Notification device, wearable device and notification method

BACKGROUND

Field of Disclosure

0001The present disclosure relates to a notification device and wearable device with a notification device.

Description of Related Art

0002In some workplaces, it is inconvenient to communicate directly through voice. For example, there are hearing impaired people in the workplace, or there is loud noise in the workplace. In these situations, workers remain isolated from the sound and it is not inconvenient to communication. If you use other communication aids in the market, it may affect working. In such regard, how to provide a portable and instant notification device is one of the problems that people in the related fields want to solve.

SUMMARY

0003An aspect of the present disclosure is related to a notification device

0004According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a notification device includes a pressure sensor, a microcontroller and an output device. The pressure sensor is configured to detect the environment to provide a pressure signal. The microcontroller is connected to the pressure sensor to receive the pressure signal. The microcontroller is configured to calculate a dynamic threshold of the pressure signal in a period of time. When a magnitude of the pressure signal is greater than the dynamic threshold, the microcontroller sends a first feedback signal to the output device. The output device is connected to the microcontroller. The output device is configured to provide a first feedback action according to the first feedback signal.

0005In one or more embodiments, the output device comprises a light emitting device, a vibrator, a sound amplifier or a text icon display device.

0006In one or more embodiments, the pressure sensor is a sound sensor. The dynamic average value is an average volume in the period of time.

0007In some embodiments, the notification device further includes a distance sensor connected to the microcontroller and a circuit board. The sound sensor and the distance sensor are integrated on the circuit board.

0008In some embodiments, the notification device further includes a server. The server is connected to the microcontroller through a network. The microcontroller transmits the sound signal to the server. The server recognizes and classifies the type of the sound signal to send a second feedback signal to the microcontroller according to the type of the sound signal. The output device provides a second feedback action according to the second feedback signal.

0009In some embodiments, the server further includes a sound recognition module, a classification module and a processor. The sound recognition module is configured to recognize the sound signal. The classification module is configured to classify the type of the sound signal. The processor is configured to provide the second feedback signal according to the type of the sound signal.

0010An aspect of the present disclosure is related to a wearable device.

0011According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a wearable device includes the mentioned notification device and a cloth. The pressure sensor, the microcontroller and the output device of the notification device are arranged on the cloth.

0012An aspect of the present disclosure is related to a notification method, which can be performed by the mentioned notification device.

0013According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a notification method includes following operations. Environment is detected to provide a pressure signal. The pressure signal is processed to obtain a dynamic average value of the pressure signal in a period of time. A dynamic threshold is configured according to the dynamic average value. Whether a current volume of sound is greater than the dynamic threshold is determined. If the dynamic average value is greater than the threshold, a feedback action is transmitted to an output device, a feedback action is provided by the output device according to the feedback signal.

0014In one or more embodiments, the pressure signal is a sound signal, the dynamic average value is an average volume of the sound signal in the period of time.

0015An aspect of the present disclosure is related to a notification method, which can be performed by the mentioned notification device.

0016According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a notification method includes following operations. Environment is detected to provide an analog sound signal. The analog sound signal is soundly recolonized and a type of the analog sound signal is classified. A feedback signal is outputted according the type of the analog sound signal. A feedback action is provided by an output device according to the feedback signal.

0017In summary, the present disclosure provides a notification device, a wearable device using the notification device, and a corresponding notification method to notify the user in real time according to the environmental volume, so that the user can easily perceive changes in the environment.

0018It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are by examples, and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The advantages of the present disclosure are to be understood by the following exemplary embodiments and with reference to the attached drawings. The illustrations of the drawings are merely exemplary embodiments and are not to be considered as limiting the scope of the present disclosure.

<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 1</figref> illustrates a block diagram of a notification device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 2</figref> illustrates a flowchart of a notification method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 3</figref> illustrates a block diagram of a notification device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 4</figref> illustrates a block diagram of a server according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 5</figref> illustrates a flowchart of a notification method provided by a notification device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 6</figref> illustrates a flowchart of a training method of training a sound recognition module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 7</figref> illustrates a flowchart of a training method of training a classification module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIGS. 8-10</figref> respectively illustrate a front view of a wearable device, a back view of the wearable device and a perspective view of the inside of the pocket of a wearable device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

0028The following embodiments are disclosed with accompanying diagrams for detailed description. For illustration clarity, many details of practice are explained in the following descriptions. However, it should be understood that these details of practice do not intend to limit the present invention. That is, these details of practice are not necessary in parts of embodiments of the present invention. Furthermore, for simplifying the drawings, some of the conventional structures and elements are shown with schematic illustrations. Also, the same labels may be regarded as the corresponding components in the different drawings unless otherwise indicated. The drawings are drawn to clearly illustrate the connection between the various components in the embodiments, and are not intended to depict the actual sizes of the components.

