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HomeSafe Home Services Receives Patent for Use of Infrared/Acoustics in Termite Detection

19 Aug, 2008 PMP Buzz Online eNewsletter


OXFORD, Miss. — The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has approved four major patents filed by HomeSafe Home Services covering the usage of infrared and acoustic technologies in the pest management industry.

The approval of these patents signifies a major technological and procedural breakthrough in termite detection. HomeSafe pioneered the usage of infrared and acoustics to, in effect, “see” and “hear” termite infestations and other wood-destroying insect activity concealed inside a house’s walls, floors and ceilings. Fast, efficient, objective and non-destructive, HomeSafe’s approach pinpoints the exact location of a termite infestation for better treatment and minimizes the risk of human error.

HomeSafe’s technologies were initially developed as part of a U.S. Department of Agriculture-funded research project at the National Center for Physical Acoustics (NCPA) at the University of Mississippi. Sen. Thad Cochran (R-MS) was instrumental in procuring federal funds for the research.

“HomeSafe’s success is an excellent example of the role Mississippi plays in developing innovative new technologies and services that benefit all Americans,” Sen. Cochran said. “Our funding of this NCPA research has helped spin off dozens of new businesses and created jobs throughout Mississippi as well as in more than 20 other states. The approval of HomeSafe’s patents will create additional jobs, strengthen the pest control and home inspection industries and empower home buyers nationwide to make wiser, more informed decisions about what is, for many, the largest investment of their lives.”

HomeSafe’s patents cover the following termite detection technologies and methods:

  1. A procedure for uncovering wood-destroying insect activity in a structure consisting of an infrared (thermal imaging) scan to locate “suspicious” areas of possible infestations and listening for the sounds of wood-destroying insects in the “suspicious” areas
  2. The usage of IR scanning to locate “suspicious” areas indicating infestations of wood-destroying insects followed by additional methods of detection, including but not limited to a listening device, a fiber-optic scope, microwave motion detector, X-rays, a gas detector or termite-sniffing dogs, to confirm the presence of termites
  3. An acoustic termite detection device which utilizes powerful acoustic (listening) sensors to literally hear termite sounds that are beyond the range of human hearing
  4. A method to prevent termite infestations by generating very low-amplitude acoustical vibrations within the house’s interior walls which repel termites and drive them out of the house. These vibrations have a custom-selected frequency and amplitude experimentally proven to be highly effective at modifying termite behavior.

“The USPTO’s approval of HomeSafe’s procedures and technologies will have a deep and lasting impact on the pest control industry,” said HomeSafe president Kevin J. Seddon, who founded the company in 2003 with engineer and scientist Peng Lee, the inventor of HomeSafe’s acoustic termite detection device and infrared/acoustic termite detection methods.

“Our technology and procedures empower pest management professionals to uncover hidden termite activity before any outward damage is evident, without causing any damage to the house itself,” Seddon said. “They enable the inspector to determine exactly where an infestation is located and pay special attention to the problem area.”

Along with a traditional visual inspection, the patented procedure begins with a full infrared scan of the house. If the infrared scan detects signs of moisture that suggest termite activity (subterranean termites bring their own water supply into an infested area), HomeSafe employs its high-tech, handheld acoustic sensors which detect termite noises that the human ear cannot hear. If suspicious noises are detected, the signals are fed into a handheld or tablet PC equipped with specially designed pattern recognition software. This software swiftly analyzes the incoming signals, compares them to a database of insect sounds and objectively confirms, on the spot, if termites are making the sounds.

HomeSafe’s listening probes use ultra-sensitive structural-borne acoustic sensors specifically designed for termite detection. Based on state-of-the-art sound amplification technology, the sensors detect the unique audio signals emitted by termites while minimizing electronic and ambient noise. The probes are applied only to "suspicious" areas identified by HomeSafe's infrared scan and leave just tiny, virtually indiscernible pinholes in the insertion area.

Additionally, Lee invented HomeSafe’s patented system for using low-frequency audio signals to disturb a termite infestation, effectively driving termites out of a house entirely. This system consists of coin-sized, disc-shaped speakers attached to a wall’s interior. These speakers emit acoustic vibrations that can be felt by termites without being audible to humans. The vibrations disturb the termites, causing them to abandon their nest and leave the house. The vibrations can also be used to ward off future infestations.

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