Locating devices

Details Locating devices Locating devices

1998-01-07

2001-03-13

Pope, Daryl (Department: 2736)

Communications: electrical

Audible indication

Electronic

C340S326000, C340S309160, C340S870030, C340S870030

Reexamination Certificate

active

06201470

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF INVENTION
This invention relates to signal patterns for use in locating devices; locating devices; and systems incorporating locating devices for use in, particularly but not exclusively, buildings, domestic or commercial or large transport vehicles such as aircraft, liners or the like, or even in pedestrian aids such as road crossing devices, and indicating devices such as audible warning devices or sirens and, particularly but not exclusively, vehicle sirens, or monitors such as security monitors.
In instances of emergency, or even in instances where it is simply necessary to direct individuals to a predetermined location, audio and/or visual means may be provided in order to alert individuals to a given situation and/or to indicate a direction in which individuals must travel in response to said situation. For example, in the instance where there is danger or hazard because of a domestic or commercial fire or in the instance where there is a leak either chemical or physical, such as in the form as radiation, it may be necessary to firstly alert individuals to the potential danger or hazard and secondly to ensure that the individuals can reach a safe environment. To this end, domestic dwellings or indeed any of the aforementioned constructions, may be provided with smoke detectors and commercial buildings may be provided with smoke/chemical/radiation detectors and a combination of signs indicating a safe point of exit. Activation of the detectors typically result in a siren sounding which simply alerts individuals to potential danger and then individuals, either through knowledge of their own domestic environment, or through following a number of signs are expected to find a safe point of exit.
Unfortunately, where there is a fire or a chemical leak visual signs can be used obscured from view and/or an individual's ability to see such signs can be impaired because of the effects of the smoke/chemical on vision. It therefore follows that the provision of a conventional alarm with or-without signs is an insufficient safeguard to ensure that individuals can exit a building.
In addition to the above, in instances of danger or hazard, it may be desirable for skilled personnel such as fire fighters or paramedics, to enter a building and in these situations it would be advantageous if a means were provided for helping these people to navigate once inside the building. Furthermore, it would also be extremely advantageous to provide a means which enables skilled personnel in the building to locate other skilled personnel. Such means do not currently exist.
In other instances of emergency for example, where a vehicle's siren is sounding individuals may need to locate the siren and thus the vehicle in order to take evasive action. Whilst it is true to say that individuals may have learnt to recognise and respond to the sound patterns generated by vehicles sirens such as those generated by police vehicles, ambulances or fire tenders it is not true to say that individuals can easily locate such vehicles, especially whilst undertaking another task e.g. whilst driving, and so be able to respond. This can be extremely problematical where an emergency service vehicle needs to speed safely to the site of an incident. It therefore follows that the provision of a siren which simply makes a loud noise, albeit that the pattern of the noise may be distinctive, is not enough to ensure that individuals can respond accordingly.
There are also many other instances where a device which facilitates localization could be used to advantage. For example, a burglar alarm that was also adapted to enable localization would be advantageous; aids for the visually impaired and “earcons” to replace or complement the icons associated with computer software could also be provided with a locating means in accordance with the invention to considerable advantage. It should therefore be apparent that although the invention has been described with reference to the above it has multiple applications and indeed can be used in any situation where it is desirable to provide an audio location device.
It is known that accurate sound localization is one of the most complicated processes performed by the brain. Nethertheless, it is also known that, given appropriate cues, the brain can detect the direction of a sound source up to an accuracy of 2°. This high degree of accuracy is only possible when the sound is complex and made up of a majority of frequencies in our hearing range. The brain can not locate, with any degree of spatial precision, simple pure tones. Given this knowledge it is remarkable that for decades alerting sounds in common usage, in every and any situation, for which directionality would seem an essential characteristic, are not complex enough to permit accurate localization. In other words devices which are supposed to help us localise sounds do not possess the acoustic complexity necessary for accurate localization.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION AND BRIEF SUMMARY
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide an alarm, aid or earcon which enables an individual to locate a given object and take appropriate action.
According to a first aspect of the invention there is therefore provided a device which is adapted to emit either simultaneously and/or successively a locating sound comprising a majority of frequencies in the human hearing range; and an alerting sound comprising a minority of frequencies within the human hearing range.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention the said locating sound comprises either broadband noise or white noise or flat random noise. More preferably selected components of said noise are amplified or attenuated having regard to the properties of a speaker of the device and/or the absorbing properties of the environment in which a listener is located and/or the auditory, either existing or expected, environment of a listener.
For example, an emergency vehicle device is ideally adapted such that frequencies above 4 KHz are amplified either by selectively amplifying frequencies of 4 KHz or more and/or by selectively attenuating frequencies of less than 4 KHz such that vehicle drivers hear an optimum locating sound, which is not deleteriously affected by the structure of the driver's vehicle and so has a relatively even spectral quality.
In a yet further preferred embodiment of the invention the said alerting sound comprises any suitable alerting or alarming noise either of a conventional nature or otherwise.
More preferably still said locating and alerting sounds are emitted successively and ideally there is a predetermined interval between same.
More preferably further still said alerting sound comprises a number of bursts of sound either of the same nature and duration or otherwise.
In the instance where the alerting sound comprises bursts of sound the interval between each of said bursts may be identical or different and further more the interval between said bursts and said emission of said locating and alerting sounds may be identical or different.
Preferably at least one of said bursts and more preferably each of said bursts of sound comprises a main fundamental frequency which in a preferred embodiment may be adapted to sweep over a frequency range. The fundamental frequency of each of said bursts may be the same or different so that in one example only of the invention a number of successive bursts of alerting sound are provided prior to and/or during and/or after the emission of a locating sound.
In one embodiment of the invention there is provided a plurality of said devices wherein each device has a different but distinctive second alerting sound. In this embodiment a selected skilled individual such as a fire fighter or paramedic is given one of the distinctive sounding devices and a knowledge of this distinctive sound is conveyed to other skilled personnel prior to the said individual entering a building. In this way a number of skilled personnel can be provided with distinctive audio signals that will enable other individuals, within the sam

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