[0001] This invention relates to an all-electronic system for the detection, recognition
and positive identification of a particular repetitive or non-repetitive sound pattern
and more particularly to an apparatus for the selective monitoring and recognition
of emergency signals such as sirens to remote control traffic signal devices.
[0002] Briefly, the present invention has primary application to the detection of emergency
signals and accomplishes its stated function by means of precise frequency discrimination
circuits, sequence detection circuits, timed gating circuits, noise rejection circuits,
and repetition counting circuits. Consecutive tones of different frequency must occur
to enable delay timers that emit a trigger pulse to a counter chain to actuate a traffic
signal relay. Frequency discrimination can be accomplished by band pass filters or
by IC phase locked loop tone decoders. The various circuits can be re-adjusted to
recognize almost any kind of predetermined repetitive sound pattern while retaining
the ability to reject all other unwanted sounds.
[0003] The particular application and embodiment herein described for this invention is
designed to detect and recognize the sound of a particular operating mode of an emergency
vehicle siren known as a "yelp", for the purpose of controlling the traffic signals
at an intersection making it easier and safer for the emergency vehicle to traverse
the intersection. The system is capable of rejecting all extraneous sounds and sound
combinations including other siren operating modes known as "wail" and "high-low".
The purpose of making the system responsive to the "yelp" operating mode is because
that mode is normally used by emergency vehicle operators when they approach traffic
intersections and, therefore, would entail little or no modification to the normal
siren usage pattern. Should an emergency vehicle operator, for some reason, wish to
make no change in the traffic signal cycle of an intersection he is approaching, he
has the option of using any siren mode other than the "yelp".
[0004] By way of further explanation, the audio characteristic of the "yelp" operating mode
consists of a continuously changing audio tone that begins at a frequency as low as
500 Hz and sweeps to a frequency as high as 1600 Hz and then sweeps back down again
to the low frequency, this constituting a single sweep cycle. The sweep cycle is then
repeated at a rate of one to four cycles per second. The exact frequency range covered
and the exact sweep cycle repetition rate depends on the particular model and type
of siren. The circuits of the present invention accommodate and recognize the full
range of "yelp" frequencies and repetition rates mentioned above.
[0005] The utility of a system whereby the traffic signals at an intersection are remotely
controlled by the driver of an approaching emergency vehicle is thoroughly explained
in U.S. Patent No. 3,550,078 which discloses a system utilizing a photovoltaic detector
at the traffic signal and a special high-intensity lamp mounted on each vehicle.
[0006] The prior art includes a number of systems having the capability of responding to
particular sounds such as sirens or automobile horns. Representative systems are described
in U.S. Patent Nos. 3,568,144 and 3,735,342, both of which are designed to be mounted
in a vehicle for the purpose of alerting the driver to the nearby presence of an emergency
vehicle siren and, in one case, also the presence of an automobile horn and a train
whistle. Neither of these patents make any mention of traffic signal control.
[0007] Before reviewing the above patents in further detail, it is necessary to clarify
the distinction between (1) the capability to respond to an audio tone or a predetermined
sequence of tones with little or no ability to discriminate against unwanted audio
signals that happen to contain the same tone or tone sequence (a tone decoder) and
(2) the capability to detect and recognize a particular sound pattern along with the
ability to reject all unwanted sounds and sound combinations (a sound pattern discriminator).
The former (1) is typified, for example, by a telephone touch-tone system which establishes
an artificial, controlled environment in which all the tones and tone sequences that
can occur are known. A tone decoder, for instance, that is designed to respond to
a predetermined tone sequence characterizing a seven-digit local telephone number
would not respond to the first seven digits of any ten-digit, long distance number
because the first seven digits of all ten-digit numbers never duplicate any seven-digit
number. By the same token, any spurious signals that could cause false responses are
adequately filtered or attenuated before reaching the tone decoder. Thus, in a controlled
electrical environment there is little need for the tone decoder to have any special
means for rejecting unwanted signals because such signals are adequately attenuated
beforehand or, by design, are not permitted to occur.
[0008] The latter, (2) is typified for example by a busy traffic intersection, which is
a natural, uncontrolled environment in which a wide variety of unpredictable sounds
and sound combinations may occur. A sound pattern discriminator, for instance, that
is designed to detect and recognize the sound of an emergency vehicle siren, must
be able to discriminate against and reject such sounds as engine exhaust noise, transmission
gear whine, electric horns on automobiles, air horns on trucks, the screeching of
brakes, the squealing of tires, and the ever-present, broad-band wind noise. Any circuit
that is limited in its ability to reject such extraneous sounds, although it may be
useful as a tone decoder in a controlled environment, has little practical value in
an uncontrolled environment where it would generate a high percentage of false responses.