0029In addition, terms used in the specification and the claims generally have the usual meaning as each terms are used in the field, in the context of the disclosure and in the context of the particular content unless particularly specified. Some terms used to describe the disclosure are to be discussed below or elsewhere in the specification to provide additional guidance related to the description of the disclosure to specialists in the art.

0030The phrases “first,” “second,” etc., are solely used to separate the descriptions of elements or operations with the same technical terms, and are not intended to convey a meaning of order or to limit the disclosure.

0031Additionally, the phrases “comprising,” “includes,” “provided,” and the like, are all open-ended terms, i.e., meaning including but not limited to.

0032Further, as used herein, “a” and “the” can generally refer to one or more unless the context particularly specifies otherwise. It will be further understood that the phrases “comprising,” “includes,” “provided,” and the like used herein indicate the stated characterization, region, integer, step, operation, element and/or component, and does not exclude additional one or more other characterizations, regions, integers, steps, operations, elements, components and/or groups thereof.

0033Reference is made by <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 1</figref>. <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 1</figref> illustrates a block diagram of a notification device <b>1</b> according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 1</figref>, the notification device <b>1</b> includes a sound sensor <b>10</b>, a microcontroller <b>20</b> and an output device <b>30</b>. Through the notification device <b>1</b>, the user can be notified in real time according to changes in the environment.

0034The sound sensor <b>10</b> is used to detect environment to receive sound signals in the environment. When the notification device <b>1</b> is configured in an environment such as a warehouse or a factory, the received sound signal is, for example, the sound of engineering equipment or the human voice of other workers, and the received sound signal is an analog signal. In some embodiments, the sound sensor <b>10</b> is, for example, a microphone sensing module (for example, condenser microphone), or may be a condenser microphone sensing module simply arranged in an array.

0035A microcontroller (microcontroller, or named as microcontroller unit, MCU for short) <b>20</b> is connected to the sound sensor <b>10</b>. The microcontroller <b>120</b> has the advantages of small size, easy portability, and can be configured to implement simple arithmetic functions. The sound sensor <b>10</b> can transmit the sound signal to the microcontroller <b>20</b>, and the sound signal from the sound sensor <b>10</b> is simply processed by the microcontroller <b>20</b>. The microcontroller <b>20</b> can also integrate a function for judging the volume of the sound signal. Therefore, the microcontroller <b>20</b> can record a sound signal over a period of time and provide a feedback signal according to the volume change of the sound signal.

0036The output device <b>30</b> is connected to the microcontroller <b>20</b> to provide a feedback action based on the feedback signal. The output device <b>30</b> can include a light emitting device, a vibrator, a sound amplifier, or a text icon display device. The text icon device directly reminds the user more intuitively by displaying text or other icons. The text icon display device includes a small portable display.

0037Therefore, the notification device <b>1</b> can detect the environment through the sound sensor <b>10</b> to provide sound signals. The microcontroller <b>20</b> connected to the sound sensor <b>10</b> processes the dynamic average value of the sound signals over a period of time. The dynamic average value refers to the average volume of the sound signals in the previous period of time. Based on the dynamic average value, a dynamic threshold can be predetermined. If a volume of the current sound signal is greater than the dynamic threshold calculated by the dynamic average value of the previous period, it means that the environment has changed, there may be danger or there is a need for communication around, and the microcontroller <b>20</b> provides a feedback signal to the output device <b>30</b>, so that the output device <b>30</b> provides a feedback action to notify the user.

