Method and apparatus for ambient sound therapy user interface and
Contents
1. n gt an Mw e lt gt D U S Patent Jan 21 2014 Sheet 3 of 7 US 8 634 572 B2 US 8 634 572 B2 Sheet 4 of 7 Jan 21 2014 U S Patent H2 s de br SOTA gt p SS 4 M Sens SS 222 k TL INN l 1 EDS NH ad LLL e d MAH _ ANT z 2 2 222 HD US 8 634 572 B2 Sheet 5 of 7 Jan 21 2014 U S Patent WN 10A lt gt WVHSOHd NINO JISNW AMINO 3JN3ISMV OISAW HLIM 3ON3ISAY O 300 3JN318NV WYUSOUHd U S Patent Jan 21 2014 Sheet 6 of 7 US 8 634 572 B2 PROGRAM 10 6 TRACK 1 OF 1 CHAINS PROGRAMS TIMERS PRECES STANDBY PROGRAM PROGRAM GO PROGRAM ooo STOP PLAY PAUSE REPEAT AMBIENCE MODE O AMBIENCE WITH MUSIC MODE o AMBIENCE ONLY O MUSIC ONLY TIMER IS OFF 10 QO PM 02 15 PM U S Patent Jan 21 2014 Sheet 7 of 7 US 8 634 572 B2 PROGRAM TRACK PROGRAM 10F 6 TRACK 1 OF 1 CHANNEL TEST WITH AMBIENCE AND MUSIC AERE BE m CLEAR O AMBIENCE ONLY O MUSIC ONLY Fe PROGRAM PROGRAM TRACK lt lt gt gt EE 08 15 PM CHAINS PROGRAMS TIMERS EN 108 00 AM OFF 60 PROGRAM CHAIN 09009 N N STOP PLAY PAUSE REPEAT SET AMBIENCE MODE O AMBIENCE WITH2. 572 B2 9 tent specifically designed and a delivery system as a control for the output of the material are all critical to the method The playback system configuration can take on various embodiments having various performance specifications without departing from the scope of the present invention Listed below are three possible embodiments having varying performance specifications First Embodiment Computing Platform Motherboard VIA EPIA M Mini ITX motherboard Processor VIA C3 EDEN EBGA Processor 600 MHz Fanless Memory 512 MB SDRAM DDR 266 Audio Processor VIA VT1616 6 channel AC 97 Codec Storage Hard Drive 160 GB Western Digital Caviar 7200 RPM 8M cache Optical Storage 16x DVD ROM Software Operating System Microsoft Windows XP Professional was chosen for its 6 channel audio support and devel opment tools Programming Language Microsoft Visual Basic was used to simulate the front panel display and controls in soft ware to emulate the physical panel Audio File Format Extensible Wave was utilized as it is the default Windows format User Interface Front Panel The Crystalfontz 633 front panel LCD amp keypad was chosen for its two line LCD display the 6 button keypad and its ability to fit into a drive bay Analog Audio section Power Amplifier 4 discrete channels 50 W 4Q custom class D audio power amplifiers Power Supply CPU Power ITX PB 200 W Internal ITX Power Supply Audio Power Astrody
3. The analog board can be designed with flexible topography for the inclusion of a software controlled volume control for recalling preset level scenarios and remote control implemen tation With incorporating a VCA based preamplifier the ATS 5 40 45 50 55 65 12 is capable of being upgraded to become software controlled This allows for future implementation of software controlled volume functions including preset volume levels for recalling in specific scenarios As well a wireless remote control can be addedto the system with relative ease without redesigning the entire preamplifier circuitry The audio signal from the CPU motherboard is transmitted to the ATS analog board and when the audio signal is receive by the ATS analog board it is input to the VCA amplifier This can be seen in FIG 4 The audio signals exiting current level from the VCA or gain through the amplifier is controlled by a linear DC control voltage which then corresponds to an over all logarithmic throughput from the VCA There are two sources of control voltage for each channel s VCA on the ATS s analog board These sources can be seen in FIG 4 The 1 source of control voltage can be from the main volume control This can include a single potentiometer that generates a control voltage based upon where the position of the volume control is located It can be arranged so that clockwise rotation will produce a positive gain through the VCA This
4. also be utilized which does not include a subwoofer channel The 4 0 or 4 1 technique can be alter natively selected to best satisfy a specific playback installa tion Once the season or ambient natural sound space is recorded comprising several continuous or sequential or random hours of recorded material the audio bed is reviewed compressed and edited Months ofrecording can be assembled into a 1 hr format for delivery of the ambient therapy The microphones used preferably have a specification that includes a wide range of audible sounds and are omni direc tional For example there are two different brands of micro phones that have the desired specification One brand that can be utilized in the set up is Shure brand electret condenser MX 183 type microphones which may have permanent installa tion since they have proven to be more robust in a variety of weather conditions Also DPA brand 4060 electret condenser microphones can be utilized Other microphones having simi lar performance specifications can be utilized The microphone pick up pattern can be omni directional or omni The microphones pickup sounds from all direc tions They are small lavalier type microphones The micro phones receive a wide variety of audible sounds of the loca tion where they are placed The microphone converts the audio sound energy to electrical signals that are transmitted via hard wire wireless transmitter fiber op
5. cup mount but again the coverage area is such that being able to adjust the sound field for a patient s bed area in a hospital room won t be difficult It will simply be a matter of locating the speakers in the appropriate ceiling tiles and adjusting the volume on the individual speaker channels to balance the program where a patient s head may be laying in the bed Another aspect of the ceiling mount type of speaker is its inherent adherence to typical building plenum space fire codes When used with the appro priate plenum rated speaker wiring these speakers easily exceed any fire codes that may exist The speaker however can be mounted in any other appropriate area or can be inte grated with various furnishings such as beds or end tables within a hospital room The drivers for the speakers are full range devices which allow for very high fidelity audio without need for added filtering and such to compensate for inefficiencies in tradi tional designs With a single driver of this nature the cost of the speaker array is greatly reduced due to the lower parts count In using a full range device one possible embodiment ofthe invention comprises reducing the number of speakers in the surround array to just four instead of five with a sub woofer This scenario may prove even more attractive for the prospective hospital clients that may be reluctant to install an audio system with a subwoofer The main goal ofthe speaker array is to convey t
6. equalization adjustment at the time of mixing and or designed into an ATS box adjusted for a specific set of speakers The recording algorithm for recording the nature sounds is also a key aspect of the invention which is designed to be weatherproof and somewhat animal proof The height for the microphone assembles can be about approximately 30 when they are inserted into the ground This puts the microphone position at a little more than about approximately two feet above the ground The height can vary depending on the recording environment and the desired result The top of the microphone cage can be semi spherical which aids in allow ing water to run off and down the sides instead of dripping into the microphone area The legs of the cage can be made from 302 stainless steel so that they can be inserted into the ground with little or no corrosion The windscreens can be a nylon material much like the material used in the Rycote type microphones A number of other materials that would dampen the wind noise and at the same time would be some what weather resistant could be utilized to obtain a similar result The invention comprises a feature to combat the mouse rodent problem that may occur braided wire mesh cage covers the microphone cabling from the external con nector on up to and covering the microphone The micro phone that can be used internal to the cage is a DPA miniature condensor microphone A Shure microphone product which i
