Event detection using physical vibration and audio sensors on mobile devices

Non-transitory computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed, perform a method for detecting an occurrence of an external event based on data taken by a plurality of mobile devices, the method comprising:

• determining that a first set of data received by a vibrational sensor and an audio sensor on the first mobile device corresponds to a first instance of an external event based on at least one harmonic characteristic of the first set of data, wherein the external event is a member of a class of events, wherein the at least one harmonic characteristic is unique and identifiable to the class of events;
• receiving a second set of data from a second mobile device, the second set of data corresponding to a second instance of the external event, wherein the first and the second mobile devices communicate with one another by way of a wireless communications network;
• determining that the second set of data corresponds to a second instance of the external event;
• determining whether the second instance is duplicative of the first instance of the external event, such that,
• (1) if the second instance is duplicative of the first instance, discarding the second set of data that corresponds to the second instance of the external event, and
• (2) if the second instance is not duplicative of the first instance, retaining both the first set of data and the second set of data;
• and
• communicating data associated with one or more of the first instance and the second instance of the external event to a network component in the wireless communications network, the communicated data including at least one of a time stamp associated with the occurrence of the instance of the event, frequency over time data, or location data, the network component analyzing the data associated with the one or more of the first instance and the second instance and the data received from a plurality of other mobile devices to determine an action to be performed based on the occurrence of the external event.

A method for detecting an occurrence of an event based on data taken by a plurality of mobile devices, the method comprising:

• at a first mobile device, receiving data from a vibrational sensor and an acoustical sensor integrated with the first mobile device, the data representing the occurrence of a first instance of an event;
• generating, using a processor, a representation of the data illustrating a waveform of frequency of one or more of sound or vibration over time;
• based on the waveform, identifying, using the processor, at least one shape of the waveform, the at least one shape of the waveform being defined and determined such that at least 50% of the waveform is contained therein;
• identifying, using the processor, the event based on the at least one shape of the waveform;
• and
• communicating a portion of the data associated with the at least one shape of the waveform to a network component in the wireless communications network, the network component receiving from a plurality of mobile devices a plurality of data representing the occurrences of other instances of the event, wherein the network component analyzes the portion of the data and the plurality of data to determine an action to be performed based on the occurrences of the first instance and the other instances of the event.