Abstract:
A device for measuring, documenting, and issuing citations for noise violations comprises a mobile device for measuring the decibel sound level from a sound source, for measuring the distance from the device to the source, for capturing an image or video of the sound source, and determining whether the sound source exceeds a user-predetermined level. The device may be in the form of a hand-held gun-shaped device wherein the user actuates the trigger to record an image or video of the sound source, the decibel sound level, and the distance between the device and the source. After the data is collected, the sound-measuring device is attached to a download component. The download component accepts data from the sound-measuring component and allows the user to input additional data regarding the noise violation. The user may then use the download component to print a citation, which may include an image of the sound source.

Description:
[0001]    This application is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 12/345,291 filed Dec. 29, 2008, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/009,290, filed Dec. 27, 2007. 
     
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to an apparatus for measuring a decibel sound level, particularly to enforce community noise level standards or laws. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    Many local municipalities and other units of government have enacted laws to regulate activities, such as noise pollution, which may have a harmful effect on the public. Loud engines from vehicles or machinery may detract from the enjoyment of neighborhoods by generating excessive noise. In addition, loud automobile stereos, household sound generating devices, or loud parties may likewise disturb the neighborhood peace. Such engines, stereos, and activities may be particularly disturbing during evening hours. As a result, many units of government have enacted legislation setting noise level standards. 
         [0004]    Devices mounted or placed at or near the roadside for monitoring noise violations are known and disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,287,771, U.S. Patent Application 2004/0194549, and U.S. Patent Application 2002/0011939. Several inventions in the prior art appear to disclose mobile or personal sound measuring devices such as those found in U.S. Pat. No. 7,151,835, U.S. Pat. No. 4,277,980, U.S. Patent Application 2007/0017292, U.S. Patent Application 2007/0180915, and U.S. Patent Application 2006/0219015. 
         [0005]    However, the present inventor recognizes a need for a mobile sound-measuring device, which is reliable, accurate and easy-to-operate. Also, the present inventor recognizes the need for a device that law enforcement personnel can utilize to quickly measure decibel sound levels, measure the distance from the sound source, and determine whether a noise level standard law is being violated. Further the present inventor recognizes the need for such a device to easily document the violation and generate a citation or ticket. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    The present invention provides a device for measuring, documenting, and issuing citations for noise violations. The present invention comprises a mobile device for measuring the decibel sound level from a sound source, measuring the distance from the device to the source, capturing an image or video of the sound source, and determining whether the sound source exceeds a user-predetermined level. The invention may be in the form of a hand-held gun-shaped device wherein the user actuates the trigger to record an image or video of the sound source, the decibel sound level, and the distance between the device and the source. The device may collect data at a single moment when actuated by the user, or may continuously record data over a period of time. 
         [0007]    After the data is collected, the sound-measuring component is attached to a download and printer component. The download component accepts data from the sound-measuring component and allows the user to input additional data regarding the noise violation. The user may then use the download component to print a citation, which may include an image of the sound source. 
         [0008]    Numerous other advantages and features of the present invention will become readily apparent from the following detailed description of the invention and the embodiments thereof, and from the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0009]      FIG. 1  is a side view of a sound-measuring component of the present invention; 
           [0010]      FIG. 2  is a fragmentary rear view of the sound-measuring component shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0011]      FIG. 3  is a front view of the sound-measuring component shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0012]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a download and printer component for use with the sound-measuring component of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0013]      FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view of an ear piece housing taken generally along line  5 - 5  of  FIG. 8 ; 
           [0014]      FIG. 6  is a enlarged cross-sectional view of the ear piece housing taken from  FIG. 5 ; 
           [0015]      FIG. 7  is front view of a grommet taken from  FIG. 6 ; 
           [0016]      FIG. 8  is a front view of an ear piece housing taken generally along line  8 - 8  of  FIG. 5 ; 
           [0017]      FIG. 9  is a sectional view taken generally along line  9 - 9  of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0018]      FIG. 10  is an exploded side view of an insulation gasket and the ear piece housing taken from  FIG. 9 ; 
           [0019]      FIG. 11  is a front view of the insulation gasket of  FIG. 10 ; and 
           [0020]      FIG. 12  is a rear view of the insulation gasket of  FIG. 10 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0021]    While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms, there are shown in the drawings, and will be described herein in detail, specific embodiments of the invention with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiments illustrated. 
