Audio adjustment based on dynamic and static rules

• US 10,171,054 B1
• Filed: 08/24/2017
• Issued: 01/01/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Orenstein, Kathryn, Seo, Hyun Kyu
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Duc M
• Application Number:
  US15/685,561
• Time in Patent Office: 495 Days
• 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: H03G 3/04 in untuned amplifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 3/20 Automatic control H03G3/005 takes precedence; combined with volume compression or expansion H03G7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 3/24 Control dependent upon ambient noise level or sound level
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 3/3005 in amplifiers suitable for low-frequencies, e.g. audio amplifiers H03G3/32, H03G3/34 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 3/32 the control being dependent upon ambient noise level or sound level
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 7/002 in untuned or low-frequency amplifiers, e.g. audio amplifiers H03G7/007, H03G7/001, H03G7/008, H03G7/02, H03G7/06 take precedence

Abstract

An approach is provided that compares inputs received at a system to a set of rules. The rules include both static rules as well as dynamic rules. The approach retrieves audio adjustments based on the comparison of inputs to the rules. The approach then automatically adjusts an output of an audio system based on the retrieved audio adjustment.

Claims

1. A method implemented by an information handling system that includes a processor and a memory accessible by the processor, the method comprising:

prioritizing a plurality of dynamic rules and a plurality of static rules, wherein the dynamic rules and the static rules are included in a set of rules applied to an output of an audio system;

comparing a set of one or more inputs to the set of rules, wherein the comparing is performed according to the prioritization of the dynamic rules and the static rules;

retrieving at least one audio adjustment based on the comparisons; and

automatically adjusting the output of the audio system based on the retrieved audio adjustment.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the audio adjustment is an automatic dynamic range control that sets a maximum volume of the audio system.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the audio adjustment is an automatic volume control that adjusts a volume of the audio system.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein one of the dynamic rules is a predefined number of people proximate to the audio system, and wherein the method further comprises:

identifying a current number of people from a set of sensor data included in the inputs; and

comparing the identified current number of people with the predefined number of people, wherein the comparing corresponds to a selected one of the dynamic rules, and wherein the retrieved audio adjustment is retrieved from the selected dynamic rule.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein a selected one of the dynamic rules is a predefined person being proximate to the audio system, and wherein the method further comprises:

identifying one or more people currently proximate to the audio system, wherein the identifying is based on one or more sets of received sensor data;

comparing a predefined set of sensor data that corresponds to the predefined person with the one or more sets of received sensor data; and

in response to determining, based on the comparison, that the predefined person is currently proximate to the audio system, applying an adjustment associated with the selected dynamic rule to the audio system.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

applying analytic analysis to the inputs to identify quantities related to the set of rules; and

utilizing the identified quantities to select the adjustment to the output of the audio system corresponding to one of the rules.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of the inputs is selected from a group consisting of audio from a microphone, a digital image from a digital camera, a presence data received from a presence sensor, a date/time from a digital clock, a number of people, a particular person, and an approximate age of a person.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of dynamic rules are prioritized at a higher priority level than the plurality of static rules.

9. An information handling system comprising:

one or more processors;

a memory coupled to at least one of the processors;

an audio output, wherein one or more audio adjustments to the audio output are accessible by at least one of the processors;

one or more input receivers that receive input data and store the input data in the memory; and

a set of instructions stored in the memory and executed by at least one of the processors to perform actions comprising;

prioritizing a plurality of dynamic rules and a plurality of static rules, wherein the dynamic rules and the static rules are included in a set of rules applied to the audio outputs;

comparing a set of one or more inputs to the set of rules, wherein the comparing is performed according to the prioritization of the dynamic rules and the static rules;

retrieving at least one audio adjustment based on the comparisons; and

automatically adjusting one of the audio adjustments based on the retrieved audio adjustment.

10. The information handling system of claim 9, wherein the audio adjustment is an automatic dynamic range control that sets a maximum volume of the audio system.

11. The information handling system of claim 9, wherein the audio adjustment is an automatic volume control that adjusts a volume of the audio system.

12. The information handling system of claim 9 wherein one of the dynamic rules is a predefined number of people proximate to the audio system, and wherein the actions further comprise:

identifying a current number of people from a set of sensor data included in the inputs; and

comparing the identified current number of people with the predefined number of people, wherein the comparing corresponds to a selected one of the dynamic rules, and wherein the retrieved audio adjustment is retrieved from the selected dynamic rule.

13. The information handling system of claim 9 wherein a selected one of the dynamic rules is a predefined person being proximate to the audio system, and wherein the actions further comprise:

identifying one or more people currently proximate to the audio system, wherein the identifying is based on one or more sets of received sensor data;

comparing a predefined set of sensor data that corresponds to the predefined person with the one or more sets of received sensor data; and

in response to determining, based on the comparison, that the predefined person is currently proximate to the audio system, applying an adjustment associated with the selected dynamic rule to the audio system.

14. The information handling system of claim 9 wherein the actions further comprise:

applying analytic analysis to the inputs to identify quantities related to the set of rules; and

utilizing the identified quantities to select the adjustment to the output of the audio system corresponding to one of the rules.

15. The information handling system of claim 9 wherein at least one of the inputs is selected from a group consisting of audio from a microphone, a digital image from a digital camera, a presence data received from a presence sensor, a date/time from a digital clock, a number of people, a particular person, and an approximate age of a person.

16. The information handling system of claim 9 wherein the plurality of dynamic rules are prioritized at a higher priority level than the plurality of static rules.

17. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising a set of computer instructions, the computer instructions effective to cause an information handling system to perform actions comprising:

prioritizing a plurality of dynamic rules and a plurality of static rules, wherein the dynamic rules and the static rules are included in a set of rules applied to an output of an audio system;

comparing a set of one or more inputs to the set of rules, wherein the comparing is performed according to the prioritization of the dynamic rules and the static rules;

retrieving at least one audio adjustment based on the comparisons; and

automatically adjusting the output of the audio system based on the retrieved audio adjustment.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the audio adjustment is an automatic dynamic range control that sets a maximum volume of the audio system.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the audio adjustment is an automatic volume control that adjusts a volume of the audio system.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 17 wherein one of the dynamic rules is a predefined number of people proximate to the audio system, and wherein the actions further comprise:

identifying a current number of people from a set of sensor data included in the inputs; and

comparing the identified current number of people with the predefined number of people, wherein the comparing corresponds to a selected one of the dynamic rules, and wherein the retrieved audio adjustment is retrieved from the selected dynamic rule.

21. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 17 wherein a selected one of the dynamic rules is a predefined person being proximate to the audio system, and wherein the actions further comprise:

identifying one or more people currently proximate to the audio system, wherein the identifying is based on one or more sets of received sensor data;

comparing a predefined set of sensor data that corresponds to the predefined person with the one or more sets of received sensor data; and

in response to determining, based on the comparison, that the predefined person is currently proximate to the audio system, applying an adjustment associated with the selected dynamic rule to the audio system.

22. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 17 wherein the actions further comprise:

applying analytic analysis to the inputs to identify quantities related to the set of rules; and

utilizing the identified quantities to select the adjustment to the output of the audio system corresponding to one of the rules.

23. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 17 wherein the plurality of dynamic rules are prioritized at a higher priority level than the plurality of static rules.