System and method for providing situational awareness enhancement for low bit rate vocoders

• US 8,099,286 B1
• Filed: 05/12/2008
• Issued: 01/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc. (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc. (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Inventors: Thommana, John, Paul, Lizy
• Primary Examiner(s): Smits, Talivaldis Ivars
• Application Number:
  US12/152,187
• Time in Patent Office: 1,345 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 704/274
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 19/167 Audio streaming, i.e. formatting and decoding of an encoded audio signal representation into a data stream for transmission or storage purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 19/18 Vocoders using multiple modes

Abstract

Situational awareness enhancement is promoted in a radio communication transceiver receiving non-verbal content and verbal content from a remote source. A vocoder communicatively coupled with the transceiver receives the verbal content packets, and a situational awareness encoder/decoder communicatively coupled with the transceiver receives the non-verbal content packets. The encoder/decoder links and synchronizes the verbal content packets with the corresponding non-verbal content packets, and provides the verbal content packets to the vocoder in parallel with the provision of the non-verbal content packets to the encoder/decoder. The non-verbal and verbal content is extracted from the respective packets and are synchronously output for display and playback, respectively.

Claims

1. A system for promoting situational awareness enhancement, comprising:

a transceiver configured for receiving a non-verbal content packet and a verbal content packet, both the non-verbal content packet and the verbal content packet being transmitted from a remote source;

a vocoder communicatively coupled with the transceiver, the vocoder being configured for receiving the verbal content packet from the transceiver, the vocoder being further configured for extracting verbal content from the verbal content packet; and

a situational awareness encoder/decoder communicatively coupled with the transceiver, the encoder/decoder being configured for receiving the non-verbal content packet from the transceiver, the encoder/decoder being further configured for extracting non-verbal content from the non-verbal content packet;

an audio output device connected to the vocoder and the encoder/decoder, the audio output device configured for providing an audio output based on the extracted non-verbal content and the extracted verbal content; and

a visual output device connected to the encoder/decoder, the visual output device configured for providing a text output based on the extracted non-verbal content,

wherein provision of the verbal content packet from the transceiver to the vocoder occurs in parallel with provision of the non-verbal content packet from the transceiver to the encoder/decoder, the system linking the verbal content packet with the non-verbal content packet and synchronizing the audio output and the text output.

2. A system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

an audio input device communicatively coupled to the vocoder and the encoder/decoder, the audio input device configured for receiving communication content.

3. A system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the vocoder is further configured for receiving verbal content included in the communication content.

4. A system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the vocoder is further configured for generating a local verbal content packet, the local verbal content packet being based on the verbal content of the communication content, and the encoder/decoder is further configured for generating a local non-verbal content packet, the local non-verbal content packet being based on the non-verbal content of the communication content.

5. A system as claimed in claim 4, wherein the transceiver is further configured for transmitting the local non-verbal content packet and the local verbal content packet via radio communication.

6. A system as claimed in claim 4, wherein the system is configured for linking the local verbal content packet and the local non-verbal content packet.

7. A system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the encoder/decoder is further configured for receiving non-verbal content included in the communication content.

8. A system as claimed in claim 2, further comprising:

a storage device communicatively coupled with the encoder/decoder and the transceiver, the storage device configured for storing the local non-verbal content packet, the storage device further configured for storing the non-verbal content packet.

9. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the vocoder is a low bit rate vocoder.

10. A method for promoting situational awareness enhancements for a low bit rate vocoder, comprising:

receiving communication content via an audio input device;

providing non-verbal content included in the communication content to an encoder/decoder;

providing verbal content included in the communication content to the vocoder;

creating a local non-verbal content packet based on the non-verbal content of the communication content and creating a local verbal content packet based on the verbal content of the communication content;

linking the local non-verbal content packet and the local verbal content packet via the encoder/decoder, said encoder/decoder implementing packet synchronizers for providing said linking, said linking including creating timestamp linkages for the local non-verbal content packet and the local verbal content packet;

transmitting the local non-verbal content packet and the local verbal content packet via a radio communication transceiver;

receiving a non-verbal content packet and a verbal content packet via the radio communication transceiver;

providing the non-verbal content packet to the encoder/decoder;

providing the verbal content packet to the vocoder, the verbal content packet being provided to the vocoder in parallel with the provision of the non-verbal content packet to the encoder/decoder;

extracting non-verbal content from the non-verbal content packet and extracting verbal content from the verbal content packet;

providing an output based on the extracted non-verbal content via an output device; and

providing an output based on the extracted verbal content via the output device.

11. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing a method for promoting situational awareness enhancements for a low bit rate vocoder, said method comprising:

receiving communication content via an audio input device;

providing non-verbal content included in the communication content to an encoder/decoder;

providing verbal content included in the communication content to the vocoder;

creating a local non-verbal content packet based on the non-verbal content of the communication content and creating a local verbal content packet based on the verbal content of the communication content;

linking the local non-verbal content packet and the local verbal content packet via the encoder/decoder, said encoder/decoder implementing packet synchronizers for providing said linking, said linking including creating timestamp linkages for the local non-verbal content packet and the local verbal content packet;

transmitting the local non-verbal content packet and the local verbal content packet via a radio communication transceiver;

receiving a non-verbal content packet and a verbal content packet via the radio communication transceiver;

providing the non-verbal content packet to the encoder/decoder, the verbal content packet being provided to the vocoder in parallel with the provision of the non-verbal content packet to the encoder/decoder;

providing the verbal content packet to the vocoder;

extracting non-verbal content from the non-verbal content packet and extracting verbal content from the verbal content packet;

providing an output based on the non-verbal content via an output device; and

providing an output based on the verbal content via the output device.