7. natural and or enhanced natural sounds to capture and reproduce and ambient sound space in a different sound space in such a manner to cause a therapeutic effect The method and apparatus comprises a method of recording natural sounds with a matched microphone array recording the signal on a high resolution recording device including 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 2 creating an audio bed and playing back the recording on a playback system tuned for the play back space such that the playback experience mimics the original sound space The method and apparatus is used to create or duplicate an ambi ent sound space for ambient therapy in order to give a patient a feeling they are actually in the original ambient sound recorded space The present ambient therapy invention comprises a com bination of natural sounds which in one embodiment can be for example recorded in a 200 x200 algorithm in combina tion with musical parts that spring from sound events in the natural sounds to address or induce a certain emotional thera peutic effect The invention embodies the concept of Psy choacoustics which suggests that an individual believes they are where their ears tell them they are There are various elements key to this method of putting the patient and those attending to the patient at ease by distracting them with a believable phenomenon including a noise floor a time shift and distance algorithm spatial percepti
8. particular control voltage amplifier can also be configured to give a dual slope response When the unit is operated at low levels the volume control will effect a larger range of gain The control can be designed such that at about 1 o clock on the volume control the slope of the gain decreases and so a larger movement on the control produces amuch smaller shift in gain This can help alleviate a possible accident if a person should rotate the control too high too quickly The 2 source of control voltage is from an individual trim control The interface to this control can be situated on the rear of the ATS unit and can allow the system installer to adjust the individual gains on the channels of the ATS to accommodate possible differences in the speaker volumes at the listening position because of possible obstructions in the room or few choices with which to install the speakers This control is simply a linear control that can span roughly over about a 30 dB range 15 db of gain or attentuation The two control voltage sources can then be summed 424 to produce a single control voltage which is fed into the VCA Each chan nel has its own unique trim control and summing with the main volume control voltage to produce a unique control voltage for each channel After the audio current exits the VCA section it is then fed directly into the power amplifica tion section See FIG 4 for a view of the power amplifier section The output of VCA
9. selected repeats the current program or track being played Three ambience modes 608 are provided as there are 3 ways to listen to any ambience title and they are 1 ambience with music 2 ambience only 3 music only The ambience refers to natural sound recorded The main menu also provides a push button for selecting Chain programming 610 The Chain programming option refers to chaining one program to another refer to FIGS 8 9 This can be done with any of the 3 ambience mode functions An example of a chain is NIGHT SONG Ambi ence Only chain to SUMMER SONG Music Only chain to BIRD SONG Ambience and Music A program corresponds to an ambience title which includes ambience with music ambience only and music only Programs refer to the pro grams or titles loaded in memory When a program is selected for play the names show up in main program display window top center In order to search for and find a program the Forward and Backward Skip lt gt buttons on program func tion next to the window can be utilized to page through the list of programs available The Prev and Next Track buttons allow you to page through tracks in a program were a track refers to the subfile of recording segment within a program or title The main menu also provides a Timers button 612 for selecting the timer option refer to FIG 7 The timer function is an alarm clock type function for setting start times for programs The purpose of the
10. timer function is to auto start a chosen program This capability can be used for biorhythm reset in an individual when losing track of day night The timer function allows the user to select a preset start time for a given program or chain where the program or chain is appropriate for the start time selected The New Download indicator 614 can allow the user know when ethernet down loads are available When the Down Load indicator light is flashing it indicates that a new pro gram is available to download The ambient therapy playback system can access new programs via a communication port or network to a wide area network or local area network In order 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 14 to access and load the user simply presses the flashing down load button When the download is complete the Loaded button will flash to indicate that it has been successfully downloaded to the playback system The Loaded button can be adapted to flash for 2 weeks to indicate download in case of staff changes during load function An example of the applicability of the ATS playback sys tem is its use in a hospital environment for pain distraction For example the user has a patient that has pain from hip surgery In this excruciating state some medical research has shown that the patient can feel trapped in their thoughts and mind It apparently can be difficult or nearly impossible to escape such feelings A dis
11. 0 W 4Q custom class D audio power amplifiers Power Supply CPU Power ITX PB 200 W Internal ITX Power Supply Audio Power Custom designed multiple output DC supply System Case ATS Case A custom case that meets the required feature needs and visual styling desires Remote Control Remote Control Implementation of the physical counter part from the emulated system tested through software Speaker System Speakers Full range ceiling mount coaxial speaker that is magnetically shielded The above embodiments merely illustrative examples of how the system can be implemented However the specific components may vary without departing from the scope of the invention US 8 634 572 B2 11 Referring to FIG 4 the ATS analog board s primary func tion is to take the low level analog audio output signals from the ATS s CPU motherboard and provide adequate amplifi cation to those signals in order to drive an array of loudspeak ers The design for the Voltage Controlled Amplifier VCA based preamplifier design can include one master control and individual trim controls 404 406 408 410 for each channel 403 405 407 409 The ATS is a multichannel audio output device This means that there are multiple discrete channels of audio running simultaneously that need to be controlled simultaneously in some reasonable fashion One embodiment ofthe ATS analog board is described in detail below however the analog board design can vary with
