the current point in time to generate comparison value information, and then show that value in color or bar height at the coordinates where the Y-axis value is a and the X-axis value is b.

[0184] When expressing the comparison value information using color elements, the RGB color phase can be applied in multiple stages in consideration of the magnitudes and intervals of the maximum and minimum values of the comparison value information. For example, in FIGS. 16 to 21, (a) shows a case where the numerical value of the comparison value information increases as it goes to a dark red color system, and decreases as it goes to a dark green color system. That is, the redder the color, the greater the difference between the two measured value information, and the darker the green, the smaller the difference between the two measured value information.

[0185] As another example, when expressing the comparison value information using the height of the bar, the height of the bar can be set in consideration of the magnitudes and intervals of the maximum and minimum values of the comparison value information. In FIGS. 16 to 21, (b) shows a case where the numerical value of the comparison value information increases as the height of the bar increases, that is, when the difference between the two measured value information to be compared is large.

[0186] Here, in addition to the difference between the measured values, the comparison value information can also apply the frequency shift amount and the like.

[0187] Furthermore, in FIGS. 16 to 21, the comparison value information is expressed in color or bar height of positive number magnitude, but in addition, it can also be expressed in various elements such as brightness, bar height of positive and negative numbers. Also, in (b) of FIGS. 16 to 21, a bar shape in which each comparison value information has an individual height is applied, but it can also be expressed by a three-dimensional curved surface connecting the heights of each comparison value information.

[0188] Hereinafter, cases of data analysis for each of the multi-dimensional data tables shown in FIGS. 16 to 21 will be described.

[0189] The multi-dimensional data tables 610a and 610b for the comparison value information shown in FIG. 16 are for the case where the stable state of the target space continues and no meaningful change occurs in the measurement value information. Since the measurement value information at each time point is similar within a certain level range, each comparison value information has a small value below a certain level.

[0190] The multi-dimensional data tables 620a and 620b for the comparison value information shown in FIG. 17 are for the case where, after a certain change occurred at the time point 75 seconds before the current time point, that is, when the a value was 75 seconds, the state continues without further change. For example, when the window is opened on the target space and then the state is maintained, or when the furniture arrangement on the target space is changed and then the state is maintained. After the situation change of the target space, the state continues, so that the significant color change region 621a or height change region 621b has a triangular form compared to the normal state.

[0191] The multi-dimensional data tables 630a and 630b for the comparison value information shown in FIG. 18 are for the case where a temporary change occurred at the time point 75 seconds before and then returned to the original state and continued. For example, when an intruder entered the target space and then immediately went out, or when the window was opened and then immediately closed. As a result of such a change in the space situation affecting the comparison value information, data tables 630a and 630b having a specific form and area pattern corresponding to the situation are generated, with a significant color change region 631a or height change region 631b.

[0192] The multi-dimensional data tables 640a and 640b for the comparison value information shown in FIG. 19 are such that a significant change occurs at a point 75 seconds ago (the a value is 75) and the change continues until now. Suppose that after an intruder enters the target space, the intruder has been moving on the target space until now. As a result of such a change in the space situation affecting the comparison value information, data tables 640a and 640b having a specific form and area pattern corresponding to the situation are generated, with a significant color change area 641a or height change area 641b.

[0193] The multi-dimensional data tables 650a and 650b for the comparison value information shown in FIG. 20 are such that a progressive and directional change has continued from a point 57 seconds ago until now. Suppose that a fire has occurred in the target space. In the initial stage of the fire, the temperature change is small and consequently the amount of change is small, but as the fire progresses, the temperature gradually rises, and thus the comparison value also continuously becomes larger. As the temperature of the target space gradually rises, data tables 650a and 650b having a unique pattern in which the color change area 651a or height change area 651b is gradually strengthened are generated.

[0194] The multi-dimensional data tables 660a and 660b for the comparison value information shown in FIG. 21 are such that after a significant change has occurred progressively from a past point, the change factor disappears at a point 63 seconds ago and gradually returns to the normal state. Suppose that a fire occurred on the target space a long time ago and the fire has disappeared at a point 63 seconds ago from now. As the temperature of the target space gradually decreases, data tables 660a and 660b having a unique pattern in which the color change area 661a or height change area 661b is gradually weakened are generated.

