Improvement of plastic optical fiber microphone based on moisture pattern sensing in devoiced breath

Tomohito Taki; Satoshi Honma; Masayuki Morisawa; Shinzo Muto

doi:10.1117/12.758028

24 January 2008 Improvement of plastic optical fiber microphone based on moisture pattern sensing in devoiced breath

Tomohito Taki, Satoshi Honma, Masayuki Morisawa, Shinzo Muto

Proceedings Volume 6829, Advanced Materials and Devices for Sensing and Imaging III; 682922 (2008) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.758028
Event: Photonics Asia 2007, 2007, Beijing, China

Abstract

Conversation is the most practical and common form in communication. However, people with a verbal handicap feel a difficulty to produce words due to variations in vocal chords. This research leads to develop a new devoiced microphone system based on distinguishes between the moisture patterns for each devoiced breaths, using a plastic optical fiber (POF) moisture sensor. In the experiment, five POF-type moisture sensors with fast response were fabricated by coating swell polymer with a slightly larger refractive index than that of fiber core and were set in front of mouth. When these sensors are exposed into humid air produced by devoiced breath, refractive index in cladding layer decreases by swelling and then the POF sensor heads change to guided type. Based on the above operation principle, the output light intensities from the five sensors set in front of mouth change each other. Using above mentioned output light intensity patterns, discernment of devoiced vowels in Japanese (a,i,u,e,o) was tried by means of DynamicProgramming-Matching (DP-matching) method. As the result, distinction rate over 90% was obtained to Japanese devoiced vowels. Therefore, using this system and a voice synthesizer, development of new microphone for the person with a functional disorder in the vocal chords seems to be possible.

Citation Download Citation

Tomohito Taki, Satoshi Honma, Masayuki Morisawa, and Shinzo Muto "Improvement of plastic optical fiber microphone based on moisture pattern sensing in devoiced breath", Proc. SPIE 6829, Advanced Materials and Devices for Sensing and Imaging III, 682922 (24 January 2008); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.758028

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