Selective sound field environment processing system and method

• US 10,448,139 B2
• Filed: 07/24/2018
• Issued: 10/15/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bragi GmbH
• Original Assignee: Bragi GmbH
• Inventors: Razouane, Mohamed Ali, Boesen, Peter Vincent, Kosider, Gwenael, Dohmen, David K
• Primary Examiner(s): Islam, Mohammad K
• Application Number:
  US16/044,318
• Publication Number:
  US 20180359554A1
• Time in Patent Office: 448 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/08 Speech classification or search
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 17/22 Interactive procedures; Man-machine interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/088 Word spotting
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2021/02166 Microphone arrays; Beamforming
• 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: G10L 21/0232 Processing in the frequency domain
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/0272 Voice signal separating
• 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 1/1083 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 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/005 for combining the signals of two or more microphones specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407

Abstract

A method for selective sound field environment processing for one or more wireless earpieces, each of the one or more wireless earpieces including comprising a plurality of microphones is provided. The method includes receiving audio input of a sound field environment from the plurality of microphones of each of the one or more wireless earpieces, identifying background noise in the sound field environment, identifying audio from at least one sound source within the sound field environment, processing the audio input using one or more processors of at least one of the wireless earpieces to reduce the background noise and processing the audio input using one or more processors of the at least one of the wireless earpieces to enhance the audio from the at least one sound source within the sound field environment to provide processed audio, and transducing the processed audio at one or more speakers of the one or more wireless earpieces.

Claims

1. A method for selective sound field environment processing for a set of wireless earpieces, having the following steps:

communicating wirelessly between the wireless earpieces within the set of wireless earpieces;

receiving audio input from a sound field environment from a plurality of microphones of the set of wireless earpieces;

identifying a plurality of sound sources within the audio input and background noise from the sound field environment;

receiving an input from a user of the set of wireless earpieces wherein the input from the user specifies one of the plurality of sound sources within the audio input from the sound field environment, wherein the one of the plurality of sound sources is a voice of a person;

processing the sound field environment audio input using at least one processor of the set of wireless earpieces to enhance audio from the one of the plurality of sounds sources and reduce the background noise using active filtering to provide processed audio; and

transducing the processed audio at one or more speakers of the set of wireless earpieces.

2. The method for selective sound field environment processing for the set of wireless earpieces of claim 1, further comprising the step of sharing the one of the plurality of sound sources between the first wireless earpiece and the second wireless earpiece.

3. The method for selective sound field environment processing for the set of wireless earpieces of claim 2, wherein the user specifies the one of the plurality of sound sources on an electronic device.

4. The method for selective sound field environment processing for the set of wireless earpieces of claim 3, wherein a user interface of the set of wireless earpieces accepts voice commands, tactile user input, head motions and/or gestures to select the one of the plurality of sound sources.

5. The method for selective sound field environment processing for the set of wireless earpieces of claim 4, further comprising the step of recording on a memory operably coupled to the set of wireless earpieces the one of the plurality of sound sources from the sound field environment audio input.

6. The method for selective sound field environment processing for the set of wireless earpieces of claim 5, further comprising the step of analyzing through full signal and spectrum analysis the one of the plurality of sound sources.

7. The method for selective sound field environment processing for the set of wireless earpieces of claim 6, further comprising the step of controlling volume of the one of the plurality of sound sources.

8. A method for selective sound field environment processing for a set of wireless earpieces, having the following steps:

receiving audio input of a sound field environment from a plurality of microphones of each of the set of wireless earpieces;

identifying a plurality of sound sources within the audio input from the sound field environment;

identifying background noise in the sound field environment;

receiving an input from a user of the set of wireless earpieces wherein the input from the user specifies one of the plurality of sound sources within the audio input from the sound field environment, wherein the one of the plurality of sound sources is a machine;

processing the sound field environment audio input using at least one processor of the set of wireless earpieces to enhance audio from the one of the plurality of sound sources and reduce the background noise using active filtering to provide processed audio; and

transducing the processed audio at one or more speakers of the set of wireless earpieces.

9. The method for selective sound field environment processing for the set of wireless earpieces of claim 8, further comprising the step of preselecting, predefining and/or identifying by name the one of the plurality of sound sources.

10. The method for selective sound field environment processing for the set of wireless earpieces of claim 9, further comprising the step of classifying the one of the plurality of sound sources based upon an audio threshold.

11. The method for selective sound field environment processing for the set of wireless earpieces of claim 10, wherein the user can provide multiple inputs to specify more than the one of the plurality of sound sources.

12. The method for selective sound field environment processing for the set of wireless earpieces of claim 11, wherein the one of the plurality of sound sources can be identified by the audio threshold.

13. The method for selective sound field environment processing for the set of wireless earpieces of claim 12, further comprising the step of adjusting automatically volume at a speaker of the set of wireless earpieces based on a user profile.

14. The method for selective sound field environment processing for the set of wireless earpieces of claim 13, further comprising the step of identifying a user utilizing the set of wireless earpieces.

15. A method for selective sound field environment processing for a pair of wireless earpieces, the method comprising:

receiving audio input of a sound field environment from a plurality of microphones of each of the pair of wireless earpieces;

identifying a plurality of sound sources within the audio input from the sound field environment;

identifying background noise in the sound field environment;

receiving an input from a user of the pair of wireless earpieces wherein the input from the user specifies one of the plurality of sound sources within the audio input from the sound field environment, wherein the one of the plurality of sound sources is a sound source the user desires to focus on;

processing the audio input of the sound field environment using one or more processors of the pair of wireless earpieces to enhance audio from the one of the plurality of sound sources and reduce the background noise using active filtering to provide processed audio; and

transducing the processed audio at one or more speakers of the pair of wireless earpieces.

16. The method for selective sound field environment processing for the pair of wireless earpieces of claim 15, further comprising the step of identifying the user utilizing sensor measurements, biometric readings and/or user input identified by at least one sensor operably coupled to the one or more processors of the pair of wireless earpieces.

17. The method for selective sound field environment processing for the pair of wireless earpieces of claim 16, further comprising the step of identifying more than the one of the plurality of sound sources.

18. The method for selective sound field environment processing for the pair of wireless earpieces of claim 17, further comprising the step of accepting multiple inputs from the user to specify additional sound sources from the plurality of sound sources the user desires to focus on.

19. The method for selective sound field environment processing for the pair of wireless earpieces of claim 18, further comprising the step of determining intensity and direction of the one of the plurality of sound sources.

20. The method for selective sound field environment processing for the pair of wireless earpieces of claim 19, further comprising the step of increasing volume at the one or more speakers based upon the detected intensity and direction of the one of the plurality sound sources.