[0195] In this way, the present invention can generate a multi-dimensional data table by matching comparison value information obtained by comparing measurement value information at a specific point or specific time interval with measurement value information at another point or another time interval to the said point or said time interval, and construct a database for the comparison value information.

[0196] Furthermore, as will be described later, by providing a multidimensional data table for such comparison value information to an administrator or a user in the form of visual information, the administrator or the user can immediately recognize the situation occurring in the target space. That is, an ordinary administrator or user who is not a skilled engineer has difficulty in interpreting data composed of complex numerical values or characters. However, the present invention can visually represent data in terms of color, height, etc. and provide it to the user, and the visual information is displayed in a unique pattern according to the situation of the monitored target space. Therefore, an ordinary administrator or user who is not a skilled engineer can also easily and quickly grasp the situation occurring in the target space.

[0197] Furthermore, according to the present invention, a reference table of typical patterns representing a specific situation can be provided to an administrator or a user. The administrator or the user will infer the current situation of the target space based on the visual pattern of the multidimensional table. At this time, by comparing the visual pattern of the reference table indicating a typical situation with the current visual pattern, it is possible to more easily and accurately infer the current situation. For example, if the visual pattern of the data table indicating the situation of the target space appears in a form similar to FIG. 18, the user can infer that the target space has temporarily changed and then quickly recovered. The administrator can also pre-learn the typical visual pattern of the reference table representing a specific situation, or as management experience accumulates, the administrator will naturally learn what each unique visual three-dimensional pattern indicates.

[0198] In addition, in the prior art, since a method of comparing currently measured information with specific reference value information is used, appropriate reference value information had to be set in advance for this purpose. By the way, in the present invention, since the information measured currently and in the past is compared with each other, not only is it not necessary to separately set the reference value information, but also the situation of the space can be grasped more accurately than in the case of setting the reference value information.

[0199] On the one hand, since the measured value information stores the information measured each time the received acoustic signal is sampled, or stores the information in the form of a frequency response curve for each specific time interval, the amount of data that must be stored is enormous. However, the comparison value information obtained by comparing the measured value information with each other has a significantly reduced amount of data compared to the measured value information. Therefore, the present invention can epochally reduce the amount of stored data and, as a result, can store it for a long period by storing the comparison value information.

[0200] Further, the present invention can ensure the reliability for situation judgment by adding comparison value reliability evaluation information to each piece of comparison value information in a multi-dimensional data table of the comparison value information. In this regard, FIG. 22 is a flowchart of still another embodiment for the database construction process of the space monitoring method according to the present invention.

[0201] The information generation means 100 can evaluate the reliability of the measured value information at a specific time point or in a specific time interval to obtain measured value reliability evaluation information (S510).

[0202] Then, the information generation means 100 can extract the measured value reliability evaluation information for the measured value information while extracting the measured value information at other time points or in other time intervals that has been stored (S520).

[0203] The information generation means 100 compares the measured value information at a specific time point with the measured value information at other time points or the measured value information in a specific time interval with the measured value information in other time intervals to generate comparison value information, and evaluates the reliability of the comparison value information based on the measured value reliability evaluation information for the measured value information at a specific time point or in a specific time interval and the measured value reliability evaluation information for the measured value information at other time points or in other time intervals (S530), and can generate comparison value reliability evaluation information (S540).

[0204] As an example, by comparing the measurement value reliability evaluation information for the measurement value information at a specific point in time or within a specific time period with the measurement value reliability evaluation information for the measurement value information at another point in time or within another time period, the minimum value among the respective measurement value reliability evaluation information, the product value of the respective measurement value reliability evaluation information, or the like can be determined as the reliability evaluation information for the comparison value information.

[0205] Then, the database construction means 200 can generate a multi-dimensional data table of a higher dimension by reflecting the comparison value reliability evaluation information in the multi-dimensional data table for the comparison value information (S550), and can store this.

