Differential Emergency Alerts Based on Multi-Device Incident Zones
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Solution Overview
Problem
In extreme emergency situations like mass shootings, affected individuals are not identified and notified quickly enough, and their actions are not tailored to their specific locations, leading to confusion and ineffective responses.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that uses multiple electronic devices to detect emergency incidents by sensing inputs like gunshots and screams, and assigns different zones based on proximity to the incident, providing tailored alerts through a network of devices with varying urgency levels.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a single type of alert is provided to all individuals regardless of location, then the system is simple to implement, but the response effectiveness deteriorates because different individuals have different priorities of actions depending on their physical locations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by providing different types of alerts to different zones based on proximity to the emergency incident. Zone 1 (closest to incident) receives silent visual alerts to avoid detection, Zone 2 receives audible alerts with evacuation guidance, and Zone 3 receives standard alerts. This localized differentiation of alert characteristics according to spatial position resolves the contradiction between response effectiveness and system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the alert population into multiple zones (Zone 1, Zone 2, Zone 3) based on distance from the emergency incident. Each zone receives a customized alert type tailored to its specific risk level and appropriate response actions. This segmentation allows the system to provide location-specific guidance while maintaining manageable complexity through automated zone assignment.
2Speed
If alerts are delayed until individuals are identified, then the system remains simple, but the notification speed deteriorates causing affected individuals to not be notified quickly enough
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by pre-segmenting the area into zones based on potential emergency locations before an incident occurs. When an emergency is detected, the system can immediately assign devices to appropriate zones and send tailored alerts without delay for identification or analysis. This pre-established framework enables rapid notification while maintaining the complexity of automated zone-based differential alerting.
Data Source
AI summary
A method includes receiving signals from a plurality of electronic devices, each signal corresponding to at least one of various types of sensed input from the electronic devices indicating an emergency incident. A plurality of different zones, possibly more than two, is assigned relative to the emergency incident. The method includes providing a first type of alert regarding the emergency incident to a first electronic device of the plurality of electronic devices located within a first zone of the plurality of different zones. In addition, the method includes providing a second type of alert regarding the emergency incident to a second electronic device of the plurality of electronic devices located within a second zone of the plurality of different zones. Locations within the second zone are more distant from the emergency incident than locations within the first zone. The first type of alert differs from the second type of alert.