WO1993025009A1

WO1993025009A1 - Information and entertainment performance system

Info

Publication number: WO1993025009A1
Application number: PCT/US1993/005063
Authority: WO
Inventors: David Dana Hall; Andres Gomez
Original assignee: Avg, Inc.
Priority date: 1992-05-29
Filing date: 1993-05-27
Publication date: 1993-12-09
Also published as: MX9303203A

Abstract

One or more switches (16) on a control panel are actuated to initiate performance of a predetermined audio and/or visual program (42). The audio and/or video program are stored in a digital memory (56, 58), or are retrieved from a digital memory device such as a laser disk or CD ROM. The information retrieved may be directions from a desired location, or may be an entertainment program.

Description

INFORMATION AND ENTERTAINMENT PERFORMANCE SYSTEM

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to information access and retrieval systems and entertainment systems.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Information retrieval systems have been in use for a period of time in airports and the like. Typically, an individual who would like to retrieve information picks up a telephone or handset and dials a number sequence in order to initiate retrieval of the information. The information is usually retrieved by placing a prerecorded audio tape, or starting a film loop. Other information retrieval systems exist where a telephone handset or speaker is connected to a tape loop which continuously plays the prerecorded tape, or can be started by pressing a actuation or start button.

One of the limitations of these systems is that once started, the information retrieval device must run until conclusion in order to reset and begin again. Many of these systems are also limited by requiring the operator of a system to select a two, three, or more digit code which must be input to the system in order to retrieve the information desired.

Information retrieval systems such as this typically do not include a visual display, but in some instances include a film loop which runs to conclusion once started.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore, an object of the present invention to provide an information retrieval system which does not require the use of a series of codes to activate.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an information retrieval system in which the message being played can be interrupted by a different message, or restarted by the user.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an information retrieval system which can be actuated by touching or pushing one button of a switch array.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an information retrieval system which display graphical information as well as an audio presentation of the retrieved information.

The present invention employs an array of touch switches, each displaying a representation of the information which can be retrieved by pressing that particular button. The particular button or switch is then decoded by a microprocessor or other decoder logic which matches the switch with a predetermined audio or audiovisual sequence of events. In the case of an audio only program, audio data is read from a digital sound storage device, processed through a digital sound processor, and played to communicate the particular message. In the case of an audiovisual display, the program may be played from a device such as a laser disk, or may be entirely generated from rom or EPROM type memory. Using ROM or EPROM type memory enables the performance or display of information to be interrupted by a different performance or display, or restarted rapidly by returning to the starting address of the memory block.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 is a block diagram of a sound module employed in one embodiment of the present invention.

Figs. 2A and 2B area schematic diagram of the sound module shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a front view of a switch panel matrix employed in an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 4 is a block diagram of a sound and visual display module of an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A DETAILED EMBODIMENT

Referring to Fig. 3, an embodiment of the information retrieval system is shown which contains an access panel 10 on which a series of actuator buttons or switches 12 are mounted in a grid pattern. The grid pattern is chosen for convenience in the embodiment shown, however, actuator buttons 12 can be distributed in a circular configuration, or can be placed to match a geographical depiction, or may otherwise be arranged to conform to a desired drawing or depiction. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 3, a series of symbols are located across the top of the grid. In the embodiment shown, a rest room symbol 14 is depicted on the upper left actuator button 12. Similarly, a telephone symbol 16 is placed over actuator button 12 in the column adjacent to rest room symbol 14. A transportation symbol 18 and restaurant symbol 20 showing a knife and fork are place over actuator buttons 12 for the third and fourth columns of the actuator array. Two speakers 30 are mounted in front of the display. The audio portion of the message retrieved by the information retrieval system when actuator buttons 12 are actuated will be played or performed through speakers 30. Additional speakers may be located on various segments of the front panel 10, and may be connected in parallel with each other, or may be individually connected and selectively enabled to have one or more speakers 30 performs a separate and distinct portion of the audio program. A light array 32 is shown across the upper portion of the panel 10. Light array 32 illuminates the array of actuator button on panel 10. Light array 32 may also be configured to eliminate selected lights which may be located around the periphery of the information display panel 10, or may be selectively placed on a map or other depiction on information display panel 10. A series of lights in light array 12 may be selectively enabled, or cause to flash to display a pathway to a specific location, such as a rest room, telephone, restaurant, and the like. In addition to light array 32, it is anticipated that a video display in the form of a liquid crystal, or cathode ray tube may be employed in conjunction with the present invention.