0038In some embodiments, instead of the sound sensor <b>10</b>, other types of pressure sensors can also be used as the notification device <b>1</b>. A kind of pressure sensor is the sound sensor <b>10</b>, which is used to sense and convert the sound pressure change in the sound transmission in the environment into sound signals and then calculate a dynamic average value to obtain a dynamic threshold. In some embodiments, other types of pressure sensors such as air pressure sensors can be used as the notification device <b>1</b>. For example, the air pressure sensor can sense the dynamic average value of the air pressure during a period of time. Once the current air pressure value is greater than the dynamic average value calculated in the previous period, the microcontroller <b>20</b> can send a feedback signal to enable the output device <b>30</b> to provide a feedback action to immediately notify the user who uses the notification device <b>1</b>.

0039Reference is made by <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 2</figref> to further describe how to notify the user by the notification device. <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 2</figref> illustrates a flowchart of a notification method <b>600</b> according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The notification method <b>600</b> includes operation <b>610</b>-<b>650</b>.

0040In operation <b>610</b>, the sound sensor <b>10</b> of the notification device <b>1</b> can be used to detect environment around the user to obtain sound signals during a period of time.

0041In operation <b>620</b>, the sound signals can be processed by the microcontroller <b>20</b> connected to the sound sensor <b>10</b> to obtain the dynamic threshold during a period of time. The microcontroller <b>20</b> can first calculate the dynamic average value of the volumes of the sound signals during a period of time according to the sound signals. For example, the sound sensor <b>10</b> can obtain a dynamic average value of the volumes during the period from <b>3</b> seconds ago to <b>1</b> second ago. After the notification device <b>1</b> is activated, the dynamic average value may change in times continuously.

0042According to the dynamic average value, the microcontroller <b>20</b> can define the dynamic threshold of the volumes of the sound signals in different times, so as to determine whether the volumes of the sound signals have a large change in a short time. In some embodiments, the dynamic threshold can be set as the dynamic average value. In some embodiments, it can be set that the dynamic threshold is different from the dynamic average value according to the magnitude of the dynamic average value. For example, if the dynamic average value of the volumes of the sound signal is less than a specific decibel (dB), the dynamic threshold is set to a value greater than the dynamic average value; and if the dynamic average value of the volumes of the sound signals is greater than the specific decibel, the set dynamic threshold is directly equal to the dynamic average value.

0043Through operation <b>620</b>, the dynamic average value of the volumes of the received sound signal is set. In the process <b>630</b>, it can be determined whether a volume of a current sound signal is greater the dynamic threshold according to the current volume of the sound signal. If yes, the operation <b>640</b> is entered, and a feedback signal is sent to the output device <b>30</b>. If not, return to operation <b>610</b> and continue to detect the environment to provide sound signals.

0044For example, in a specific embodiment, the dynamic average volume of the volumes of the sound signals from 3 seconds ago to 1 second ago is calculated by the microcontroller <b>20</b> calculates and is a specific decibel value (e.g., 60 dBs), and the dynamic average value of the volumes of the sound signals is set as the dynamic threshold by the microcontroller <b>20</b> (operation <b>620</b>). Then, once the current volume of the sound signal is greater than the dynamic threshold (for example, greater than 60 dBs), the situation corresponds to the determination of operation <b>630</b> as yes, the operation <b>640</b> is entered and the microcontroller <b>20</b> can provide a feedback signal to the output device <b>30</b> in real time.

0045Therefore, in the operation <b>650</b>, the output device <b>30</b> can provide an appropriate feedback action based on the feedback signal from the microcontroller <b>20</b> to notify the user who uses the notification device <b>1</b>. The notification method <b>600</b> can be implemented by a mobile device. For example, mobile devices such as smart phones have a microphone, a processor, and a vibrator configured to vibrate the phone. The installation of an application (APP) is performed on the smart phone for the notification, and it enables the microphone to act as the sound sensor <b>10</b>, the processor of the mobile phone functions as the microcontroller <b>20</b>, and the vibrator of the mobile phone acts as the output device <b>30</b> to provide notification vibration feedback action.

