Subject: From: Date:

RE: [ECS] sr sessions explained ! Joseph LaFerla Sun, 26 Nov 2000 23:39:28 -0700

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Hey Larry, WOW, this sounds really neat.  I won't hold my breath putting
something like this together (!) but it sure makes me drool....


-----Original Message-----
From: LEC1964@aol.com [mailto:LEC1964@aol.com]
Sent: November 26, 2000 8:41 PM
To: ecs-list@netbloc.com
Subject: Re: [ECS] sr sessions explained !


Paul,

I use SR extensively to communicate with ECS but I don't use the
local/remote
phone SR sessions that use the modem and therefore I won't be able to help
you too much in that area. I will however give you a little idea of how I
approached SR.

I use local and remote phones that interface directly with the sound card
and
have created the VR-Session items that will go active for one the event pass
to trigger the various event activities. I guess you would call this a
"closed system" rather than where open microphones are used. I do use an
"open system" of sorts which I will describe later.

On the hardware side I use primarily cordless 900 mhz spread spectrum phones
for local SR. At all phone jack locations throughout the house there are two
modular jacks, one ties directly to my phone service and the other to a
transfer relay that will switch between my phone service and the sound card
phone interface. A touchtone decoder is wired to ECS digital inputs to
notify
ECS for control of the transfer relay. Going off hook with any local phone
you will hear dialtone. Enter any one, of four, two digit codes and ECS is
notified to control the transfer relay,  to go to "Wake", to select the
correct speech profile (based on your assigned touchtone code) and to issue
a
greeting. Say "Thank You" or hangup and the hardware will reverse itself and
SR will go to "Sleep".

For remote phone SR I modified one of the cordless phones for access to the
"base" speakerphone audio and the ability to control the speakerphone to go
on or off hook. All incoming phone calls are checked for caller ID. If the
caller ID is correct ECS will use a digital relay output to act as the
speakerphone pushbutton to answer the incoming call. SR will be set to
"Wake"
and a greeting will be issued. Two timers are created in the software to
terminate the call. One timer gives verbal warning that SR is about to end
and the other will terminate the call. The timers can be restarted verbally.
I typically use my cell phone to communicate remotely with SR. I turn off my
caller ID to "ring through".

To improve the accuracy of the SR I use compressor/limiter/noise gate
channels and an audio mixer. Both the local phone and the remote phone audio
are cabled to separate compressor/limiter/noise gate channels and then to
the
mixer. The output of the mixer is then cabled to the mic input of the sound
card.

Earlier I indicated that I used an open system of sorts. Using the base
speaker phone you can selectively use it as an open microphone. I typically
do this at night in the bedroom. Just pressing the speakerphone button on
the
phone base next to the bed will allow commands to be issued without reaching
for the phone and fumbling to enter your touchtone code. ECS TTS responses
are issued through the speakerphone speaker. This works fairly well.

Mark revamped the SR-Session item a while back and is relatively straight
forward to use. Keep in mind that the SR command text is listed first
followed by a colon. Following the colon the reply text, if any, should be
entered and is followed by a comma if you want to issue a second command
after you hear (verify) that the correct action has taken place. Following
the comma is the activate text. I typically don't use a verification and the
activate text. It just takes too long to get the command completed. The
exception is outgoing phone calls. I have an SR-Session item whose command
text is "Call Nine One One". If I verbally issue the command SR checks for a
match. If there is a match, call nine one one is echoed back over the phone.
Speak the verify text of "Yes" or "Complete the Call" and the item will go
"Active" for one event pass. An event has a line statement that: If   PCS VR
911   Is Now   Active   Then.... . Straight forward stuff.

One thing thing that I had not planned on, but turned out to be really cool
was the identification of the SR session user. Since everyone in the house
is
assigned a touchtone code ECS now knows by name who she is talking with.
This
allows for a personal association. Ask for FM music and your favorite
station
will be selected. Ask for voicemail and you will get your mailbox, ask for a
wake up alarm and your wake up time is used, or say "Thank You" and you will
get a personalized "Your welcome, Larry".

Hope this helps.

LarryC

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