US 12,469,488 B2
Methods for non-audible speech detection
Tyler Stephen Benster, San Francisco, CA (US); Reshef Haim Elisha, Redwood City, CA (US); Guy Halleck Wilson, San Francisco, CA (US); and Kaveh Moussakhani, San Francisco, CA (US)
Assigned to REFLEX TECHNOLOGIES, INC., San Francisco, CA (US)
Filed by Reflex Technologies, Inc., San Francisco, CA (US)
Filed on Jul. 9, 2024, as Appl. No. 18/767,882.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/594,367, filed on Oct. 30, 2023.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/611,031, filed on Dec. 15, 2023.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/640,814, filed on Apr. 30, 2024.
Prior Publication US 2025/0140258 A1, May 1, 2025
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. G10L 15/16 (2006.01); G01S 13/50 (2006.01); G01S 13/89 (2006.01); G06F 3/01 (2006.01); G06F 40/58 (2020.01); G10L 15/18 (2013.01); G10L 15/22 (2006.01); G10L 15/25 (2013.01); G10L 25/75 (2013.01)
CPC G10L 15/16 (2013.01) [G01S 13/50 (2013.01); G01S 13/89 (2013.01); G06F 3/012 (2013.01); G06F 3/013 (2013.01); G06F 40/58 (2020.01); G10L 15/1815 (2013.01); G10L 15/22 (2013.01); G10L 15/25 (2013.01); G10L 25/75 (2013.01); G10L 2015/227 (2013.01)] 28 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for detecting and outputting speech of a user, wherein the speech comprises continuous non-audible speech, the method comprising:
(a) providing a radio frequency (RF) sensing device comprising a first portion having one or more antennas for transmitting a plurality of RF signals and a second portion having one or more antennas for receiving RF signal data, wherein the RF sensing device is worn externally on a head or a neck of the user;
(b) using the RF sensing device to collect the RF signal data, wherein the RF signal data comprises one or more RF signals of the plurality of RF signals subjected to modulation or modification via interaction with one or more speech articulators of the user;
(c) processing the RF signal data collected in (b) to determine the non-audible speech of the user by at least in part analyzing the modulation or modification of the one or more RF signals caused by movement of the one or more speech articulators; and
(d) outputting or facilitating an output comprising conversion of the non-audible speech of the user determined in (c), wherein conversion comprises decoding the non-audible speech of the user into at least one of audible speech or a text transcription,
wherein the plurality of RF signals is transmitted according to one or more radiation patterns, wherein the one or more radiation patterns comprises electromagnetic propagation paths or spatial distributions of electromagnetic field intensity that vary in response to the interaction with the one or more speech articulators of the user,
wherein the one or more antennas for transmitting the plurality of RF signals scan at least one speech articulator of the one or more speech articulators via the one or more radiation patterns, and
wherein the RF signal data is received by the one or more antennas for receiving the RF signal data at the second portion of the RF sensing device after the plurality of RF signals is transmitted from the first portion of the RF sensing device through the one or more speech articulators, wherein the one or more speech articulators comprise at least one speech articulator within a vocal cavity of the user.