12. 200 x200 array where four 4 102 104 106 and 108 microphones are each placed at one of the four 4 corners of the 200 x200 space where Dimension A is about approximately 200 and Dimen sion B is about approximately 200 The dimension of the array can be adjusted to better accommodate a given natural environment however the about approximately 200 x200 array is preferred in many natural environments for example the woods or forest The independent microphones will record sounds with a built in time delay between micro phones for each sound event as defined by the 200 x200 array Items 110 112 114 and 116 are a representation of a customized cage further ring in which the microphones are suspended in a bell and clapper configuration The case or covering keeps moisture and debris off the microphone The cages can be mounted on porcelain insulators 118 The micro phones output signals M1 M2 M3 and MA responsive to surrounding sounds and representative thereof The signals are received into a pre amp 120 and then monitored and recorded by the monitor recording system 122 There is also preferably a rod 126 placed a proximate distance from the array for attracting away static The rod is preferably about approximately 7 ft in height above ground and is to be placed about 3 4 ft away from array and preferably made of copper The gauge and material of the microphone transmission lines may vary but is preferably selected to minimize
13. AILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION According to the embodiment s of the present invention various views are illustrated in FIG 1 9 and like reference numerals are being used consistently throughout to refer to like and corresponding parts of the invention for all of the various views and figures of the drawing Also please note that the first digit s of the reference number for a given item or part of the invention should correspond to the Fig number in which the item or part is first identified Also various electronic equipment specifications are provided to illustrate examples of performance and operating specifications in the desired range for the present invention One embodiment of the present invention comprises a method of recording natural sounds at sound recording loca tion with a matched microphone array recording the signal on ahighresolution recording device including creating an audio bed and playing back the recording on a tuned playback system at a separate playback location teaches a novel appa ratus and method for ambient therapy The details of the invention and various embodiments can be better understood by referring to the figures of the drawing and the various electronic equipment specification examples included herein by reference Referring to FIG 1 a represen tation of one embodiment of a microphone matrix array and recording system 100 is shown The preferred embodiment shown in FIG 1 is about approximately a
14. L 21 00 2013 01 Assistant Examiner Douglas Suthers GIOL 21 04 2013 01 74 Attorney Agent or Firm Mark E Stallion Husch 52 U S Cl Blackwell LLP USPC et 381 80 381 77 381 122 704 503 704 504 57 58 Field of Classification Search xs 381 124 56 57 92 80 301 368 77 Method and apparatus comprising a method of recording 381 122 704 503 504 natural sounds with a matched microphone array recording See application file for complete search history the signal on a high resolution recording device including creating an audio bed and playing back the recording on a 56 References Cited tuned playback system The method and apparatus is used to create or duplicate an ambient sound space for ambient U S PATENT DOCUMENTS therapy 3 651 286 A 3 1972 Gorike et al 381 353 3 710 034 A 1 1973 Murry 27 Claims 7 Drawing Sheets 200 OPTIONAL CTA CHANNEL 212 210 AMPLIFIER 214 S1 S2 C S384 PLAYBACK SYSTEM 83 54 dy 124 US 8 634 572 B2 Page 2 56 References Cited JP 10 507892 7 1998 JP 10 304484 11 1998 U S PATENT DOCUMENTS JP 11 262097 9 1999 JP 2000 341783 8 2000 6 535 610 BL 3 2003 Stewart JP 2002 345064 11 2002 6 608 903 Bl 8 2003 Miyazaki et al KR 1993 0001076 B1 2 1993 RE38 350 E 12 2003 Godfrey 381 92 6 782 104 BL 8 2004 Vieilledent OTHER PUBLICATIONS 6 845 163 B1 1 2005 Johnston
15. MUSIC MODE o ONLY O MUSIC ONLY p US 8 634 572 B2 1 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR AMBIENT SOUND THERAPY USER INTERFACE AND CONTROL SYSTEM CROSS REFERENCE This application claims the benefit of U S Provisional App Ser No 60 595 408 filed Jun 30 2005 and U S Pro visional App Ser No 60 643 468 filed Jan 13 2005 BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 1 Field of Invention This invention relates generally to a method and apparatus using ambient sounds for a therapeutic effect and more par ticularly to method and apparatus for duplicating an ambient sound space 2 Background Art There are various audio recording methods and apparatus and audio playback systems that are intended to mimic the acoustics of a given space in a space different from the given space for which the acoustics are being mimicked with a recording and playback system For example the acoustic experience when listening to a full orchestra in an open amphitheatre is different than listening to the same orchestra in a concert hall which is again different than listening to the same orchestra in a large convention hall or a recording stu dio The acoustics of each venue is different due to the dimen sions material of surrounding structures and etc The acoustic differences are due to the different sound reflections and absorptions and etc Therefore the sounds emanating from the orchestra will have a different sound quality an
16. US008634572B2 az United States Patent 10 Patent No US 8 634 572 B2 Davis Jr 45 Date of Patent Jan 21 2014 54 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR AMBIENT 4 038 499 7 1977 Yeaple 381 301 SOUND THERAPY USER INTERFACE AND acne a ey ps al ees 194 SOV seda CONTROL SYSTEM 4 480 146 10 1984 Invernizzi 174 3 NS 5 058 170 A 10 1991 Kanamori et al 76 Inventor Louis Fisher Davis Jr Omaha NE 5 219 322 A 6 1993 Weathers US 5 239 587 A 8 1993 Muckelrath 381 56 5 260 920 A 11 1993 Ideetal 369 5 Notice Subject to any disclaimer the term of this 5 304 112 A 4 1994 Mrklas et al tent is extended or adjusted under 35 2 J 6 072 878 A 6 2000 Moorer U S C 154 b by 1427 days 6 254 527 Bl 7 2001 August 6 366 679 4 2002 Steffen et al 21 Appl No 11 163 179 6 484 062 B1 11 2002 Kim 700 90 Continued 22 Filed Oct 7 2005 A ers FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS 65 Prior Publication Data JP 53 58201 5 1978 US 2006 0153399 A1 Jul 13 2006 TP 60 156699 10 1985 Related U S Application Data Continued 60 Provisional application No 60 595 408 filed on Jun OTHER PUBLICATIONS 30 2005 provisional application No 60 643 468 filed on Jan 13 2005 Cool Edit User s Manual 1996 51 Int Cl Continued 04 3 00 2006 01 H04R 3 00 2006 01 Primary Examiner Vivian Chin GIO
17. amplifiers Power Supply CPU Power ITX PB 200 W Internal ITX Power Supply Audio Power Custom designed multiple output DC supply System Case ATS Case Various cases are being evaluated Remote Control Remote Control Implementation of a wireless system emulated through software Speaker System Speakers Further experimentation and evaluation of dif ferent speakers including the Speco Technologies SP 6 6 5 ceiling mount coaxial speaker Third Embodiment Computing Platform Motherboard Cost effective solution that passes all quality and life testing Processor Fanless processor that accompanies the chosen motherboard Memory Adequate memory to handle all system functions Audio Processor Audio codec selected with the chosen motherboard Storage Hard Drive IBM Hitachi 2 5 8 MB cache Enhanced 24 7 usage Optical Storage Panasonic Slot Load DVD ROM Software Operating System A royalty free Linux OS custom con figured for this application Programming Language The C programming language under Linux Audio File Format Dolby AC3 multichannel format and investigation of possible encryption scenarios to assist in copy protection User Interface Front Panel Custom designed pushbutton key matrix vol ume control and trim controls Display Noritake dot matrix vacuum fluorescent display Analog Audio Section Analog Level and Trim Custom designed VCA driven preamp Power Amplifier Custom designed 4 channel 5