The vertical rows of the array of actuator buttons are labeled with different languages, enabling a user of the information retrieval system to request information regarding the location of a rest room, for example, in several different languages. The use of the rest room symbol eliminates the need for a user of the system to be required to read in either his native language, or a foreign language. In the implementation shown in Fig. 3, the languages selected include English 22, Spanish 24, French 26 and Italian 28. The inventors recognize that additional rows of switches 12 can be added to include German, Japanese, and a variety of other languages.

By adding a depiction of a map and light array 32 appropriately positioned within the map, the embodiments shown in Fig. 3 can be modified to enable deaf people to retrieve information by viewing a portion of light array 32 which will become illuminated in response to pressing one or the actuator buttons 12. A graphic display, such as a television screen can also be added to display text and/or images.

Referring to Fig. 1 which is a block diagram of the circuitry used to drive the embodiments shown in Fig. 3, the switch elements 12 are connected to the electronics of the system as trigger inputs 40. The trigger inputs may be buffered through a flip-flop (not shown) or NAND gate debouncer (not shown) and are then connected to a microcontroller 42. The flip-flops and software in the microcontroller 42 debounce the switches 12 to prevent undesired multiple triggering of the switch. Multiple triggering of the switch would cause the system to continuously restart the information presentation corresponding to the actuator button 12 which is triggered and would prevent the message from being displayed or performed in its entirety. To effectively accomplish this, the microcontroller implements a time delay once a trigger input 40 is received. During this time delay, multiple trigger events by the same switch are ignored.

Microcontroller 42 is preferably an 80C196, or comparable microprocessor. Microcontroller 42 drives address latches 44 which are connected to a show information memory 46 which is preferably an EPROM or EEPROM. Show information memory 46 stores the starting and ending addresses of the information which has been requested by the operator, and transfers that information to microcontroller 42 through data lines 64 and data buffer 66. The address start information is also transferred to the sound memory address counters 52 to preset the sound memory address.

The sound memory address counters 52 address the sound memory 56 which is comprised of one or more memory chips 58 which are preferably EPROMs or FLASH memory devices. In the configuration shown in Fig. 1, there are eight EPROMs 58 which store sound information. A jumper array 60 and sound memory select decoder 62 work in conjunction with the address generated by the sound memory address counters 52 to select the correct EPROM 58 from the sound memory block 56.

The data which is retrieved by the EPROM is transferred across databus 64 to the digital sound processor 68. Digital sound processor 68 converts the digital data into audio information. The audio output of the digital sound processor is buffered through a preamplifier 70 and provides an audio output which is connected to speakers 30. It is recognized that the preamplifier 70 can be replaced by an amplifier, or a moving sound generator or audio sequencer controlled by a microcontroller 42 to selectively enable one or more of the speakers 30. The programmable logic arrays 48 and 50 are controlled by microcontroller 42 to generate status, enable, start and stop signals which are employed to control the operation of the remainder of the circuitry within the sound module. Microcontroller 42 can also communicate with a external computer through a serial port through buffer 80. A transmit dataline 82 and a received data line 84 allow bidirectional communication between microcontroller 42 and external computer. This allows microcontroller 42 to initiate a sequence to be undertaken by an external computing device which may be controlling other features of the information retrieval system such as the operation of the light array 32, or other display. Microcontroller 42 can inform an external computer what information has been requested, and in what language in order to allow feedback to management.

