Sensory Enhancement Systems and Methods in Personal Electronic Devices

Abstract

Disclosed are personal electronic devices (PEDs) having a sensory enhancement (SE) system for monitoring environmental conditions and detecting environmental events, for example but not limited to, changes in acoustic, thermal, optical, electromagnetic, chemical, dynamic, wireless, atmospheric, or biometric conditions. The detection of such events can be used to invoke a notification, an alert, a corrective action, or some other action, depending upon the implementation to the PED user or another party.

At least the following inventions are claimed: 
     
         1 . A personal electronic device (PED) that can be transported with a user, the PED comprising:
 (A) a microphone for capturing an audible signal in a local environment associated with the PED;   (B) a user interface that enables user inputs and PED outputs to the user;   (C) a computer with a memory and a processor designed to execute computer program code instructions stored in the memory, the computer program code instructions designed to enable the PED to implement at least:
 (1) a first electronic based intelligence function, the first electronic based intelligence function being a wireless telephone function that enables the user to initiate and receive telephone calls over a telephone network; and 
 (2) a second electronic based intelligence function that is different than the first electronic based intelligence function, the second electronic based intelligence function involving an identification of an animal in the local environment of the PED, the second electronic based intelligence comprising performance of at least the following steps:
 (a) capturing a sample of the audible signal with the microphone; 
 (b) with the audible signal sample, creating sensed data, the sensed data including a three dimensional (3D) numerical array of amplitude, frequency, and time values, the sensed data array including an ordered collection of successive 3D signal samples; 
 (c) accessing reference data, the reference data including at least one 3D numerical array of amplitude, frequency, and time values, and an identifier field, the reference data numerical array including an ordered collection of successive 3D signal samples representative of a time-varying audible signal associated with the animal, the identifier field identifying the animal; 
 (d) comparing the sensed data numerical array with the reference data numerical array in order to determine if there is a match or not; and 
 (e) when there is a match between the arrays, indicating the identification of the animal to the user of the PED using the user interface associated with the PED, based at least in part upon the identifier field associated with the reference data numerical array. 
 
   
     
     
         2 . The PED of  claim 1 , wherein the animal is a bird. 
     
     
         3 . The PED of  claim 1 , wherein the animal is a human. 
     
     
         4 . The PED of  claim 1 , wherein the second electronic based intelligence function further comprises downloading the reference data from a remote computer system over the Internet. 
     
     
         5 . The PED of  claim 1 , wherein the second electronic based intelligence function further comprises:
 deriving a comparison magnitude that is indicative of a level of similarity between the arrays; and   determining that there is a match or not based upon the comparison magnitude and a predefined threshold.   
     
     
         6 . The PED of  claim 1 , wherein the reference data comprises a plurality of numerical arrays, each corresponding to a different animal identification, and wherein the second electronic based intelligence function further comprises:
 comparing the sensed data to the plurality of numerical arrays; and   selecting a numerical array and a corresponding animal identification based at least in part upon which of the arrays is a best match with the sensed data.   
     
     
         7 . The PED of  claim 1 , wherein the second electronic based intelligence function further comprises enabling a user to cause the microphone to capture reference data in the PED environment. 
     
     
         8 . The PED of  claim 1 , wherein the reference data comprises a plurality of numerical arrays, each corresponding to a different animal identification, and wherein the second electronic based intelligence function further comprises enabling the user to select one of at least two modes of operation, the modes comprising:
 (a) a first mode comprising: (1) comparing the sensed data to the plurality of numerical arrays; and (2) selecting a numerical array and a corresponding event based upon which of the arrays is a best match with the sensed data; and   (b) a second mode comprising: (1) initiating comparisons between the sensed data and the plurality of numerical arrays in a sequential order; (2) selecting a numerical array and a corresponding event when a comparison indicates that an array sufficiently matches the sensed data; and (3) refraining from initiating further comparisons after the selection and provoking the initiating of the notification.   
     
     
         9 . The PED of  claim 1 , wherein the PED comprises at least one more microphone and wherein second electronic based intelligence function further comprises determining a direction of the animal in the local environment with the microphones and outputting the direction to the user with the user interface. 
     
     
         10 . The PED of  claim 1 , wherein second electronic based intelligence function further comprises:
 transmitting reference signatures to another PED the another PED having its own microphone that captures its own sample of the audible signal:   receiving information from the another PED,   determining the identification, a direction, or both, of the animal in the local environment based at least in part upon the information from the another PED; and   outputting the direction to the user with the user interface.   
     
     
         11 . The PED of  claim 10 , wherein the information from the another PED includes the geographic location of the another PED, a time of detection of the audible signal at the another PED and a measure of the power of the audible signal at the another PED;
 receiving the sample of the audible signal, geographic location, time of detection and power information from the another PED:   measuring the audible signal with the PED's local microphone, determining the local geographic location, local time of detection and the local power of the audible signal;   determining the identification, a direction, or both, of the animal in the local environment based at least in part upon the information from the another PED; and   outputting the direction to the user with the user interface.   
     
