POWER-OPTIMIZED WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS DEVICE

• US 20120010890A1
• Filed: 12/30/2009
• Published: 01/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Raymond Clement Koverzin
• Original Assignee: Raymond Clement Koverzin
• Inventors: Koverzin, Raymond Clement
• Application Number:
  US13/142,853
• Publication Number:
  US 20120010890A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/275
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/385 Transceivers carried on the body, e.g. in helmets
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2001/3866 carried on the head
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0216 using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0254 detecting a user operation or a tactile contact or a motion of the device
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

The present invention is an Always On, Hands-free, Speech Activated, Power-optimized Wireless Communications Device with associated base. The unique value of the device is that a person can use the device at any time, 24×7, with hands-free operation. People can wear it 24×7 on their body either around their neck or on their wrist or wherever it best meets their needs. Speech activation provides greater convenience for the person in using the wireless communications device, and at the same time, it allows the microcontroller greater control of power consuming resources. The wireless communications device may host simple, low power applications. In addition, applications will reside in the base, and in an application (either voice or data) server that is accessed by the wireless communications base.

Claims

1. A wireless communications apparatus comprising of:

I) a wireless communications device comprising of;

a) a microphone;

b) an analog to digital converter;

c) a digital to analog converter;

d) a speaker;

e) a microcontroller;

f) a speech energy detection circuit;

g) a speech capture buffer circuit;

h) a speech recognition circuit;

i) a radio interface circuit;

j) a keyword function store;

k) audio prompts and tones store;

l) data store;

m) said microphone detecting sound comprising of speech and converting said sound to a received analog audio signal;

n) said analog to digital converter converts received analog audio signal into a received binary digit stream whereby representing the received analog audio signal;

o) said speech energy detection circuit that continuously samples the received binary digit stream to measure speech energy based on a selected energy threshold and duration and turns on a speech energy signal whereby representing the start of the sustained speech energy;

p) said speech energy detection circuit that continuously samples the received binary digit stream to measure speech energy based on a selected energy threshold and duration and turns off a speech energy signal whereby representing the end of the sustained speech;

q) said speech capture buffer circuit begins capture of the received binary digit stream when it detects the speech energy signal turned on and stops capture when it detects the speech energy signal is turned off;

r) said speech recognition circuit analyses the captured received binary digit stream in the speech capture buffer and generates a recognized speech keyword signal when a match to a keyword phrase has been made;

s) said keyword function store comprising of a plurality of function code each indexed by a keyword phrase comprising of a plurality of words where a function code associated with the keyword phrase can be executed by said microcontroller;

t) said microcontroller when signaled by the speech recognition circuit with a keyword phrase selects the function code associated with said keyword phrase and begins executing said function program code;

u) said data store contains necessary state information needed by the microcontroller for normal operation and normal execution of any of the said plurality of function code.

v) said radio interface circuit used to communicate with the base for the transmission and reception of information comprising of radio control signals, two-way voice channel, and application data;

w) said microcontroller when required through normal operation or execution of function code will suspend by disconnecting and resume by re-connecting an established high-power-consuming two-way voice channel;

x) said microcontroller through normal operation or execution of function code signals the radio interface circuit to establish a high-power-consuming two-way voice channel on receiving any signal from the set of signals comprising of the turned on speech energy detected signal or the recognized speech keyword signal;

y) said microcontroller through normal operation or execution of function code sending a disconnect control signal to the radio interface circuit signals the radio interface circuit to disconnect the established high-power-consuming two-way voice channel;

z) said microcontroller through normal operation or execution of function code receiving a connect control signal from the radio interface circuit signals the radio interface circuit to establish high-power-consuming two-way voice channel;

aa) said microcontroller through normal operation or execution of function code receiving a disconnect control signal from the radio interface circuit signals the radio interface circuit to disconnect the established high-power-consuming two-way voice channel;

bb) said microcontroller through normal operation or execution of function code disconnects the established high-power-consuming two-way voice channel and signals the radio interface circuit to suspend the established high-power-consuming two-way voice channel due to a calculated period of no speech energy detected by the microcontroller during normal operation or execution of function code;