0046Reference is made by <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 3</figref>. <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 3</figref> illustrates a block diagram of a notification device <b>100</b> according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The notification device <b>100</b> is built on the basis of the notification device <b>1</b> and can further provide intelligent notification and alert functions in addition to the function of the notification device <b>1</b>. As shown in <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 3</figref>, the notification device <b>100</b> includes a sound sensor <b>110</b>, a microcontroller <b>120</b>, a server <b>130</b>, an output device <b>150</b>, and a distance sensor <b>160</b>. In this embodiment, the sound sensor <b>110</b>, the output device <b>150</b>, and the distance sensor <b>160</b> are connected to the microcontroller <b>120</b>, and the server <b>130</b> is located remotely, for example, connected to the microcontroller <b>120</b> by a network. The server <b>130</b> can be used for complex computation. Since the server <b>130</b> can be located remotely, when the notification device <b>100</b> is operated, only the sound sensor <b>110</b>, the microcontroller <b>120</b>, the output device <b>150</b>, and the distance sensor <b>160</b> need to be carried. In some embodiments, the network is, for example, a wireless network shared by a mobile phone of the user. In some embodiments, the microcontroller <b>120</b> can be connected to the network through Bluetooth communication. In some embodiments, the network may be another type of wireless network (Wi-Fi), such as Zigbee. In some embodiments, the network may also be narrow band Internet of things (narrow band Internet of things, NBIoT) of a fourth-generation mobile communication technology (4G) or LTE-M technology. In some embodiments, the network may be provided by the fifth-generation mobile communication technology (5G) to achieve faster transmission rate and interaction.

0047The sound sensor <b>110</b> is similar to the sound sensor <b>10</b> in <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 1</figref>. The sound sensor <b>110</b> is used to detect the environment to receive sound signals in the environment. For example, when the notification device <b>100</b> is used in an environment such as a warehouse or a factory, the received sound signals are, for example, the sounds of engineering equipment or the human voice of other workers, which are analog signals. Specifically, in some embodiments, the sound sensor <b>110</b> is, for example, a microphone sensing module. The microphone sensing module is, for example, a condenser microphone. In some embodiments, the condenser microphone sensing modules can also be simply arranged in an array.

0048In order to facilitate analysis, the received analog sound signals can be processed to filter noises after the sound signals from the environment are received by the sound sensor <b>110</b>. In some embodiments, other devices used for filtering noise can also be provided on the sound sensor <b>110</b>.

0049The microcontroller <b>120</b> is similar to the microcontroller <b>20</b> in <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 1</figref>. The microcontroller <b>120</b> is connected to the sound sensor <b>110</b>. The microcontroller <b>120</b> has the advantages of small size, easy portability, and can be used to implement simple arithmetic functions. Furthermore, the microcontroller <b>120</b> can be connected to a remote server <b>130</b> by a network. Through the connection with the microcontroller <b>120</b>, the sound sensor <b>110</b> can transmit the sound signals to the microcontroller <b>120</b>. In some embodiments, the network can be provided by, for example, a mobile phone.

0050The server <b>130</b> is located remotely and used to perform more complicated operations. Reference is made by <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIGS. 3 and 4</figref>. <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 4</figref> illustrates a block diagram of the server <b>130</b> according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In this embodiment, the server <b>130</b> includes a sound recognition module <b>135</b>, a classification module <b>140</b>, and a processor <b>145</b>. In some embodiments, the sound recognition module <b>135</b>, the classification module <b>140</b>, and the processor <b>145</b> are computer components in the server <b>130</b>. In some embodiments, the sound recognition module <b>135</b>, the classification module <b>140</b>, and the processor <b>145</b> can be integrated into the same hardware.

0051The sound recognition module <b>135</b> is configured for recognizing sound signals. The classification module <b>140</b> is configured to classify types of the recognized sound signals. The processor <b>145</b> is configured to provide a feedback signal according to the types of the sound signals. For details, please refer to specific operation methods below. Through the remote transmission of the network, the microcontroller <b>120</b> can be used to receive the feedback signal from the server <b>130</b> remotely.

0052The output device <b>150</b> is connected to the microcontroller <b>120</b> to provide feedback actions according to the feedback signals. The output device <b>150</b> is similar to the output device <b>30</b> in <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 1</figref> and includes a light emitting device, a vibrator, a sound amplifier, or a text icon display device. The text icon display device includes a small portable display. In order to cope with the inconvenient environment for communicating with voice, in some embodiments, the feedback action of the output device <b>150</b> does not include voice/sound feedback.