     
         12 . A personal electronic device (PED) that can be transported with a user, the PED comprising:
 (a) means for capturing an audible signal in a local environment associated with the PED;   (b) means for communicating inputs and outputs from and to the user, respectively;   (c) means for enabling the PED to perform a first electronic based intelligence function, the first electronic based intelligence function being a wireless telephone function that enables the user to initiate and receive telephone calls over a telephone network; and   (d) means for enabling the PED to perform a second electronic based intelligence function that is different than the first electronic based intelligence function, the second electronic based intelligence function involving an identification of an animal or machinery in the local environment of the PED, the second electronic based intelligence comprising:
 (1) mean for causing capture of a sample of the audible signal with a microphone; 
 (2) means for, with the sample of the audible signal, creating sensed data, the sensed data including a three dimensional (3D) numerical array of amplitude, frequency, and time values, the sensed data array including an ordered collection of successive 3D signal samples; 
 (3) means for accessing reference data, the reference data including at least one 3D numerical array of amplitude, frequency, and time values, and an identifier field, the reference data numerical array including an ordered collection of successive 3D signal samples representative of a time-varying audible signal associated with the animal or machinery, the identifier field identifying the animal or machinery; 
 (4) means for comparing the sensed data numerical array with the reference data numerical array in order to determine if there is a match or not; and 
 (5) means for, when there is a match between the arrays, indicating the identification of the animal or machinery to the user of the PED using the communicating means associated with the PED, based at least in part upon the identifier field associated with the reference data numerical array. 
   
     
     
         13 . A personal electronic device (PED) that can be transported with a user, the PED comprising:
 (A) a microphone for capturing an audible signal in a local environment associated with the PED;   (B) a user interface that enables user inputs and PED outputs to the user; and   (C) a computer with a memory and a processor designed to execute computer program code instructions stored in the memory, the computer program code instructions designed to enable the PED to implement at least:
 (1) a first electronic based intelligence function, the first electronic based intelligence function being a wireless telephone function that enables the user to initiate and receive telephone calls over a telephone network; and 
 (2) a second electronic based intelligence function that is different than the first electronic based intelligence function, the second electronic based intelligence function involving an identification of machinery in the local environment of the PED, the second electronic based intelligence comprising performance of at least the following steps:
 (a) capturing a sample of the audible signal with the microphone; 
 (b) with the audible signal sample, creating sensed data, the sensed data including a three dimensional (3D) numerical array of amplitude, frequency, and time values, the sensed data array including an ordered collection of successive 3D signal samples; 
 (c) accessing reference data, the reference data including at least one 3D numerical array of amplitude, frequency, and time values, and an identifier field, the reference data numerical array including an ordered collection of successive 3D signal samples representative of a time-varying audible signal associated with the machinery, the identifier field identifying the animal; 
 (d) comparing the sensed data numerical array with the reference data numerical array in order to determine if there is a match or not; and 
 (e) when there is a match between the arrays, indicating the identification of the machinery to the user of the PED using the user interface associated with the PED, based at least in part upon the identifier field associated with the reference data numerical array. 
 
   
     
     
         14 . The PED of  claim 13 , wherein the second electronic based intelligence function further comprises downloading the reference data from a remote computer system over the Internet. 
     
     
         15 . The PED of  claim 13 , wherein the second electronic based intelligence function further comprises downloading the reference data from another PED over the Internet. 
     
     
         16 . The PED of  claim 13 , wherein the second electronic based intelligence function further comprises:
 deriving a comparison magnitude that is indicative of a level of similarity between the arrays; and   determining that there is a match or not based upon the comparison magnitude and a predefined threshold.   
     
     
         17 . The PED of  claim 13 , wherein the reference data comprises a plurality of numerical arrays, each corresponding to a different machinery identification, and wherein the second electronic based intelligence function further comprises:
 comparing the sensed data to the plurality of numerical arrays; and   selecting a numerical array and a corresponding machinery identification based at least in part upon which of the arrays is a best match with the sensed data.   
     
     
         18 . The PED of  claim 13 , wherein the second electronic based intelligence function further comprises:
 enabling a user to cause the microphone to capture reference data in the PED environment.   
     
     
         19 . The PED of  claim 13 , wherein the reference data comprises a plurality of numerical arrays, each corresponding to a different machinery or animal identification, and wherein the second electronic based intelligence function further comprises enabling the user to select one of at least two modes of operation, the modes comprising:
 (a) a first mode comprising: (1) comparing the sensed data to the plurality of numerical arrays; and (2) selecting a numerical array and a corresponding event based upon which of the arrays is a best match with the sensed data; and   (b) a second mode comprising: (1) initiating comparisons between the sensed data and the plurality of numerical arrays in a sequential order; (2) selecting a numerical array and a corresponding event when a comparison indicates that an array sufficiently matches the sensed data; and (3) refraining from initiating further comparisons after the selection and provoking the initiating of the notification.   
     
     
         20 . The PED of  claim 13 , wherein the PED comprises at least one more microphone and wherein the second electronic based intelligence function further comprises determining a direction of the machinery in the local environment with the microphones and outputting the direction to the user with the user interface. 
     
     
         21 . The PED of  claim 13 , wherein the machinery is an emergency siren associated with police or fire activities. 
     
     
         22 . The PED of  claim 13 , wherein second electronic based intelligence function further comprises:
 receiving information from another PED, the another PED having its own microphone that captures its own sample of the audible signal:   determining the identification, a direction, or both, of the machinery in the local environment based at least in part upon the information from the another PED; and   outputting the direction to the user with the user interface.