cc) said microcontroller through normal operation or execution of function code sends a resume signal to the radio interface circuit to re-establish the high-power-consuming two-way voice channel;

dd) said microcontroller through normal operation or execution of function code disconnects the established high-power-consuming two-way voice channel and signals the radio interface circuit to acknowledge the suspended high-power-consuming two-way voice channel due to receiving a suspend signal from the radio interface circuit by the microcontroller during normal operation or execution of function code;

ee) said microcontroller through normal operation or execution of function code receiving a resume signal from the radio interface circuit signals the radio interface circuit to re-establish the high-power-consuming two-way voice channel;

ff) said digital to analog converter converts output binary digit stream into an output analog signal to be fed to the said speaker;

gg) said speaker receiving said output analog audio signal from said digital to analog converter and converting said output analog audio signal to sound whereby a person may hear; and

hh) said audio prompts and tones store of verbal phrases for playing to the user by the microcontroller during normal operation or the execution of keyword functions;

II) and an associated wireless communications base with which to relay said radio control signals, said two-way voice channel, and said application data with said wireless communications device comprising of;

a) a computer;

b) said radio interface circuit used to communicate in a reciprocal manner with the wireless communications device radio interface circuit for the transmission and reception of information comprising of radio control signals, two-way voice channel, and application data;

c) said computer handling said radio interface circuit is a reciprocal manner to the wireless communications device;

d) a public telephone network access interface to access a plurality of telephone devices and audio-based media servers;

e) a public data network access interface to access a plurality of data-based application servers

f) said computer hosting a plurality of features and services made available to the wireless communications device;

g) a keyword function store containing program code that begins execution based on the keyword phrase spoken by the user or as needed by the microcontroller in the execution of a task;

h) an audio prompts and tones store of verbal phrases for playing including but not limited to the user during the execution of keyword functions; and

i) a speech recognition engine used to recognize any spoken phrases by the user or other speech source including but not limited to an external voice channel.

2. A method for a wireless communications apparatus comprising of:

a) optimizing the power of the wireless communications device through the microcontroller program execution by applying only necessary power to a subset of circuits comprising of a radio interface circuit, a speech energy detection circuit, a speech capture buffer circuit, a speech recognition circuit, and a microcontroller;

b) waiting for a detection signal by the microcontroller in the low power state from any wireless communications device circuit;

c) responding to any signals by the microcontroller comprising of a detected speech energy signal, a not detecting speech energy signal, a keyword phrase detected signal and radio interface incoming connect request signal.

d) suspending an established two-way voice channel between the wireless communications device and the wireless communications base when appropriate whereby greatly reducing power consumption on the wireless communications device; and

e) resuming an suspended two-way voice channel between the wireless communications device and the wireless communications base when appropriate whereby using power only as necessary on the wireless communications device;

3. The method in claim 2, wherein said waiting for a detection signal by the microcontroller further comprises:

a) detected speech energy signal when microphone speech sampling meets start speech energy threshold and duration;

b) not detecting speech energy signal when microphone speech sampling meets end speech energy threshold and duration;

c) capturing speech data by a speech capture buffer circuit when detected speech energy signal asserted;

d) stop capturing speech data by the speech capture buffer circuit when detecting speech energy signal not asserted;

e) keyword phrase detected signal when keyword phrase has been found by the speech recognition circuit;

f) establishing two-way voice channel when speech energy signal asserted; and

g) establishing two-way voice channel when keyword phrase detected signal asserted;

h) establishing two-way voice channel when incoming voice channel connect request is received from the radio interface;

4. The method in claim 2, wherein said responding to any signals by the microcontroller further comprises:

a) means of transferring collected speech signal in the speech capture buffer to the radio interface circuit two-way voice channel;

b) means of routing speech data between the radio interface circuit two-way voice channel and a microphone analog to digital converter and speaker digital to analog converter circuits;

c) means of engaging the radio interface circuit two-way voice channel when signaled by the speech energy detection circuit;

d) means of engaging the radio interface circuit two-way voice channel when signaled by the speech recognition circuit;

e) means of executing a keyword function when signaled by the speech recognition circuit with a keyword phrase; and

f) means of routing speech data from the audio prompts and tone store to the speaker digital to analog converter;