Low Bandwidth PERS Button Using Neural Network Audio Compression

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Personal Emergency Response Systems (PERS) face challenges in providing effective verbal communication due to the need for full cellular communications channels, which are costly and complex, especially in mobile solutions where a 24/7 guaranteed channel is required, and the difficulty in maintaining suitable communications quality in a small help button format.

Innovation Solution

A personal help button and administrator system that utilize a trained neural network to convert verbal audio inputs into low bandwidth format signals, allowing for communication over low bandwidth channels such as Narrowband IoT, LoRa, or Sigfox, avoiding the need for conventional cellular networks, and enabling efficient data compression and speech synthesis for verbal audio delivery.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If full cellular communications channel is used for verbal communication between user and PERS agent, then communication quality is improved, but device cost and system complexity increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecommunication qualityVSAvoidsystem complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts only the essential information from verbal communication (keywords, phrases, intent) rather than transmitting the full audio signal. The neural network processes audio locally at the help button device, extracting semantic content and transmitting only this compressed representation over low-bandwidth cellular channels, thereby maintaining communication effectiveness while eliminating the need for high-bandwidth audio transmission infrastructure

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent fundamentally changes the parameter of communication bandwidth from high (full audio quality requiring cellular-grade channels) to low (textual/semantic representation). By transforming audio signals into compressed semantic representations through neural network processing, the system operates on low-bandwidth channels that are significantly simpler and less costly than traditional cellular voice channels

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Reliability

If full cellular communications channel is used for verbal communication, then communication quality is improved, but equipment cost and rental cost increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecommunication qualityVSAvoidcost

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces expensive, resource-intensive full cellular voice communication infrastructure with a much cheaper alternative: low-bandwidth text/semantic transmission. The system uses minimal cellular data channels that are significantly less costly in terms of equipment, bandwidth rental, and operational expenses, while the neural network processing occurs locally at the disposable help button device

Inventive Principle:

Principle #27Cheap short-living objects (Disposable)

3Reliability

If large bandwidth audio signals are used for verbal communication, then communication quality is improved, but range of the signal is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecommunication qualityVSAvoidrange

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLength of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent fundamentally changes the parameter of communication bandwidth from high (full audio quality requiring cellular-grade channels) to low (textual/semantic representation). By transforming audio signals into compressed semantic representations through neural network processing, the system operates on low-bandwidth channels that have extended range and better penetration characteristics compared to high-bandwidth audio signals

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

4Reliability

If conventional cellular networks are used for communication, then communication quality is improved, but device complexity and power consumption increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecommunication qualityVSAvoidpower consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentUS11743703B2Personal help button and administrator system for a low bandwidth personal emergency response system (PERS)

Publication Date: 2023.08.29 LIFELINE SYST INC

AI summary

A personal help button and the administrator part of a personal emergency response system are provided, in which verbal audio is converted into a low bandwidth format signal. A conversation algorithm is used which comprises a trained neural network. The low bandwidth format has a bandwidth below 500 bits/second.