Enhancement of a Radiation Safety System through the Use of a Microprocessor Controlled Speech Synthesizer

A speech synthesizer is being used to differentiate eight separate safety alarms on a high energy accelerator at Argonne National Laboratory. A single board microcomputer monitors eight signals from an existing radiation safety logic circuit. The microcomputer is programmed to output the proper code at the proper time and interfaces to a speech synthesizer which supplies the audio input to a local public-address system. This eliminates the requirement for eight different alarm tones and the personnel training required to differentiate among them. A twenty-word vocabulary has been found adequate to supply the necessary safety announcements. The article describes the techniques used to interface the speech synthesizer into the existing safety-logic circuit.