JP4344262B2 - Acoustic information presentation apparatus and method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for presenting acoustic information, and relates to an acoustic information presentation apparatus that converts an acoustic signal into information that can be felt by a sensory organ different from the collected sound for a hearing-impaired person or an elderly person with reduced hearing ability. The present invention relates to an information presentation apparatus and method.

Hearing impaired people always have to rely on their eyes because it is difficult to hear or hear sounds in daily life. For such hearing-impaired persons, a device that picks up sound with a microphone and presents (notifies) it using a method other than sound such as vibration or light based on the sound has been proposed as follows. .
“Alert Master of Independent Com Inc .: http://www.jiritsu.com/”
Assist Corporation System Five: http://www3.ocn.ne.jp/~assisthp/
"Lion Corporation News Lamp: http://www.rion.co.jp/"
`` Tokyo Shintomo sill watch: http://www.shinyu.co.jp/ ''
Patent Document 1, Patent Document 2, Patent Document 3, Non-Patent Document 1, Non-Patent Document 2
Most of the above are for determining the target sound based only on the sound volume and for determining the target sound by pattern recognition processing. In the former, a plurality of microphones must be attached for each target sound, and in the latter, there is a problem that a sample sound needs to be prepared only for the target sound.
In order to solve the problem, Non-Patent Document 3 focuses on an acoustic feature that a warning sound can be easily heard by a normal hearing person among surrounding noises for the purpose, and an envelope (waveform envelope) of the sound. There has been proposed a method of converting the signal into a low frequency signal that can be sensed by humans with the touch. As a result, it is possible to assist the hearing impaired person who is the user when determining the type of the warning notification sound.
JP 2000-166960 “Voice sensing device for hearing impaired” JP-A-11-120468 “Life Support Device for the Hearing Impaired” Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-260124 “Danger Detection Device” “Goto, Ito,“ Study on a method for identifying living sounds for the purpose of supporting the hearing impaired ”, IEICE Technical Report, WIT2002-69, 2002. “Ando, Takeuchi et al.“ Identification of warning sounds for the hearing impaired ”, IEICE Technical Report, EA2001-119, 2002” "Examination of warning / notification transmission method for hearing impaired persons 2003 IEICE General Conference A-19-9"

However, this method is a method of presenting vibrations at a frequency at which vibrations can be sensed “while holding” the power time envelope of the collected warning notification sound, but if the volume of the collected sound is extremely low In the case of a pattern that sounds only for a moment, the vibrations are also weak in power, and only vibrate for a moment, making it difficult to detect vibrations.
An example of a warning notification sound that is difficult to detect vibration is a discontinuous (instantaneous) warning notification sound such as “Pip”, and a large interval of no sound such as “Pi ... There are warning notification sounds (intermittent continuous sounds), low-volume warning notification sounds, and non-uniform warning notification sounds combining these.
In the case of sounds that are difficult to detect due to these vibrations, there is a problem that a hearing impaired person who is a user hears (feels vibrations) and misses.
Also, in some cases, a continuous sound such as “Peep” is more easily perceived by vibration with a sharp sound such as “Pippi”.

In the present invention,
According to claim 1, an acoustic signal measuring unit that measures the presence or absence of the power of the target acoustic signal or the continuity of the acoustic signal;
When the power of the adapted sound signal does not satisfy a certain threshold or does not have continuity in the sound signal measuring unit, the power time envelope waveform of the extracted sound signal is expanded in the amplitude axis direction or the time axis direction. By having a corrugated expansion and contraction part to
When the target sound is small, the sound is loud, and when the sound is sounded for a moment, the ringing time can be extended.

According to claim 2, an acoustic signal measuring unit that measures the presence or absence of power of the target acoustic signal or the continuity of the acoustic signal;
When the power of the adapted acoustic signal does not satisfy a certain threshold value or does not have continuity in the acoustic signal measuring unit, the power time envelope waveform of the extracted acoustic signal is preliminarily set in the amplitude axis direction or the time axis direction. By having a corrugated expansion / contraction part that expands (following a change) according to a determined calculation formula,
It is possible not only to simply increase the sound of the target sound or lengthen the ringing time, but also to increase the sound while changing or to lengthen the ringing time.