[0009] Referring now to U.S. Patent No. 3,568,144 which describes an apparatus, the preferred
embodiment which is claimed to be capable of responding to the sound of a train whistle,
an automobile horn, and an emergency vehicle siren and display each response separately.
It accomplishes this aim by means of three channels, the circuitry of each including
a bandpass filter; one filter being tuned to the characteristic frequency of train
whistles, the second being tuned to the characteristic frequency of automobile horns,
and the third being tuned to the characteristic frequency of sirens.
[0010] The above described systems are not totally effective for two important reasons.
First, the use of one bandpass filter to respond to the characteristic frequency of
automobile horns does not work because automobile horns do not have a single characteristic
frequency. The frequency of a horn varies with the make and model of automobile. Moreover,
most automobiles carry two horns, one of low pitch and one of high pitch, to produce
a more pleasing tone. If the pass band of the filter were made so broad so as to include
the characteristic frequencies of most horns, the system would have no discriminating
ability and would respond to most other sounds. Exactly the same reasoning holds true
for a train whistle. Although the frequency range for various train whistles is narrower
than various horns, the frequency range for whistles overlaps the frequency range
for horns. Obviously, a siren does not have a single characteristic frequency, but
sweeps a rather wide spectrum, as explained in a previous paragraph, which fully overlaps
the frequency ranges of both horns and whistles. The second reason is that, even with
narrow-band filters, the circuit has very poor discriminating ability. Most street
noises have a complex spectrum that contains many audio components of different frequencies
and these noises would cause almost constant false triggering, rendering the circuit
useless.
[0011] Refer now to U.S. Patent No. 3,735,342 which relates to a tone-responsive circuit
capable of responding to the sound of an emergency vehicle siren. The system of this
patent is an improvement over the previous circuits in that sounds of three different
frequencies must be detected within a predetermined time period, ten seconds, by means
of three bandpass filters before a response is obtained. An SCR sequencing circuit
is used so the sounds must occur in a predetermined sequence. There is no delay time
built into the sequencer except for the inherent turn-on time of an SCR which is typically
less than 0.5 microsecond. Since the period of one cycle of a 1000 Hz tone is 1 millisecond,
from a practical standpoint in audio work, a period as short as 0.5 microsecond may
be considered to be instantaneous. Thus, three simultaneous tones at the proper frequencies
will cause the circuit to respond, as will the same three tones occurring in any sequence
whatever, so long as there is at least a 1 to 2 microsecond overlap. The system of
this patent does not include any effective means of rejecting unwanted sounds and,
therefore, can be easily triggered by any broad-band noise source. At best, this circuit
may be considered to be a tone detector for a three-tone signal, but it would be ineffective
as a useful sound pattern discriminator.
[0012] According to the present invention there is provided a sound discrimination system
for use in an environment subject to a plurality of sounds of various frequencies
and combinations of frequencies, said system being characterized by a first sound
detecting circuit for selectively detecting and recognizing sound signals at a first
frequency within the audio frequency spectrum of a particular sound pattern and producing
an output signal in response to such detection and recognition, at least one second
sound detecting circuit for selectively detecting and recognizing a predetermined
second sound signal at a different frequency from said first frequency within the
audio frequency spectrum of said particular sound pattern and producing an output
signal in response to such recognition and detection of said second sound signal,
a first time delay circuit coupled with the output of said first sound detecting circuit
for producing a time delayed enable signal to enable for operation a further circuit
coupled with the output of said second sound detecting circuit to pass signals from
said second sound detecting circuit through said further circuit in response to the
enable signal from said first time delay circuit, and the output of said further circuit
being coupled with the input of a control circuit, to produce a control output signal
only in response to receipt of said first and second sound signals in a sequential
time pattern established by said first time delay circuit and said further circuit.