         [0022]    The prior filed applications: U.S. Ser. No. 12/345,291 filed Dec. 29, 2008 and U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/009,290, filed Dec. 27, 2007 are herein incorporated by reference. 
         [0023]      FIGS. 1-3  illustrate an exemplary sound-measuring device  50  in accord with the present invention. The device  50  shown in  FIG. 1  comprises a sound-measuring component  55 , an image and/or video capturing component  60 , a distance-measuring component  65 , internal functional circuitry  98  for analyzing, and a memory  99  for storing, the data received by the various components of the device  50 . 
         [0024]    Generally, the device  50  is held by a handgrip  107 . The user activates the sound-measuring component  55 , the image and/or video capturing component  60 , and the distance-measuring component  65  by pulling a trigger  108 . 
         [0025]    While the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1  is a handheld version the device  50  in the form of a gun-shaped device, other embodiments of the invention could provide for the device to be mounted to a stationary object like a building or a mobile object like a vehicle. 
         [0026]    The sound-measuring component  55  of the device  50  may comprise a device capable of measuring sound and converting the sound into digital data, and such data capable of being ultimately converted into the decibel measure of sound. The decibel representation is then capable of being displayed to the user on a decibel display panel  113 , or a decibel bar scale display  116 . Such a sound-measuring component may include those disclosed in U.S. Patent Application 20070017292 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,277,980, which are herein incorporated by reference. 
         [0027]    In one embodiment, the sound-measuring component  55  receives a sound pressure wave through a microphone  120  ( FIG. 5 ) and processes the resultant electrical signals through the functional circuitry  98  into groups of digital pulses. These digital pulses are recorded in the device&#39;s internal memory  99  and simultaneously displayed on the decibel bar scale display  116  to the user on the back of the device  50 . 
         [0028]    The microphone  120  is fitted in an ear piece housing  126  as shown in detail in  FIGS. 5-8 . The ear piece housing  126  is fitted in the sound-measuring component  55  of the device  50  by a tubular housing  130  as shown in  FIGS. 3 and 9 . 
         [0029]      FIG. 5  shows a cross-sectional view of the ear piece housing  126 . The ear piece housing  126  is designed, sized and shaped to simulate an average human ear such that sound received by the microphone will resemble the sound received in a human ear. The ear piece housing and microphone can be calibrated to sense within a frequency range corresponding to human hearing, starting at about 18-20 Hz. The ear piece housing  126  includes a sound collecting funnel  140  having a concave inside surface  142 , connected to a tube  144  having an axial passage or tunnel  146  therethrough. The surface  142  is open into the tunnel  146 . The microphone  120  is surrounded and held by a grommet  156 . The grommet  156  is fitted within the inner tunnel  146  at a distance L2 of about 0.5 cm from a concave back wall  162  that substantially closes the tunnel  146 . Microphone wires  170  run from the back of the microphone  120  through a tube  171  and through a small opening in the back wall  162  of the ear piece housing  126 . Grommets or gaskets can be provided at  169 ,  172  to guide the wires  170 , especially if a tube  171  is not used. The ear piece housing  126  may be made out of medical plastic. The ear piece housing  126  can be dipped into a Teflon bath and baked on to simulate the acoustic properties of the average human ear. 
         [0030]    To simulate the size, relative shaping and volume of the human ear, the following approximate dimensions, shown in the Figures, are used: D1=2 cm, D2=1 cm, D3=2.5 cm, L1=2.5 cm and L2=0.5 cm. 
