A Design of a Tactile Voice Coder with Different ...

A Design of a Tactile Voice Coder with Different Tactile Sensations for the Hearing Impaired Chikamunc

Wada,

Shuicbi

Ino,

Hisakazu

Shnji

and Tuhru

Ifukubc

l(c.~carctz [n.stitutc~fi~r Elcc[r[~nic .Sricnce, Il[)kkiiidc) Univc’r.rity, .Sapp[)rC~060, ,I[ipon “Ilc lac~ilc vuicc c[}dcr is a device \\,hich changes [hc speech sound in[n lhc vibr:i[(>ry pa[[ern and Wc have hccn imprn~,irrg [hc [ac[ilc i’oicc c[)der in order presents i[ [() the laclilc sense {)f ~hc hearing-impaired. lbat lhc hearing-irnpaircd can idcn[ify consonants easier. Wc pmposcd the usc of a convex stimuli patlcrn, similar 1() IIraillc, in addi[i(m [{) [hc vibratory stimuli, as []nc of the \\,ays nf improving [ho [aclilc voice c[]dcr, Wc have made this proposal bused rm [hc hypothesis tha[ [hc cnmbina[i[m nf [hc vibratury stimuli and [hc cnnvcs stim~jli could transmil nr[)rc speech in fnrmali[)n, l~rom [hc c[)mbin:~li[)n nf basic cxpcrimcn[s, \\c have f[)und lh~i[ prcscn[ing a vn~[,cl using [he cnnvcx s(imuli and u cnnsonan[ using ihc vibra[ury s[imu]i \vas bc!tcr [ban only using [hc vibra[ory slimuli. “I”hcrcf[)re, based (m nur findings, \vc have designed a nc~~,[aclilc voice coder \vhich uscs a diffcrcn[ tactile scns;ilion, Abstract:

INTRODUCTION WC have been studying nervous deaf.

systcm

in order

In a previous

fingertip

surfdcc

recognition

[(~ design

study

propnscd

Iikc an electric

bccausc

Furthcrmnrc,

it tvas guessed transmit

[n Ibis report, Japanese

voice

a s~vecping

the subjects

nf a feeling method speech

\vc invcsligatc(i

is cffcctivc coder

display

display.

The

cnnsonant speech

speech

D,A

tac(ilc

pat!crns

scnsaiion

tibralory

convex

patterns

put [)n onc piczoclcclric finger.

Ttrc

diagram

of lhc

intcnsi[y

amp]ificrs.

of

part

the

I() improve

consonant

by the s~vcpt vibration

dimt)rph

vnicc

s[imu]i

and the cnnvcx

stimulation

in order

to impr(~~e

scltrp.

\vas

~vcrc emphasized

into

an eight

data

(8x4

(200 HL pulse),

2 is the phonograph”

inputlcd

by lateral

channc]

display

Figrrrc

and then

/

J

I

lhc

inhibition

had

Imrn diamclcr 10 stimulate

dirccl]y

the

[ransfnrrned

intn

softivarc.

32 pins

and \vas mrr~’c(i vertically

amplitude

(]~ the tac[ilc

a c(]rnputcr.

il])({ ~vas oulputlcd

matrix)

Each

into

The

16 chisnnc]

10 the taclilc and

could

hemispheric the surface of

Jiipa]l~s~

The

displi~!

prcscn! nonplastic pin \vas

nf the right

mechanical

Fingertip

I

liI(; URE 1. “I%cblock diagram nf cxpcrimcntal

setup

FI(;UM

2633

2. ~c

index

vibration.

Braille cell

-

~vc

arc s~vcpt on the fingertip.