0053The distance sensor <b>160</b> is connected to the microcontroller <b>120</b> to detect the distance between the notification device <b>100</b> and an object. For example, the distance sensor <b>160</b> is, for example, an ultrasonic distance sensing device. In some embodiments, the distance sensor <b>160</b> uses infrared rays for distance sensing, or uses millimeter-wave radar or sub-millimeter-wave radar. Due to the used short wavelength, it can have a wider sensing range to detect objects in a great angular range.

0054Reference is made by <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 5</figref>. <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 5</figref> illustrates a flowchart of a notification method <b>200</b> provided by a notification device <b>100</b> according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

0055In operation <b>210</b> of the notification method <b>200</b>, the sound sensor <b>110</b> of the notification device <b>100</b> detects environment to obtain analog sound signals.

0056Following the operation <b>210</b>, in the operation <b>220</b>, the analog sound signals are transmitted by the microcontroller <b>120</b> to the server <b>130</b> through, for example, a network.

0057In operation <b>230</b>, the analog sound signals are recognized by the sound recognition module <b>135</b> of the server <b>130</b>. Through the recognition of the sound recognition module <b>135</b>, the server <b>130</b> can obtain the sounds contained in the analog sound signal, such as the warning sound from a person, the specific content of the warning sound, and/or the sound of engineering equipment.

0058In operation <b>240</b>, types of the analog sound signals can be classified through the classification module <b>140</b> of the server <b>130</b>. In the operation <b>250</b>, feedback signals are outputted by the server <b>130</b> according to the types of the sound signals. In other words, a type of the sound signal can correspond to a kind of feedback signal. A types of the sound signal is classified according to the response after the sound signal is received, and the type is used for warning of danger or call communication, for example.

0059In some embodiments, the sound signals in the working environment can be classified into plurality of types, and each of the types of the sound signals corresponds to a condition, and the condition corresponds to one of feedback actions. A number of the types of sound signals is finite and can be customized and introduced according to the conditions.

0060For example, in some implementations, there is only one type “dangerous” of the sound signals. The sound signal is received by the notification device <b>100</b> (operation <b>210</b>) and uploaded to the server (operation <b>220</b>), a recognition of the sound signal is completed (operation <b>230</b>), and then it learns that the content of the sound signal is to inform the user that it is dangerous (e.g., the content of the sound signal can be a sound of working equipment or human voice), and the sound signal can be classified as “dangerous” by the notification device <b>100</b> at this time, so that a corresponding feedback signal is outputted by the server <b>130</b> to the output device <b>150</b> to notify the user of the notification device <b>100</b> that the user is at risk.

0061Specifically, in another practical example, there are six types of sound signals including dodging to the left if danger appears, dodging to the right if danger appears, vibrating, other types of danger, moving to the right, and reminding to be called by someone. For example, a sound signal is received by the notification device <b>100</b> (operation <b>210</b>) and uploaded to the server (operation <b>220</b>), the recognition of the sound signal is completed (operation <b>230</b>), and then the content of the sound signal is to notify the user that the right side is dangerous and the user should dodge to the left. At this time, the sound signal is classified into the type “dodging to the left if danger appears” by the notification device <b>100</b> (operation <b>240</b>). Subsequently, a feedback signal about dodging to the left is outputted by the server <b>130</b> (operation <b>250</b>).

0062In some embodiments, the distance sensor <b>160</b> can also be used to provide information about the environment near around the user of the notification device <b>100</b>, so that much accurate judgments can be provided by the server <b>130</b>. For example, in some embodiments, a large-size work equipment moves from the rear right to the user of the notification device <b>100</b>. At the same time, the sound signals of the large-size equipment sound are detected by the sound sensor <b>110</b> and an approach of an object from the rear right is detected by the distance sensor <b>160</b>, so that the server <b>130</b> can identify and classify that the type of the sound signal is about dodging to the left according to the above information, thereby providing a feedback signal about dodging to the left.

0063Continued with operation <b>250</b>, in the operation <b>260</b>, the feedback signal from the server <b>130</b> is received by the microcontroller <b>120</b> remotely via the network.

