Selective sound field environment processing system and method

• US 10,045,110 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2017
• Issued: 08/07/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bragi GmbH
• Original Assignee: Bragi GmbH
• Inventors: Razouane, Mohamed Ali, Boesen, Peter Vincent, Kosider, Gwenael, Dohmen, David K.
• Primary Examiner(s): ISLAM, MOHAMMAD K
• Application Number:
  US15/635,839
• Publication Number:
  US 20180014107A1
• Time in Patent Office: 405 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/08 Speech classification or search
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 17/22 Interactive procedures; Man-machine interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/088 Word spotting
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2021/02166 Microphone arrays; Beamforming
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/02 Speech enhancement, e.g. noise reduction or echo cancellation reducing echo effects in line transmission systems H04B3/20; echo suppression in hands-free telephones H04M9/08
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/0208 Noise filtering
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/0232 Processing in the frequency domain
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/0272 Voice signal separating
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1016 Earpieces of the intra-aural type
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1041 Mechanical or electronic switches, or control elements switches in general H01H
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1083 Reduction of ambient noise active noise reduction per se G10K11/175; protective devices for the ear, e.g. providing acoustic protection A61F11/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/406 microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/005 for combining the signals of two or more microphones specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407

Abstract

A method for selective sound field environment processing for one or more wireless earpieces, each of the one or more wireless earpieces including comprising a plurality of microphones is provided. The method includes receiving audio input of a sound field environment from the plurality of microphones of each of the one or more wireless earpieces, identifying background noise in the sound field environment, identifying audio from at least one sound source within the sound field environment, processing the audio input using one or more processors of at least one of the wireless earpieces to reduce the background noise and processing the audio input using one or more processors of the at least one of the wireless earpieces to enhance the audio from the at least one sound source within the sound field environment to provide processed audio, and transducing the processed audio at one or more speakers of the one or more wireless earpieces.

Claims

1. A method for selective sound field environment processing for one or more wireless earpieces, each of the one or more wireless earpieces comprising a plurality of microphones, the method comprising:

receiving audio input of a sound field environment from the plurality of microphones of each of the one or more wireless earpieces;

identifying background noise in the sound field environment;

identifying audio from at least one sound source within the sound field environment, wherein the at least one sound source within the sound environment comprises a voice of a person and the one or more wireless earpieces are configured to identify the person based on the voice of that person;

processing the audio input using one or more processors of at least one of the wireless earpieces to reduce the background noise using active filtering and processing the audio input using one or more processors of the at least one of the wireless earpieces to enhance the audio from the at least one sound source within the sound field environment to provide processed audio;

transducing the processed audio at one or more speakers of the one or more wireless earpieces; and

receiving an input from a user of the one or more wireless earpieces wherein the input from the user specifies the person as one of the at least one sound source.

2. A method for selective sound field environment processing for one or more wireless earpieces, each of the one or more wireless earpieces comprising a plurality of microphones, the method comprising:

receiving audio input of a sound field environment from the plurality of microphones of each of the one or more wireless earpieces;

identifying background noise in the sound field environment;

identifying audio from at least one sound source within the sound field environment, wherein the at least one sound source within the sound field environment comprises a machine;

processing the audio input using one or more processors of at least one of the wireless earpieces to reduce the background noise and processing the audio input using one or more processors of the at least one of the wireless earpieces to enhance the audio from the at least one sound source within the sound field environment to provide processed audio;

transducing the processed audio at one or more speakers of the one or more wireless earpieces;

receiving an input from a user of the one or more wireless earpieces wherein the input from the user specifies the machine as one of the least one sound source.

3. A method for selective sound field environment processing for one or more wireless earpieces, each of the one or more wireless earpieces comprising a plurality of microphones, the method comprising:

receiving audio input of a sound field environment from the plurality of microphones of each of the one or more wireless earpieces;

identifying background noise in the sound field environment;

identifying audio from at least one sound source within the sound field environment;

processing the audio input using one or more processors of at least one of the wireless earpieces to reduce the background noise and processing the audio input using one or more processors of the at least one of the wireless earpieces to enhance the audio from the at least one sound source within the sound field environment to provide processed audio;

transducing the processed audio at one or more speakers of the one or more wireless earpieces;

receiving an input from a user of the one or more wireless earpieces wherein the input from the user specifies the at least one sound source.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the input from the user of the one or more wireless earpieces further specifies one or more processing parameters of the at least one sound source.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the input from the user is voice input.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the voice input comprises one or more keywords.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising processing the audio input using one or more processors of the at least one of the wireless earpieces to attenuate audio greater than a particular intensity.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein each of the one or more wireless earpieces is an earbud.

9. A method for selective sound field environment processing for one or more wireless earpieces, each of the one or more wireless earpieces comprising a plurality of microphones, the method comprising:

receiving audio input of a sound field environment from the plurality of microphones of each of the one or more wireless earpieces;

identifying background noise in the sound field environment;

identifying audio from at least one sound source within the sound field environment;

processing the audio input using one or more processors of at least one of the wireless earpieces to reduce the background noise and processing the audio input using one or more processors of the at least one of the wireless earpieces to enhance the audio from the at least one sound source within the sound field environment to provide processed audio;

transducing the processed audio at one or more speakers of the one or more wireless earpieces;

wherein calibrating the one or more wireless earpieces comprises isolating each of the at least one sound source and receiving user input identifying each of the at least one sound source.

10. A wireless earpiece, comprising:

an earpiece housing;

a processor disposed within the earpiece housing;

a plurality of microphones operatively connected to the processor for receiving audio input of a sound field environment;

wherein the processor provides for executing instructions stored on a machine readable non-transitory medium for identifying background noise in the sound field environment, identifying audio from at least one sound source within the sound field environment, processing the audio input using the processor to reduce the background noise and processing the audio input using the processor to enhance the audio from the at least one sound source within the sound field environment to provide processed audio;

wherein the at least one sound source within the sound field environment comprises a voice of a person;

wherein the instructions further provide for identifying the person based on the voice of the person;

wherein the instructions further provide for receiving an input from a user of the one or more wireless earpieces wherein the input from the user specifies the person as one of the at least one sound source;

at least one speaker operatively connected to the processor for transducing the processed audio.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the input is voice input.