A real time DSP-based ringing detection and advanced warning system

This paper focuses on the development of a real-time DSP-based system that will assist a patient that suffers from epileptic attacks that are specifically triggered by seizure inducing (SI) stimuli consisting of loud and sudden sounds from telephone ringing and pagers. It has been observed, however, that if the patient is forewarned of the impending occurrence of these sounds he is able to prepare himself for the event and avoid a seizure. The system developed in this project provides the kind of advanced warning needed by the patient. The system integrates a parallel adaptive line enhancer structure that divides the available input spectrum into individual frequency bands that are analyzed separately. An adaptive line enhancer and detector (ALE-D) evaluates each frequency band for the purposes of extracting any periodic component present in the incoming input audio signal. This paper examines the performance of this structure in terms of how accurately it detects any signal whose spectral content varies with time and how fast it can provide a timely warning signal to the patient that this seizure inducing sound is about to occur. To date, the system has only been implemented and tested off-line using the Matlab and Simulink simulation packages.