Handsfree beam pattern configuration

• US 10,251,008 B2
• Filed: 09/25/2014
• Issued: 04/02/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Baker, John J., Johnson, Martin E., Family, Afrooz, Howes, Michael B., Stanley, Craig M., Boozer, Brad G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gay, Sonia L
• Application Number:
  US15/037,302
• Publication Number:
  US 20160295340A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,650 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 17/04 Training, enrolment or model building
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 17/06 Decision making techniques; Pattern matching strategies
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/08 Mouthpieces; Microphones; Attachments therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/403 loud-speakers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2203/12 Beamforming aspects for stereophonic sound reproduction with loudspeaker arrays
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2430/23 Direction finding using a sum-delay beam-former
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/302 Electronic adaptation of stereophonic sound system to listener position or orientation H04S7/301 takes precedence

Abstract

An audio system that adjusts one or more beam patterns emitted by one or more loudspeaker arrays based on the preferences of users/listeners is described. The audio system includes an audio receiver that contains a listener location estimator, a listener identifier, and a voice command processor. Inputs from the listener location estimator, the listener identifier, and the voice command processor are fed into an array processor. The array processor drives the one or more loudspeaker arrays to emit beam patterns into the listening area based on inputs from each of these devices. By examining the location, preferred usage settings, and voice commands from listeners, the generated beam patterns are customized to the explicit and implicit preferences of the listeners with minimal direct input. Other embodiments are also described.

Claims

1. A method for adjusting sound emitted by a loudspeaker array, comprising:

sensing, using one or more microphone arrays, a voice command from a user in a listening area at a first instance in time, wherein the user is associated with a stored user profile that specifies a predefined location at which to direct a loudspeaker array output beam pattern;

based on the sensed voice command, determining a location in the listening area at which to steer a loudspeaker array output beam pattern;

steering the loudspeaker array output beam pattern at the determined location in the listening area; and

then

at a second instance in time that is later than the first instance in time, if a current location of the user is not determinable then steering the loudspeaker array output beam pattern at the predefined location that is specified in the stored user profile associated with the user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the location in the listening area comprises:

feeding microphone signals received from the one or more microphone arrays to a set of beamformers pointing in a discrete number of directions in the listening area;

calculating an energy output from each beamformer of the set of beamformers;

determining an angle of arrival of the voice command based on a beamformer with a largest energy output; and

estimating the current location of the user based on the angle of arrival of the voice command.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving microphone signals from the one or more microphone arrays; and

comparing the microphone signals with one or more speech signatures associated with stored user profiles to determine a match.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the predefined location in the stored user profile is set based on historical usage habits by the user.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the predefined location in the stored user profile is set based on common or preferred seating locations in the listening area.

6. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

generating a new user profile in response to being unable to determine a match between the microphone signals and the one or more speech signatures associated with the stored user profiles.

7. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

identifying the user and the associated stored user profile.

8. An audio system for adjusting sound emitted by one or more loudspeaker arrays, comprising:

one or more microphone arrays to sense a voice command from a user in a listening area at a first instance in time; and

a processor, configured to

receive, from the one or more microphones arrays, microphone signals having the sensed voice command from the user, wherein the user is associated with a stored user profile that specifies a predefined location at which to direct a loudspeaker array output beam pattern;

based on the sensed voice command, determine a location in the listening area at which to steer a loudspeaker array output beam pattern;

steer the loudspeaker array output beam pattern at the determined location in the listening area; and

at a second instance in time that is later than the first instance in time, if a current location of the user is not determinable, then steer the loudspeaker array output beam pattern at the predefined location that is specified in the stored user profile associated with the user.

9. The audio system of claim 8, wherein the determination of the location in the listening area comprises:

feeding the microphone signals received from the one or more microphone arrays to a set of beamformers pointing in a discrete number of directions in the listening area;

calculating an energy output from each beamformer of the set of beamformers;

determining an angle of arrival of the voice command based on a beamformer with a largest energy output; and

estimating the current location of the user based on the angle of arrival of the voice command.

10. The audio system of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to:

compare the microphone signals with one or more speech signatures associated with stored user profiles to determine a match.

11. The audio system of claim 10, wherein the predefined location in the stored user profile is set based on historical usage habits by the user.

12. The audio system of claim 10, wherein the predefined location in the stored user profile is set based on common or preferred seating locations in the listening area.

13. The audio system of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to:

generate a new user profile in response to being unable to determine a match between the microphone signals and the one or more speech signatures associated with the stored user profiles.

14. The audio system of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to:

identify the user and the associated stored user profile.

15. An article of manufacture for adjusting sound emitted by a loudspeaker array, comprising:

one or more microphone arrays to sense a voice command from a user in a listening area at a first instance in time; and

a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium that stores instructions which, when executed by a processor in a computing device,

receive, from the one or more microphone arrays, microphone signals having the sensed voice command from the user, wherein the user is associated with a stored user profile that specifies a predefined location at which to direct a loudspeaker array output beam pattern;

based on the sensed voice command, determine a location in the listening area at which to steer a loudspeaker array output beam pattern;

steer the loudspeaker array output beam pattern at the determined location in the listening area; and

at a second instance in time that is later than the first instance in time, if a current location of the user is not determinable, then steer the loudspeaker array output beam pattern at the predefined location that is specified in the stored user profile associated with the user.

16. The article of manufacture of claim 15, wherein the determination of the location in the listening area comprises:

feeding the microphone signals received from the one or more microphone arrays to a set of beamformers pointing in a discrete number of directions in the listening area;

calculating an energy output from each beamformer of the set of beamformers;

determining an angle of arrival of the voice command based on a beamformer with a largest energy output; and

estimating the current location of the user based on the angle of arrival of the voice command.

17. The article of manufacture of claim 15, wherein the processor is further configured to:

compare the microphone signals with one or more speech signatures associated with stored user profiles to determine a match.

18. The article of manufacture of claim 17, wherein the predefined location in the stored user profile is set based on historical usage habits by the user.

19. The article of manufacture of claim 17, wherein the predefined location in the stored user profile is set based on common or preferred seating locations in the listening area.

20. The article of manufacture of claim 17, wherein the processor is further configured to:

generate a new user profile in response to being unable to determine a match between the microphone signals and the one or more speech signatures associated with the stored user profiles.