Ear piece with pseudolite connectivity

• US 10,225,638 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2017
• Issued: 03/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/03/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bragi GmbH
• Original Assignee: Bragi GmbH
• Inventors: Boesen, Peter Vincent, Dragicevic, Darko
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Thang V
• Application Number:
  US15/799,845
• Publication Number:
  US 20180124490A1
• Time in Patent Office: 490 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/42 Determining position
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/46 the supplementary measurement being of a radio-wave signal type
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/49 whereby the further system is an inertial position system, e.g. loosely-coupled
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/14 Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/385 Transceivers carried on the body, e.g. in helmets
• 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 1/1091 Details not provided for in groups H04R1/1008 - H04R1/1083
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2460/07 Use of position data from wide-area or local-area positioning systems in hearing devices, e.g. program or information selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2460/13 Hearing devices using bone conduction transducers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/033 Headphones for stereophonic communication details thereof, e.g. relating to batteries, cables or control elements H04R1/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/304 For headphones

Abstract

An earpiece includes an earpiece housing and a location receiver disposed within the ear piece housing. The earpiece is configured to determine location of the earpiece using the location receiver. The ear piece is configured to generate three-dimensional sounds based on the location of the earpiece relative to location of one or more sound sources. The location receiver may be configured to receive signals from one or more pseudo satellites and use the signals to determine the location. The earpiece may be configured to receive signals from one or more terrestrial or ground-based transmitters and use the signals to determine the location. The ear piece may further include an inertial sensor disposed within the earpiece housing.

Claims

1. An earpiece comprising:

an earpiece housing;

a location receiver disposed within the earpiece housing configured to receive signals from a plurality of ground-based transmitters and to determine location of the earpiece relative to the location of one or more sound sources based on the received signals;

an inertial sensor disposed within the earpiece housing and configured to detect a movement of the earpiece;

a digital sound processor disposed within the earpiece;

wherein the earpiece is configured to refine orientation or the location of the earpiece based on the detected movement;

wherein the earpiece is configured to generate three-dimensional sounds using the digital sound processor based on the location of the earpiece relative to location of one or more sound sources and the refined orientation or location of the earpiece.

2. The earpiece of claim 1 wherein plurality of ground-based transmitters comprises at least one or more pseudo satellites.

3. The earpiece of claim 1 wherein plurality of ground-based transmitters comprises at least one or more ground-based transmitters.

12. The earpiece of claim 1 further comprising a wireless transceiver, wherein the wireless transceiver communications the location of the one or more sound sources to a second earpiece.

4. A system comprising:

a plurality of pseudo satellites;

a set of earpieces comprising a left earpiece and a right earpiece, each of the earpieces comprising;

an earpiece housing,

at least one speaker,

an inertial sensor disposed of within the earpiece housing and configured to detect a movement of the earpiece;

a digital sound processor disposed of within the earpiece, and

a location receiver configured to receive signals from the plurality of pseudo satellites and to determine location of the earpiece relative to location of one or more sound sources based on the received signal;

wherein the set of earpieces is configured to refine orientation or the location of the earpiece based on the detected movement; and

wherein the digital sound processor is configured to generate three-dimensional sounds based on the location of the earpiece relative to one or more sound sources and the refined orientation or location of the earpiece.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein at least one of the earpieces is configured to determine location of the earpiece relative to a sound source using the location receiver.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the set of earpieces is configured to generate three dimensional sound effects using location of the sound source and the location of the earpiece.

7. A method of operating an earpiece comprising steps of:

determining position of the earpiece using a location receiver disposed within the earpiece and communications from a plurality of terrestrial-based location transmitters;

refining the position of the earpiece or orientation of the earpiece based on inertial data sensor obtained from an inertial sensor of the earpiece;

determining a position of a sound source;

generating, by a digital sound processor of the earpiece, three-dimensional sound effects based on the position of the sound source and the refined position or orientation of the earpiece;

producing the sound effects at the earpiece.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising determining position of a second earpiece in operative communication with the earpiece using an offset.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising generating three-dimensional sound effects for the second earpiece using the position of the sound source and the position of the second earpiece.

10. The method of claim 7 further comprising determining position of a second earpiece in operative communication with the earpiece independently using a location receiver within the second earpiece.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising generating three-dimensional sound effects for the second ear piece using the position of the sound source and the position of the second earpiece.