According to claim 3, an acoustic signal measuring unit that measures the presence or absence of power of the target acoustic signal or the continuity of the acoustic signal;
When the power of the adapted acoustic signal satisfies a certain threshold value in the acoustic signal measurement unit and there is continuity, the waveform expansion / contraction unit displays the power time envelope waveform of the acoustic signal conforming to the above condition in the amplitude direction or the time axis direction Even if the target sound volume is sufficient and the ringing is continuous, it is possible to attenuate the sound in the middle to make it more sharp, by providing a waveform expansion / contraction part that shortens while following a predetermined calculation formula Is possible.

  Moreover, invention of Claims 4-6 is the acoustic information presentation method corresponding to the acoustic information presentation apparatus of Claims 1-3.

  By combining the above solutions, the warning notification sound that is difficult to detect by vibration is extracted, and the sound is presented in a vibration pattern that is easy to detect by vibration. It becomes possible. As a result, the hearing-impaired person who is the user solves the missed hearing (relieving vibration feeling).

By using the present invention, a warning notification sound or the like that is difficult to detect vibration (by a sensory organ) in the conventional method is discriminated by using the presence / absence of sound and the presence / absence of continuity, and the power time envelope ( The time axis and the amplitude axis) can be processed as follows to make it easier to sense with a sensory organ.
1. Small sounds (signals) and discontinuous sounds (signals) extend to the amplitude axis and the time axis, respectively.
2. It extends not only to the amplitude axis and time axis but also to change.
3. It also changes the sound (signal) that does not need to be expanded.

As an example of a sound that is difficult to detect by vibration (a sound that is difficult to detect by a sensory organ), as shown in FIG. 1, a low-alarm warning notification sound, a discontinuous warning notification sound (instant notification sound), and a silence interval There are large warning notification sounds and uneven warning notification sounds.
The invention of claim 1 is characterized in that, as described above, a target sound is low or a discontinuous sound is presented as information that can be easily felt by a sensory organ.

FIG. 2 shows a configuration diagram of claim 1 of the present invention.
A signal collected by a sound collection unit such as a microphone is output to an acoustic signal extraction unit.
The sound signal extraction unit detects a desired sound from surrounding sounds and outputs a corresponding signal. Therefore, only the sound signal that meets the predetermined condition is selected as the sound collected by the sound collection unit. The time envelope is output to the time envelope extraction unit according to the conditions.
For example, as a method of detecting sudden sounds such as falling sounds from the surrounding sounds, car horns, and alarming sounds of home appliances, compared to ambient background noise Examples include a method of extracting a projecting sound (extracting a signal having a predetermined power or higher) or a sound having power concentrated in a high frequency band (predetermined frequency component).
It is also possible to extract a desired sound by suppressing stationary noise and extracting it.

The time envelope extraction unit extracts a power time envelope of the input acoustic signal and outputs a power time envelope waveform. As a method for extracting the power time envelope, there are a method for calculating power of a time waveform of an acoustic signal, a method for calculating power of a specific frequency component, and the like.
The acoustic signal measurement unit measures the presence or absence of the power of the acoustic signal that meets the conditions or the continuity of the acoustic signal. As a method of measuring the presence / absence of the power of the acoustic signal, the time waveform power of the input corresponding acoustic signal is calculated or a value P calculated from the power of a specific frequency is compared with a predetermined value M determined in advance. If the value P is greater than the value M, it is determined that there is power of the sound, and if not, there is a method of determining that there is no power of the sound.
Further, as a method of measuring the continuity of the acoustic signal, the time of presence / absence of the input acoustic signal is measured to determine whether or not the sound has continuity. The presence / absence of the input acoustic signal is determined by comparing the value Q calculated from the time waveform power of the acoustic signal or the power of a specific frequency component with a predetermined value N determined in advance. If it is greater than the value N, it is determined that there is an acoustic signal, and if not, it is determined that there is no acoustic signal.
In the waveform expansion / contraction part, when the power of the adapted acoustic signal does not satisfy a certain threshold or there is no continuity in the acoustic signal measurement part, the power time envelope waveform of the extracted acoustic signal is expressed in the amplitude axis direction or Extends in the time axis direction and outputs to the frequency application unit.