         [0031]    The grommet  156  includes an annular rim  172  fixed to a raised annular boss  173  inside the tunnel  146 . The rim  172  is connected by four spokes  175  to a small base ring  176  that holds the microphone  120 . The otherwise open, pie-piece-shaped areas  177  between spokes  175  can be covered with a thin, elastic membrane  178 , such as a latex rubber film or membrane, to further simulate the internal environment of the human ear. 
         [0032]      FIG. 9  shows the ear piece housing  126  fitted into the sound-measuring component  55  of the device  50  by the tubular housing  130 . The tubular housing  130  comprises a metal tube  182  and a concave end wall  186 . An insulating gasket  192  is placed between the concave end wall  186  and the ear piece housing  126 . The metal tube  182  is covered on the inside by a rubberized plastic sleeve  198 . The rubberized plastic sleeve  198  does not fill the entire area in the tube, a hollow area  206  remains. The hollow area  206  is filled with a foam core  208  after the wires  170  are run to the functional circuitry  98 . The tube  144  is inserted through an insulation gasket center hole  212  and a concave end wall center hole  216 . 
         [0033]    The insulating gasket  192  fits between the ear piece housing  126  and the end wall  186 . The insulating gasket  192  is concave to conform to the ear piece housing  126 . An inner portion  232  of the concave insulating gasket  192  is made of foam and an outer portion  236  is made of rubberized plastic. The concave insulating gasket  192  is attached to the ear piece housing  126  and fits between the ear piece housing  126  and the end wall  186 . The insulating gasket  192  is bendable and can comprise a cut slit  242  for ease of installation. 
         [0034]    The internal memory  99  may consist of non-volatile memory such as flash memory. The decibel level may be displayed on a decibel bar scale display  116  and/or as a digital number on a decibel display panel  113 , such as a liquid crystal display. The device  50  may also contain a sound amplitude display  252  for displaying the amplitude of the sound wave received. In another embodiment, the system records the actual sound detected for later download to a download component  260 , as described below. 
         [0035]    The distance-measuring component  65  measures the distance between the device  50  and the sound source. The component  65  may make this measurement by laser, infrared, ultrasonic or other means. In one embodiment, the distance is measured by ultrasonic means, wherein an ultrasonic transmitter and an ultrasonic receiver are placed in the component  65 . The component determines the distance between the device  50  and the sound source after measuring the time between when the ultrasonic signal is sent and when a reflected signal is received. Such an ultrasonic measuring system may be like that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,046,015, which is herein incorporated by reference. 
         [0036]    In another embodiment, the distance between the device  50  and the sound source may be determined by the component  65  utilizing a laser range finder. Such a laser range finder may be like that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,075,626, which is herein incorporated by reference. 
         [0037]    In one embodiment, the device  50  may calculate the sound level at various distances from the sound source. Based on the sound measurement and the distance measurement, the system can calculate the decibel sound level at either preset or user defined distances from the sound source, using known physics and mathematical principles and formulas. 
         [0038]    The image-capturing component  60  may be a compact digital camera such as the one disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,194,204, which is herein incorporated by reference. The device  50  may optionally include a flash  270  mounted in a sight  272 , which the user can enable or disable using a flash enabling switch  276 . The sight  272  may be used to aim the device  50  toward the sound source. 
         [0039]    The image-capturing component  60  may also be a digital video camera, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,380,974, which is herein incorporated by reference. A display  280  may be included on the back of the device  50 , where, at the user&#39;s option, a continuous video image from the image-capturing component  60  is shown in order for the user to aim the sound-measuring device  50  toward the target and ensure the proper image is captured. In another embodiment, the image-capturing component  60  may be capable of recording a live video stream. In a further embodiment, the image-capturing component  60  may be capable of capturing images or video in low-light conditions. Such an image-capturing component  60  is commonly known as a night-vision camera like that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,763,882, which is herein incorporated by reference. 
