Device, system and method for adjusting volume on talkgroups

• US 10,313,529 B1
• Filed: 06/06/2018
• Issued: 06/04/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Motorola Solutions, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Motorola Solutions, Inc.
• Inventors: Lee, Kang Bum, Wang, Chun, Kelton, Patricia
• Primary Examiner(s): Doan, Phuoc H
• Application Number:
  US16/001,466
• Time in Patent Office: 363 Days
• Field of Search: 455518, 455519, 455520, 455521, 455515
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 17/26 Recognition of special voice characteristics, e.g. for use in lie detectors; Recognition of animal voices
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/088 Word spotting
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 25/63 for estimating an emotional state
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2038 Call context notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2044 Group features, e.g. closed user group
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/40 Applications of speech amplifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5116 for emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/568 audio processing specific to telephonic conferencing, e.g. spatial distribution, mixing of participants echo suppression in two-way loud-speaking telephone systems H04M9/02; sound field processing per se H04S7/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 9/082 using echo cancellers echo cancellers per se H04B3/23

Abstract

A device, system and method for adjusting volume on talkgroups is provided. A controller determines that a given user is communicating in a talkgroup that includes a plurality of participants different from the given user, the controller having access to a memory storing historical biometric data indicative of stress for the given user. When a comparison of current biometric data of the given user with the historical biometric data indicates that the given user is in a stressed state: differentially increasing volume, in the talkgroup, of one participant, of the plurality of participants, relative to other participants of the plurality of participants, based on context data of one or more of the talkgroup and the plurality of participants.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

a communication unit; and

a controller communicatively coupled to the communications unit,

the controller having access to a memory storing historical biometric data indicative of stress for a given user that participates in talkgroups;

the controller configured to;

determine that the given user is communicating in a talkgroup that includes a plurality of participants different from the given user; and

when a comparison of current biometric data of the given user with the historical biometric data indicates that the given user is in a stressed state;

differentially increase volume, in the talkgroup, of one participant, of the plurality of participants, relative to other participants of the plurality of participants, based on context data of one or more of the talkgroup and the plurality of participants.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to:

differentially increase the volume of the one participant, relative to the other participants, at least at a communication device of the given user.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to:

differentially increase the volume of the one participant, relative to the other participants, by one or more of;

increasing the volume of the one participant and

lowering the volume of the other participants.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to:

differentially increase the volume in the talkgroup of a second participant, of the plurality of participants in the talkgroup, relative to the other participants of the plurality of participants, based on the context data.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to:

record speech in the talkgroup, the speech including the context data; and

when the volume of the one participant is differentially increased, play back at least a portion of recorded speech of the one participant that includes the context data.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to:

link a related talkgroup, with the talkgroup, based on respective context data of a respective participant in the related talkgroup; and

differentially increase respective volume of the respective participant, relative to one or more of the other participants in the talkgroup and the related talkgroup.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to:

differentially change the volume, in the talkgroup, of one or more participants, of the plurality of participants, relative to the other participants, of the plurality of participants, as the current biometric data indicates the stressed state of the given user is increasing or decreasing in stress.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the controller is further configured to:

increase a number of the participants whose volume is differentially increased as the stressed state is decreasing in stress; and

decrease the number of the participants whose volume is differentially increased as the stressed state is increasing in stress.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the context data includes one or more of:

respective locations of one or more of the plurality of participants;

a respective frequency of speaking of one or more of the plurality of participants;

keywords spoken by one or more of the plurality of participants;

a respective conversation with the given user by one or more of the plurality of participants

a sequence of the respective conversation with the given user by one or more of the plurality of participants;

respective sensor data associated with one or more of the plurality of participants; and

respective roles of one or more of the plurality of participants.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the given user is a dispatcher participating in a plurality of talkgroups, including the talkgroup, and the controller is further configured to:

when a comparison of the current biometric data of the given user with the historical biometric data indicates that the given user is in the stressed state;

determine a primary talkgroup, from the plurality of talkgroups, based on respective context data of the plurality of talkgroups; and

control a display screen associated with the dispatcher to differentially increase a relative size of a user interface of the primary talkgroup, relative to respective user interfaces other talkgroups of the plurality of talkgroups.

11. A method comprising:

determining, at a controller, that a given user is communicating in a talkgroup that includes a plurality of participants different from the given user, the controller having access to a memory storing historical biometric data indicative of stress for the given user; and

when a comparison of current biometric data of the given user with the historical biometric data indicates that the given user is in a stressed state;

differentially increasing, using the controller, volume in the talkgroup, of one participant, of the plurality of participants, relative to other participants of the plurality of participants, based on context data of one or more of the talkgroup and the plurality of participants.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

differentially increasing the volume of the one participant, relative to the other participants, at least at a communication device of the given user.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

differentially increasing the volume of the one participant, relative to the other participants, by one or more of;

increasing the volume of the one participant and

lowering the volume of the other participants.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

differentially increasing the volume in the talkgroup of a second participant, of the plurality of participants in the talkgroup, relative to the other participants of the plurality of participants, based on the context data.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

recording speech in the talkgroup, the speech including the context data; and

when the volume of the one participant is differentially increased, playing back at least a portion of recorded speech of the one participant that includes the context data.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

linking a related talkgroup, with the talkgroup, based on respective context data of a respective participant in the related talkgroup; and

differentially increasing respective volume of the respective participant, relative to one or more of the other participants in the talkgroup and the related talkgroup.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

differentially changing the volume, in the talkgroup, of one or more participants, of the plurality of participants, relative to the other participants, of the plurality of participants, as the current biometric data indicates the stressed state of the given user is increasing or decreasing in stress.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

increasing a number of the participants whose volume is differentially increased as the stressed state is decreasing in stress; and

decreasing the number of the participants whose volume is differentially increased as the stressed state is increasing in stress.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the context data includes one or more of:

respective locations of one or more of the plurality of participants;

a respective frequency of speaking of one or more of the plurality of participants;

keywords spoken by one or more of the plurality of participants;

a respective conversation with the given user by one or more of the plurality of participants

a sequence of the respective conversation with the given user by one or more of the plurality of participants;

respective sensor data associated with one or more of the plurality of participants; and

respective roles of one or more of the plurality of participants.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein the given user is a dispatcher participating in a plurality of talkgroups, including the talkgroup, and the method further comprises:

when a comparison of the current biometric data of the given user with the historical biometric data indicates that the given user is in the stressed state;

determining a primary talkgroup, from the plurality of talkgroups, based on respective context data of the plurality of talkgroups; and

controlling a display screen associated with the dispatcher to differentially increase a relative size of a user interface of the primary talkgroup, relative to respective user interfaces other talkgroups of the plurality of talkgroups.