18. can be injected into the power amplifier section The power amplifier can be based on a class D style pulse width modulating scenario The incoming audio can be modulated with a high frequency triangle waveform and a pulse width modulated output can be fed into a series of transistors controlling the current delivered to the speaker load The output scenario is what s termed a differential or balanced bridge output This means that there is no solid ground reference with a single ended fluctuating output But instead there are symmetrically opposite signals that are opposite in phase and act as a sort of push pull on the speaker load This allows the amplifier to produce a net voltage output across the load that is nearly double what can be achieved alone by running the amplifier in a single ended mode The power amplifier can have shutdown protection cir cuitry embedded into the design that will shut the amplifier down in case of a fault in the speaker load or over exertion of the amplifier Also included can be circuitry that will effec tively shut the power amplifier down amounting to a mute function This function can be embedded into the amplifier section directly with discrete circuitry instead of being soft US 8 634 572 B2 13 ware controlled in the program that runs the ATS The mute circuit can toggle its state from the input from the user on a pushbutton switch single button push will shut down all fouramplifiers onthe anal
19. continuous hours of electronic recordings into a single hour format program 2 The ambient therapy system as recited in claim 1 where the microphones are arranged in a 200 ft by 200 ft rectan gular array with the microphones positioned at the corners of the array 20 40 45 50 60 65 16 3 The ambient therapy system as recited in claim 1 where each microphone is omni directional lavalier type micro phones and is covered with a protective cage as the support frame and a wind shield 4 The system as recited in claim 3 where the protective cage is mounted on ceramic insulator 5 The ambient therapy system as recited in claim 1 further comprising a static attracting rod space proximately outside the array 6 The ambient therapy system as recited in claim 1 further comprising a four channel ambient therapy playback system including electronic storage for storing the program and a four channel amplifier with four outputs configured to drive four speakers for playback ofthe single hour format program 7 The ambient therapy system as recited in claim 6 where the four channel amplifier includes a voltage controlled amplifier based pre amplifier design and said four speakers are four full range low voltage coaxial speakers 8 An ambient therapy playback system comprising a computer system controlled by a user interface on said computer system configured to store and retrieve pro grams containing multiple continuous hour
20. d fidelity to the listener depending on the acoustics of the venue If the sounds emanating from an orchestra playing in any venue are recorded and played back with the standard recording and play back system then the music sounds as received by the listener upon playback does not mimic the acoustics of the venue In other words the acoustic experi ence of the listener during playback does not mimic the acoustic experience of a live performance being heard by the listener in the original venue Some listeners may prefer to hear a rock band in an amphi theatre venue and hear a full orchestra in a concert hall Methods and systems for recording and playback have been designed to give listeners that choice when listening to recorded music on a playback system that simulates the acoustical dynamics ofa giventype of venue Some recording and playback methods have attempted to simulate the acous tics of famous venues like Carnegie Hall There are also various recording methods and systems for using various musical tracks sometimes combined with natu ral or simulated sounds such as ocean waves to induce a therapeutic or calming effect However neither of the above methods or systems provides for duplicating and or enhanc ing a given ambient sound space and playing back in a dif ferent play back sound space for inducing a therapeutic result BRIEF SUMMARY OF INVENTION The invention is a method and apparatus for recording and playing back of
21. et al The NASA STI Program Office 3 D Sound for Virtual Reality and 2003 0138106 Al 7 2003 Dabringhaus 2003 0185404 1 10 2003 Milsap 381 77 FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS JP 08 130787 5 1996 Multimedia Publication Apr 2000 Introduction Acknowledg ments 4 pages Table of Contents 8 pages and Publication 234 pages National Aeronautics and Space Administration Ames Research Center Moffett Field California cited by examiner US 8 634 572 B2 QC Qs ux e A s ott 1 Oa S i Jum T Ney A m LA E E Imma E ILI IEEE EEEE EEEREN LLL I H i 7 i i j i H 54 A a Lu w vert j Sheet 1 of 7 EP EFFERRE FEE RR minae Mn 395 i t 2 2 2 2 H 2 1 ii 2 EN k 3 ae y y au o LL IS Lerma A Jan 21 2014 H IIIIII EN 3 H4 M X H H yu 3 U S Patent U S Patent Jan 21 2014 Sheet 2 of 7 US 8 634 572 B2 52 5 m lt x cC EC H Q zd lt D cu 5 e eu AMPLIFIER 51 S2 5354
22. he spatial relationships and delays present in the original surround recording space One focus is to maintain high quality audio fidelity and the surround image that is its fingerprint The ATS playback box can be built upon essentially a small PC motherboard The unit can contain a hard drive which will hold the ambient programs There can also be an audio sound board to which the computer sends the program data and then its converted to the audible analog ambient program Included inside the main chassis of the box there can be the motherboard the audio board the hard drive the user inter face the power distribution section and the audio power amplifier section to drive the speakers The main power to the box can be supplied by an external power supply that plugs into regular line power from a standard 110V wall outlet and transforms the power down to the level needed by the box itself The unit be designed to be low power and extremely quiet which lends itself to the concealment and low profile criteria for the ambient therapy system This size can be minimized to make it easy to conceal and adapt to the hospital decor By constructing the ATS on the infrastructure of the com puter system there is the ability to augment the design in the future to improve upon the features that the unit can contain The computer system being utilized can also contain a built in network interface With this interface in place there is an ability
23. ic and the three front playback speakers are typically positioned forward of the listener The sub woofer is typically dedicated to the lower frequency sounds and the speaker in the playback system is usually centrally positioned within the playback area or room The left and right rear channels usually provide the secondary portion of the sound dynamic to provide the sound reflection and delay effect and these speakers are usually positioned rearward of the listener Whereas the present invention creates a media playback system that focuses on ambient therapy fundamentals and embodies the concept by providing a novel recording and playback method The ambient sounds are captured by four independent multidirectional microphones connected on four separate recording channels and arranged in a 200 x200 recording array The four channel playback system will play back the four independently recorded channels on four cor responding play back channels and speakers The built in sound delays created by the independent multidirectional microphones arranged in a 200 x200 recording array and other sound dynamics are replicated on the four playback channels in order to replicate the sound space ofthe 200 x200 recording area The sound or time delay realized by the inde US 8 634 572 B2 3 pendent microphones during recording is matched and repli cated by the playback channels and speakers The play back system can also optionally include a subwoofe