0064In the operation <b>270</b>, a feedback action is performed by the output device <b>150</b> connected to the microcontroller <b>120</b> according to the received feedback signal. For example, the output device <b>150</b> can be a vibrator placed on the left and right shoulders of the user. When the feedback signal about dodging to the left is received by the microcontroller <b>120</b>, the vibrator on the left shoulder of the user vibrates, so that the vibrator on the left shoulder of the user vibrates in real time through the sense of touch and a warning is issued to the user of the notification device <b>100</b>.

0065In some embodiments, the notification device <b>100</b> can be further connected to a console. The console can be used to manage one or more notification devices <b>100</b> or wearable devices with the notification devices <b>100</b> at the same time. For example, the console can actively send a feedback signal to a specific one of the notification devices <b>100</b> to directly drive the output device to perform a warning. Accordingly, the proactive notification provided in the above manner can further strengthen the warning function of the notification device <b>100</b>. In some embodiments, the console can further configure one or more notification devices <b>100</b> into different groups, so as to notify a specific group or all notification devices <b>100</b> in different conditions in environment with loud-noise.

0066In this embodiment, the sound recognition module <b>135</b> and the classification module <b>140</b> can be trained through machine learning to provide customized recognition and classification of sound signals in response to different types of working environments. In details, please refer to following discussion.

0067Reference is made by <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 6</figref>. <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 6</figref> illustrates a flowchart of a training method <b>300</b> of training a sound recognition module <b>135</b> according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

0068As illustrated in figures, in operation <b>310</b>, the sound sensor <b>110</b> is used to detect the environment to obtain analog sound signals. The user of the notification device <b>100</b> can select different detection environments according to actual needs.

0069In some embodiments, the sound sensor <b>110</b> can detect the signal according to the signal detection theory (SDT) by dynamically detecting the sound.

0070In operation <b>320</b>, after the sound sensor <b>110</b> detects the analog sound signals in the environment, the analog sound signals are converts into digital sound files in time domain through digital processing. In some embodiments, the digital processing can be performed by the microcontroller <b>120</b>. In some embodiments, the digital processing can also be performed remotely by the server <b>130</b>. In some embodiments, the digital sound files in time domain can be further divided into several specific sound blocks according to time through frame blocking processing and the signals in individual sound blocks are processed and analyzed.

0071Continued with operation <b>320</b>, in operation <b>330</b>, the digital sound files in time domain is transformed into digital sound files in frequency domain. Specifically, the digital sound files in time domain can be transformed into digital sound files in frequency domain through the server <b>130</b> or other computer devices connected to the server <b>130</b> in a manner of fast Fourier transform (FFT). In some embodiments, by creating digital sound files in frequency domain, a spectrogram, which corresponds to the amplitudes of the digital sound files in time domain at different frequencies at different times, can be further obtained.

0072Continued with operation <b>330</b>, in operation <b>340</b>, characteristic values of the digital sound files in frequency domain are extracted through a sound characteristic value extraction module. The sound characteristic value extraction module is configured in the server <b>131</b>. The characteristic values of the digital sound files in frequency domain correspond to different kinds of sounds. For example, the sound from engineering equipment and human voice have different characteristics, and these characteristics response in the spectrum or spectrogram of the sound, for example. By analyzing the spectrum or spectrogram of the digital sound files in frequency domain, the characteristic values of the digital sound files in frequency domain can be extracted from the spectrum or spectrogram, so as to distinguish the difference between the sound produced by the engineering equipment and the human voice.

0073For example, the sound characteristic value extraction module can be performed by the use of Mel-Frequency Cepstral Coefficients (MFCCs) method. Through the calculation module of sound characteristic value extraction module, the digital sound files in frequency domain can be converted into the corresponding Mel-Frequency Cepstrum (MFC) to obtain the corresponding Mel-Frequency Cepstrum Coefficients (MFCCs). The Mel-Frequency cepstrum coefficients can be used as the characteristic value of the digital sound files in frequency domain, so that what kinds of the digital sound files in frequency domain can be obtained, the kinds of the digital sound files in frequency domain are, for example, the sound of engineering equipment or human voice. In some embodiments, Deep Neural Networks (DNN) technology in the field of artificial intelligence can be used in the sound characteristic value extraction module to extract the characteristic values of the digital sound files in frequency domain. Deep neural network technology has a good performance in image recognition. Therefore, conceptually, the digital sound files in frequency domain can be converted into an image, and the sound corresponding to the image of the digital sound files in frequency domain can be identified by image recognition to obtain the corresponding characteristic value.

