Patent Grant
7015812
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the field of sound protection devices, whereby a worker is protected from auditory damage by protecting headset, but is also provided with an auditory warning concerning possible collision with approaching vehicles, machinery or people.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Motegi et al., “Access Alarming Method and Apparatus for Working Vehicle,” U.S. Pat. No. 4,937,795 (1990), describes an access alarm method which is used to detect the distance between a vehicle, such as a road roller, to an object, such as a worker in the proximity of the vehicle. An ultrasonic wave is transmitted by a transmitter worn by the worker and is received by a receiver in the road roller. The received signal is processed to determine the relative position of the vehicle relative to the worker. An alarm is activated and/or the vehicle is braked when the worker comes within the hazard area of the vehicle based on the position and direction of the vehicle's movement.
In a second embodiment of the system, the worker's ultrasonic system provides an output on a continuous basis in order to increase the reaction time of the system. In the embodiment of
In Motegi the individual is wearing the transponder which the working vehicle detects and ranges. Presumably, the worker remains uninformed and oblivious to the approaching hazard or the near collision event. Motegi thus is subject to the disadvantage that it provides no protection against vehicles or objects not similarly fitted with a transponder and control device. It also fails to warn the worker that he may be in an area of repeated collision hazard.
Russell, “Sonar-Type Sensory Aids,” U.S. Pat. No. 3,321,737 (1967), describes a device to be worn on the body using ultrasonics to detect obstacles. As shown in
The Russell device is an aid to the blind, provides a personal audio alarm and responds to sonic ranging of general surrounding objects, ostensibly for the purpose of collision avoidance. The audio feedback is varied to determine the distance to the object. The device is directional and therefore provides directionality according to how the user turns or sights the device. The detection and ranging elements are thus focussed, are not omnidirectional, do not provide stereo generation of audio signals indicative of the direction of approach, and thus are not suitable for collision avoidance.
Benjamin, Jr., “Obstacle Detection System for use by Blind Comprising Plural Ranging Channels Mounted on Spectacle Frames,” U.S. Pat. No. 3,654,477 (1972), and Moricca et al., “Polysensory Mobility Aid,” U.S. Pat. No. 3,993,407 (1976), teach devices directed to obstacle detection incorporated in a eyeglass-type structure. This system is incorporated into eyeglass frames as opposed to ear coverings, and thus does not provide any sound protection.
Chambre, “Device to Assist an Operator with Target Acquisition in a Weapons System,” U.S. Pat. No. 4,967,641 (1990), shows a means by which the operator received target information that is being supplied stereophonically to the operator's helmet. Data representing the approach of the object is identified to the helmet wearer whereas an alarm transmitted in stereo gives a subjective sense of direction of the approaching target.
Takeuchi, “Rearward Obstruction Sensing System for Automotive Vehicle,” U.S. Pat. No. 4,528,563, which describes a detection system, although not a personal warning device, shows the use of four speakers through which an alarm signal is provided to the vehicle operator. The warning signal is directed to a particular speaker so that the driver subjectively recognizes the direction of the obstruction in the manner in which we have suggested. Further, the driver can determine the obstruction distance by distinguishing the period of the intermittent alarm signals.
Abst et al., “Vehicular Collision Avoidance Apparatus,” U.S. Pat. No. 5,339,075 (1994), describes a system in which audio signals are provided to a user as a warning in a manner which is indicative of the relative speed and position of the approaching object. Three distinct audible warning tones are provided to indicate a vehicle approaching with greater speed, a vehicle within a predetermined distance but which is receding, and vehicle within a predetermined distance whose relative speed is the same as the driver.
Sasaki et al., “Vehicle Approach Sensing Apparatus,” U.S. Pat. No. 4,694,296 (1987), shows a system in which a warning signal is provided to the user whenever a closing speed of a vehicle exceeds a predetermined value.
What is needed is some type of sound protection system which still allows for omnidirectional and meaningful audio warning of approaching objects.