[0206] When the database construction means 200 acquires new comparison value information as time passes, it can immediately update the multi-dimensional data table by reflecting the comparison value reliability evaluation information for this, or after repeatedly performing the generation process of the comparison value information and the comparison value reliability evaluation information to construct the database, it can also extract the comparison value information and the comparison value reliability evaluation information to generate a multi-dimensional data table.

[0207] Here, the database construction means 200 can also generate a numerical multi-dimensional data table with the data values of the comparison value information and the comparison value reliability evaluation information, or can generate a visual multi-dimensional data table by expressing the data values of the comparison value information and the comparison value reliability evaluation information with various elements such as light and dark, color, size, height, etc.

[0208] Through the above process, the database construction means 200 can construct a database (S560).

[0209] FIG. 23 and FIG. 24 show an example of visually expressing a multi-dimensional data table generated by reflecting the comparison value reliability evaluation information in the database construction process of the spatial monitoring method according to the present invention.

[0210] FIG. 23 shows the case where the comparison value reliability evaluation information is reflected in the multi-dimensional data table for the comparison value information of FIG. 16 described above. That is, a reliability evaluation is performed for each piece of comparison value information, and the comparison value reliability evaluation information is reflected in the comparison value information to generate a higher-dimensional data table.

[0211] If the reliability evaluations for the measurement value information at the points where the a value is 48 and 51 are extremely low, even if the reliability evaluations for the measurement value information at other points or other time intervals compared thereto are high, the reliability evaluation for the comparison value information obtained by comparing both pieces of measurement value information may be evaluated as extremely low.

[0212] By reflecting the comparison value reliability evaluation information for such comparison value information with various elements such as colors and shades, a multi-dimensional data table with a higher dimension than the multi-dimensional data table for the comparison value information can be visually represented.

[0213] In the case of FIG. 23, since the comparison value information area with an extremely low reliability evaluation is displayed in a dark shade on the data table 710, the comparison value area 711 with a low reliability can be easily recognized by anyone.

[0214] Depending on the situation, by individually reflecting the reliability evaluation elements for the measurement values described above, the dimension of the multi-dimensional data table for the comparison value information can be increased by the number of reflected reliability evaluation elements.

[0215] FIG. 24 shows the case where the comparison value reliability evaluation information is reflected by being displayed in light and dark in the multi-dimensional data table for the comparison value information of FIG. 18 described above.

[0216] In FIG. 18, on the multi-dimensional data table 630b for the comparison value information, there is a change pattern of a significantly high height change area 631b with a certain shape compared to the normal state. In such a case, it was explained that, for example, it can be determined that the situation is such that an intruder entered and then immediately went outside.

[0217] In the case of Fig. 24(a), there is a change pattern area 721 having the same height change as Fig. 18 on the data table 720. By the way, since there is no area displayed in dark color on the data table, it can be judged that this data table can be quite reliable. Therefore, for example, it can be judged that the situation is such that an intruder went out immediately after entering.

[0218] However, in the case of Fig. 24(b), there is a conversion pattern area 731 having the same height change as Fig. 18 on the data table 730. However, since the comparison value reliability evaluation information of the change pattern area 731 appears in a dark shade, it can be seen that the reliability of the comparison value information for this part is low. That is, in such a case, it becomes impossible to accurately judge the situation as if an intruder went out immediately after entering.

[0219] On the other hand, in the case of Fig. 23, if only the height change of the graph itself is looked at, it is the same as Fig. 16, but there is a dark color section for which the comparison value information cannot be trusted. Therefore, in such a case, it becomes impossible to accurately judge the situation as if there is no change in the monitored space. In other words, just like in the case of Fig. 24(a), it becomes impossible to rule out the possibility that in the case of Fig. 23, an intruder went out immediately after entering.

[0220] Fig. 25 is a flowchart of an embodiment for the space situation judgment process according to the present invention.

[0221] The space situation judgment means 300 can analyze the multi-dimensional data table (S610) and judge the occurrence of various event situations such as intrusion into the monitored space and fire (S630). When such an event situation occurs, it is possible to provide state information regarding the critical situation of the target space to the administrator, user, police, fire department, security guard company, etc. (S650). Furthermore, the space situation judgment means 300 can provide the multi-dimensional data table together while providing state information regarding the space situation to the user or administrator, etc. (S650).