In the case of a small warning notification sound (intermittent continuous sound) as shown in the upper part of FIG. 3, (1) the power time envelope of the sound is extracted, and (2) the power time envelope value is multiplied by a predetermined value. Or add.
In the case of a warning notification sound that is a discontinuous sound (instant notification sound) as shown in the lower part of FIG. 3, (1) extract the power time envelope of the sound, and (2) at a certain time There is a method of holding the value of the power time envelope waveform in a time axis direction until a predetermined time has elapsed.

FIG. 4 shows a flowchart example of the acoustic signal measurement unit and the waveform expansion / contraction unit.
If the power of the acoustic signal is sufficient and there is continuity, the power time waveform envelope of the acoustic signal is output to the frequency application unit as it is.
If the power of the sound signal is sufficient and there is no continuity, the power time envelope waveform of the sound signal is expanded on the time axis and output to the frequency application unit.
If the power of the acoustic signal is insufficient and there is continuity, the power time envelope waveform of the acoustic signal is expanded to the amplitude axis and output to the frequency application unit.
If the power of the acoustic signal is insufficient and there is no continuity, the power time envelope waveform of the acoustic signal is expanded to the time axis and the amplitude axis and output to the frequency application unit.
The frequency application unit converts the signal frequency so that the presenting unit can easily present the signal.
The frequency that can be sensed by vibration is often a relatively low frequency. For example, the power time envelope waveform of the acoustic signal input from the waveform expansion / contraction unit is multiplied by a sine wave having a frequency that can be sensed in advance. There are methods.

In addition, as shown on the right side of the upper part (in the case of small sounds) and the lower part (in the case of discontinuous sounds) in FIG. There is also a method of extracting the power time envelope and lowering the frequency as a whole while maintaining the time envelope, or multiplying the power time envelope by a sine wave having a vibration detectable frequency.
The presenting unit presents a desired sound to the user in another form based on the input signal. The presenting unit is preferably a device that easily perceives a desired sound immediately and is easy to understand, such as a vibration device or a light output device. For example, the vibration device presents the amplitude (acoustic strength) of the input acoustic signal as the strength of vibration and the frequency of the input acoustic signal as the frequency of vibration. The optical output device presents the intensity and brightness of light of the amplitude and frequency of the input acoustic signal.

  There is also a method of presenting a desired sound as another sound that is easy for the user to hear. For example, among hearing-impaired persons and elderly people, there are many people who are hard to hear high sounds and easy to hear low sounds. For this reason, it is also conceivable that a notification sound or the like having a relatively high sound is converted into a composite sound of 1 KHz or less and presented. Furthermore, it is also possible to present the contents of the sound by showing a figure on a small computer or head-mounted display of a computer (for example, by displaying an illustration of a telephone for a ringtone of a telephone call) It is also possible to present it by the way the tail of a dog-shaped robot is swung. These presentation methods may be used alone, but are easier to understand by using them together.

The invention of claim 2 is characterized in that, in addition to the invention of claim 1, the invention extends not only simply to the amplitude axis / time axis but also to change.
The waveform expansion / contraction part expands the power time envelope of the acoustic signal suitable for the conditions in accordance with a predetermined calculation formula in the amplitude axis direction or the time axis direction (with a change). For example, in the case of a small sound as shown in the upper part of FIG. 5, the amplitude is gradually increased by multiplying or adding the power time envelope value by a predetermined formula every time to increase the amplitude gradually. In the case of a non-continuous sound such as “beep” as shown in the lower part of FIG. 5, the power time waveform envelope at a certain time is added to the value after the sound for a certain time later. There is a method of expanding while dividing or subtracting a predetermined calculation formula every time.
By making changes as described above, it becomes possible to freely set a signal that can be easily sensed by vibration according to the characteristics of the vibration and the characteristics of the user.

