Smart Sound Devices for Real-Time Language Translation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current translation technologies are error-prone, inefficient, and often disrupt the flow of conversations due to slow and inaccurate translations, particularly in group settings where multiple languages are involved.

Innovation Solution

A system comprising sound devices and an electronic device with serial port emulation capabilities that compress, encode, decode, and translate sound inputs in real-time, enabling seamless communication across languages, including support for group conversations through earpieces and remote servers.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If current translation technologies are used, then language translation can be provided, but the translation is error-prone and inaccurate

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetranslation accuracyVSAvoidtranslation errors

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements feedback mechanisms where the translated audio is transmitted back to the electronic device, allowing the user to hear the translation quality and provide corrections. The system can learn from user corrections to improve future translations, addressing the accuracy issue through continuous feedback loops.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces an intermediary processing layer between the sound device and the translation service. The electronic device acts as a mediator that receives audio, processes it through multiple translation services, and delivers refined translations, filtering out errors from direct translation pipelines.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Productivity

If current translation technologies are used, then language translation can be provided, but the translation is slow and disrupts conversation flow

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetranslation speedVSAvoidconversation delay

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by pre-compressing and encoding audio streams before transmission, and pre-processing audio signals to optimize translation input quality. This preparation work is done in advance to reduce processing time during actual translation operations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent maintains continuity of useful action by implementing real-time audio streaming where translation occurs continuously as audio flows through the system. The compression and encoding processes run continuously, ensuring no interruption in the translation pipeline and maintaining conversation flow without delays.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #20Continuity of useful action

3Adaptability or versatility

If current translation technologies are used, then one-on-one translation is possible, but group conversations are not efficiently supported

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvegroup conversation supportVSAvoidsystem configuration

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system achieves universality by designing the electronic device to handle multiple translation scenarios through a single unified platform. The same device can support one-on-one translations, group conversations with multiple sound devices, and various language pairs through a common architecture that processes audio streams and manages multiple translation services.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies segmentation by dividing the translation system into independent modular components: sound devices for audio capture and output, an electronic device for processing and translation coordination, and remote translation services. This modular segmentation allows the system to scale from one-on-one to group conversations by simply adding more sound devices to the network without increasing complexity of individual components.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

4Productivity

If audio is transmitted without compression, then audio quality is maintained, but data transmission efficiency decreases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata transmission efficiencyVSAvoidaudio quality

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The system changes parameters by dynamically adjusting compression levels and encoding formats based on transmission requirements and audio quality needs. The compression algorithm processes audio streams with variable parameters to optimize the balance between data transmission efficiency and audio quality preservation, adapting to different conversation scenarios.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentUS10599785B2Smart sound devices and language translation system

Publication Date: 2020.03.24 SORENSON IP HOLDINGS LLC

AI summary

A system includes a plurality of sound devices, an electronic device having a serial port emulator configured to generate a serial port emulation corresponding to each of the plurality of sound devices, and a computer-readable storage medium having one or more programming instructions. The system receives compressed and encoded sound input from a first sound device via a serial port emulation associated with the first sound device. The sound input is associated with a first language. The system decodes and decompresses the compressed and encoded sound input to generate decompressed and decoded sound input, generates sound output by translating the decompressed and decoded sound input from the first language to a second language, compresses and encodes the sound output to generate compressed and encoded sound output, and transmits the compressed and encoded sound output to a second sound device via a serial port emulation associated with the second sound device.