Intelligent soundscape adaptation utilizing mobile devices

• US 10,096,311 B1
• Filed: 09/12/2017
• Issued: 10/09/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Plantronics, Inc. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Sarkar, Shantanu, Burton, Joe, Hart, John H, Bran, Cary, Sherburne, Philip
• Primary Examiner(s): KIM, PAUL
• Application Number:
  US15/702,625
• Time in Patent Office: 392 Days
• Field of Search: 381 731
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/1752 Masking
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/1754 Speech masking
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 2210/108 Communication systems, e.g. where useful sound is kept and noise is cancelled
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 2210/12 Rooms, e.g. ANC inside a room, office, concert hall or automobile cabin
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 2203/12 for acoustic communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 2203/16 for telephony
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 2203/18 for wireless local area networks or WLAN
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 2203/34 involving multiple cooperating jammers
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/41 characterized by the control of the jamming activation or deactivation time control of jamming activation and deactivation time only for the purpose of alternating between jamming mode and target monitoring mode H04K3/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/42 characterized by the control of the jamming frequency or wavelength
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/43 characterized by the control of the jamming power, signal-to-noise ratio or geographic coverage area
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/45 characterized by including monitoring of the target or target signal, e.g. in reactive jammers or follower jammers for example by means of an alternation of jamming phases and monitoring phases, called "look-through mode"
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/825 by jamming
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/84 related to preventing electromagnetic interference in petrol station, hospital, plane or cinema
• 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 2227/001 Adaptation of signal processing in PA systems in dependence of presence of noise
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2410/01 Noise reduction using microphones having different directional characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2410/05 Noise reduction with a separate noise microphone
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2499/11 Transducers incorporated or for use in hand-held devices, e.g. mobile phones, PDA's, camera's
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 29/002 : Loudspeaker arrays
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/005 : for combining the signals of two or more microphones specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/303 : Tracking of listener position or orientation

Abstract

Methods and apparatuses for addressing open space noise are disclosed. In one example, a method for masking open space noise includes receiving a plurality of mobile device microphone data from a plurality of mobile devices. A location data associated with each mobile device in the plurality of mobile devices is received. A plurality of stationary microphone data is received from a plurality of stationary microphones. A sound masking noise output is adjusted at one or more loudspeakers responsive to the plurality of mobile device microphone data and the plurality of stationary microphone data.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a plurality of mobile device microphone data from a plurality of mobile device microphones at a plurality of mobile devices;

receiving a plurality of location data, comprising receiving a location data associated with each mobile device in the plurality of mobile devices;

receiving a plurality of stationary microphone data from a plurality of stationary microphones; and

adjusting a sound masking noise output at one or more loudspeakers responsive to the plurality of mobile device microphone data and the plurality of stationary microphone data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of mobile devices comprise a plurality of wireless headsets.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of stationary microphones comprise one more stationary microphones disposed in a ceiling area of a building open space.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising correlating one or more mobile device microphones to one or more stationary microphones utilizing the plurality of location data.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein correlating the one or more mobile device microphones to the one or more stationary microphones utilizing the plurality of location data comprises identifying a same geographical area of the building open space in which the one or more mobile device microphones and the one or more stationary microphones are located.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

broadcasting a service advertisement requesting mobile devices having a capability to provide a desired mobile device microphone data.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a communication from a mobile device operable to identify a mobile device capability to provide a desired mobile device microphone data.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the communication comprises a response to a service advertisement received at the mobile device.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the communication comprises a mobile device identification data.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the desired mobile device microphone data comprises data derived from output of a mobile device microphone dedicated to detecting ambient or background sound.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of mobile device microphone data comprises noise level measurements, frequency distribution data, or voice activity detection data determined from sound detected at the plurality of mobile device microphones.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of mobile device microphone data comprises sound data corresponding to sound detected at a mobile device microphone.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of mobile device microphone data and the plurality of location data are received at an adjustable time interval or responsive to a pre-defined event.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the plurality of mobile device microphone data comprises utilizing an intermediary computing device.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting the sound masking noise output comprises adjusting a sound masking volume level or a sound masking noise type.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising assigning a weight factor to a mobile device microphone data, the weight factor utilized in adjusting the sound masking noise output at the one or more loudspeakers.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining at a mobile device whether to transmit a mobile device microphone data to a sound masking system.

18. A method comprising:

receiving a mobile microphone data from a mobile device;

receiving a location data associated with the mobile device;

receiving a stationary microphone data from a stationary microphone;

correlating the mobile device to the stationary microphone utilizing the location data; and

adjusting a sound masking noise output at a loudspeaker responsive to the mobile microphone data and the stationary microphone data received from a correlated mobile microphone and stationary microphone.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the mobile device comprises a headset.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the stationary microphone is disposed in a ceiling area of a building open space.

21. The method of claim 18, further comprising assigning a weight factor to the stationary microphone data, the weight factor utilizing in adjusting the sound masking noise output at the loudspeaker responsive to the mobile microphone data and the stationary microphone data.

22. A system comprising:

a mobile device comprising a mobile device microphone;

a plurality of stationary loudspeakers;

a plurality of stationary microphones; and

one or more computing devices comprising;

one or more processors;

one or more memories storing one or more application programs executable by the one or more processors, the one or more application programs comprising instructions to receive a mobile device microphone data from the mobile device and receive a stationary microphone data from the plurality of stationary microphones, and adjust a sound masking volume level output at one or more of the plurality of stationary loudspeakers.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the mobile device comprises a headset.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein the mobile device comprises a smartphone.

25. The system of claim 22, wherein the one or more application programs comprise further instructions to receive from the mobile device a location data associated with a current location of the mobile device.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the one or more application programs comprise further instructions to correlate the mobile device microphone to a stationary microphone selected from the plurality of stationary microphones utilizing the location data.