Sony Deutschland Gmbh

Sony International (Europe) Gmbh

Other

Peter Buchner

Gerd Spalink

Ralf Kompe

Silke Goronzy

Gralf Gaedeken

Stefan Rapp

Lothar Stadelmeier

Andreas Schwager

Markus Zumkeller

Naoto Iwahashi

Paul Szucs

Helmut Lucke

Ulrich Clanget

Franck Giron

Jörg Treiner

Sophie Boucher

Aline Dahlke

Markus Veltman

A method for transmitting information to a body includes providing a set of standardized codes. Each code of the standardized codes is associated with a predefined activation pattern for at least one actuator designed to transmit the information to the body using skin as an interface. A code or a combination of a plurality of codes is selected and transmitted to a wearable accessory having integrated therein the at least one actuator. The at least one actuator is outside a user's body. The at least one actuator is controlled according to the predefined activation pattern associated with the code or the combination of the plurality of codes transmitted. Features about emotional states or states of mind are extracted from biometric and/or environmental signals of biometric and/or environmental sensors. The features are mapped to stored meta information. The meta information is wirelessly transmitted to a receiver.

Transmitting information to a user's body

An interface link layer device for use in a network having a first sub-network having one or more nodes, a second sub-network having one or more nodes and a long delay link via which the first and second sub-networks are connected. The interface link layer device configured to simulate time critical self-ID packets to be effected on the first sub-network based on received information about one or more nodes local to the second sub-network.

Interface link layer device for long delay connections

An interface link layer device of an interface which allows the interconnection of different networks to build a distributed network, The interface link layer routes complete data packets directly to another interface link layer device that serves the destination via uplink to accept a data packet from a first data bus that has a predetermined destination on a second data bus and to transmit the data packet via a transmission path to interface link layer device. The interface link layer also using downlink to output data packets received via the transmission path from another interface link layer device to a predetermined destination on the first data bus. Further, the interface link layer device is configured such that not all packets have to be transmitted via the interface on basis of an appropriate acknowledge code and response packet generation included in the interface link layer device.

Interface link layer device to build a distributed network

The present invention refers to a method for defining useable frequency bands for a powerline communication (PLC) system () using power supply lines of a power supply network () for interconnecting a number of PLC nodes () such that electromagnetic emissions generated by PLC signals (s(t)) transmitted via said power supply lines do not interfere with broadcast RF signals radiated in the same frequency bands. Before starting own communication activities, PLC nodes () participating in a PLC session scan (S) the entire frequency range designated for powerline communication to detect (S) frequency bands which are occupied by broadcast services. During powerline communication the occurrence of broadcast signals is regularly checked (S) by screening (S) the entire frequency range designated for powerline communication and detecting (S) relevant broadcast bands that should be omitted during powerline communication to avoid interference noise (n(t)). After that, new frequency bands for powerline communication are allocated (S) within said frequency range, provided that these new bands are not occupied by any detected wireless service.

Detection of broadcast signals for defining useable frequency bands for powerline communication

To prevent adaptation to misrecognized words in unsupervised or on-line automatic speech recognition systems confidence measures are used or the user reaction is interpreted to decide whether a recognized phoneme, several phonemes, a word, several words or a whole utterance should be used for adaptation of the speaker independent model set to a speaker adapted model set or not and, in case an adaptation is executed, how strong the adaptation with this recognized utterance or part of this recognized utterance should be performed. Furtheron, a verification of the speaker adaptation performance is proposed to secure that the recognition rate never decreases (significantly), but only increases or stays at the same level.

Semi-supervised speaker adaptation

According to the present invention network devices that can be controlled via a speech unit included in the network can send a device-document describing its functionality and its speech interface to said speech unit. The speech unit combines those documents to a general document that forms the basis to translate recognized user-commands into user-network-commands to control the connected network-devices. A device-document comprises at least the vocabulary and the commands associated therewith for the corresponding device. Furtheron, pronunciation, grammar for word sequences, rules for speech understanding and dialog can be contained in such documents as well as the same information for multiple languages or information for dynamic dialogs in speech understanding. It is possible that one device contains several documents and dynamically sends them to the speech unit in case they are needed. Furtheron, the present invention enables a device to change its functionality dynamically based on changing content, since a network device send its specifications regarding its speech capabilities to the speech unit while the speech unit is in use.

Merging of speech interfaces from concurrent use of devices and applications

Home networks low-cost digital interfaces are introduced that integrate entertainment, communication and computing electronics into consumer multimedia. Normally, these are low-cost, easy to use systems, since they allow the user to remove or add any kind of network devices with the bus being active. To improve the user interface a speech unit ( ) is proposed that enables all devices ( ) connected to the bus system ( ) to be controlled by a single speech recognition device. The properties of this device, e.g. the vocabulary can be dynamically and actively extended by the consumer devices ( ) connected to the bus system ( ). The proposed technology is independent from a specific bus standard, e.g. the IEEE 1394 standard, and is well-suited for all kinds of wired wireless home networks. The speech unit ( ) receives data and messages from the device. The speech unit ( ) recognizes speaker-dependent commands. A Speech synthesizer synthesizes messages. A remotely controllable device ( ) has access to a medium which may be a CD-ROM. The device may ask for a logical name or identifier.

Speech recognition control of remotely controllable devices in a home network environment

An audio and/or video reproducing apparatus receives broadcast signals from broadcasting stations and a/v signals from an external device; processes the audio and/or video input signals in accordance with multiple processing functions; selects audio and/or video input signals for reproduction; reproduces sound and/or a video picture corresponding to the selected audio and/or video input signals; and includes a pointing device and a control device for generating a control picture signal and controlling the processing of signals and a display device for displaying a control picture corresponding to the control picture signal. The control picture includes a plurality of control areas and a pointer movable within the control picture in response to operation of the pointing device, with identifications of the broadcasting stations and the external device provided within certain control areas. The control device selectively modifies the control picture or one of the control areas or controls the processing of signals in accordance with one of the control areas pointed by the pointer. Audio and/or video input signals corresponding to one of the plurality of control areas displaying one of the identifications pointed by the pointer can be reproduced.

Growing community of inventors

Kirchheim/Teck, Germany

Peter Buchner