Apparatus for responding to sound at a remote terminal

• US 20020026311A1
• Filed: 10/18/2001
• Published: 02/28/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Inventors: Okitsu, Hiromi
• Granted Patent: US 7,020,610 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/201
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence

Abstract

An information apparatus is constructed for notifying output information to a remote terminal in response to an input signal of a sound. In the information apparatus, a first memory block memorizes characteristic data representing characteristics of various sounds. A second memory block memorizes various items of output information in correspondence to the characteristic data of the various sounds such that each item of the output information is associated to each sound. An input device collects a sound to provide an input signal of the collected sound. An analyzer device extracts characteristic data from the input signal of the collected sound. A controller device operates according to the extracted characteristic data for addressing the first memory block and the second memory block to identity the item of the output information corresponding to the collected sound. A transmitter device transmits the identified item of the output information to the remote terminal. A new sound and a corresponding item of output information can be registered for updating the first memory block and the second memory block such that the analyzer device extracts new characteristic data from the new sound. The controller device registers the extracted new characteristic data into the first memory block and registers the corresponding item of the output information into the second memory block.

Claims

1. An information apparatus for notifying output information to a remote terminal in response to an input signal of a sound, comprising:

a first memory block that memorizes characteristic data representing characteristics of various sounds;

a second memory block that memorizes various items of output information in correspondence to the characteristic data of the various sounds such that each item of the output information is associated to each sound;

an input device that collects a sound to provide an input signal of the collected sound;

an analyzer device that extracts characteristic data from the input signal of the collected sound;

a controller device that operates according to the extracted characteristic data for addressing the first memory block and the second memory block to identity the item of the output information corresponding to the collected sound; and

a transmitter device that transmits the identified item of the output information to the remote terminal,

wherein a new sound and a corresponding item of output information can be registered for updating the first memory block and the second memory block such that the analyzer device extracts new characteristic data from the new sound, and the controller device registers the extracted new characteristic data into the first memory block and registers the corresponding item of the output information into the second memory block.

2. The information apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the analyzer device analyzes a frequency spectrum of the sound to extract therefrom a characteristic pattern, which is memorized as the characteristic data in the first memory block, and the controller device uses the characteristic pattern as an index to identity the item of the output information corresponding to the sound.

6. The remote terminal for use in combination with the information apparatus as claimed in claim 1, comprising:

a receiver device that receives the output information transmitted from the information apparatus;

a stimulator device that is activated when the output information is received by the receiver device for physically stimulating a user of the remote terminal to draw attention of the user to the output information;

a display device that displays the received output information such that the stimulated user can readily read the output information;

a commander device that is operated by the user when a new sound is to be registered for inputting a command effective to activate the analyzer device of the information apparatus to extract the characteristic data from the new sound and to enable the controller device of the information apparatus to register the characteristic data together with the corresponding item of the output information; and

a transmitter device that transmits the inputted command to the information apparatus.

3. An information apparatus for notifying output information to a remote terminal in response to an input signal of a sound, comprising:

a first memory block that memorizes characteristic data representing characteristics of various sounds;

a second memory block that memorizes various items of output information in correspondence to the characteristic data of the various sounds such that each item of the output information is associated to each sound;

a plurality of input devices that are spatially distributed to collect a sound from a source location, and that respectively provide input signals of the same sound;

a detector device that processes the input signals provided from the spatially distributed input devices to detect the source location of the sound;

an analyzer device that extracts characteristic data from at least one of the input signals of the collected sound;

a controller device that operates according to the extracted characteristic data for addressing the first memory block and the second memory block to identity the item of the output information corresponding to the collected sound; and

a transmitter device that transmits the identified item of the output information to the remote terminal together with the detected source location of the sound.

4. The information apparatus as claimed in claim 3, further comprising a canceler device that checks whether the output information associated to the sound is true or false according to the source location of the sound, and that cancels transmission of the output information if the output information is false.

5. The information apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the analyzer device analyzes a frequency spectrum of the sound to extract therefrom a characteristic pattern, which is memorized as the characteristic data in the first memory block, and the controller device uses the characteristic pattern as an index to identity the item of the output information corresponding to the sound.

7. The remote terminal for use in combination with the information apparatus as claimed in claim 3, comprising:

a receiver device that receives the output information transmitted from the information apparatus;

a stimulator device that is activated when the output information is received by the receiver device for physically stimulating a user of the remote terminal to draw attention of the user to the output information; and

a display device that displays the received output information such that the stimulated user can readily read the output information.