[0013] The invention will now be described by way of example only with particular reference
to the accompanying drawings wherein:
Figure 1A and 1B together are a block diagram of the circuitry of the system of the
present invention;
Figure 2 shows the circuit details of the pre-amplifier;
Figure 3 shows details of the voltage follower and band pass circuits;
Figure 4 is a detail representative of the band pass filters;
Figure 5 is a typical timer configuration;
Figure 6 shows the circuit configuration of the counter chain and control relay;
Figure 7 illustrates the disable circuitry; and
Figure 8 graphically represents the typical "yelp" signal.
[0014] A block diagram of the overall electronic configuration is shown in Figures 1A and
1B. Referring to Figure lA, sound waves, for example, including a "yelp" operating
mode as well as extraneous sounds, impinging on the microphone 1 are converted to
electronic signals which are amplified by the pre-amplifier 2. The output signal from
the pre-amplifier 2 is supplied to the input of the amplifier 4 by means of the shielded
cable 3.
[0015] In an actual field installation, the wire connection between the microphone and subsequent
circuits may be several hundred feet in length. This necessitates the use of shielded
cable, as well as a suitable pre-amplifier that is located at or near the microphone
to overcome the deleterious effects of induced noise and/or spurious signals.
[0016] The electrical signal from pre-amplifier 2 is further amplified by the amplifier
4, the output of which is passed through a symmetrical signal clipper 5 to prevent
overloading at the input of the following amplifier stage 6, which if such overloading
were allowed to occur, would cause distortion and the generation of undesirable harmonic
energy. The amplifier and clipper combination is repeated twice more with clipper
7, 9 and amplifier 8. The output of the third clipper 9 is connected to a voltage
follower 10 and to a low-pass filter 11 with a cutoff frequency of 1600 Hz. The purpose
of the voltage follower 10 is to provide a proper impedance match between the clipper
9 and the low-pass filter 11. Amplifiers 4, 6 and 8 each have a built-in low-frequency
roll-off characteristic with a cutoff frequency of 600 Hz. Thus, electrical signals
outside the frequency band of interest are eliminated at this point, reducing a potential
source of false triggering or improper operation of subsequent circuits due to spurious
signals or harmonic distortion.
[0017] The output of the low-pass filter 11 is connected to the inputs of four high-Q bandpass
filters 12, 13, 14 and 15, which are tuned to pass signals at nominal center frequencies
of 800 Hz, 1000 Hz, 1200 Hz and 1400 Hz, respectively. The number of filters and their
center frequencies may be varied in accordance with system requirements. Any signal
from the output of the low-pass filter 11 that falls within the pass-band of one of
the aforementioned bandpass filters is applied to the respective amplifier 16, 17,
18 or 19 which follows that bandpass filter and is amplified to a sufficient voltage
level to act as a trigger signal for the timer circuits that are connected to the
output of that amplifier.
[0018] The outputs of the four amplifiers 16, 17, 18 and 19 are connected to the trigger
inputs of the timers 20, 21, 22 and 23 respectively, timers 24, 26, 28 and 30 respectively,
and timers 38, 36, 34 and 32 respectively. Refer to Figure lB. Thus, a trigger signal
at the output of the amplifier 16, for example, is simultaneously applied to the trigger
inputs of timers 20, 24 and 38. In a similar manner, a trigger signal at the output
of any of the other amplifiers is simultaneously applied to the trigger inputs of
three timers, as seen in Figures 1A and 1B.
[0019] Of the eight timers shown in Figure 1B that are connected to the outputs of the four
amplifiers 16, 17, 18 and 19, only timer 24 does not require an enable signal before
it can be triggered. Therefore, the only circuit action that can initially occur must
be initiated by an 800 Hz signal, causing a trigger signal from the output of amplifier
16 to start a 20 millisecond timing period by timer 24. At the end of the 20 millisecond
period, timer 25 initiates a 100 millisecond timing period during which it generates
a continuous enable signal that is applied to timer 26. Thus, during the time period
of 20 milliseconds to 120 milliseconds from the moment an 800 Hz tone was detected,
timer 26 can be triggered by the detection of a 1000 Hz tone. If a 1000 Hz tone does
not occur during this 100.millisecond period, no further circuit action will take
place and the circuit will effectively revert to the condition existing prior to the
detection of the 800 Hz tone.