The invention is an apparatus comprising an ear protector for providing acoustic isolation for an user. A ranging circuit is disposed at least in part within the ear protector for detecting the proximity of an object and for generating an audible alarm signal. The audible alarm signal is communicated within the ear protector to allow the user to respond to the audible alarm signal without compromise of sound protection by the ear protector. As a result, safe use of the ear protector in a hazardous environment where collision potential exists is achieved.
The ear protector substantially attenuates substantially all audible frequencies including audio frequencies associated with the hazardous environment including in general the very frequency of the audible alarm itself.
The ranging circuit may comprise an infrared ranging circuit, an optical ranging circuit, a radio frequency ranging circuit, a radar, electromagnetic or capacitive ranging circuit, a thermal ranging circuit, an acoustic ranging circuit or even combinations of the same.
The ranging circuit generates a variable audio alarm indicative of a relationship of an object in the hazardous environment to the user, such as providing an indication of the direction of approach of the object to the user, an indication of the speed of approach of the object toward the user, an indication of the size of the object approaching the user, or any combination of the same.
The invention is also defined as a method for providing protection against acoustic injury in a noisy environment while still providing an audio proximity alarm to warn against collision hazard. The invention comprises the steps of providing a user with acoustic ear protection and disposing within the acoustic ear protector an audio transducer for producing an audible alarm without compromising the acoustic attenuation by the ear protector. A ranging circuit is coupled to the alarm, determines the proximity of an object, and is mounted on or in the acoustic protector such that it is portable and entirely self-contained with the user.
The invention and its various embodiments may be better visualized by now turning to the following drawings wherein like elements are referenced by like numerals.
The invention and its various embodiments may now be understood by turning to the following detailed description.
A proximity warning system is disposed in a sound protecting earmuff-type headset or other means of providing acoustic ear protection. The ear protector prevents the user from hearing damage from high levels of ambient sound and would otherwise generally make the user unable to hear the sounds of approaching objects like vehicles and machinery. However, an audio transducer is provided in each ear shell of the headset and is connected to a ranging device, which in the illustrated embodiment is an infrared ranging device which generates an alarm signal upon the approach of an object within a predetermined critical alarm limit. A plurality of variable alarm signals can be provided to distinguish the direction, size and speed of the approaching object. In general, the ranging device may be optical, acoustic, thermal or electromagnetic.
For example, as shown in
The worker can be warned and this injury avoided without exposing the worker to chronic auditory damage through the use of an ear protection system 10 such as shown in
Sound protector headset 16 may further include any type of mechanism for fitting and providing comfort to the user's head and ears. For example, a cushioned sound-deadening rim 26 is illustrated and the two identical and symmetric ear protectors are joined together by means of an adjustable and resilient head-strap 28. Again, the details of the structure and the means used to fit or retain sound protector or headset 16 on user 12 is largely irrelevant to the invention as described in the specification.
For example, although a headband 28 has been described, it is possible that helmet-mounted systems, neck-mounted systems, or even in-ear sound protectors utilizing the invention could be substituted without departing from the scope of the invention. The principal requirement of the sound protection system or headset 16 is only that it substantially mutes or attenuates all or some of the frequencies which the user would normally hear and respond to as a work hazard.
Headset 16 differs from any previously devised ear protector by incorporation of a ranging or proximity alarm system. In the illustrated embodiment, system 10 includes an audio output transducer 30 fitted into one or both of the ear protectors shells 22 and a sensing device 32 operatively connected thereto. Sensing device 32 may be any type of proximity or ranging device now known or later devised. For example, it may be a high frequency or ultrasonic transmitter and receiver or ranging device, an infrared ranging device, a radar ranging device, a laser ranging device and capacitive or inductive or any other type of sensing system by which the proximity of an object can be determined. For example, in the illustrated embodiment, ranging device 32 is an infrared ranging device similar, in many respects, to an automatic camera ranging device used for automatic focusing.
As shown in
In any case, a detection signal is generated by ranging device 32 and a response is obtained from the approaching or proximate object. In the illustrated device, infrared detector 36 and infrared source 34 are each coupled to a logic and power circuit 38 which provides the necessary biasing, conditioning and power signals to source 34 and detectors 36, 44 and provider a logic signal for discriminating or processing the response relative to the transmitted detection or ranging signal according to conventional design considerations.