SETUP

cxpcrirncntal

A Iactilc

or ~’ihratory patterns ceramic

for the

s~vccp m] Ihc

the uncornrortab]cn css,

BraiI1c

the vibratory

an(f cnnvcs

up by a microphnrrc

of the vo~vel

and

Iikc

bctlvccn

pa[[crns

lvas useful clicitcd

to the ccnlral

information”

rate.

dalis w’as compressed

c(]nj,cr[crs

mclhud

during use. [n nrdcr 10 rcducc

the best ~vay to usc vihralorj

tvas picked

part and lnrrnani

in f(~rma[ion

through

sound

vibratnry

that the sensation

noll-iibratory

signals

speech

in f(~rmation,

idcnlifica[inn

1 shn~vs the block

speech

may present by \vhich

that the display

EXPERINIENTAL Fignrc

[n c(]nvcy

\vhich

method

cnmplaincd

uf numbness

b~ \vhich

that the diffcrcn[

more

m(~n(~syllab]c

stimulation

tactile

nc~vs tape and proved

H()\vcvcr,

a nc~v (lispla~

stimuli

could

an optimal

[1], ive prnposcd

such as plosivcs.

~vas nnt cornfortablc” hat,c

\vhal kind of tac[ilc

ph[)[ograph of tac[ile display

Slimultition

patterns,

ct~nvcrtcrs.

Each

s~vccping

(Iispta>

\cl[Jcily(

stimnlatinn

slimulalinn

ampliludc

pnint

mcthn~l,

and s~vceping

\\>as mrs~red from

Frnm

prcvi(~us

lo Icft

cxpcrimcn[a]

~vcrc controlled” by cnmpulcr JO cmscc

results,

by a cnmJ>ulcr

cnntr[~]

in nrcicr

~vas sclectct}

~vilh

J), A

I() perform

(hc

as the

s~vccping

I].

EXPERINIEN’IAL \Vc cxarninc{l changed.

h(~lv the c(}rrcct

Seven

Japanese

ri)nd[)ml~

(Iispla}cd.

an(l vrr~vcl parts \vcrc

Jibrafory

~]c

the duty

riltios

ral i(~s), ~lc

normill

folln~ving

stimulation

train ins

period

liithnul

Figure

lip

3 shmvs

(ro[]sh

is the rcsuIt

rcpnrlcd

From

Ihill

cases

~vcrc

used

stimulalinn:

lhc duty

stimulating

cnu]d

(SCC risht

of

adoplc(l

Figure

a [iay

ant\ c(}nlinucd

l)) \vhitc

nnisc

and \vcrc

nf !ibra[i(~n

the ~iilfercnces fnr

asked

nne ~veck.

to iclcntify

\\as

an(i

~vcrc



par[ \vas prcscntcd

and the ~(]~vcl part,

discriminate

nnc hmlr

ratin

Slimuliition

of

\\crc

the cnnsnnanl

stimulation;

daiii fnr lhc [hrcc suhjccts.

cnnsnnanls

cnuld

in pcrccntagc.

~c

of ~iis~ nnc; the center

the result,

they

stimulating t))’ vibra[or~

pi]rl \vas vibralory

maskc([

AND RESUE1’S ~hilngcd tvhcn the mclhi)[i

, [SU,, ,’nu, j , fu~, ,!yu,;, an~l Iru.

pi]rt by convex

\vas abnut

the avcrasc

Japanese

case three.

~vas

ft)r the cnnsnnant c{)nvcx

amnng

Dc

slimulati(>n; the Ihrcc

subjects

dut)

}vcrc

the cnnsnnanls

using

th rcc factilc

rca[ling.

ra[e 01 seven

hatch)

;su;,

!U lo, 50 and 89TG (Subjects

i]dtllts Jvhnsc cars \vcrc

slilllulillioll

three

3> the cnnsnnant

~verc varied

of cnns[~nanls

~kl],,

prcscntcd

an(l the vn\vcl

parl \vas 50 ~o: } vibratory

From

the

nr cnnvcx

in suhjccls. of

vibratory

\Vc ~vish tn make

and

Bririllc-like

a protntypc

ICSI the efficiency.

2634

cnnvex

stimulali(nl

\vas

nn the basis nf this cspcrirncnlal

mnrc

clleclivc

result

in

an[t have