[0020] If a 1000 Hz tone occurs within the designated time frame, causing timer 26 to be
triggered, the same sequence of events as described above will occur, causing timer
28 to be enabled by timer 27 for a 100 millisecond period during which timer 28 can
be triggered by a 1200 Hz tone. If timer 28 is successfully triggered, the sequence
continues in the same manner, causing the successive enabling of timers 30, 32, 34,
36 and 38. For timer 38 to be successfully enabled and triggered requires the detection
of eight audio tones in the following precise sequence: 800 Hz, 1000 Hz, 1200 Hz,
1400 Hz, 1400 Hz, 1200 Hz, 1000 Hz, 800 Hz. In addition, after the detection of the
first 800 Hz tone, each successive tone must be detected within the period of 20 milliseconds
to 120 milliseconds after the detection of the previous tone in the established sequence.
Any out-of-sequence tone, other than an 800 Hz tone, that is detected will always
encounter a disabled timer, effectively preventing any further circuit action.
[0021] Whenever timer 38 is successfully triggered, it activates, after a 20 millisecond
delay, a 10 millisecond single-pulse generator 39 which provides a disable signal
to the disable pulse generator 40 and a trigger pulse to the 5 second timer 41 and
to all five counters 42, 43, 44, 45 and 46. Each counter, however, requires an enable
signal in order to be triggered. The first counter 42 receives its enable signal from
the output of the 5 second timer 41 and each succeeding counter receives its enable
signal from the output of the preceding counter. When the first trigger pulse occurs,
the 5 second timer 41 is triggered and immediately provides an enable signal to the
first counter 42 allowing it to be triggered as well. The second counter 43 receives
its enable signal only after a 50 millisecond delay and can, therefore, not be triggered
by the first pulse and must wait for a second pulse to occur. If timer 38 is successfully
triggered a second time, a second trigger pulse will occur to trigger the second timer
43 which, after a 50 millisecond delay, will provide an enable signal to the third
counter 44. In this manner, each succeeding pulse will trigger the next counter in
sequence until the fifth pulse has triggered the fifth counter 46. Once the 5 second
timer 41 has been triggered, however, succeeding pulses that occur within the 5 second
period have no further effect on that timer.
[0022] If the 5 second timer 41 completes its timing period before the fifth counter 46
is triggered, the loss of the enable signal will immediately disable all five counters
and effectively reset the entire counter chain. The next trigger pulse that occurs
will then restart the 5 second timer 41 and retrigger the first counter 42, as before.
[0023] If the fifth counter 46 is triggered before the end of the 5 second timing period,
it will actuate the traffic signal control relay 48 and at the same moment provide
a restart pulse 47 to the 5 second timer 41 which will, without interruption, initiate
a new 5 second timing period. At this time, all five counters are triggered, all enable
signals are present, and the control relay is activated. Succeeding trigger pulses
have no further effect on the counter chain except that each pulse initiates a new
timer restart pulse 47. If no trigger pulse occurs for a period of 5 seconds, the
5 second timer 41 will complete its timing period causing loss of the enable signal,
resetting of the timer chain, and deactivation of the traffic signal control relay
48.
[0024] The operation of the disable circuits is controlled by the disable pulse generator
40 which, when provided with a suitable disable signal, generates a disable pulse
that is connected to each of the seven 100 millisecond enable timers 25, 27, 29, 31,
33, 35 and 37. This causes a loss of all enable signals and effectively resets the
timer circuits. The disable signals provided to the disable pulse generator 40 can
come from either of two sources. One source is the 10 millisecond pulse generator
39, which generates a signal 20 milliseconds after timer 38 is triggered for the purpose
of resetting the timer circuits after the successful detection of the complete sequence
of eight tones and in preparation for the next sequence of tones. Such resetting assures
that the various circuits are in their proper initial states regardless of any spurious
signals or false triggering that may have occurred.
[0025] The second source of disable signals is from the resistance network connected to
the outputs of the four 10 millisecond disable timers 20, 21, 22 and 23 shown in Figure
lA. Each of these timers produces an output signal for a 10 millisecond period whenever
it is triggered by a trigger signal from the output of its associated amplifier 16,
17, 18 or 19. The output signals from all four timers are summed by means of a resistance
network so that a disable signal is produced only when all four timers are simultaneously
triggered. This situation would occur only if 800 Hz, 1000 Hz, 1200 Hz, and 1400 Hz
tones were all detected within a 10 millisecond time span. The purpose of this circuit
is to eliminate the possibility of false triggering by broad-band noise.
[0026] This completes the description of the block diagrams in Figures 1A and lB. In view
of the uniqueness of the individual circuits, the following more detailed description
is believed helpful to a full and complete understanding of the invention.
