Surveillance System Audio Pressure Sensor False Alarm Reduction

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current smart speaker systems face challenges in reliably differentiating between accidental and intentional glass break sounds, leading to high false alarm rates or missed alarms, and lack effective indoor gunshot detection solutions.

Innovation Solution

A system combining an audio signal analyzer with a high-resolution air pressure change determiner to synchronize audio patterns with air pressure changes, using a pressure sensor like Infineon's DPS310, to accurately detect events like window breaks or gunshots, reducing false alarms and requiring no additional infrastructure.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If acoustic sensing with microphones is used to detect glass break, then the system can detect audio patterns of glass break, but the recognition is unreliable and produces high false alarm rates because it cannot differentiate between accidental and intentional glass break

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvereliability of burglary detectionVSAvoidcomplexity of sensor infrastructure
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines audio sensing with barometric pressure sensing into a unified surveillance system. The audio signal analyser detects glass break audio patterns while the barometric pressure change determiner detects pressure changes, and the evaluator integrates both signals to differentiate between accidental and intentional glass break, thereby improving reliability without requiring separate sensor infrastructures for each detection modality

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The barometric pressure change determiner acts as an intermediary that provides additional contextual information to distinguish between different types of glass break events. By measuring pressure changes that accompany intentional glass break (burglary) but not accidental breaks, this intermediary sensor helps resolve the ambiguity in audio-only detection

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Measurement precision

If sensors are attached directly to each window to protect against burglary, then detection accuracy is improved, but the infrastructure requirements and costs increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprecision of glass break detectionVSAvoidinfrastructure requirements
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The surveillance system is designed to be universal and multi-functional, using a combination of audio and barometric pressure sensors that can detect multiple types of events (glass break, gunshots, unauthorized entry) from a single location. This eliminates the need for window-specific sensor attachment while maintaining detection precision through multi-parameter analysis

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces the mechanical approach of attaching sensors directly to each window with a field-based sensing approach using microphones and barometric pressure sensors that detect acoustic waves and pressure changes in the air. This substitution eliminates the need for physical sensor attachment to windows while achieving comparable or superior detection precision

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

3Productivity

If audio processing algorithms detect glass break patterns, then event detection is enabled, but the system produces false alarms or missed alarms because it cannot differentiate between different glass break situations

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveevent detection capabilityVSAvoidaccuracy of event classification
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system transitions from one-dimensional audio pattern detection to two-dimensional analysis by incorporating barometric pressure change detection as an additional dimension. This allows the evaluator to cross-validate audio detections with pressure data, enabling accurate classification of glass break events as either accidental or intentional based on the combination of acoustic and pressure signatures

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

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

This approach significantly reduces false alarms and provides reliable detection of unauthorized entry or gunshots, ensuring accurate event classification and enabling flexible, cost-effective surveillance without the need for extensive infrastructure.

Implementation Method 1

the audio signal analyser is configured to receive one or more audio microphone signals, wherein the audio signal analyser is configured to determine a pattern matching result by determining whether the one or more microphone signals comprise at least one audio pattern

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectAcoustic detection: Sound

Implementation Method 2

the air pressure change determiner is configured to receive an air pressure change signal indicating an air pressure change; or wherein the air pressure change determiner is configured to receive an air pressure signal indicating a current air pressure and is configured to determine the air pressure change from the signal indicating the current air pressure

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectBarometric pressure detection: Pressure Increase

Data Source

PatentEP3573031B1System and method for surveillance
Publication Date: 2022.05.11 INFINEON TECHNOLOGIES AG
  • EP3573031B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3573031B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3573031B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A system for surveillance is provided. The system comprises an audio signal analyser (110), wherein the audio signal analyser (110) is configured to receive one or more audio microphone signals, wherein the audio signal analyser (110) is configured to determine a pattern matching result by determining whether the one or more microphone signals comprise at least one audio pattern of one or more predefined audio patterns. Moreover, the system comprises an air pressure change determiner (120), wherein the air pressure change determiner (120) is configured to receive an air pressure change signal indicating an air pressure change; or wherein the air pressure change determiner (120) is configured to receive an air pressure signal indicating a current air pressure and is configured to determine the air pressure change from the signal indicating the current air pressure and from a previously received air pressure. Furthermore, the system comprises an evaluator (130), wherein the evaluator (130) is configured to indicate, depending on the pattern matching result and depending on the air pressure change, that a predefined event occurred.