VOCODER capable modulator/demodulator

• US 6,754,265 B1
• Filed: 01/26/2000
• Issued: 06/22/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Lindemann, Brian
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Stephen
• Assistant Examiner(s): WILLIAMS, LAWRENCE B
• Application Number:
  US09/491,363
• Time in Patent Office: 1,609 Days
• Field of Search: 375/257, 375/222, 455/462, 455/41, 455/410, 370/260, 370/267, 370/276
• US Class Current: 375/240
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 19/00 Speech or audio signals analysis-synthesis techniques for redundancy reduction, e.g. in vocoders; Coding or decoding of speech or audio signals, using source filter models or psychoacoustic analysis in musical instruments G10H

Abstract

A method and apparatus for data transmission using existing highly compressed telecommunications media, and in particular encoding, transmitting, receiving, and decoding digital data using vocal sounds.

Claims

1. A method for converting a signal conveying digital data to a signal conveying the digital data as vocal tract sounds, the method comprising:

modulating digital data into vocal tract sounds compatible with a voice compression scheme;

compressing the modulated digital data using the voice compression scheme;

decompressing a signal including said compressed, modulated digital data; and

demodulating said decompressed, modulated digital data to recover said digital data.

2. The method recited in claim 1, wherein said modulating further comprises encoding said digital data according to a predetermined dictionary of vocal sounds.

3. The method recited in claim 2, wherein said demodulation further comprises converting said vocal tract sounds into said digital data according to an analog of said dictionary.

4. The method recited in claim 3, wherein said vocal sounds further comprise vocal sounds distinguishable by a predetermined voice encoder/decoder.

5. The method recited in claim 4, further comprising encoding self clocking data with said digital data.

6. The method recited in claim 4, wherein vocal sounds further comprise different voiced and unvoiced sounds.

7. The method recited in claim 6, wherein said voiced sound further comprises a voiced vowel sound;

and said unvoiced sound further comprises an unvoiced consonant sound.

8. The method recited in claim 6, wherein said encoding further comprises changing between said voiced and unvoiced sounds.

9. The method recited in claim 8, wherein said voiced sound further comprises one or more of a plurality of voiced sounds;

and said unvoiced sound further comprises one or more of a plurality of unvoiced sounds.

10. The method recited in claim 8, further comprising one or more predetermined vocal sounds between groups of said voiced and unvoiced sounds.

11. The method recited in claim 10, wherein said one or more predetermined vocal sounds between groups of said voiced and unvoiced sounds further comprises one of a predetermined voiced sound and a predetermined unvoiced sound.

12. A modulator/demodulator embodying the method recited in claim 1.

13. A method for using an electronic circuit to convert a signal conveying digital data to a signal conveying the digital data as a plurality of voice track sounds, the method comprising:

a) processing the signal as a first digital data signal;

b) with the electronic circuit, converting said digital data according to a predetermined dictionary of vocal sounds having respective binary values to obtain a vocal signal comprising a plurality of said vocal sounds corresponding to respective ones of a plurality of said digital data; and

c) with the electronic circuit, encoding changes between voiced and unvoiced ones of said vocal sounds to thereby provide self-clocking of said vocal signal.

14. The method recited in claim 13, further comprising, with the electronic circuit, converting a received one of said converted digital data signals according to an analog of said dictionary to obtain a second digital data signal substantially identical to the digital data signal used to generate said received one of said converted digital data signals.

15. The method recited in claim 14, wherein:

said converting said digital data according to a predetermined dictionary of vocal sounds further comprises operating a data-to-voice conversion algorithm to generate modulated data; and

said converting a received one of said converted digital data signals further comprises operating an analog of said data-to-voice conversion algorithm.

16. The method recited in claim 15, wherein one or more binary digits are encoded per change between said voiced and unvoiced sounds.

17. The method recited in claim 16, further comprising one or more predetermined vocal sounds between words formed of said binary digits.

18. The method recited in claim 17, further comprising one or more predetermined vocal sounds between words formed of said binary digits.

19. A method for converting a stream conveying digital data to a stream conveying the digital data as vocal tract sounds, the method comprising:

modulating a stream of digital data into a vocal signal formed of voiced and unvoiced vocal sounds;

compressing said modulated data in accordance with a voice compression scheme;

transmitting said modulated and compressed data via a telecommunication transmission medium;

decompressing said transmitted data in accordance with said voice compression scheme; and

demodulating said decompressed modulated data.

20. The method recited in claim 19, wherein said modulating further comprises operating a data-to-voice conversion algorithm.

21. The method recited in claim 20, wherein said demodulating further comprises operating an analog of said data-to-voice conversion algorithm.

22. A modulator/demodulator for converting between digital data and vocal sounds for transmission of digital data over narrow bandwidth telecommunication transmission media, the modulator/demodulator comprising:

a first data interface buffer having non-encoded digital data stored therein;

a digital signal processor coupled to said first buffer, said digital signal processor operating a data-to-voice conversion algorithm that encodes changes between voiced and unvoiced vocal sounds, to thereby provide the self-clocking of the data that is converted using the algorithm; and

a second data interface buffer having encoded digital data stored therein.

23. The modulator/demodulator recited in claim 22, wherein said data-to-voice conversion algorithm modulates said digital data into vocal tract sounds compatible with a voice compression system.

24. The modulator/demodulator recited in claim 23, further comprising a memory portion coupled to said digital signal processor and having stored therein a mapping of said vocal tract sounds to respective predetermined binary values.

25. The modulator/demodulator recited in claim 24, wherein said digital signal processor further operates a voice-to-data conversion algorithm.

26. The modulator/demodulator recited in claim 25, wherein said voice-to-data conversion algorithm further comprises an analog of said data-to-voice conversion algorithm.