[0027] Although almost any type of audio transducer 1 can be used and its electrical characteristics
are not particularly critical, a dynamic moving-coil-type of microphone element is
recommended because of several favourable characteristics including low-cost, physical
ruggedness, and smooth frequency response over the bandwidth of interest. The microphone
housing should not only be designed to be weatherproof and adequately rugged, but
should also be designed to minimize the generation of localized (at the housing) wind
noise to reduce the amount of broad-band noise pickup. The housing should also be
designed to minimize vertical sensitivity and maximize horizontal sensitivity in order
to reduce traffic noise pickup from directly below the microphone.
[0028] The pre-amplifier 2 shown in Figure 2 is designed to be remotely located at or near
the microphone and is connected to the amplifier 4 by means of shielded cable 3. The
circuit configuration of the pre-amplifier 2 is unique in that the connection to the
amplifier 4 requires only a single-conductor wire plus a shield, which, for long shielded
cable runs can result in considerable cost saving over the use of multi-conductor
wires. This was accomplished by connecting the base bias resistor, Rl, directly to
the collector terminal of transistor Ql and moving the collector load resistor, R3,
to the far end of the shielded cable. By this means, both the d.c. collector current
and the amplified a.c. signal are carried by the single-conductor wire, while both
the d.c. and a.c. return currents are carried by the shield. Other bias arrangements
or the use of a multi-stage amplifier would require at least a two-conductor wire
plus shield. The use of an integrated circuit operational amplifier would require
a three-conductor wire plus shield.
[0029] The remaining components in the pre-amplifier 2 consist of a capacitor Cl which couples
the signal from the microphone to the base of transistor Ql, emitter stabilization
resistor R2, emitter bypass capacitor C2, and capacitor C3 which couples the signal
to the input of amplifier 4. Diodes Dl and D2 serve to protect circuit components
from the adverse effects of reverse-polarity overvoltage signals induced at or near
the shielded cable 3 or its connections. Although Dl and D2 are diagrammed as signal
diodes, zener diodes may be used effectively.
[0030] Amplifier 4 is an integrated circuit operational amplifier, ICI, connected in a non-inverting,
high-gain configuration. In the interest of simplicity, supply voltage terminals are
not shown. Resistor R4 . provides a ground reference for the non-inverting input,
diode D3 protects the input from forward-polarity overvoltage signals. Resistor R5
provides a signal feedback path to the inverting input, resistor R6 and capacitor
C4 control the roll-off characteristic by establishing the low-frequency cutoff frequency
of the amplifier, and resistor R7 provides load isolation between amplifier 4 and
clipper 5.
[0031] Symmetrical signal clipper 5 is a standard clipper configuration consisting of resistors
R8, R9, and R10 and diodes D4 and D5. Amplifiers 6 and 8 in Figure lA are similar
to amplifier 4 and clippers 7 and 9 are similar to clipper 5. The use of a multiplicity
of high-gain amplifiers and symmetrical clippers in this fashion is a unique technique
for amplifying a very weak signal to a usable level in the presence of very strong
signals without generating excessive distortion products.
[0032] The voltage follower 10 shown in Figure 3 is a standard configuration consisting
of IC2 and a feedback resistor. The low-pass filter 11, consisting of IC3 and its
associated components, is a second-order active filter utilizing a Sallen-Key circuit
configuration. Both IC2 and IC3 are integrated circuit operational amplifiers. The
bandpass filter 12 as seen in Figure 4, consisting of IC4, IC5, IC6 and their associated
components, is a high-Q, second-order active filter utilizing a state-variable circuit
configuration. Amplifier 16, consisting of IC7 and a feedback network, is a standard
non-inverting operational amplifier. The configurations of all four bandpass filters
12, 13, 14 and 15 are similar and the configurations of all four amplifiers 16, 17,
18 and 19 are similar.
[0033] Of the eight pairs of timers 24 through 39 shown in Figure 1B, the circuit configuration
for one typical pair of timers is shown in Figure 5. Timer 26 and timer 27 are both
integrated circuit timers, the terminal designations for which are defined in the
legend in Figure 5. In the interest of simplicity, J the supply voltage and ground
terminals are not shown. Timer 26 is connected as a monostable circuit such that when
an enable signal from timer 25 is present, a negative-going pulse of sufficient amplitude
applied to terminal TL will cause the output to go high for a predetermined length
of time, the period of which is established by the values of resistor Rll and capacitor
C5. In this case, the period is 20 milliseconds. Timer 27 is also connected as a monostable
circuit with timing components R13 and C7 of the proper values to establish a timing
period of 100 miliseconds. Resistor R12 and capacitor C6 comprise a differentiation
network that modifies the output pulse from timer 26 such that timer 27 does not trigger
until the end of the 20 millisecond period. Diode D6 prevents the input signal from
exceeding the supply voltage, a condition that could damage timer 27. When timer 27
is triggered, the enable line to timer 28 goes high for a period of 100 milliseconds.
