SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ACOUSTIC DETECTION OF EMERGENCY SIRENS
A method detects presence of a multi-tone siren type in an acoustic signal. The multi-tone siren type is associated with one or more siren patterns, where each siren pattern includes a number of time patterns at corresponding frequencies. The method includes processing a number of frequency components of a frequency domain representation of the acoustic signal over time to determine a corresponding plurality of values. That processing includes determining, for each frequency component, a value characterizing a presence of a time pattern associated with at least one siren pattern. The method also includes processing the values according to the siren patterns to determine a detection result indicating whether the multi-tone siren type is present in the acoustic signal.
1 . A method for detecting presence of a multi-tone siren type in an acoustic signal, the multi-tone siren type being associated with one or more siren patterns, each siren pattern including a plurality of time patterns at corresponding frequencies, the method comprising:
processing a plurality of frequency components of a frequency domain representation of the acoustic signal over time to determine a corresponding plurality of values, the processing including,
determining, for each frequency component of the plurality of frequency components, a value characterizing a presence of a time pattern associated with at least one siren pattern; and
processing the plurality of values according to the plurality of siren patterns to determine a detection result indicating whether the multi-tone siren type is present in the acoustic signal.
2 . The method of claim 1 further comprising causing presentation of an indicator to an operator of a vehicle based on the detection result, the indicator alerting the operator to the presence of the multi-tone siren type.
3 . The method of claim 2 wherein the indicator includes a visual indicator.
4 . The method of claim 2 wherein the indicator includes an audio indicator.
5 . The method of claim 2 wherein the indicator includes an indication of the type of multi-tone siren detected.
6 . The method of claim 1 further comprising causing a change in an operating mode of a vehicle based on the detection results.
7 . The method of claim 6 wherein the change in the operation mode of the vehicle includes a change from an autonomous operating mode to a manual operating mode.
8 . The method of claim 6 further comprising causing an audible presentation of instructions to a driver of the vehicle, the audible presentation of instructions including instructions for the driver to engage the vehicle controls for manual operation.
9 . The method of claim 1 further comprising causing a vehicle to reduce a speed of travel based on the detection result.
10 . The method of claim 1 further comprising causing a vehicle to perform a maneuver based on the detection result.
11 . The method of claim 10 wherein the maneuver includes an evasive maneuver.
12 . The method of claim 10 wherein the maneuver includes moving the vehicle to a shoulder of a road.
13 . The method of claim 10 wherein the maneuver includes causing the vehicle to change a distance between itself and nearby vehicles.
14 . The method of claim 13 wherein changing the distance includes increasing the distance.
15 . The method of claim 1 further comprising causing an audible presentation of instructions to a driver of the vehicle, the audible presentation of instructions including instructions for to modify their driving behavior.
16 . The method of claim 15 wherein the instructions instruct the driver to drive less aggressively or more safely.
17 . The method of claim 1 further comprising causing a navigation system to plan a different route based on the detection result.
18 . The method of claim 17 further comprising causing a vehicle associated with the navigation system to autonomously follow the different route.
19 . The method of claim 18 wherein the different route circumvents a location of the emergency vehicle.
20 . The method of claim 17 wherein the different route is provided to a driver of a vehicle for navigating around a location of an emergency vehicle.
21 . The method of claim 1 wherein the detection result is indicative of an event.
22 . The method of claim 21 wherein the event includes a car accident.
23 . The method of claim 1 further comprising selecting the plurality of siren patterns based at least in part on a siren type corresponding to a geographic location associated with the acoustic signal.
24 . The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of siren patterns includes a group of siren patterns representing a variation in time or frequency of the multi-tone siren type.
25 . The method of claim 1 wherein the variation is due to one or more of a doppler shift or a variation within a tolerance associated with the multi-tone siren type.
26 . The method of claim 1 wherein each time pattern associated with a siren pattern of the plurality of siren patterns includes a pulsatile sequence at a corresponding frequency.
27 . A computer readable medium comprising software embodied thereon, execution of the software by a processor causing detection of presence of a multi-tone siren type in an acoustic signal, the multi-tone siren type being associated with one or more siren patterns, each siren pattern including a plurality of time patterns at corresponding frequencies, the detection of the presence of the siren comprising:
processing a plurality of frequency components of a frequency domain representation of the acoustic signal over time to determine a corresponding plurality of values, the processing including,
determining, for each frequency component of the plurality of frequency components, a value characterizing a presence of a time pattern associated with at least one siren pattern; and
processing the plurality of values according to the plurality of siren patterns to determine a detection result indicating whether the multi-tone siren type is present in the acoustic signal.
28 . A system for detecting presence of a multi-tone siren type in an acoustic signal, the multi-tone siren type being associated with one or more siren patterns, each siren pattern including a plurality of time patterns at corresponding frequencies, the system comprising:
an acoustic signal processing module configured to process a plurality of frequency components of a frequency domain representation of the acoustic signal over time to determine a corresponding plurality of values, the processing including,
determining, for each frequency component of the plurality of frequency components, a value characterizing a presence of a time pattern associated with at least one siren pattern; and
a multi-tone siren type detection module configured to process the plurality of values according to the plurality of siren patterns to determine a detection result indicating whether the multi-tone siren type is present in the acoustic signal.