Communications system and control unit suitable therefor

• US 6,696,973 B1
• Filed: 07/15/2002
• Issued: 02/24/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: ICEPAT Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Swisscom Mobile AG (Government of Switzerland)
• Inventors: Ritter, Rudolf, Lauper, Eric
• Primary Examiner(s): TONG, NINA C
• Application Number:
  US10/169,722
• Time in Patent Office: 589 Days
• Field of Search: 340/825.72, 340/10.1, 340/10.5, 340/10.51, 340/10.52, 340/7.21, 340/7.24, 340/539.1, 709/250, 455/403, 455/41.2, 455/41.3, 455/88, 455/553.1, 455/95, 455/100, 455/103, 455/73, 455/130, 455/132, 455/133, 455/344, 455/345, 455/346
• US Class Current: 340/539.25
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/554 using a wireless connection, e.g. between microphone and amplifier or using Tcoils

Abstract

A communication system, in particular a mobile communication system that can to be carried by a user without using hands, which includes a control unit as well as one or more signal receiving modules and signal emitting modules that each have a radio device interface. The control unit includes a registration device to automatically register, or respectively deregister, modules dynamically added to, or respectively removed from, the communication system by the user. Data can be received in the control unit from the modules by the radio device interface, or respectively transmitted selectively to the modules by the radio device interface, it being possible to configure from which signal receiving modules data is supposed to be conducted to which signal emitting modules. The control unit also includes configurable functional units that process data before their transmission to a signal emitting module, as well as a command unit that examines data from signal receiving modules for commands contained therein, in particular user commands, and executes predefined function blocks in accordance with a recognized command.

Claims

1. A communication system configured to be carried by a user without using hands, comprising:

one or more signal receiving modules that each receive signals from surroundings of the communication system and convert received signals into digital data; and

one or more signal emitting modules that each convert digital data into signals configured to be emitted into the surroundings of the communication system and at least certain of the signals are perceivable by the user through sense organs, the modules each having a device radio interface;

a control unit with a device radio interface by which radio device interface data from the modules are receivable in the control unit and by which radio device interface data are transmittable by the control unit selectively to the modules,

the control unit comprising registration means to automatically register, or respectively deregister, said modules that have been dynamically added to, or respectively removed from, the communication system by the user,

wherein

the control unit further comprises a store in which a configuration table is stored in which selection of at least certain signal receiving modules as data sources and assignment of at least certain signal emitting modules as data sinks for certain signal receiving modules are configurable,

the control unit further comprises means for forwarding data received from a particular signal receiving module according to indications in the configuration table to a signal emitting module assigned to the particular signal receiving module.

2. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the control unit further comprises functional units to process data before transmission of the data to a signal emitting module, at least one of activation, deactivation, and way of functioning of at least certain of the functional units being configurable.

3. The communication system according to claim 2, wherein the functional units comprise a speech synthesis unit for generation of synthesized speech from textual data, a language recognition unit for recognition of spoken text, an image processing unit for recognition of picture objects, user-specific data filters, and at least one of signal frequency filters and signal frequency transformation units.

4. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the control unit further comprises a command unit to recognize as commands data received by the control unit from a signal receiving module and to initiate execution of predefined function blocks in accordance with a recognized command, the control unit being configured such that signal receiving modules whose data is supposed to be examined by the command unit for commands contained therein are definable.

5. The communication system according to claim 4, wherein at least one of the functional blocks is configured such that a recognized command is configured to be forwarded to external units outside the communication system by at least one of the radio device interface and an infrared interface.

6. The communication system according to claim 1, further comprising a removable memory unit, and wherein at least certain of the signal emitting modules stored in the removable memory unit are at least one of module parameters, which influence operation of individual of the modules, and configuration parameters, which at least one of determine interaction between the modules and identify signal receiving modules whose data is supposed to be examined by a command unit for commands contained therein.

7. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein at least certain of the modules comprise data stores for storing module parameters, which module parameters influence operation of the respective module, the data stores being accessible to the control unit by the radio device interface.

8. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the signal receiving modules comprise a video sensor for receiving light signals, a radio receiver for receiving radio signals, an infrared receiver for receiving infrared signals, a microphone for receiving acoustical signals, a pressure sensor for receiving mechanical pressure, and at least one of an eye position determining unit for determining a current direction of view of at least one eye of the user and one or more body part position determining units for determining a current position of parts of the body of the user.

9. The communication system according to claim 8, wherein the radio receiver is configured to receive radio signals from mobile radio networks, in particular GSM and/or UMTS networks, and/or broadcast systems, in particular DAB and/or DVB systems.

10. The communication system according to claim 8, wherein the video sensor comprises at least one microelectronic scanner for capturing light signals.

11. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the signal emitting modules comprise a display unit for visible reproduction of information for the user, an electro-acoustical converter for reproduction of information in audible form for the user, a vibration unit display of predefined events for the user by mechanical vibrations, and at least one of a radio transmitter and an infrared transmitter.

12. The communication system according to claim 11, wherein the display unit comprises a virtual display unit to project light signals directly onto a retina of the user.

13. The communication system according to claim 12, wherein the radio transmitter is configured for communication by mobile radio networks, in particular GSM and/or UMTS networks.

14. The communication system according to claim 1, further comprising at least one signal transformation module in which a signal receiving module and a signal emitting module are connected to one another by a signal processing unit, the signal processing unit processing electrical/optical signals from the signal receiving module based on module parameters of the signal transformation module and forwarding the electrical/optical signals to the signal emitting module.

15. The communication system according to claim 14, wherein the signal transformation module includes a hearing aid and the module parameters include user-specific hearing parameters.

16. The communication system according to claim 14, wherein the signal transformation module includes a seeing aid and the module parameters include user-specific seeing parameters.

17. A control unit for a communication system, which communication system and which control unit are carried by a user without using hands, which communication system comprises one or more signal receiving modules that each receive signals from surroundings of the communication system and convert received signals into electrical/optical signals and digital data, and which communication system comprises one or more signal emitting modules that each convert digital data into signals configured to be emitted into the surroundings of the communication system and of which at least certain of the signals are perceivable by the user through sense organs,

the control unit comprising at least one device radio interface, and

the control unit further comprising registration means to automatically register, or respectively deregister, modules that have been dynamically added to, or respectively removed from, the communication system by the user,

wherein

the control unit further comprises a store in which a configuration table is stored in which selection of at least certain signal receiving modules as data sources and assignment of at least certain signal emitting modules as data sinks for certain signal receiving modules are configurable, and

the control unit further comprises means for forwarding data received from a particular signal receiving modules according to indications in the configuration table to a signal emitting module assigned to the particular signal receiving module.

18. The control unit according to claim 17, further comprising functional units to process data before transmission of the data to a signal emitting module, at least one of activation, deactivation, and way of functioning of at least certain functional units being configurable.

19. The control unit according to claim 18, wherein the functional units comprise a speech synthesis unit for generating synthesized speech from textual data, a language recognition unit for recognizing spoken text, an image processing unit for recognizing picture objects, user-specific data filters, and at least one of signal frequency filters and signal frequency transformation units.

20. The control unit according to claim 17, further comprising a command unit to recognize as commands data received by the control unit from a signal receiving module and to initiate execution of predefined function blocks in accordance with a recognized command, the control unit being set up such that signal receiving modules whose data is supposed to be examined by the command unit commands contained therein are definable.

21. The control unit according to claim 20, wherein at least one of the functional blocks is configured such that a recognized command is configured to be forwarded to external units outside the communication system by at least one of the radio device interface and by an infrared interface.

22. The control unit according to claim 17, further comprising a removable memory unit configured to store at least one of module parameters, which influence operation of individual of the modules, and configuration parameters, which determine at least one of interaction between the modules and identify signal receiving modules whose data is supposed to be examined by a command unit for commands contained therein.

23. The control unit according to claim 22, wherein the removable memory unit comprises means for unambiguous user identification.