At any time during this period, a disable pulse from timer 40 will terminate the timing
period and thereby terminate the enable signal to timer 28. The configurations of
all eight pairs of timers are similar except that the R terminal of timer 24 is connected
to the positive supply so that it is always enabled, and the values of the timing
components for timer 39 are modified to produce a 10 millisecond period instead of
a 100 millisecond period.
[0034] Figure 6 shows the circuit configuration of the counter chain and the control relay
actuation circuitry. All the timers 41 through 47 are integrated circuit timers, the
terminal designations for which are defined in the legend in Figure 5. Supply voltage
and ground terminals are not shown. Timer 41 is connected as a monostable circuit,
with timing components R14 and C8 of the proper values to establish a timing period
of 5 seconds during which an enable signal is provided to timer 42. Timer 42 is connected
as a Schmitt trigger and the 50 millisecond delay before an enable signal is provided
to timer 43 is controlled by the values of R15 and C9. This circuit configuration
is repeated with timers 43, 44 and 45. When timer 45 is triggered, the commutation
relay is energized causing its normally open contacts to close, thereby completing
the circuit between the SCR and the control relay. Timer 46, which is the fifth counter
in the chain, is connected as a monostable circuit, with timing components R16 and
C10 of the proper values to establish a timing period of 40 microseconds. When timer
46 is triggered, the resulting 40 microsecond pulse is applied to the gate of the
SCR causing it to turn on, thereby energizing and latching the traffic signal control
relay. At the same moment, the 40 microsecond pulse is also applied to timer 47, which
is connected as a Schmitt trigger,
[0035] causing capacitor C8 to discharge, which has the effect of restarting the 5 second
timing period without interruption. If timer 46 is not retriggered within a 5 second
period, the loss of the enable signals will cause the commutation relay to drop out,
which by disconnecting the ground line through the SCR, will cause the traffic signal
control relay to drop out.
[0036] The disable circuitry is shown in Figure 7. All five timers are integrated circuit
timers, the terminal designations are defined in the legends in Figure 5. Supply voltage
and ground terminals are not shown. Four of the timers, 20 to 23, are connected as
monostable circuits with a timing period of 10 milliseconds. The outputs of these
timers are connected to a summing network consisting of resistors R17, R18, R19, R20
and R21. Timer 40, which is connected as a Schmitt trigger, produces a disable pulse
whenever its input reaches a predetermined threshold level. The summing network is
arranged so that the required threshold is only attained when all four timers, 20
to 23, are triggered at the same time, that is, within 10 milliseconds of each other.
Timer 40 will also produce a disable pulse when it receives a pulse from timer 39
through diode D7. The purpose of diode D7 is to isolate timer 39 from the summing
network.
[0037] In an alternative version of this system, each bandpass filter and amplifier combination
such as 12 and 16, 13 and 17, 14 and 18, or 15 and 19, may be replaced by an integrated
circuit phase-locked-loop tone decoder. Phase-locked-loop tone decoders are available
as single integrated circuits with input and output characteristics and supply voltage
requirements such that they can be suitably used as direct replacements for the bandpass
filter and amplifier combinations. The choice between bandpass filter circuits or
phase-locked-loop circuits in this system would be based on the nature of the sound
or sound combination that is to be detected as well as cost versus performance trade-off
considerations for each situation.
[0038] As mentioned previously, the extreme flexibility of the circuits comprising this
invention permits them to be adjusted to recognize almost any repetitive or non-repetitive
sound pattern to the complete exclusion of other unwanted sounds. As such, this invention
may be used for any other application in which it is necessary to recognize a particular
sound amongst an unpredictable variety of other sounds. In view of this, various changes
could be made to the above- described electronic system without departing from the
scope of the invention and it is intended that all the details in the descriptions
and in the figures be interpreted as purely illustrative and totally nonlimiting.