24. in so in total 12 timers possible US 8 634 572 B2 15 Another example is a scenario were the patient is delusion ary with loss of awareness of day night The user can try to reset the patients biorhythm by using the timer function in conjunction with a specific program sequence 1 chose bird song ambience only add to chain then chain to bird song ambience with music activate timer and set for 7 am press on done the purpose here is that in our duality of hearing we are slowly waking the patient with the sound of morning birds in our evolutionary hearing then adding higher executive function hearing with the addition of the music this sequence is approx 2 hrs and ramps up 2 choose night song ambience with music add to chain chain night song ambience with music to night song ambi ence only activate timer and set for 10 pm press on done The purpose here is to slow down activity in a similar manner as the am sequence The various method and system ambient therapy examples shown above illustrate a novel concept for ambient therapy A user of the present invention may choose any of the above ambient therapy embodiments or an equivalent thereof depending upon the desired application In this regard it is recognized that various forms ofthe subject ambient therapy method and system could be utilized without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention As is evident from the foregoing descr
25. iption certain aspects ofthe present invention are not limited by the particu lar details ofthe examples illustrated herein and it is therefore contemplated that other modifications and applications or equivalents thereof will occur to those skilled in the art It is accordingly intended that the claims shall cover all such modifications and applications that do not depart from the sprit and scope of the present invention Other aspects objects and advantages ofthe present inven tion can be obtained from a study of the drawings the disclo sure the example specifications and the appended claims What is claimed is 1 An ambient therapy recording and playback system comprising a rectangular array of microphones comprising four inde pendent multi directional microphones suspended in upright support frames and each of said microphones are independent of any other microphone and arranged sym metrically about a center point of the rectangular array and each microphone position at one ofthe four corners ofthe array a recording system having four independent recording channels where each channel receives an independent microphone signal from one of the independent micro phones independent of any other microphone signal for receiving sounds captured by the microphone and fur ther having an electronic storage electronically record ing each channel s captured sounds and an electronic editing system configured to compress mul tiple
26. ker System that can be designed to match and replicate the recording array In order to meet the above criteria for concealment of the speakers it is desirable to utilize a suitable device to playback at a fidelity meeting or exceeding desired requirements for the audio as well as to utilize a speaker that can be almost hidden when installed One embodiment comprises a ceiling mount speaker scenario that mounts flush into a suspended ceiling tile The speakers themselves can comprise a magnetically shielded aluminum cone driver and a back can be utilized which insulates and provides the proper cabinet size to maximize the speaker s characteristics It also allows for a much easier installation 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 4 and smoother integration into existing hospital rooms which can t be freed up for long periods of time for the installation process Unlike traditional ceiling mount commercial speak ers systems the ones utilized in the present invention can be low voltage instead of the industry standard 70V speakers which require step up and step down impedance matching transformers to operate With these particular type of speak ers they have a dispersion pattern for a fairly large coverage area which allows for making the choice of speaker place ment a little easier The speakers can be statically mounted which doesn t allow for physically moving them as would a wall mount type of speaker with ball and
27. laim 8 where the amplifier is a voltage controlled amplifier base pre amplifier design having one master control for all channels and one trim control per channel where the master control and each trim control is summed for each channel 14 The playback system as recited in claim 13 where the amplifier comprises a differential switching D style pulse width modulating power amplifier 15 The playback system as recited in claim 14 is further comprising a master mute control for all channels 16 Method for recording and playing back therapeutic audio comprising the steps of capturing natural sounds with a rectangular array of micro phones suspended in upright support frames and said microphones comprising four independent omni direc tional microphones arranged symmetrically about a cen ter point of the rectangular array where each microphone US 8 634 572 B2 17 is independent of any other microphone and each posi tioned at one of the four corners of the array outputting four independent signals one from each of the four microphones where said signals are representative of the natural sounds captured receiving and recording the four independent signals simultaneously each independent of any other micro phone signal with an independent four channel record ing device creating a four channel sound bed electronically editing and compressing the natural sounds captured into a 1 hour format creating a 1 hour ambient program for
28. lay window The user can utilize the mode button and select Ambience With Music and hit play If the user chooses to extend the experience the user can do several things 1 simply hit the repeat button and it will repeat the program until the user manually hits stop 2 chain this program to another version of the program i e music only or ambience only orchain it to an entirely different program bird song for example To create a chain the user will select the chain button at which time the chain set up screen will appear with AUTUMN SONG displayed in the program display window and designated as chain 1 ofx to add AUTUMN SONG as the first link in the chain select add and repeat this for every program link in the chain 3 once the chain sequence has been input if the user wants this chain to start at a specific time the user can select the timers function The prompt to the right ofthe main function buttons has set The program start can be set just like an alarm clock set main timer window opens select am or pm chose the hour and min push on and done to deactivate this function chose off this can be done on big set window or on main screen in timer window off on to the right side red 1s a function of stop 1 there are 2 timers am and pm a timer function is a function of go so it is green green light go 2 there are 6 chains possible with 2 timers possible per cha
29. mat by composing a musical overlay where the motivation of the composi tion is triggered by natural sound events in the sound bed making the musical overlay part ofthe ambient program by super imposing the musical overlay over the natural sound s recorded sound bed 17 The method for recording and playback as recited in claim 16 where the rectangular array of microphones is a 200 x200 square array and where the microphones are omni directional lavalier type microphones 18 The method of recording and playback as recited in claim 17 further comprising the steps of providing a protective cage as the support frame surround ing the microphone and a windshield over the cage 19 The method for recording and playback as recited in claim 16 further comprising the step of providing a static attracting rod spaced proximately adja cent outside the array 20 The method for recording and playback as recited in claim 16 further comprising the steps of providing a playback system comprising a computer sys tem controllable by a user interface where said computer system is configured to store and retrieve programs to and from an electronic storage device and further control an audio sound board to receive the programs retrieved from the electronic storage device and sent by the com puter and further control said sound board to convert the 20 25 30 35 18 program to an audible analog program for channeling the analog p
