RADIO COMMUNICATION DEVICE

• US 20100151921A1
• Filed: 03/30/2007
• Published: 06/17/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Savox Communications Oy Ab Ltd
• Original Assignee: Savox Communications Oy Ab Ltd
• Inventors: Sinivaara, Hasse
• Granted Patent: US 8,224,286 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/574
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/06 Respiratory or anaesthetic masks
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/107 in the inspiratory path
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3375 Acoustical, e.g. ultrasonic, measuring means
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3553 remote, e.g. between patient's home and doctor's office
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3584 using modem, internet or bluetooth
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3592 using telemetric means, e.g. radio or optical transmission
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/8212 with means or measures taken for minimising energy consumption
• CPC Class Codes: A62B 18/08 Component parts for gas-masks or gas-helmets, e.g. windows, straps, speech transmitters, signal-devices eye-pieces for protective goggles A61F9/02; composition of materials for the windows or other transparent parts A62D7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 25/78 Detection of presence or absence of voice signals switching of direction of transmission by voice frequency in two-way loud-speaking telephone systems H04M9/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/46 by voice-frequency signals; by pilot signals

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and arrangement for reducing power consumption of a radio communication device. In a solution according to the invention an audio signal is monitored (801) and the radio communication devise is activated to transmit (802) a radio signal containing information of the audio signal only when (803) the audio signal contains speech. The power consumption of the radio communication device can be reduced without a need for manual control actions that could limit the freedom of action of a person who is using of the radio communication device.

Claims

1. An arrangement for reducing power consumption of a radio communication device (104), characterized in that the arrangement comprises a control unit (108) arranged to monitor an audio signal (120) and to activate the radio communication device to transmit a radio signal containing information of said audio signal as a response to a situation in which said audio signal is detected to contain speech.

2. An arrangement according to claim 1, characterized in that said control unit is arranged to receive said audio signal from a microphone that is located in a breathing mask of a breathing protection apparatus.

3. An arrangement according to claim 1, characterized in that said control unit comprises an adaptive speech detector that is taught to recognize at least one component of speech of a user of the radio communication device.

4. An arrangement according to claim 3, characterized in that said adaptive speech detector is one of the following:

a neural network and an adaptive digital filter.

5. An arrangement according to claim 1, characterized in that said control unit (208) is arranged to produce a processed audio signal (222) by attenuating signal components of said audio signal (221) other than speech, and said control unit is arranged to regard a situation in which level of said processed audio signal exceeds a pre-determined threshold value as the situation in which said audio signal is detected to contain speech.

6. An arrangement according to claim 5, characterized in that said pre-determined threshold value is zero.

7. An arrangement according to claim 5, characterized in that said control unit comprises a digital noise whitening filter, said audio signal being an input signal of the digital noise whitening filter and a difference between said audio signal and an output signal of the digital noise whitening filter being said processed audio signal.

8. An arrangement according to claim 5, characterized in that said control unit comprises a digital band-pass filter arranged to attenuate frequency components of said audio signal that locate outside a frequency band of speech, said audio signal being an input signal of the digital band-pass filter and an output signal of the digital band-pass filter being said processed audio signal.

9. An arrangement according to claim 5, characterized in that said control unit comprises an analog band-pass filter arranged to attenuate frequency components of said audio signal that locate outside a frequency band of speech, said audio signal being an input signal of the analog band-pass filter and an output signal of the analog band-pass filter being said processed audio signal.

10. An arrangement according to claim 1, characterized in that said control unit is arranged to switch a receiver (107) of the radio communication device (104) to a power saving mode as a response to the situation in which said audio signal is detected to contain speech.

11. A radio communication device, characterized in that the radio communication device comprises a control unit (154) arranged to monitor an audio signal (161) and to activate the radio communication device to transmit a radio signal (162) containing information of said audio signal as a response to a situation in which said audio signal (161) is detected to contain speech.

12. A radio communication device according to claim 11, characterized in that said control unit is arranged to receive said audio signal from a microphone that is located in a breathing mask of a breathing protection apparatus.

