Neural translator

• US 8,949,129 B2
• Filed: 08/12/2013
• Issued: 02/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ambient S A
• Original Assignee: Ambient S A
• Inventors: Callahan, Michael, Coleman, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Chawan, Vijay B
• Application Number:
  US13/964,715
• Publication Number:
  US 20130332173A1
• Time in Patent Office: 540 Days
• Field of Search: 704/200.1, 704/232, 704/236, 704/271, 704/259, 704/277, 704/270, 704/275, 704/223, 704/231, 704/208, 704/261, 381/70, 381/110, 600/9, 600/23, 600/586, 600/595, 434/185, 712/218, 712/23, 375/222, 708/207
• US Class Current: 704/261
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/394 specially adapted for electroglottography or electropalatography
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/40 Processing or translation of natural language natural language analysis G06F40/20; semantic analysis G06F40/30
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/00 Speech synthesis; Text to speech systems
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/24 Speech recognition using non-acoustical features
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 25/48 specially adapted for particular use

Abstract

A method and apparatus are provided for processing a set of communicated signals associated with a set of muscles, such as the muscles near the larynx of the person, or any other muscles the person use to achieve a desired response. The method includes the steps of attaching a single integrated sensor, for example, near the throat of the person proximate to the larynx and detecting an electrical signal through the sensor. The method further includes the steps of extracting features from the detected electrical signal and continuously transforming them into speech sounds without the need for further modulation. The method also includes comparing the extracted features to a set of prototype features and selecting a prototype feature of the set of prototype features providing a smallest relative difference.

Claims

1. A method of processing a set of communicated signals, said method comprising:

attaching a sensor near an area of a user'"'"'s body associated with speech production;

detecting an electrical signal from the user'"'"'s nervous system through the sensor;

processing the electrical signal to extract a set of features of the signal; and

comparing the set of features with a set of prototype features, wherein the set of prototype features corresponds to at least one of multiple response classes.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the multiple response classes include an affirmative response class and a negative response class.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the area of the user'"'"'s body associated with speech production is the user'"'"'s brain.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting a prototype from the set of prototype features with a minimum difference between the prototype feature and the set of features of the signal.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

controlling a computing device using a command associated with the prototype.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

controlling an electronic communication device using a command associated with the prototype.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

wirelessly transmitting the electrical signal to a signal processing unit.

8. An apparatus for processing a set of communicated signals comprising:

a sensor configurable to be attached near an area of a user'"'"'s body associated with speech production;

an electrode configurable to detect an electrical signal from the user'"'"'s nervous system through the sensor;

an extraction processor configurable to extract a set of features from the detected electrical signal; and

a classification processor configurable to compare the extracted features with a set of prototype features, wherein the set of prototype features corresponds to at least one of multiple response classes.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the multiple response classes include an affirmative response class and a negative response class.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the area of the user'"'"'s body associated with speech production is the user'"'"'s brain.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising:

a comparator configurable to select a prototype feature of the set of prototype features with the smallest relative difference.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein a command associated with the prototype is configurable to control a computing device.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein a command associated with the prototype is configurable to control an electronic communication device.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising:

an analog to digital converter disposed within the sensor and configurable to convert the detected electrical signal into an equivalent digital signal.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising:

a wireless transmitter configurable to wirelessly transmit the digital signal to a signal processing unit.