Aural measurements from earphone output speakers

• US 10,142,722 B2
• Filed: 05/18/2015
• Issued: 11/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mobile Physics Limited
• Original Assignee: Bugatone Ltd
• Inventors: Ben-Ami, Edmund, Petrank, Noam
• Primary Examiner(s): PATEL, YOGESHKUMAR G
• Application Number:
  US15/312,591
• Publication Number:
  US 20170094401A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,289 Days
• Field of Search: 600301, 600300, 600474, 600500, 600509, 600549
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0204 Acoustic sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0051 by applying vibrations
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02055 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular condition and temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02133 by using induced vibration of the blood vessel
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02438 with portable devices, e.g. worn by the patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0295 using plethysmography, i.e. measuring the variations in the volume of a body part as modified by the circulation of blood therethrough, e.g. impedance plethysmography
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/486 Bio-feedback A61B5/375 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6803 Head-worn items, e.g. helmets, masks, headphones or goggles
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6817 Ear canal
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7228 Signal modulation applied to the input signal sent to patient or subject; demodulation to recover the physiological signal modulation H03C
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7278 Artificial waveform generation or derivation, e.g. synthesising signals from measured signals A61B5/327 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7405 using sound
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 7/045 Detection of Korotkoff sounds A61B5/0225 takes precedence; measuring blood pressure A61B5/021
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/00 Pattern recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/15 Biometric patterns based on physiological signals, e.g. heartbeat, blood flow
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 9/08 Two-way loud-speaking telephone systems with means for conditioning the signal, e.g. for suppressing echoes for one or both directions of traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1091 Details not provided for in groups H04R1/1008 - H04R1/1083
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 29/001 for loudspeakers H04R29/007 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/04 for correcting frequency response

Abstract

According to some embodiments of the present invention there is provided a method of using an earphone output speaker as a microphone for a phone call between two and/or more participants, or for measuring biometric data of a user. The method may comprise playing a received signal to an electro-acoustic output transducer of an earphone. The method may comprise instructing an audio processing circuit of a local client terminal to record an audio signal from the same electro-acoustic output transducer. The method may comprise calculating a voice signal and/or a biometric measurement based on a function combining the recorded audio signal, the received signal, and filtration coefficients, using a processing unit of the local client terminal. The method may comprise sending the voice signal and/or a biometric measurement through an output interface of the local client terminal.

Claims

1. A method of presenting a temperature, comprising:

playing an output audio signal to an electro-acoustic transducer;

instructing an audio processing integrated circuit of a client terminal to record an acoustic audio signal that includes the output audio signal that was played by the electro-acoustic transducer, using same said electro-acoustic transducer;

calculating a plurality of temperatures based on a function combining said acoustic audio signal, the output audio signal, and filtration coefficients; and

presenting at least one of said plurality of temperatures.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said electro-acoustic transducer is a microphone.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said electro-acoustic transducer is an output speaker of an earphone.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said electro-acoustic transducer is an external speaker connected to an earphone, and said plurality of temperatures comprises ambient and inner ear temperatures.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said electro-acoustic transducer is an internal speaker of a client terminal, and said plurality of temperatures comprises ambient and device temperatures.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said electro-acoustic transducer is located inside an ear canal of a target user during recording of said acoustic audio signal and one of said plurality of temperatures is an inner ear temperature correlated with a body temperature of said target user.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of said plurality of temperatures is presented to a user through a user interface.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of said plurality of temperatures is presented to a remote device through an output interface.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein calculating the plurality of temperatures based on the function combining said acoustic audio signal, the output audio signal, and filtration coefficients includes determining a difference between the output audio signal and the acoustic audio signal to calculate the plurality of temperatures.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein calculating the plurality of temperatures based on the function combining said acoustic audio signal, the output audio signal, and filtration coefficients includes determining a frequency response between the output audio signal and the acoustic audio signal to calculate the plurality of temperatures.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the filtration coefficients represent a frequency response of the electro-acoustic transducer.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the electro-acoustic transducer is simultaneously connected to an input mixer and an output mixer of an audio processing integrated circuit during the playing of the output audio signal and a recording of the acoustic audio signal.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of temperatures are temperatures of a surrounding environment of the transducer.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of temperatures are temperatures of an inner ear of a user.

9. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer executable instructions adapted to perform actions, the actions comprising:

playing an output audio signal to an electro-acoustic transducer;

instructing an audio processing integrated circuit of a client terminal to record an acoustic audio signal that includes the output signal that was played by the electro-acoustic transducer, using same said electro-acoustic transducer;

calculating a plurality of temperatures based on a function combining said acoustic audio signal, the output audio signal, and filtration coefficients; and

presenting at least one of said plurality of temperatures.

10. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein said electro-acoustic transducer is an external speaker connected to an earphone, and said plurality of temperatures comprises ambient and inner ear temperatures.

11. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein said electro-acoustic transducer is an internal speaker of a client terminal, and said plurality of temperatures comprises ambient and device temperatures.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein said electro-acoustic transducer is located inside an ear canal of a target user during recording of said acoustic audio signal and one of said plurality of temperatures is an inner ear temperature correlated with a body temperature of said target user.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein at least one of said plurality of temperatures is presented to a user through a user interface.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein at least one of said plurality of temperatures is presented to a remote device through an output interface.

21. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein calculating the plurality of temperatures based on the function combining said acoustic audio signal, the output audio signal, and filtration coefficients includes determining a difference between the output audio signal and the acoustic audio signal to calculate the plurality of temperatures.

22. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein calculating the plurality of temperatures based on the function combining said acoustic audio signal, the output audio signal, and filtration coefficients includes determining a frequency response between the output audio signal and the acoustic audio signal to calculate the plurality of temperatures.

23. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the filtration coefficients represent a frequency response of the electro-acoustic transducer.

24. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the electro-acoustic transducer is simultaneously connected to an input mixer and an output mixer of an audio processing integrated circuit during the playing of the output audio signal and a recording of the acoustic audio signal.

25. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the plurality of temperatures are temperatures of a surrounding environment of the transducer.

26. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the plurality of temperatures are temperatures of an inner ear of a user.