30. ne SPU130 108 130 W 24V Univer sal 85 265 VAC Input System Case ATS Case ITX PB ITX Checker Cube Case Speaker System Speakers Speco Technologies SP 6MA T 6 5 ceiling mount coaxial speaker Second Embodiment Computing Platform Motherboard VIA EPIA MS Mini ITX Processor VIA C3 EDEN EBGA Processor Fanless Memory 512 MB SDRAM DDR 266 Audio Processor VIA VT1616 6 channel AC 97 Codec Storage Hard Drive IBM Hitachi 2 5 8 MB cache Enhanced 24 7 usage Optical Storage Panasonic Slot Load DVD ROM Software Operating System Microsoft Windows XP Professional was chosen for its 6 channel audio support and devel opment tools Also preliminary Linux migration and experimentation Programming Language Microsoft Visual Basic is being used to simulate the front panel display and controls in software to emulate the physical panels and test out new features as they are requested Audio File Format Dolby AC3 multichannel format and investigation of possible encryption scenarios to assist in copy protection 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 10 User Interface Front Panel Custom designed pushbutton key matrix vol ume control and trim controls Display Noritake dot matrix vacuum fluorescent display Analog Audio section Analog Level and Trim Custom designed VCA driven preamp 4 channels with main and trim controls Power Amplifier Custom designed 4 channel 50 W 4Q custom class D audio power
31. of 1 a playback unit system 2 specific code wire 3 a shielded speaker system 4 an amplification system Another hardware component is the installation and tuning of the Ambient Therapy listening room so that the patient receives the greatest benefit from this modality of treatment The concept and use of the treatment can be used for 1 pain distraction 2 anxiety distraction 3 transient spike masking for unwanted sounds surround ing the Ambient Therapy rooms hospital sounds etc One theory is that this distraction is due to the evolution of the Human auditory system where sound has the ability to address the auditory nerve and suspend belief as to the loca tion of the individual and may cause various effects like day dreaming One key feature of the preferred embodiment goes back to the 200 x200 algorithm or array created at the time of the recorded bed The listener patient can be allowed to men tally place themselves in a 3 dimensional acoustic space because ofthe present technique If content were presented in a single mono or stereo two channel method the present unique 3 dimensional surround component would not be present The therapy results would likely not be the same if not presented in surround 4 0 or 4 1 The musical content addresses the emotional make up more specifically The recording process in conjunction with hi end equipment in a 200 x200 configuration musical con US 8 634
32. og board The state will stay latched until the user again depresses the pushbutton and the mute circuit will reactivate the amplifiers All of the functions described above for the ATS analog board function together harmoniously as a whole to produce a single board four channel preamplifier power amplifier solution specific to the requirements of the ATS player The specific details of the design of the board may vary without departing from the scope of the present invention The user interface of the present invention can include and LCD touch screen monitor refer to FIG 5 and display driver were the user interface screen presentations are provided by the ATS software user interface application Software appli cations for generating such user interfaces is well known to those skilled in the art The user interface application can be operable to implement various features including the follow ing features Referring to FIGS 6 9 many of the user interface screens including the main menu interface screen 600 includes a program display window 602 that displays the title of the program and track being played the program and track iden tification numbers Program and Track Forward and Back ward Skip Button 604 and are also provided on the main menu which allows the user to skip forward to the next program or track or skip backward to the previous program or track STOP GO PAUSE REPEAT buttons are also provided 606 The repeat function when
33. on There is typically a certain amount of ambient noise sur rounding us in most of our everyday world However from time to time there are abrupt high transient spikes in the normal pattern of sounds around us that disrupt us which are sometimes referred to as startle sounds The drone of consis tency can give an individual the comfort of a sense of well being The present invention is a method of producing a drone of natural sounds with systematic overlays that will mask transient noise that is novel over typical sound masking tech niques Typical surround playback systems are comprised of a set offive satellite speakers with a sub woofer and a playback unit which powers the speakers and reads the DVD media These type systems have proven fairly simple and can allow one the ability to quickly illustrate the program material of the present invention In these demonstrations it becomes clear that the home theater systems could be improved upon in a project that would encompass the complete idea of the ambi ent therapy system The concept is nota home entertainment system nor a standard surround recording and playback sys tem nor a scheme or digital signal processing system for replicating the acoustics of a particular venue The standard surround sound system includes front right left and center channels left and right rear channels and a subwoofer The three front channels provide the primary por tion of the portions of the sound dynam
34. out departing from the scope of the present invention The traditional approach is to utilize a stacked potentiom eter style volume control essentially four volume controls sandwiched together and operated from a single mechanical rotation This approach is low tech but very reliable How ever there are shortcomings The first and foremost is the fact that the individual channels cannot be trimmed slightly as all the pots are bonded together With the ATS it is necessary to control all four channels simultaneously but also have the ability to trim each channel unique to accommodate potential mismatches in the placement of the speakers in the end instal lations Therefore with the above criteria the analog board was designed using a voltage controlled amplifier Essen tially the VCA is a sort of supervisory potentiometer that will change the gain through it via a simple direct current control voltage By constructing each channel identically with a VCA preamplifier 412 414 416 418 each channel can be linked together and driven from one central control source as well as being individually trimmed The efficient audio power amplification for driving typical low impedance loudspeakers can be implemented because the ATS would be located in sometimes small and compact equipment shelves or closets it was necessary to adopt a design topography for the power amplifier that would be reasonably efficient and not generate excessive heat The p
