Hearing Agent and a Related Method
First Claim
1. A portable hearing agent comprisingan audio sensor for transforming an acoustic signal into a representative electric signal,a processing unit configured, while in a training mode, to associate the sensed signal with a predetermined response, and, while in a recognition mode, to activate the predetermined response,an output module for alerting a user of the agent and indicating the acoustic signal via the predetermined response,an auditory feature extractor for determining auditory feature values of the sensed signal, said auditory feature values indicating presence or non-presence of predetermined auditory features, andan associative matrix configured to store, while in said training mode, weight values representing an association between said auditory feature values and a predetermined matrix output signal linked with the predetermined response, andwherein said processing unit is configured to input, while in said recognition mode, said auditory feature values to the matrix so as to evoke a predetermined matrix output signal that is an associatively best match, according to a predetermined criterion applying the weight values, to said input auditory feature values.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A hearing agent being an entity capable of recognizing a number of predetermined sounds by an associative matrix and providing the user of the entity with an alert indicating the particular recognized sound, and a corresponding method. The agent may be implemented as a dedicated device, a module attachable to another device, or software introduced to a more general device such as a mobile terminal or a PDA.
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Citations
19 Claims
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1. A portable hearing agent comprising
an audio sensor for transforming an acoustic signal into a representative electric signal, a processing unit configured, while in a training mode, to associate the sensed signal with a predetermined response, and, while in a recognition mode, to activate the predetermined response, an output module for alerting a user of the agent and indicating the acoustic signal via the predetermined response, an auditory feature extractor for determining auditory feature values of the sensed signal, said auditory feature values indicating presence or non-presence of predetermined auditory features, and an associative matrix configured to store, while in said training mode, weight values representing an association between said auditory feature values and a predetermined matrix output signal linked with the predetermined response, and wherein said processing unit is configured to input, while in said recognition mode, said auditory feature values to the matrix so as to evoke a predetermined matrix output signal that is an associatively best match, according to a predetermined criterion applying the weight values, to said input auditory feature values.
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15. A method comprising:
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obtaining a sensed acoustic signal in electric form, associating, while the agent is in a training mode, the sensed signal with a predetermined response, and activating, while in a recognition mode, the predetermined response, alerting the user of the agent and indicating the acoustic signal via the predetermined response, extracting a plurality of auditory feature values from the sensed signal, wherein said auditory feature values respectively indicate presence or non-presence of predetermined auditory features, storing in an associative matrix, while in said training mode, weight values representing an association between said auditory feature values and a predetermined matrix output signal linked with the predetermined response, and inputting, while in said recognition mode, said auditory feature values to the matrix so as to evoke a predetermined matrix output signal that is an associatively best match, according to a predetermined criterion applying the weight values, to said input auditory feature values.
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16. (canceled)
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17. (canceled)
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18. A readable memory stored with instructions for execution by a processor, for:
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obtaining a sensed acoustic signal in electric form, associating, while the agent is in a training mode, the sensed signal with a predetermined response, and activating, while in a recognition mode, the predetermined response, alerting the user of the agent and indicating the acoustic signal via the predetermined response, extracting a plurality of auditory feature values from the sensed signal, wherein said auditory feature values respectively indicate presence or non-presence of predetermined auditory features, storing in an associative matrix, while in said training mode, weight values representing an association between said auditory feature values and a predetermined matrix output signal linked with the predetermined response, and inputting, while in said recognition mode, said auditory feature values to the matrix so as to evoke a predetermined matrix output signal that is an associatively best match, according to a predetermined criterion applying the weight values, to said input auditory feature values.
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19. A portable hearing agent comprising:
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means for transforming an acoustic signal into a representative electric signal, means for associating the sensed signal with a predetermined response while in a training mode, and while in a recognition mode, for activating the predetermined response, means for alerting a user of the agent and indicating the acoustic signal via the predetermined response, means for determining auditory feature values of the sensed signal, said auditory feature values indicating presence or non-presence of predetermined auditory features, and means for storing weight values representing an association between said auditory feature values and a predetermined matrix output signal linked with the predetermined response while in said training mode, and wherein said means for associating is for inputting, while in said recognition mode, said auditory feature values to the means for storing so as to evoke a predetermined matrix output signal that is an associatively best match, according to a predetermined criterion applying the weight values, to said input auditory feature values.
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Specification