         [0040]    The user starts the device  50  by pressing a power button  300 . An energy storage device such as a battery, optionally located in the handgrip  107 , powers the device  50 . A cord connected to a power source could also power the device  50 . The user points the device  50  toward the sound source and presses the trigger  108  to capture the decibel sound level, an image of the sound source, and the distance between the device  50  and the sound source. The decibel level, the image of the sound source, and the distance between the device  50  and the sound source is displayed on the back of the device  50  and recorded in the device&#39;s internal memory  99 . The distance may be displayed on a display panel in English units of measure  320  and/or metric units of measure  322 . 
         [0041]    In another embodiment, the device  50  begins recording the decibel sound level, images or continuous video of the sound source, and the distance between the device  50  and the sound source when the trigger  108  is pulled and continues recording that data until the trigger  108  is pulled for a second time. The data is displayed on the back of the device  50  and is recorded on the devices internal memory  99 . In one embodiment, the sound-measuring component may only save data if the decibel sound level is above a user-predefined level. In a further embodiment, the user may optionally disable the image-capturing component, or may operate the image-capturing component independent of the sound-measuring component using a camera button  326 , or may switch the function of the trigger between image-capturing component activation and sound-measuring component activation using a toggle button  328 . 
         [0042]    In a further embodiment, the device  50  has a continuous or regular self-testing function where the device  50  determines whether the sound-measuring and distance-measuring components are properly calibrated. The device  50  informs the user, through for example, status indicator lights  332 , whether the device  50  is properly calibrated. The device  50  may be recalibrated using the calibration buttons  336  and  338 . 
         [0043]    The invention also includes the downloading and printing component  260  as shown in  FIG. 4 . The user connects the sound-measuring device  50  via a connection port  410  ( FIG. 1 ) to the docking port  412  on the download component  260 . When the sound-measuring device  50  is connected, the download component  260  may automatically download the data from the sound-measuring device  50 , optionally the device  50  or the download component  260  may be configured to require the user to manually start the download after connection. A cord  416  connects a power input  417  to a power source, such as an automobile cigarette lighter outlet, powers the download component  260 . In one embodiment, when the sound-measuring device  50  is connected to the download component  260 , the batteries in the sound-measuring device  50  will be charged by connection to the download component  260 . 
         [0044]    After downloading the data from the sound-measuring device  50 , the download component  260  is capable of printing citations or tickets. The download component  260  is capable of printing clean and clear photos and may comprise an ink-jet printer as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,264,326, which is herein incorporated by reference. The download component  260  may be connected to a computer  422  by a connection cable  426 , or wirelessly. The user may input additional data via the computer  422 . Alternatively, the download component  260  may include a keyboard and display where the user could input additional data without need of a computer  422 . The tickets generated by the download component  260  contain data from the sound-measuring device  50 , which may include the time and date, numeric representation of the decibel level(s) recorded, a graphical sound wave depiction on a graphed grid line background showing the recorded decibel level(s), if applicable a picture of the sound source, a picture of the license plate of an automobile sound source, and a picture of the vehicle&#39;s driver. The user may enter additional information such as, the offender&#39;s social security number, driver&#39;s license number, vehicle plate number and issuing state, driver&#39;s name, fine amount, and court date and time. After the download is complete the system may remove the data from the sound-measuring component&#39;s internal memory  99 , or the user may clear the sound-measuring component&#39;s internal memory  99  using an eraser button  450  ( FIG. 1 ). 
         [0045]    In one embodiment, the download component  260  contains a function enabled by a print button  456  that allows the user to print or reprint all the tickets issued during a particular time period, such as a law enforcement officer&#39;s shift. The download component also may include a drawer for holding copies of previously issued tickets. 
         [0046]    While the particular preferred and alternative embodiments to the present invention have been disclosed, it will be appreciated that many various modification and extensions of the above described technology may be implemented using the teaching of this invention.