Distributed network of communicatively coupled noise monitoring and mapping devices
AssigneeHoneywell International Inc.
InventorsNeal Muggleton, Trym Holter, Viggo Henriksen, Claes Haglund, May Wilson, John Jenkins
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Abstract
Disclosed embodiments may relate to systems and methods for monitoring and/or mapping noise data from a plurality of noise monitoring devices. In some embodiments, the plurality of noise monitoring devices may include hearing protection devices configured to detect noise, and typically may communicate such noise data (which may also include location) so that the noise data can be pooled. The pooled noise data from the plurality of noise monitoring devices may then be used to the benefit of one or more of such noise monitoring devices.
Claims20
A system comprising:
- a plurality of noise monitoring devices, wherein each of the plurality of noise monitoring devices comprises:
- a hearing protection element having a structure that is configured to block noise from entering an ear canal of a user;
- a microphone electrically coupled to a circuit having a processor and a non-transitory memory, the circuit being configured by an application to:
- detect incoming noise signals via the microphone, wherein the incoming noise signals are detected according to a predefined sampling period,
- transform the noise signals into noise data by appending values obtained from the signals with coordinates received from a locator unit,
- include location information and an identifier of the noise monitoring device into the noise data, wherein the location information corresponds with coordinates of the noise monitoring device when the noise signals were detected, and
- instruct a transceiver to at least periodically transmit the noise data in response to at least one of a passage of a predefined time period, an external request received via a network, or a combination of the predefined time period and the external request;
- the locator unit that, upon execution by the processor of the circuit, determines location information as coordinates corresponding to a geolocation of each of the noise monitoring devices, and relays the location information back to the application;
- the transceiver electrically coupled to the processor of the circuit and configured to transmit the noise data via the network;
- and
- a hearing protection dispenser, communicatively coupled to the plurality of noise monitoring devices, wherein the hearing protection dispenser is configured to release a hearing protection device to mitigate the incoming noise signals.
A method to monitor and map noise data from a plurality of noise monitoring devices (NMD), the method comprising:
- detecting incoming noise signals via a microphone of a noise monitoring device, wherein the incoming noise signals are detected according to a predefined sampling period;
- determining location information, by a locator unit of the noise monitoring device, as coordinates corresponding to a geolocation of the noise monitoring device;
- transforming the noise signals into noise data by appending values obtained from the signals with the coordinates received from the locator unit of the noise monitoring device;
- including location information and an identifier of the noise monitoring device into the noise data, wherein the location information corresponds with coordinates of the noise monitoring device when the noise signals were detected;
- instructing a transceiver of the noise monitoring device to at least periodically transmit the noise data in response to at least one of a passage of a predefined time period, an external request received via a network, or a combination of the predefined time period and the external request;
- receiving, by a hearing protection dispenser, a release message to release a hearing protection device to mitigate the incoming noise signals;
- and
- releasing the hearing protection device.
A method to monitor and map noise data from a plurality of noise monitoring devices by a remotely located computer system, the method comprising
- communicating, by the remotely located computer system, with the plurality of noise monitoring devices;
- receiving noise data from each noise monitoring device by the remotely located computer system, wherein the noise data comprises noise signals detected by a microphone of the noise monitoring devices, and location information detected by a locator unit of the noise monitoring devices;
- pooling the noise data communicated from the plurality of noise monitoring devices;
- generating a noise map based on the noise data;
- receiving a list of hearing protection identifiers for a plurality of hearing protection devices;
- and
- transmitting a release message to release a hearing protection device to mitigate noise signals.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.