0074Specifically, in one embodiment, the server <b>130</b> includes a convolutional neural network (CNN) model. In the deep neural network technology, the convolutional neural network module can effectively realize the function of image recognition. A sequence of spectrograms provided by other sounds can be pre-input to the convolutional neural network model, so that the training of image recognition of the convolutional neural network model can be performed and completed. One sequence of spectrograms may refer to the frequency amplitude distribution diagrams at different times arranged in a time sequence. For example, a plurality of sets of corresponding sequence of spectrograms can be provided as the basis for image recognition for the sound of working equipment or human voice. In some embodiments, the sound used to train the convolutional neural network model is sampled in the actual working environment, so as to create a customized recognition scheme according to the actual environment. Therefore, after the learning of image recognition for the convolutional neural network model is completed, the convolutional neural network model can receive input of another sequence of spectrograms. The convolutional neural network model obtains the similar sound of another sequence of spectrograms through image recognition and then outputs a corresponding characteristic value. According to requirements of the user of the notification device <b>100</b>, analog sound signals in the environment can be detected, the analog sound signals can be converted into digital sound files in frequency domain, and then a training is performed based on the files of existing human voices or sound of tools and instruments by inputting the digital sound files in frequency domain.

0075Therefore, another implementation manner of operation <b>340</b> can be implemented as follows. First, convert the digital sound file in frequency domain into a sequence of spectrograms. The spectrogram shows changes in the amplitudes of different frequencies over time. Here, a sequence of frequency amplitude distribution diagrams of digital sound files in frequency domain at different times can be output. Then, a sequence of spectrograms of the digital sound file in frequency domain is input into the convolutional neural network model in the sound characteristic value extraction module, and the characteristic value of the digital sound file in frequency domain can be output by the convolutional neural network model.

0076In operation <b>350</b>, the sound recognition module <b>135</b> can be trained according to the digital sound files in frequency domain and their characteristic value. The training of the sound recognition module <b>135</b> can be applied by deep neural networks in the field of artificial intelligence. Each of the characteristic value of the digital sound file in frequency domain corresponds to a kind of the human voice or sounds tools and instruments. When a characteristic value of a digital sound file in frequency domain indicates that it is a human voice, the message content corresponding to the digital sound file in frequency domain is further input to the sound recognition module <b>135</b> to train the sound recognition module <b>135</b>. When the characteristic value of the digital sound file in frequency domain indicates that it is the sound of a tools and instruments, corresponding condition information can be provided. Therefore, when the trained sound recognition module <b>135</b> receives the sound signal, it can identify whether the sound signal is a human voice or the sound of a tool or an instrument. If the sound signal is a human voice, the content of the message to be conveyed can be determined. If the sound signal is sound of a tool or an instrument, a corresponding situational information can be provided. In some embodiments, the microcontroller <b>120</b> can be directly connected to a single-chip computer, and the edge calculation of sound recognition can be realized on the premise of being easy to carry. For example, a single-chip computers include raspberry pi.

0077<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 7</figref> illustrates a flowchart of a training method <b>1400</b> of training a classification module <b>140</b> according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Similar to the voice recognition module <b>135</b>, the classification module <b>140</b> can also achieve customized training through a deep neural network. The classification module <b>140</b> is used to distinguish the types of different analog sound signals to provide appropriate feedback signals.

0078In operation <b>410</b>, analog sound signals are input. In operation <b>420</b>, the input of the analog sound signals is recognized by, for example, the sound recognition module <b>135</b>.

0079Then, in operation <b>430</b>, the condition information corresponding to the analog sound signals are input. For example, when an analog sound signal is input, the analog sound signal can be recognized that is about message of dodging to the left from someone, and the corresponding condition is to dodge to the left at this time.