35. ower amplifier section in the ATS is what is termed a switch ing power amplifier or class D style amplifier 420 In conven tional audio power amplifiers much of the inefficiencies are consumed by having a certain amount of the available elec trical current turned to heat in the output devices ofthe ampli fier instead of actually being transferred to the speaker load Due to the nature of attempting to control current to a load in a linear fashion this particular effect is unavoidable What a switching power amplifier does is to waste very minimal amount of current that is consumed by the power amplifier s internal output devices and send nearly all ofthe current to the load This is accomplished by simply not allowing the output devices to have a linear response but more of a discrete and binary response Either the output devices are fully on and conducting or they are off and not conducting current to the load The ATS play back system implements a master mute control which governs all channels simultaneously As part of the analog board s functions a master mute 422 control can be incorporated to facilitate the need to abruptly mute the audio should there be a reason for the end user to do so This function is simply enabled by depressing a pushbutton which will toggle the audio amplifier into a state of mute With another subsequent press ofthe button the mute circuitry will be disengaged and the audio amplifier will function normally
36. r channel The Ambient Therapy System ATS and its components can function in a hospital recovery room and therapeutic environ ment The present invention however is the method of record ing and playing back and is not specifically related to the electronic components used to implement the method The dimensions of the recording array may vary to create and optional sound space The present invention provides a device to eliminate the fact that the user is operating a machine but rather creates a world or sound space of audible ambience far removed from the noises and beeps generated by all the medical related machinery which plague the recovery room in a typical hos pital The playback system can be designed to be very trans parent and can allow the patient to not focus on the fact they are listening to an audio recording and convince them they were somewhere other than a hospital room in pain and recovering from or preparing to enter surgery Therefore one goal is to have equipment that is physically discrete and where there is Low visual impact of equipment concealed and unobtrusive The present system provides a user interface that is simple to operate and is not visually distracting or obtrusive Along with the playback equipment the speakers that are the sound sources for the ambient programs and are concealed further allowing the patient to feel that they aren t listening to speak ers but instead feeling as though they are ac
37. rogram to an amplifier having four channels for driving a speaker array including four speakers one speaker per channel whereby the four speakers repro duce the sound received at the rectangular array of microphones comprising four independent multi direc tional microphones suspended in upright support frames and said microphones are independent of any other microphone and arranged symmetrically about a center point ofthe rectangular array and each microphone posi tion at one ofthe four corners of the array and channel ing the analog program to the amplifier and driving the speaker array 21 The method for recording and playback as recited in claim 20 where the speakers are low voltage full range and coaxial speakers 22 The method for recording and playback as recited in claim 20 further comprising the steps of installing the play back system in a room and mounting the speakers in the ceiling 23 The method for recording and playback as recited in claim 20 further comprising the steps of installing the play back system ina room and mounting the speakers in furniture 24 The method for recording and playback as recited in claim 20 further comprising the step of providing a network interface function in the playback system configured to upload new programs 25 The method for recording and playback as recited in claim 20 further comprising the step of controlling the amplifier with a master control for all chan nels and a
38. s less expensive can also be used As far as the ATS playback box is concerned the system can have the appropriate combination of computing capabil ity that handles our requirements and is able to support an operating system other than Windows and has the appropriate working drivers to run multi channel audio The system can be operational for streaming the individual audio files from the hard drive to the sound circuitry for D A conversion One embodiment encloses the Dolby AC3 audio decoder as it can help compress our file system immensely with no loss of fidelity and it is in the public domain which will help to lower the price tag However due to the size of hard drives these days one may be able to just put the whole ambience catalog on one hard drive in their original uncom pressed native 48k PCM format and still have space to spare These and other advantageous features of the present invention will be in part apparent and in part pointed out herein below 20 25 40 45 55 6 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS For a better understanding of the present invention refer ence may be made to the accompanying drawings in which FIG 1 is a basic schematic ofa microphone array and record ing device FIG 2 is a basic schematic of a play back system FIG 3 is a perspective view of the microphone protective cage FIG 4 is a block diagram of the ATS Analog Board FIGS 5 9 are various user interface screens DET
39. s of elec tronic recordings compressed into a single hour format to and from an electronic storage device and further control an audio sound board to receive the programs retrieved from the electronic storage device and to fur ther control said sound board to convert the program to an audible analog program for channeling the analog program to an amplifier having four channels for driving a speaker array including four speakers one speaker per channel whereby the four speakers reproduce the sound received at a rectangular array of microphones compris ing four independent multi directional microphones suspended in upright support frames where each inde pendent microphone has an independent microphone signal that is independently recorded independent of any other microphone signal and each of said microphones are independent of any other microphone and arranged symmetrically about a center point of the rectangular array and each microphone position at one of the four corners of the array 9 The playback system as recited in claim 8 where the speakers are low voltage full range and coaxial speakers 10 The playback system as recited in claim 9 where the speakers are mountable in the ceiling 11 The playback system as recited in claim 9 where the speakers are mounted in the furniture 12 The playback system as recited in claim 8 further com prising a network interface configured to upload music 13 The playback system as recited in c
40. signal noise and interference The wind screen 124 is also represented which shields the microphone from the wind US 8 634 572 B2 7 Referring to FIG 2 a representation of a tuned and match speaker array and playback system 200 designed to maximize the ambient therapy effect is shown There are shown four 4 matched speakers 202 204 206 and 208 and an optional center channel subwoofer 210 The playback system 212 plays back the signal through Amplifier 214 which generates signals S Sj Sy S and C The center channel can be optional as indicated Ambient therapy is made of 2 major components 1 recorded audio software 2 specific playback or delivery system The recording process is done in a microphone configura tion which is referred to herein as the 4 17 technique That means that the play back of the audio goes to 4 matched speakers and optionally 1 sub woofer Natural sounds ofthe 4 seasons and other natural sounds such as waves can be recorded in this manner with microphone placement being 200 x200 with 200 between all 4 microphones The playback system can include four 4 speakers for four 4 channel playback of sound each corresponding to the sound captured by each ofthe four 4 microphone channels and the playback system can alternatively include a subwoofer channel for playback enhancement of low frequency sound This is referred to as the 4 1 technique However a 4 0 technique playback system can