The invention of claim 3 is characterized in that, in addition to the invention of claim 1 or claim 2, a change is made even in the case of a warning notification sound that does not need to be expanded.
For example, a continuous sound such as “Pee” in FIG. 6 is not noticed in the first vibration drive, and may not be noticed in the vibration, which is solved.
When the acoustic signal measurement unit has a certain threshold and the continuity of the acoustic signal power is continuous, the waveform expansion / contraction unit calculates the acoustic power time envelope waveform suitable for the above conditions in the amplitude direction or time axis direction. Shorten while following the formula.
For example, as shown in FIG. 6, in order to sharpen by vibration detection, the amplitude is attenuated by dividing or subtracting a predetermined calculation formula for each time to the value of the power time waveform envelope at regular intervals, such as “Pippy”. There is a way to do it.
In addition, when measuring with an acoustic signal measurement unit, etc., there may be some delay, so these are omitted, and the upper limit of the amplitude width and time width of the acoustic signal that can be sensed in vibration is fixed in advance, and waveform expansion and contraction is performed. It is also possible to do it only in the department.

  Although the said Example demonstrated the acoustic information presentation apparatus of Claims 1-3, the description about the acoustic information presentation method of Claims 4-6 is also the same.

The figure which shows the warning notification sound example which is easy to notice by vibration, and the warning notification sound example which is hard to notice by vibration. The block diagram of this invention. The figure which shows the waveform expansion image of a waveform expansion-contraction part. The flowchart example of an acoustic signal measurement part and a waveform expansion-contraction part. The figure which shows the waveform expansion image of a waveform expansion-contraction part. The figure which shows the waveform shortening image of a waveform expansion-contraction part.

Claims (6)

A sound collection unit that collects ambient sounds;
An acoustic signal extraction unit that passes an acoustic signal that conforms to a predetermined condition from the collected acoustic signal; and
A time envelope extractor for extracting a power time envelope of the passed acoustic signal;
An acoustic signal measuring unit that measures the presence or absence of power of the acoustic signal or the continuity of the acoustic signal that meets the above conditions;
When the power of the adapted sound signal does not satisfy a certain threshold or does not have continuity in the sound signal measuring unit, the power time envelope waveform of the extracted sound signal is expanded in the amplitude axis direction or the time axis direction. Corrugated expansion and contraction,
A frequency application unit for generating a signal in which the extended power time envelope is applied to a predetermined frequency;
A presentation unit for presenting information that can be sensed by a sensory organ based on the generated signal;
An acoustic information presentation device comprising: The acoustic information presentation device according to claim 1,
Waveform expansion unit, audio information presenting device, characterized by Naka Racing length power time envelope waveform in accordance with a predetermined formula to the amplitude direction or time axis direction of the acoustic signals conforming to the conditions. In the acoustic information presentation device according to claim 1 or 2,
When the acoustic signal power meets a certain threshold set in the acoustic signal measurement unit and there is continuity, the waveform expansion / contraction unit displays the power time envelope waveform of the acoustic signal that meets the above conditions in the amplitude direction or the time axis direction. sound information presentation device, characterized in that the length et shortened in accordance with a predetermined calculation formula. Collecting ambient sounds; and
Passing an acoustic signal that meets a predetermined condition from the collected acoustic signal;
Extracting a power time envelope of the passed acoustic signal;
Measuring the presence or absence of the power of the acoustic signal or the continuity of the acoustic signal that meets the above conditions;
If the power of the adapted acoustic signal does not satisfy a certain threshold or is not continuous, the power time envelope waveform of the extracted acoustic signal is expanded in the amplitude axis direction or the time axis direction; and
Generating a signal applying the stretched power time envelope to a predetermined frequency;
Presenting as information that can be sensed by a sensory organ based on the generated signal;
The acoustic information presentation method characterized by comprising. In the acoustic information presentation method according to claim 4,
Acoustic information presentation method characterized by comprising the step of Naka Racing length power time envelope waveform in accordance with a predetermined formula to the amplitude direction or time axis direction of the acoustic signals conforming to the conditions. In the acoustic information presentation method according to claim 4 or 5,
If the power of the acoustic signal satisfies a set threshold value and has continuity, the power time envelope waveform of the acoustic signal that conforms to the above conditions must be determined according to a predetermined calculation formula in the amplitude direction or time axis direction. acoustic information presentation method characterized by comprising the step of Luo shortened.

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