[0222] As an example, when the database construction means 200 stores a numerical multi-dimensional data table, the space situation determination means 300 analyzes the data numerical values of the multi-dimensional data table to determine the occurrence of an event situation, and after expressing the numerical multi-dimensional data table with various elements such as light and darkness, color, size, and height and converting it into a visual multi-dimensional data table, it can provide state information including the visual multi-dimensional data table.

[0223] As an example, when the database construction means 200 stores a visual multi-dimensional data table, the space situation determination means 300 analyzes the change pattern such as the shape or hue of the multi-dimensional data table to determine the occurrence of an event situation, and can also provide state information including the visual multi-dimensional data table.

[0224] Furthermore, the space situation determination means 300 can also provide together a multi-dimensional data table that visually represents the current situation and a multi-dimensional data table that visually represents the reference situation corresponding to each situation.

[0225] As described above, since the present invention generates a multi-dimensional data table for comparison value information and provides it in a visual form, even if one is not a skilled expert, it is possible to easily and quickly determine the situation of the target space.

[0226] On the other hand, instead of having a smaller data volume than the measurement value information, the comparison value information contains relatively less information. Therefore, when determining the situation of the target space using only the comparison value information, its reliability is not guaranteed. By the way, since the present invention matches and stores the comparison value reliability evaluation information together with the comparison value information, it is possible to ensure the reliability of the situation determination result while reducing the stored data volume.

[0227] The above description merely exemplarily explains the technical idea of the present invention. Those with ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention pertains will be able to make various modifications and variations without departing from the essential characteristics of the present invention. Therefore, the embodiments disclosed in the present invention are for the purpose of explanation rather than for limiting the technical idea of the present invention, and the technical idea of the present invention is not limited by such embodiments. The protection scope of the present invention must be interpreted according to the following claims, and all technical ideas within the equivalent scope should be interpreted as being included in the scope of rights of the present invention.

Claims

**Claim 1** A measured value information generation step for generating measured value information about the frequency response of a space measured at a specific point in time or a specific time interval; A measured value information storage step of matching the specific point in time or the specific time interval with the measured value information and storing it in a database; comprising: Repeating the measured value information generation step and the measured value information storage step over time to construct a database; A space monitoring method, characterized in that. **Claim 2** Further comprising a measured value reliability evaluation information generation step of evaluating the reliability of the measured value information and generating measured value reliability evaluation information; The measured value information storage step is: Matching and storing the specific point in time or the specific time interval with the measured value information and the measured value reliability evaluation information; The space monitoring method according to claim 1, characterized in that. **Claim 3** A comparison value information generation step of comparing the measured value information of the specific point in time or the specific time interval with the measured value information of one or more other points in time or other time intervals to generate comparison value information; Further comprising a comparison value information storage step of matching the specific point in time and the compared other points in time or the specific time interval and the compared other time intervals with the comparison value information and storing it in a database; Repeating the comparison value information generation step and the comparison value information storage step to construct a database; The space monitoring method according to claim 1, characterized in that. **Claim 4** A comparison value information generation step of comparing the measured value information of the specific point in time or the specific time interval with the measured value information of one or more other points in time or other time intervals to generate comparison value information; A comparison value reliability evaluation information generation step of evaluating the reliability of the comparison value information based on the measured value reliability evaluation information for each measured value information corresponding to the comparison value information and generating comparison value reliability evaluation information; Further comprising a comparison value information storage step of matching the specific point in time and the compared other points in time or the specific time interval and the compared other time intervals with the comparison value information and the comparison value reliability evaluation information and storing it in a database; Repeating from the comparison value information generation step to the comparison value information storage step to construct a database; The space monitoring method according to claim 2, characterized in that. **Claim 5** The method for spatial monitoring according to claim 4, characterized in that the database is constructed by independently repeating the measurement value information storage stage from the measurement value information generation stage and the comparison value information storage stage from the comparison value information generation stage.