41. tics and etc toa microphone preamplifier The amplified electrical signal from each microphone is then manipulated in a number of ways 1 converted to an audio signal for monitoring purposes 2 modified electronically for content i e low frequency interference hum removal etc 3 converted to a digital signal for storage on an appropri ate high resolution medium tape disc etc These 4 microphone signals are electrically transmitted by shielded cable under ground to a multi channel high resolu tion digital audio recorder as a storage medium for the raw audio The microphone mounts consist of 1 a custom designed wind screen coated with a water proof fabric to weather protect the microphones and reduce the amount of objectionable wind noise picked up by the microphones 5 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 8 2 a custom designed manufactured to suspend the microphones upside down in a bell and clapper configu ration in order to keep moisture from conflicting with the purity of the signal 3 the cage can be in turn mounted on porcelain insula tors A 7 foot solid copper rod can be placed in the ground about approximately 3 4feet away in order to attract any static charge that may conflict with the purity of the signal The microphone transmission cable is of an appropriate gauge multi pair wire in a shield to block rf interference The transmission cable can run 1000
42. to build in provisions for upgrading program material through the internet or other wide area network This will make the unit very flexible and eases the responsibility ofthe end user of having to maintain upgrades US 8 634 572 B2 5 The computer also serves as a liaison to the user by pro viding the information on the program being played and the method by which it s played via the display section in the user interface Encompassed in the user interface are the input controls for the user to select the program adjust the volume etc For the ATS s box the complexity of a typical home theater system s user interface can be avoided One goal is to keep it as simple as possible and clearly define the functions for the user so there is minimal ambiguity Within the ATS s case a small but efficient power amplifier can be housed to handle the driving of the speakers in the surround array The amplifiers are tailored specific for the speakers they are driving This allows us to shape the tonal characteristics imparted by the speaker to allow for a more transparent sound source as if the speaker system weren t actually there The amplifier can provide for an equalization or tonality adjustment of the output signal driving the speak ers to compensate for inaccuracies in sound reproduction For example providing an equalization adjustment operable to flatten out the speaker output for more accurate reproduction ofthe recorded sound It can be an
43. to the microphone preamps then to the monitoring system and a high resolution multi channel digital audio recorder which is a 24 bit 48 khz digital resolution All 4 channels can be recorded simultaneously Oncethe raw audio is recorded the time compression takes place to create the audio bed The digital audio is trans ferred from the digital audio tapes to a computer based audio recording editing and playback system for greater flexibility Then music is custom designed to integrate at specific times on the audio bed based on events triggered by nature sounds that occur in the ambient sound space Custom sound effects may also be created and included to enhance or augment the natural sounds or music content The content of the music can be guided and customized for the purpose of the specific intention of each therapy for example pain distraction or child birth This is an important component because it addresses the creative process of the composer being inspired by the natural sounds as it relates to a purpose driven objective The natural sound events are used as a key or trigger to guide the musical overlay in a manner to achieve the desired target therapeutic effect The present method and system is not the creation of music for music sake or sounds for sounds sake rather a creative process applied to generate and create a specific outcome that has to do with healing therapy etc The delivery system hardware is made up
44. traction can be achieved by playing SUMMER SONG Ambience and Music to place the patient in a summer thunder storm The concept is that humans hear this music ina couple of levels The natural sounds such as for example thunder rain drops striking hard surfaces and wind can create an evolutionary awareness of exactly where we might be and as the music portions begin that part addresses amore executive function of the brain The music overlay is composed by using the natural sound events as a guide or trigger such that the music naturally flows with the natural sounds without over shadowing the natural sounds The con cept is that pain signals move slower than auditory signals so in theory the ear gate function of the body can distract the individual from one signal to another The compression and editing of several hours of natural sound into a more brief format such as for example a one hour format floods the human ear gate with a sound bed that dominates and distracts the mind of the listener Thus one month of sound recordings in a wooded forest area can be edited to a 1 hour format saturated with autumn sound events such as for example blowing leaves across and over a grassy area the sound events can be utilized as a trigger for the customly composed musical overlays To program a selection the user can go to main screen program and choose a program for example AUTUMN SONG with the arrow keys to right of the program disp
45. trim control for each individual channel 26 The method for recording and playback as recited in claim 20 further comprising the step of selectively muting all four channels 27 The method for recording and playback as recited in claim 20 where the amplifier includes a differential switch ing D style pulse with modulating power amplifier KN
46. tually in the original recorded environment of sound space of the program being played back Along with being visually concealed the present invention has minimum controls to allow the maxi mum amount of user control necessary to playback the ambi ent sound material The system provides a pertinent and effective user inter face The user interface comprises a set of input controls that correspond exactly to the functions needed as well as a simple and easy to understand indication and display section for selecting the desired program to be played and the style i e ambience or music only or both by which the program is played back The playback system can include a touch screen monitor user interface for selecting the various modes of operation as well as programming the play back function The playback system can be designed to be able to receive new programming when it is available For example the ATS playback system can be designed such that it includes a removable module that can be returned to the provider of the ATS for upgrading Alternatively the ATS playback system can include a swappable hard drive that can be removed and replace with a hard drive containing new programming The ATS playback system can also have a communication link for upgrading by uploading new programs via a network inter face such as for example a Wide Area Network WAN such as the internet One embodiment of the playback system architecture includes a Spea
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