Monitored audio-based evacuation routes

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12374198-B2
Application number	US-202217931370-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 12, 2022
Priority date	Sep 12, 2022
Publication date	Jul 29, 2025
Grant date	Jul 29, 2025

Abstract

The disclosed technology is directed towards providing guidance, e.g., point-to-point audio guidance, along an evacuation route. The presence of occupant(s) within a structure/area is monitored. If an evacuation event occurs, an evacuation route is determined for each occupant based on their current monitored starting location. Guidance is output, e.g., by various output devices along the evacuation route, which can be the safety monitors that monitor occupant presence, to guide each occupant from point-to-point along the evacuation route. For example, one monitor can be configured to hand off guidance responsibility to a next monitor along the evacuation route. The guidance can be customized for each known occupant based on their recognized features, or can be directed generally to an unknown occupant. Status information of the occupants can be provided to other occupants and to a responding entity. A responding entity can also be given directional guidance.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system, comprising:
a processor; and
a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processor of the system, facilitate performance of operations, the operations comprising:
monitoring presence of an occupant within a structure;
obtaining biometric data representing a biometric corresponding to the occupant;
matching the occupant to identity data representative of an identity of the occupant based on the biometric data;
in response to detecting that an evacuation event has occurred,
determining a first point of an evacuation route and a second point of the evacuation route,
rendering first guidance data representative of first guidance to the occupant to proceed, via a first route of the evacuation route, to the first point, wherein the rendering of the first guidance data comprises outputting information to the occupant that is customized for the occupant based on the identity data, and wherein the outputting of the information to the occupant that is customized for the occupant based on the identity data comprises outputting audio data to the occupant based on the identity data, the audio data comprising specific name data representative of a name corresponding to the identity of the occupant; and

in response to sensing that the occupant is within a defined proximity of the first point, rendering second guidance data representative of second guidance to the occupant to proceed, via a second route of the evacuation route, to the second point of the evacuation route.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the occupant being within a defined proximity of the first point comprises the occupant being within a first defined proximity of the first point, and wherein the operations further comprise determining that the occupant is within a specified area based on a second defined proximity of the occupant to the second point.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the determining of the first point of the evacuation route comprises selecting the first point of the evacuation route based on determining an inaccessibility, by the occupant, to a candidate point of the evacuation route, and wherein the candidate point of the evacuation route is not the first point or the second point.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise determining that a candidate point of the evacuation route is inaccessible to the occupant, and selecting the second point of the evacuation route in response to the determining that the candidate point of the evacuation route is inaccessible.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the rendering of the second guidance data to the occupant comprises outputting audible data representative of the second guidance.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the outputting of the audible data comprises outputting directional audio.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise outputting progress data to a device of an entity other than the occupant, the progress data representing progress of the occupant along the evacuation route.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise rendering third guidance data representative of third guidance to a responder to the evacuation event other than the occupant.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the occupant is a first occupant, wherein the second point is proximate to an evacuation location, and wherein the operations further comprise rendering third guidance data representative of third guidance to a second occupant to guide the second occupant to the second point.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the operations further comprise detecting that the first occupant has reached the evacuation location, and, in response to the detecting that the first occupant has reached the evacuation location, outputting status information to a device of the second occupant indicating that the first occupant has reached the evacuation location.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the detecting that the evacuation event has occurred is based on an output of at least one safety monitor.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the at least one safety monitor includes a plurality of safety monitors, and wherein the detecting that the evacuation event has occurred is based on a use of a respective sensor included in each safety monitor of the plurality of safety monitors.

13. The system of claim 1 , wherein the rendering of the first guidance data utilizes smart glasses or a virtual reality device used by the occupant.

14. The system of claim 1 , wherein the audio data further comprises second specific name data representative of a second name corresponding to a second identity of a second occupant.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the audio data indicates that the second occupant is ahead of the occupant and is approaching an exit of the structure.

16. A method, comprising:
detecting, by a system comprising a processor, an occupant at a first location in a structure;
obtaining, by the system, biometric data representing a biometric corresponding to the occupant;
matching, by the system, the occupant to identity data representative of an identity of the occupant based on the biometric data;
based on an evacuation event, determining, by the system, an evacuation route for the occupant to exit the structure starting from the first location and ending at a second location; and
guiding, by the system, the occupant along the evacuation route, wherein the guiding comprises outputting information to the occupant that is customized for the occupant based on the identity data, and wherein the outputting of the information to the occupant that is customized for the occupant based on the identity data comprises outputting audio data to the occupant based on the identity data, the audio data comprising specific name data representative of a name corresponding to the identity of the occupant.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the guiding of the occupant along the evacuation route comprises outputting first audible data via a first device at a first point along the evacuation route, detecting that the occupant is proximate to the first point, and, in response to the detecting that the occupant is proximate to the first point, outputting second audible data via a second device at a second point along the evacuation route.

18. The method of claim 16 , wherein the occupant is a first occupant, wherein the evacuation route is a first evacuation route, the method further comprising detecting, by the system, a second occupant at a third location in the structure, determining, by the system, a second evacuation route for the second occupant to exit the structure starting from the third location and ending at a fourth location, wherein the second evacuation route is different from the first evacuation route, and guiding, by the system, the second occupant along the second evacuation route.

19. The method of claim 16 , further comprising guiding, by the system, a responder, responding to the evacuation event, to a point location within the structure to further facilitate guiding the occupant along the evacuation route.

20. A non-transitory machine-readable medium, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, facilitate performance of operations, the operations comprising:
monitoring first presence data indicative of a first presence of a first occupant via a first monitor in a structure, wherein the first monitor is associated with a first location within the structure;
monitoring

Assignees

• At & T Ip I Lp

Inventors

• Luu Adrianne
• Moton Jr Robert
• Schaub Ryan
• Knezevich Timothy
• Kreiner Barrett
• Wang Wei
• Craine Ari
• Koch Robert

Classifications

• G08B3/1008 Primary

  Personal calling arrangements or devices, i.e. paging systems (selective calling systems and call receivers H04W84/00, H04W68/00) · CPC title

• G08B7/066 Primary

  guiding along a path, e.g. evacuation path lighting strip · CPC title