Vowel and consonant discriminating microphones using carbon nanotubes
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsAnusha Chippigiri Acharya, Mukundan Sundararajan
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A condenser microphone and a method for discriminates a first segment and a second segment in a spoken sound, is provided by using carbon nanotube bundles as capacitor materials. Such capacitor capacitance varies due to the quantum thermal mechanism of CNTs when a spoken sound containing vowel segments and consonant segments passes through the CNTs, so that the vowel segments and the consonant segments can be detected and separated.
Claims18
An apparatus for differentiating between vowels and consonants in a spoken sound, the apparatus comprising:
- a microphone configured to receive the spoken sound and generate an output signal, the microphone including:
- a set of carbon nanotube bundles configured to receive the spoken sound, wherein the set of carbon nanotube bundles includes carbon nanotubes of varying lengths and thicknesses, wherein the carbon nanotube bundles in the set of carbon nanotube bundles are arranged parallel to each other and wherein the set of carbon nanotube bundles provide an output for differentiating the spoken sound as vowels and consonants;
- an electrode block configured to measure variation in a set of characteristic parameters of the set of carbon nanotube bundles caused by the received spoken sound and generate the output signal based on the measured variation in the set of characteristic parameters,
- wherein the electrode block includes a set of conducting plates and an electrode electrically connected to the set of conducting plates, and
- wherein the set of carbon nanotube bundles is located adjacent to the electrode block in a longitudinal direction.
A method for making an apparatus for differentiating between vowels and consonants in a spoken sound, the method comprising:
- connecting an electrode in an electrode block electrically to a set of conducting plates in the electrode block;
- placing a set of carbon nanotube bundles adjacent to the electrode block in a longitudinal direction;
- and
- placing each carbon nanotube of the set of carbon nanotube bundles:
- parallel to each other carbon nanotube of the set of carbon nanotube bundles, and in the same longitudinal direction as the set of carbon nanotube bundles, wherein each carbon nanotube having different lengths and thickness from other carbon nanotube provides an output for differentiating the spoken sound as vowels and consonants.
A method for using an apparatus for differentiating between vowels and consonants in a spoken sound, the method comprising:
- passing a spoken sound longitudinally through a set of carbon nanotube bundles, wherein each carbon nanotube having different lengths and thickness from other carbon nanotube provides an output for differentiating the spoken sound as vowels and consonants;
- detecting variations on a set of characteristic parameters of the set of carbon nanotube bundles;
- and
- processing a plurality of signals associated with the set of characteristic parameters.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.