Systems and Methods for Monitoring Objects and Their States by Using Acoustic Signals

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing one or more programs for execution by one or more processors of a computer system, the one or more programs comprising instructions for:

• receiving and processing information of acoustic signals against a database of stored acoustic signatures characterizing predefined acoustic signals generated by electrically non-powered passive tags in response to physical motion of respective monitored objects associated with the passive tags;
• receiving a first acoustic signal characterized by a first acoustic signature and generated by a first passive tag of the passive tags in response to physical motion of a first monitored object of the respective monitored objects, wherein the first monitored object is associated with the first passive tag;
• and
• in response to the receiving:
• based on the first acoustic signature and information in the database:
• identifying the first monitored object associated with the first acoustic signature;
• determining a first state of a plurality of predefined states of the first monitored object;
• and
• providing at least one of:
• an indication of the first state to an application on a device associated with the first monitored object;
• the indication of the first state to a smart home server system associated with the first monitored;
• or
• a command to an additional monitored object of the respective monitored objects to enable the additional monitored object to perform an action in response to the first state.

A system comprising:

• a processor;
• an acoustic sensing device;
• and
• a first electrically non-powered passive tag, wherein:
• the first electrically non-powered passive tag is associated with a first monitored object;
• the first monitored object includes a plurality of predefined states;
• the first electrically non-powered passive tag generates a first acoustic signal characterized by a first acoustic signature in response to physical motion of the first monitored object;
• the acoustic sensing device is configured to receive the first acoustic signal;
• and
• the processor is configured to, based on the first acoustic signal received by the acoustic sensing device, determine a first state of the plurality of predefined states of the first monitored object.