Acoustic Sensor Device for Proximity Detection and Activity Association
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Solution Overview
Problem
Voice-controlled intelligent personal assistants have limitations due to the need for wake words and memorized keywords, and restricted sensory capabilities, which constrain their utility and situational awareness.
Innovation Solution
An electronic device that identifies and associates with other devices based on identifiers and patterns of activity, providing notifications and recommendations for pairing or emergency lists, and selectively monitors environments using acoustic sensors to enhance situational awareness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If voice-controlled intelligent personal assistants use wake words and predefined keywords, then they can be activated and perform tasks, but their capabilities are limited and users must memorize commands
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical voice-command system (requiring wake words and predefined keywords) with an acoustic pattern recognition system that automatically identifies and responds to acoustic signatures. This substitution eliminates the need for users to memorize commands while expanding the system's ability to recognize different users and contexts, thereby resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and adaptability.
2Device complexity
If voice-controlled intelligent personal assistants have restricted sensory capabilities, then their system complexity is reduced, but their situational awareness is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the acoustic sensor serve multiple functions: it not only detects voice commands but also continuously monitors the acoustic environment for situational awareness, identifies acoustic signatures of various devices, and detects events in the surrounding environment. This multi-functionality allows the system to maintain low complexity while significantly improving situational awareness, as the same sensor infrastructure supports multiple capabilities.
3Loss of information
If electronic devices continuously monitor the environment, then situational awareness is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic acoustic environment monitoring where the device continuously scans the acoustic environment at regular intervals to build and update a database of acoustic signatures and events. This periodic action allows the system to maintain situational awareness without requiring constant high-power processing, as the monitoring can be performed in structured cycles rather than continuous operation, thereby managing energy consumption effectively.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables dynamic electronic monitoring and situational awareness, allowing users to make informed decisions about potential threats and service quality, and facilitates the expansion of monitoring networks over time.
Implementation Method 1
an acoustic sensor; During the selective monitoring mode, the electronic device may locally analyze acoustic information acquired using the acoustic sensor
Data Source
AI summary
An electronic device may receive information associated with another electronic device that is proximate to the electronic device. Then, the electronic device may identify the other electronic device based on an identifier (such as a Media Access Control address) that is included in the information that is associated with the other electronic device. Moreover, the electronic device may access a pattern of activity for a region that includes the electronic device, where the pattern of activity includes events and identifiers of one or more electronic devices in the region during the events. For example, the events may include reported criminal activity. Next, the electronic device may determine an association between the other electronic device and at least one of the events based on the pattern of activity. Furthermore, the electronic device may provide a notification based on the determined association.