The external computer may download new messages through the microcontroller 42 to the sound memory block, thus altering the message based on facilities that may be temporarily out of order, or other information which may be changing during the course of operation of the information retrieval system. In order to allow the sound module shown in Fig. 1 to alter the volatile memories such as RAM or FLASH memory devices must be employed. It is noted that FLASH memory may be employed in conjunction with the EPROM memory 58 in the sound memory block 56 to augment or replace the information stored in the EPROM memory 58. Referring to Fig. 2 which is a schematic diagram representing the circuitry which implements the block diagram shown in Fig. 1, microcontroller 42 is shown connected to a series of trigger inputs 40. A 47K ohm pull-up/pull-down matrix is attached to each of the trigger inputs 40. Tabs prevents the trigger inputs from floating to an unknown level, or floating across the trigger threshold resulting in undesirable, spireas operation of the information retrieval system.

Address latches 44 are 74HC373. Pals 48 and 50 are intel 22V10 s. Data buffer 66 is a 74LS245. Show information memory 46 is an EEPROM, 28C64A.

The sound memory address counters 52 are 74LS193 s which can be configured in a count up or count down chain. Sound memory select decoder 62 is a 74HC137, and the EPROM 58 is a 512K x 8, 27C040. The digital sound processor 68 is a 80C196KV12 and the line preamplifier 70 is a LM387 operational amplifier. Decoupling capacitors are placed adjacent to each device in the system to reduce the effect of noise and switching transients. A hardware reset 90 provides a power on reset and a switch driven reset for microcontroller 42.

Fig. 4 shows an embodiment of the present invention which incorporates a video memory and video display into the sound module shown in Fig. 1. The video memory is shown larger than the sound memory because there is usually a great deal more data required to reproduce a video image than is required to produce audio information. In part, this is because audio information is transferred at an audible frequency which is between 20 hertz and 20 kilohertz. In contrast, a single video image displayed on a cathode ray tube (CRT) such as a television, may involve 525 lines of data, where each line consists of several hundred individual elements.

While the frame rate of a television display may be slower, on the order of 25 to 100 frames per minute depending on the image resolution required, the video image requires substantially more data, and thus memory storage, then does an audio program. If the image to be displayed is stared as ASCII characters, the memory space required is greatly reduced. It is also anticipated that the video portion of the information retrieval system may be replaced by a laser disk or CD rom. These types of devices can be readily connected to and controlled by microcontroller 42 through the serial communication ports 82 and 84.

There has been described hereinabove a implementation of a novel information retrieval system. Those skilled in the art may now make numerous uses of the present invention, including variations from the described embodiments without departing from the spirit of the invention which is defined solely by the scope of the following claims.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A presentation actuation system comprising: one or more actuation switches; a switch decoder electronically connected to said actuation switches to decode which switch has been actuated; a first memory means containing data; a second memory means which determines the starting and ending address of said first memory means for each of the switches; an audio conversion means for converting the data retrieved from said first memory means into an audio output signal.

2. The device as described in Claim 1 in which said switch decoder further comprises a first microprocessor means.

3. The device as described in Claim 2 and further comprising a digital communication means allowing said first microprocessor means to communicate with external devices such as computers.

4. The device as described in Claim 3 and further comprising: a third memory storage means for storing data; a visual display means for providing a visual response to actuation of said switches; visual processor means for receiving the data stored by said third memory means and converting the data into an appropriate display to be executed on said display means.

5. The device as described in Claim 4 in which said display means further comprises one or more lights.

6. The device as described in Claim 4 in which said visual display means further comprises a cathode ray tube.

7. The device as described in Claim 3 and further comprising one or more speakers for transmitting said audio information.

8. The device as described in Claim 3 and further comprising a plurality of speaker means for broadcasting said audio signal, said plurality of speakers divided into two or more speaker groupings; each of said speaker groupings selectively enabled to broadcast a predetermined segment of said audio signal.