8. An informing method of notifying output information to a remote terminal in response to an input signal of a sound, comprising the steps of:

memorizing characteristic data representing characteristics of various sounds in a first memory;

memorizing various items of output information in correspondence to the characteristic data of the various sounds in a second memory such that each item of the output information is associated to each sound;

collecting a sound to provide an input signal of the collected sound;

extracting characteristic data from the input signal of the collected sound;

addressing the first memory and the second memory based on the extracted characteristic data to identity the item of the output information corresponding to the collected sound;

transmitting the identified item of the output information to the remote terminal; and

registering a new sound and a corresponding item of output information to update the first memory and the second memory such that new characteristic data is extracted from the new sound and the corresponding item of the output information is determined in association with the new sound, and then the extracted new characteristic data is memorized in the first memory while the corresponding item of the output information is memorized in the second memory.

9. An informing method of notifying output information to a remote terminal in response to an input signal of a sound, comprising the steps of:

memorizing characteristic data representing characteristics of various sounds in a first memory;

memorizing various items of output information in correspondence to the characteristic data of the various sounds in a second memory such that each item of the output information is associated to each sound;

arranging a plurality of input devices in different locations to collect a sound from a source location such that each input device provides each input signal of the same sound emitted from the source location;

processing the input signals provided from the plurality of the input devices to detect the source location of the sound;

extracting characteristic data from at least one of the input signals of the collected sound;

addressing the first memory and the second memory based on the extracted characteristic data so as to identity the item of the output information corresponding to the collected sound; and

transmitting the identified item of the output information to the remote terminal together with the detected source location of the sound.

10. A machine-readable medium for use in an information apparatus having a central processing unit, a first memory memorizing characteristic data representing characteristics of various sounds, and a second memory memorizing various items of output information in correspondence to the characteristic data of the various sounds such that each item of the output information is associated to each sound, the medium containing program instructions executable by the central processing unit for causing the information apparatus to perform a process of notifying output information to a remote terminal in response to an input signal of a sound, wherein the process comprises the steps of:

collecting a sound to provide an input signal of the collected sound;

extracting characteristic data from the input signal of the collected sound;

addressing the first memory and the second memory based on the extracted characteristic data to identity the item of the output information corresponding to the collected sound;

transmitting the identified item of the output information to the remote terminal; and

registering a new sound and a corresponding item of output information to update the first memory and the second memory such that new characteristic data is extracted from the new sound and the corresponding item of the output information is determined in association to the new sound, and then the extracted new characteristic data is memorized in the first memory while the corresponding item of the output information is memorized in the second memory.

11. A machine-readable medium for use in an information apparatus having a central processing unit, a plurality of input devices, a first memory memorizing characteristic data representing characteristics of various sounds, and a second memory memorizing various items of output information in correspondence to the characteristic data of the various sounds such that each item of the output information is associated to each sound, the medium containing program instructions executable by the central processing unit for causing the information apparatus to perform a process of notifying output information to a remote terminal in response to an input signal of a sound, wherein the process comprises the steps of:

operating the plurality of the input devices arranged in different locations to collect a sound from a source location such that each input device provides each input signal of the same sound emitted from the source location;

treating the input signals provided from the plurality of the input devices to detect the source location of the sound;

extracting characteristic data from at least one of the input signals of the collected sound;

addressing the first memory and the second memory based on the extracted characteristic data so as to identity the item of the output information corresponding to the collected sound; and

transmitting the identified item of the output information to the remote terminal together with the detected source location of the sound.

12. An information apparatus for dispatching an output phrase to a remote terminal in response to an input signal of a sound, comprising:

first memory means for memorizing characteristic data representing characteristics of various sounds;

second memory means for memorizing various output phrases in correspondence to the characteristic data of the various sounds such that each output phrase is associated to each sound;

means for collecting a sound to provide an input signal of the collected sound;

means for extracting characteristic data from the input signal of the collected sound;

means for addressing the first memory means and the second memory means based on the extracted characteristic data to identity the output phrase corresponding to the collected sound;

means for transmitting the identified output phrase to the remote terminal; and

means for registering a new sound and a corresponding output phrase such that new characteristic data is extracted from the new sound and the corresponding output phrase is determined in association with the new sound so that the extracted new characteristic data is memorized in the first memory means and the corresponding output phrase is memorized in the second memory means.

13. An information apparatus for dispatching an output phrase to a remote terminal in response to an input signal of a sound, comprising:

first memory means for memorizing characteristic data representing characteristics of various sounds;

second memory means for memorizing various output phrases in correspondence to the characteristic data of the various sounds such that each output phrase is associated to each sound;

a plurality of input means arranged in different locations to collect a sound from a source location such that each input means provides each input signal of the same sound emitted from the source location;

means for processing the input signals provided from the plurality of the input means to detect the source location of the sound;

means for extracting characteristic data from at least one of the input signals of the collected sound;

means for addressing the first memory means and the second memory means based on the extracted characteristic data so as to identity the output phrase corresponding to the collected sound; and

means for transmitting the identified output phrase to the remote terminal together with the detected source location of the sound.