Acoustic Event Recognition via Pattern Matching

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing devices for transmitting and displaying information do not effectively react to ambient noise or speech signals in the user's environment, lacking the ability to categorize and respond appropriately to external sound waves.

Innovation Solution

A device with a microphone and control unit that compares external acoustic signals to stored sample signals using pattern recognition, generating a control signal for adaptive display information output via a subtitle generator, allowing for flexible categorization and response to various acoustic events.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If pattern recognition with multiple sample signals is implemented, then measurement precision of acoustic events is improved, but device complexity increases due to memory storage and comparison operations

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveacoustic event recognition accuracyVSAvoiddevice structure
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Sample signals representing different acoustic events are pre-stored in the memory device before operation. This preliminary preparation allows the control unit to perform rapid comparison operations during actual use without needing to analyze acoustic patterns from scratch, thereby improving recognition accuracy while keeping the processing complexity manageable.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system uses stored sample signals (copies of known acoustic patterns) to represent and identify actual acoustic events. Instead of analyzing the complete complexity of each acoustic event in real-time, the control unit compares incoming signals against pre-stored copies, achieving accurate recognition with reduced computational burden.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

2Adaptability or versatility

If correlation calculation with adjustable threshold values is used, then adaptability to different acoustic environments is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to configuration requirements

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveacoustic environment adaptabilityVSAvoiddevice operation
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The comparison threshold value is designed to be adjustable rather than fixed, allowing the system to adapt to different acoustic environments and applications. Users can modify the threshold to optimize performance for specific scenarios, such as being more sensitive to certain sounds in noisy environments or more selective in quiet settings.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system allows modification of the comparison threshold parameter to change the sensitivity and selectivity of acoustic event detection. By adjusting this parameter, the system can adapt to varying acoustic conditions without requiring complete reconfiguration of the recognition algorithm.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Loss of information

If multiple sample signals are stored and compared, then information completeness about acoustic events is improved, but loss of time increases due to multiple comparison operations

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveacoustic event information completenessVSAvoidsignal processing time
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The control unit compares the incoming acoustic signal against multiple stored sample signals simultaneously or in rapid sequence. While this involves multiple comparison operations, the use of pre-stored samples and efficient correlation calculations ensures that the time penalty is minimized while achieving complete acoustic event identification.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Solution Approach 2:

By pre-storing multiple sample signals representing different acoustic events in memory, the system prepares all necessary comparison patterns in advance. This allows rapid sequential comparison during operation without needing to generate or retrieve patterns in real-time, reducing the time penalty associated with multiple comparisons.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

Enables accurate recognition and appropriate reaction to environmental acoustic events, providing flexible and precise detection and display of information associated with specific sounds, such as ring tones or speech, through adjustable threshold values and multiple pattern signal comparisons.

Implementation Method 1

a microphone device (110), the microphone device being configured in such a way that it converts external airborne sound waves into an acoustic signal which can be evaluated by the control unit (120)

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectMicrophone conversion:

Data Source

PatentEP2733698B1Apparatus for communicating and for displaying information
Publication Date: 2016.09.14 DEUTSCHE TELEKOM AG
  • EP2733698B1 patent drawingFigure 1~3

AI summary

The device (100) has a microphone device (110) for converting external sound waves into an acoustic signal evaluable by a control unit (120). The unit generates a control signal based on the acoustic signal and comparison of the acoustic signal with a pattern signal, where representation information is assigned to the pattern signal. A display device (140) displays the information based on the control signal and the comparison. A data interface outputs the information in a type adapted to the output of the information by a subtitle generator based on the control signal and the comparison. The display device is designed as a LCD display, thin film transistor display or organic LED display. Independent claims are also included for the following: (1) a system comprising an electrical device (2) a method for transmitting and/or for displaying representation information (3) a computer program with program code units for executing a method for transmitting and/or for displaying representation information (4) a computer program product with a computer-readable medium and computer program for executing a method for transmitting and/or for displaying representation information.