Method of auditory display of sensor data

• US 8,326,628 B2
• Filed: 01/24/2011
• Issued: 12/04/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/16/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Staton Techiya, LLC
• Original Assignee: Personics Holdings, Inc.
• Inventors: Goldstein, Steven Wayne, Usher, John, Keady, John Patrick
• Primary Examiner(s): PULLIAS, JESSE SCOTT
• Application Number:
  US13/012,047
• Publication Number:
  US 20110115626A1
• Time in Patent Office: 680 Days
• Field of Search: 482/8, 482/9
• US Class Current: 704/258
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/0264 characterised by the type of parameter measurement, e.g. correlation techniques, zero crossing techniques or predictive techniques
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2499/11 Transducers incorporated or for use in hand-held devices, e.g. mobile phones, PDA's, camera's
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 1/005 For headphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 2420/01 Enhancing the perception of the sound image or of the spatial distribution using head related transfer functions [HRTF's] or equivalents thereof, e.g. interaural time difference [ITD] or interaural level difference [ILD]

Abstract

A method of auditory communication is provided. The method includes measuring physiological data from at least one sensor to form a data set; identifying a type of the data set; identifying an auditory cue associated with the type of the data set; and generating an auditory notification based on the data set and the auditory cue. The auditory notification indicates at least one of a temporal, spectral, spatial or power characteristic of the data set. The method also includes emitting the auditory notification.

Claims

1. A method of auditory communication comprising:

measuring physiological data from at least one sensor to form a plurality of data sets;

identifying a type of each of the plurality of data sets;

associating the respective plurality of data sets with a plurality of priority levels;

identifying a respective auditory cue associated with each type of the plurality of data sets;

generating a plurality of auditory notifications based on the plurality of data sets and each respective auditory cue by converting each of the plurality of data sets into at least one of a speech signal using speech synthesis or a non-speech audio signal conveying at least one of a temporal characteristic, a spectral characteristic, a spatial characteristic or a power characteristic of the physiological data;

organizing the plurality of auditory notifications according to an order of the plurality of priority levels to form an auditory notification list;

associating the plurality of auditory notifications with different spatial locations relative to a user; and

simultaneously presenting a sub-set of the plurality of auditory notifications having a priority level above a threshold value to the user via an earphone system according to the associated spatial locations.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

for at least one of the data sets, generating an auditory equivalent of the respective data set, where the corresponding auditory notification is a combination of the auditory cue and the auditory equivalent.

3. The method according to claim 1, where the sub-set is chosen from among the auditory notifications in the auditory notification list according to a number of auditory notifications allowed to be emitted.

4. The method according to claim 1, where at least one of the data sets includes operational data.

5. The method according to claim 1, where at least one of the data sets includes diagnostic data.