13. A radio communication device according to claim 11, characterized in that the radio communication device comprises a radio receiver and the control unit (154) is arranged to switch the radio receiver (155) to a power saving mode as a response to the situation in which said audio signal (161) is detected to contain speech.

14. A radio communication device according to claim 11, characterized in that the radio communication device is arranged to transmit another radio signal during a time period in which the radio communication device is not activated to transmit the radio signal containing information of said audio signal.

15. A radio communication device according to claim 14, characterized in that said other radio signal represents at least one of the following:

a test signal for monitoring a radio link, a monitoring signal carrying measured data, and an update signal for a transceiver at a far end of the radio link.

16. A radio communication device according to claim 11, characterized in that a radio transmitter (152) of the radio communication device is arranged to transmit digital data to a radio path and a radio receiver (155) of the radio communication device is arranged to receive digital data from the radio path.

17. A radio communication device according to claim 16, characterized in that the radio transmitter is adapted to use a line code that is one of the following:

quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) and carrierless amplitude and phase modulation (CAP), and the radio receiver is adapted to use a line code that is one of the following;

quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) and carrierless amplitude and phase modulation (CAP).

18. A radio communication device according to claim 16, characterized in that the radio communication device is arranged to support the Bluetooth®

data transfer protocol.

19. A radio communication device according to claim 16, characterized in that the radio communication device is arranged to support a data transfer protocol of a wireless local area network (WLAN).

20. A radio communication device according to claim 16, characterized in that the radio communication device is arranged to support a data transfer protocol described in the IEEE 802.16 specification (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers).

21. A radio communication device according to claim 12, characterized in that the radio communication device is physically integrated with the breathing mask of the breathing protection apparatus.

22. A radio communication device according to claim 12, characterized in that the radio communication device is connected to the breathing mask of the breathing protection apparatus via a corded link.

23. A breathing protection apparatus comprising a breathing mask, characterized in that the breathing protection apparatus further comprises a radio communication device according to claim 11.

24. A method for reducing power consumption of a radio communication device, characterized in that the method comprises:

monitoring (801) an audio signal, and

activating (802) the radio communication device to transmit a radio signal containing information of said audio signal as a response to a situation (803) in which said audio signal is detected to contain speech.

25. A method according to claim 24, characterized in that the method comprises using an adaptive speech detector that is taught to recognize at least one component of speech of a user of the radio communication device.

26. A method according to claim 25, characterized in that said adaptive speech detector is one of the following:

a neural network and an adaptive digital filter.

27. A method according to claim 24, characterized in that a processed audio signal is produced by attenuating signal components of said audio signal other than speech and a situation in which level of said processed audio signal exceed a pre-determined threshold value is regarded as the situation in which said audio signal is detected to contain speech.

28. A method according to claim 27, characterized in that said pre-determined threshold value is zero.

29. A method according to claim 27, characterized in that a digital noise whitening filter is used for attenuating the signal components of said audio signal other than speech, said audio signal being an input signal of the digital noise whitening filter and a difference between said audio signal and an output signal of the digital noise whitening filter being said processed audio signal.

30. A method according to claim 27, characterized in that a digital band-pass filter is used for attenuating signal components of the audio signal that locate outside a frequency band of speech, said audio signal being an input signal of the digital band-pass filter and an output signal of the digital band-pass filter being said processed audio signal.

31. A method according to claim 27, characterized in that an analog band-pass filter is used for attenuating signal components of the audio signal that locate outside a frequency band of speech, said audio signal being an input signal of the analog band-pass filter and an output signal of the analog band-pass filter being said processed audio signal.

32. A method according to claim 24, characterized in that a receiver of the radio communication device is switched to a power saving mode as a response to the situation in which said audio signal is detected to contain speech.

33. A method according to claim 24, characterized in that the radio communication device is prevented from transmitting any radio signals during time periods in which speech is not detected from said audio signal.

34. A method according to claim 24, characterized in that the radio communication device is allowed to transmit another radio signal during time periods in which the radio communication device is not activated to transmit said radio signal containing information of said audio signal.