Detecting a Physiological State Based on Speech

• US 20090043586A1
• Filed: 08/08/2007
• Published: 02/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Speech Technology & Applied Research Corp.
• Original Assignee: Speech Technology & Applied Research Corp.
• Inventors: MacAuslan, Joel
• Application Number:
  US11/835,990
• Publication Number:
  US 20090043586A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/270
• 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 25/48 specially adapted for particular use

Abstract

A computer-implemented method identifies a spoken audio signal representing speech of a person and estimates a physiological state of the person based on the spoken audio signal. For example, the method may identify articulatory patterns (such as landmarks) in the speech and estimate the person'"'"'s physiological state based on those articulatory patterns. The method may estimate, for example, the amount of time the person has been without sleep. The method may produce the physiological state estimate without performing speech recognition on the spoken audio signal. The method may produce the physiological state estimate in real-time.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

(A) identifying a spoken audio signal representing conversational speech of a person; and

(B) identifying an estimate of an amount of time the person has been without sleep based on the spoken audio signal.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein (B) comprises determining whether the person is an a fatigued physiological state based on the spoken audio signal.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein (B) comprises:

(B)(1) identifying articulatory patterns of the conversational speech based on the spoken audio signal; and

(B)(2) identifying the estimate of the amount of time the person has been without sleep based on the articulatory patterns.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein (B) comprises identifying the estimate of the amount of time the person has been without sleep without performing speech recognition on the spoken audio signal.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein (B) comprises identifying the estimate of the amount of time the person has been without sleep without recognizing phonemes, syllables, or words in the spoken audio signal.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein (A) comprises identifying a live spoken audio signal being spoken by the person, and wherein (B) comprises identifying the estimate of the amount of time the person has been without sleep as the live spoken audio signal is being spoken.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein (B) comprises:

(B)(1) beginning to identify the estimate of the amount of time the person has been without sleep; and

(B)(2) identifying the estimate of the amount of time the person has been without sleep within about one minute of beginning to identify the estimate of the amount of time the person has been without sleep.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein (A) comprises identifying a recorded spoken audio signal representing conversational speech of the person being played back by a player, and wherein (B) comprises identifying the estimate of the amount of time the person has been without sleep based on the recorded spoken audio signal.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein (B) comprises identifying the estimate of the amount of time the person has been without sleep in real-time in relation to the playback of the recorded spoken audio signal.

4. The method of claim 4, wherein the articulatory patterns comprise landmarks.

11. An apparatus comprising:

audio signal identification means for identifying a spoken audio signal representing conversational speech of a person; and

sleep deprivation estimation means for identifying an estimate of an amount of time the person has been without sleep based on the spoken audio signal.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the sleep deprivation estimation means comprises means for determining whether the person is an a fatigued physiological state based on the spoken audio signal.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the sleep deprivation estimation means comprises:

means for identifying articulatory patterns of the conversational speech based on the spoken audio signal; and

means for identifying the estimate of the amount of time the person has been without sleep based on the articulatory patterns.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the articulatory patterns comprise landmarks.

15. A computer-implemented method comprising:

(A) identifying a spoken audio signal representing speech of a person;

(B) identifying articulatory patterns of the speech; and

(C) identifying an estimate of an amount of time the person has been without sleep based on the articulatory patterns.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein (C) comprises determining whether the person is in a fatigued physiological state.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the articulatory patterns comprise landmarks.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein (C) comprises identifying the estimate of the amount of time the person has been without sleep without performing speech recognition on the spoken audio signal.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein (C) comprises identifying the estimate of the amount of time the person has been without sleep without performing speech recognition on the spoken audio signal.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein (C) comprises identifying the estimate of the amount of time the person has been without sleep without recognizing phonemes, syllables, or words in the spoken audio signal.

21. The method of claim 15, wherein (A) comprises identifying a live spoken audio signal being spoken by the person, and wherein (C) comprises identifying the estimate of the amount of time the person has been without sleep as the live spoken audio signal is being spoken.

22. The method of claim 15, wherein (A) comprises identifying a recorded spoken audio signal representing speech of the person being played back by a player, and wherein (C) comprises identifying the estimate of the amount of time the person has been without sleep based on the recorded spoken audio signal.

23. The method of claim 15, wherein (C) comprises identifying the estimate of the amount of time the person has been without sleep in real-time in relation to the playback of the recorded spoken audio signal.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein (C) comprises:

(C)(1) beginning to identify the estimate of the amount of time the person has been without sleep; and

(C)(2) identifying the estimate of the amount of time the person has been without sleep within ten seconds of beginning to identify the estimate of the physiological state.

26. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the sleep deprivation estimation means comprises means for determining whether the person is in a fatigued physiological state.

27. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the articulatory patterns comprise landmarks.

25. An apparatus comprising:

audio signal identification means for identifying a spoken audio signal representing speech of a person; and

articulatory pattern identification means for identifying articulatory patterns of the speech; and

sleep deprivation estimation means for identifying an estimate of an amount of time the person has been without sleep based on the articulatory patterns.