The organization and design of circuit 38 may assume any configuration now known to the art or later devised as used in ranging and detection circuitry, and in a large part, be largely determined based upon the type of signal used for ranging and the transducers for both signal production and detection.
The discriminated or detected signal indicating the approach of an object or vehicle can then be used to produce one or more of a plurality of alarm signals which are coupled from circuit 38 to an audio alarm signal 40 and thence to a speaker audio transducer 30 in the proximity of the user's ear, but inside the sound protecting and muffling sound protecting headset 16. Therefore, user 12 will be able to hear the alarm signal from transducer 30 in an entirely unmuffled condition, while all or most exterior sound will be substantially attenuated.
The type of alarm signal now known or later devised may be given to user by logic circuit 38. For example, the pitch or repetition rate of the alarm can indicate the speed by which the object is approaching. The volume of the alarm may indicate the size of the object which is approaching. Alarms may be generated dependent on the achievement of critical thresholds such as minimum speeds, distances or combinations of both.
Receiving detector 36 may be directionally sensitive or plurality of such receivers may be used so that acoustic direction determination can be determined. Stereo signals may then be applied to two audio transducers 30 and 42, one in each of the ear protecting shells 22, to allow user 12 to have a sensual acoustic direction so that he may turn toward the direction of the approaching hazard.
Many alterations and modifications may be made by those having ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, it must be understood that the illustrated embodiment has been set forth only for the purposes of example and that it should not be taken as limiting the invention as defined by the following claims.
The words used in this specification to describe the invention and its various embodiments are to be understood not only in the sense of their commonly defined meanings, but to include by special definition in this specification structure, material or acts beyond the scope of the commonly defined meanings. Thus if an element can be understood in the context of this specification as including more than one meaning, then its use in a claim must be understood as being generic to all possible meanings supported by the specification and by the word itself.
The definitions of the words or elements of the following claims are, therefore, defined in this specification to include not only the combination of elements which are literally set forth, but all equivalent structure, material or acts for performing substantially the same function in substantially the same way to obtain substantially the same result.
Insubstantial changes from the claimed subject matter as viewed by a person with ordinary skill in the art, now known or later devised, are expressly contemplated as being equivalently within the scope of the claims. Therefore, obvious substitutions now or later known to one with ordinary skill in the art are defined to be within the scope of the defined elements.
The claims are thus to be understood to include what is specifically illustrated and described above, what is conceptionally equivalent, what can be obviously substituted and also what essentially incorporates the essential idea of the invention.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3321737 | Russell | May 1967 | A |
| 3546467 | Benjamin, Jr. et al. | Dec 1970 | A |
| 3654477 | Benjamin, Jr. | Apr 1972 | A |
| 3993407 | Moricca et al. | Nov 1976 | A |
| 4223189 | Warren | Sep 1980 | A |
| 4280204 | Elchinger | Jul 1981 | A |
| 4299303 | Clark | Nov 1981 | A |
| 4516125 | Schwab et al. | May 1985 | A |
| 4528563 | Takeuchi | Jul 1985 | A |
| 4658931 | Curry | Apr 1987 | A |
| 4694296 | Sasaki et al. | Sep 1987 | A |
| 4761770 | Kim et al. | Aug 1988 | A |
| 4777474 | Clayton | Oct 1988 | A |
| 4788724 | Lazzeroni et al. | Dec 1988 | A |
| 4928101 | Favors | May 1990 | A |
| 4937795 | Motegi et al. | Jun 1990 | A |
| 4967641 | Chambre | Nov 1990 | A |
| 4979586 | Lazzeroni et al. | Dec 1990 | A |
| 5059946 | Hollowbush | Oct 1991 | A |
| 5073947 | Reddemann et al. | Dec 1991 | A |
| 5339075 | Abst et al. | Aug 1994 | A |
| 5341346 | Youlton | Aug 1994 | A |
| 5515026 | Ewert | May 1996 | A |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 7396 | Jan 1994 | JP |
