Contamination detection and notification systems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11568577-B2
Application number	US-202017118893-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 11, 2020
Priority date	Dec 11, 2020
Publication date	Jan 31, 2023
Grant date	Jan 31, 2023

Abstract

A notification system includes a memory, an output device and activity, localization, and tracking modules. The memory stores an activity history log associated with a supporting structure. The activity module: receives signals from sensors or electrical devices; and tracks activities at least one of in or within a set distance of the supporting structure to generate the activity history log. The localization module relates the activities to aspects of the supporting structure and generates corresponding localization data. The tracking module tracks states of the aspects of the supporting structure contacted at least one of directly or indirectly by one or more animate objects and determine at least one of contamination levels or sanitization levels of the aspects based on the localization data and the activity history log. The output device indicates the at least one of the contamination levels or the sanitization levels.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A notification system comprising:
a memory configured to store an activity history log associated with a supporting structure, wherein the supporting structure is an interior structure of a vehicle or a room of a building;
an activity module configured to
receive a plurality of signals from at least one of sensors or electrical devices of the supporting structure, and
track activities at least one of in or within set distances of surfaces of the supporting structure to generate the activity history log;

a localization module configured to relate the activities to aspects of the supporting structure and generate corresponding localization data, wherein the aspects are within the supporting structure and include at least one of surfaces, areas, spaces or volumes of the supporting structure;
a tracking module configured to i) track states of the aspects of the supporting structure contacted by one or more animate objects and contaminated due to the contact by the one or more animate objects, ii) determine at least one of a plurality of contamination levels or a plurality of sanitization levels of the aspects based on the localization data and the activity history log, and iii) track decay of the plurality of contamination levels and adjust the plurality of contamination levels based on the decay; and
an output device configured to indicate the at least one of the plurality of contamination levels or the plurality of sanitization levels, and indicate the plurality of contamination levels as adjusted based on the decay.

2. The notification system of claim 1 , further comprising a transceiver configured to receive a notification key indicating a network device has been identified as being exposed to a contaminant,
wherein the tracking module configured to, in response to the notification key, track the aspects of the supporting structure contacted by the one or more animate objects and determine the at least one of the plurality of contamination levels or the plurality of sanitization levels of the aspects based on the localization data and the activity history log.

3. The notification system of claim 1 , further comprising sensors configured to detect activities in the supporting structure, wherein the activity module is configured to track the activities based on outputs of the sensors.

4. The notification system of claim 1 , further comprising the electrical devices configured to change state as a result of activities in the supporting structure, wherein the activity module is configured to track states of the electrical devices and log the states in the activity history log.

5. The notification system of claim 1 , further comprising one or more cameras configured to track activities of the one or more animate objects, wherein:
the interior structure is of the vehicle;
the output device is at least one of a display of the vehicle or one or more smart aspects of the vehicle; and
the activity module is configured to determine aspects of the supporting structure contacted based on outputs of the one or more cameras and log the aspects contacted and corresponding timestamps in the activity history log.

6. The notification system of claim 1 , wherein the activity module is configured to track touch points of the one or more animate objects and log the touch points and corresponding timestamps in the activity history log.

7. The notification system of claim 1 , wherein:
the output device is at least one of a display or a projector; and
the output device is configured to at least one of
highlight areas of the supporting structure in an image shown on the display to illustrate the at least one of the plurality of contamination levels or the plurality of sanitization levels of the aspects, or
project images on the aspects of the supporting structure to indicate the at least one of the plurality of contamination levels or the plurality of sanitization levels of the aspects.

8. The notification system of claim 1 , wherein the tracking module is configured to identify aspects contacted based on detected changes in states of the electrical devices and update the at least one of the plurality of contamination levels or the plurality of sanitization levels based on the identified aspects contacted.

9. The notification system of claim 1 , further comprising sensors configured to detect at least one of breathing, coughing or sneezing by the one or more animate objects,
wherein the tracking module is configured to, based on the detected at least one of the breathing, coughing or sneezing, update the at least one of the plurality of contamination levels or the plurality of sanitization levels.

10. The notification system of claim 1 , wherein:
the activity module is configured to track number of times each of the aspects are contacted and durations of contacts with the aspects; and
the tracking module is configured to update the at least one of the plurality of contamination levels or the plurality of sanitization levels based on the number of times each of the aspects are contacted and the durations of the contacts with the aspects.

11. The notification system of claim 1 , further comprising a transceiver configured to transmit the activity history log to a server and receive in response a cleaning notification message indicating at least one of areas or aspects of the supporting structure to sanitize.

12. The notification system of claim 1 , wherein the activity module performs motion tracking of the animate objects and determines incidents in which physical contact is made with interior aspects of the supporting structure and updates the activity history log based on the physical contacts made.

13. The notification system of claim 1 , further comprising embedded sensors configured to detect contact with the aspects,
wherein the activity module is configured to update the activity history log based on outputs of the embedded sensors.

14. A portable network device comprising:
a camera configured to capture images of a supporting structure;
a memory configured to store localization data, wherein the localization data relates location and orientation of the portable network device to aspects of the supporting structure, wherein the aspects include at least one of surfaces, areas, spaces or volumes of the supporting structure, and wherein the supporting structure is separate from the portable network device; and
a control module configured to
receive at least one of
an activity history log of activity of one or more animate objects in association with the supporting structure;
a contamination map of contamination levels of the aspects of the supporting structure; or
sanitization map of sanitization levels of the aspects of the supporting structure; and
based on the captured images, display an image of the supporting structure indicating at least one of the contamination levels of the aspects or the sanitization levels of the aspects.

15. The portable network device of claim 14 , the control module is configured to i) determine a location and orientation of the portable network device within the supporting structure, ii) based on the location and orientation, display in an augmented reality environment view of an interior of the supporting structure selected ones of the aspects, and iii) based on corresponding ones of the contamination levels of the aspects and corresponding ones of the sanitization levels of the aspects highlight the selected ones of the aspects in the augmented reality environment view of the interior of the supporting structure.

16. The portable

Assignees

• Gm Global Tech Operations Llc

Inventors

• Velleu Jesse
• Tsimhoni Omer
• Phillips John

Classifications

• H04W4/48

  for in-vehicle communication · CPC title

• G06T11/00 Primary

  Two-dimensional [2D] image generation · CPC title

• H04W4/029

  Location-based management or tracking services · CPC title

• H04N5/23293

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04N9/3173

  wherein the projection device is specially adapted for enhanced portability · CPC title