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 sequence 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 was 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