6. The measurement value reliability evaluation information generation stage evaluates at least one or more of noise, measurement safety, spectral variability, and appropriateness of frequency resolution for the measurement value information to generate measurement value reliability evaluation information for the measurement value information, and is characterized in that it is the method for spatial monitoring according to claim 2.

7. The comparison value information storage stage matches the comparison value information on a coordinate table composed of the specific time point and other compared time points or the specific time interval and other compared time intervals to generate a multi-dimensional data table, and stores the multi-dimensional data table in a database, and is characterized in that it is the method for spatial monitoring according to claim 3.

8. The method for spatial monitoring according to claim 3, further comprising a multi-dimensional data table storage stage of matching a plurality of the comparison value information stored on a coordinate table composed of a specific time point and other compared time points or a specific time interval and other compared time intervals to generate a multi-dimensional data table, and storing the multi-dimensional data table in a database.

9. The comparison value information storage stage matches the comparison value information and the comparison value reliability evaluation information on a coordinate table composed of the specific time point and other compared time points or the specific time interval and other compared time intervals to generate a multi-dimensional data table, and stores the multi-dimensional data table in a database, and is characterized in that it is the method for spatial monitoring according to claim 4.

10. The method for spatial monitoring according to claim 4, further comprising a multi-dimensional data table storage stage of matching a plurality of the comparison value information and a plurality of the comparison value reliability evaluation information on a coordinate table composed of a specific time point and other compared time points or a specific time interval and other compared time intervals to generate a multi-dimensional data table, and storing the multi-dimensional data table in a database.

11. The method for spatial monitoring according to claim 3, further comprising a spatial situation information providing stage of providing a user with a multi-dimensional data table generated based on the comparison value information.

12. The spatial monitoring method according to claim 4, further comprising a spatial situation information providing step of providing a user with a multidimensional data table generated based on the comparison value information and the comparison value reliability evaluation information.

13. An information generation means for generating measurement value information about the frequency response of a space measured at a specific point in time or a specific time interval, A database construction means for matching and organizing and storing the specific point in time or the specific time interval and the measurement value information, A spatial monitoring system, characterized by including.

14. The information generation means, Evaluates the reliability of the measurement value information to further generate measurement value reliability evaluation information, The database construction means, Matches and stores the specific point in time or the specific time interval, the measurement value information, and the measurement value reliability evaluation information. The spatial monitoring system according to claim 13, characterized by this.

15. The information generation means, Further generates comparison value information by comparing the measurement value information of a specific point in time or a specific time interval with the measurement value information of one or more other points in time or other time intervals, The database construction means, Matches and further stores the specific point in time and the other compared points in time or the specific time interval and the other compared time intervals with the comparison value information. The spatial monitoring system according to claim 13, characterized by this.

16. The information generation means, Further generates comparison value information by comparing the measurement value information of a specific point in time or a specific time interval with the measurement value information of one or more other points in time or other time intervals, and evaluates the reliability of the comparison value information based on the measurement value reliability evaluation information for each measurement value information corresponding to the comparison value information to further generate comparison value reliability evaluation information, The database construction means, Matches and further stores the specific point in time and the other compared points in time or the specific time interval and the other compared time intervals, the comparison value information, and the comparison value reliability evaluation information. The spatial monitoring system according to claim 14, characterized by this.

17. The database construction means, Matches the comparison value information on a coordinate table composed of the specific point in time and the other compared points in time or the specific time interval and the other compared time intervals to generate a multidimensional data table, and stores the multidimensional data table in a database. The spatial monitoring system according to claim 15, characterized by this.

18. The database construction means: matches the comparison value information and the comparison value reliability evaluation information on a coordinate table composed of the specific time point and other compared time points or the specific time interval and other compared time intervals to generate a multi-dimensional data table, and stores the multi-dimensional data table in the database. The spatial monitoring system according to claim 16, characterized in that.

19. The spatial monitoring system according to claim 15, further comprising spatial situation determination means for providing a user with a multi-dimensional data table generated based on the comparison value information.

20. The spatial monitoring system according to claim 16, further comprising spatial situation determination means for providing a user with a multi-dimensional data table generated based on the comparison value information and the comparison value reliability evaluation information.

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