0080In operation <b>440</b>, the classification module <b>140</b> can be trained according to the analog sound signals and their corresponding conditions. Specifically, the recognized analog sound signals are used as input, the corresponding specific conditions are used as the training target, and the classification module <b>140</b> can be trained to classify the recognized analog sound signal into different conditions. The different conditions are, for example, the condition of dodging to the left as mentioned above. Different conditions correspond to different types of the sound signals. Therefore, the notification device <b>100</b> is substantially integrated with a wireless network and can also personalize the setting of artificial intelligence identification parameters, so that the server <b>130</b> can receive different condition information for retraining. This is an implementation of the Internet of Thing (IoT) architecture of the overall service of the notification device <b>100</b> of the present disclosure. In addition, the microcontroller <b>120</b> can also implement a warning function beyond the Internet of Things architecture. For example, the microcontroller <b>120</b> integrated with the function of judging the volume of the sound signal can be used to detect abnormal changes in the environmental volume, so as to send another feedback signal for warning notification. The specific flow is similar to flowchart in <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 2</figref>, and the notification device <b>100</b> can perform the same function as the notification device <b>1</b>. Therefore, in an environment where there is no network, the notification device <b>100</b> can also implement a warning notification function.

0081Reference is made by <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIGS. 8,9 and 10</figref>. <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIGS. 8-10</figref> respectively illustrate a front view of a smart vest <b>500</b>, which is a wearable device, a back view of the wearable device and a perspective view of the inside of the pocket of the wearable device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In this embodiment, the notification device <b>100</b> is installed on a vest <b>505</b> to serve as a smart vest <b>500</b>. In some embodiments, other cloth beyond the vest <b>505</b> can also be used.

0082Please refer to <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIGS. 8 and 9</figref>. As shown in figures, the smart vest <b>500</b> includes a front <b>510</b>, a back <b>530</b>, and a shoulder <b>520</b> connecting the front <b>510</b> and the back <b>530</b>. The front <b>510</b> is provided with a pocket <b>513</b> to accommodate the mobile phone and provide internet access. The back <b>530</b> of the smart vest <b>500</b> is also provided with a pocket <b>533</b>. The pocket <b>533</b> is used to house and fix the components of the notification device <b>100</b>, which includes the sound sensor <b>110</b>, the distance sensor <b>160</b> and the circuit board <b>170</b>.

0083As shown in <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 10</figref>, the sound sensor <b>110</b> of the notification device <b>100</b>, the microcontroller <b>120</b>, the power supply module <b>180</b> for supplying power, and the distance sensor <b>160</b> are integrated on the support plate <b>170</b>. The power supply module <b>180</b> includes a battery and a switch. The wires can be integrated on the top, inside the interlayer, or on the opposite side of the circuit board <b>170</b>.

0084In this embodiment, the sound sensor <b>110</b>, the distance sensor <b>160</b> and the circuit board <b>170</b> are arranged in the pocket <b>533</b> on the back <b>530</b> of the smart vest <b>500</b>. Since the eyes of the user are not easy to look at the back, the sound sensor <b>110</b> and the distance sensor <b>160</b> used for detecting environment are arranged on the back <b>530</b> of the smart vest <b>500</b>, which can better play the role of the notification device <b>100</b> to detect danger and issue a warning. In some embodiments, the exposed parts of the sound sensor <b>110</b> and the distance sensor <b>160</b> are provided with a waterproof structure to adapt to different environmental changes. In this embodiment, the output device <b>150</b> provided on the smart vest <b>500</b> includes a light bar <b>153</b> and a vibrator <b>156</b>. The vibrator <b>156</b> is connected to the circuit board <b>170</b> through a wire <b>185</b>.

0085In summary, the present disclosure provides a notification device and a wearable device using the notification device. The notification device can detect the volume of the environment in a period of time, so as to notify the user in real time when the volume of the environment changes. The notification device can also connect to the server remotely by the microcontroller using the network. It is easy to carry and the server can recognize and classify the received sound signals to provide feedback based on the type of the sound signals. The type of the sound signal is, for example, human voice or sound of engineering equipment. The wearable device is, for example, a smart vest combined with a notification device, which is convenient to wear. By installing output devices such as a vibrator and a light bar on it, the user can easily perceive changes in the environment by means other than sound, which is conducive to real-time communication and warning. The notification device is also set to facilitate customized training to provide more accurate recognition and warning effects in different working environments.

0086Although the present invention has been described in considerable detail with reference to certain embodiments thereof, other embodiments are possible. Therefore, the spirit and scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the description of the embodiments contained herein. In view of the foregoing, it is intended that the present invention cover modifications and variations of this invention provided they fall within the scope of the following claims.