Ambient environmental sound field manipulation based on user defined voice and audio recognition pattern analysis system and method

• US 10,506,327 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2017
• Issued: 12/10/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bragi GmbH
• Original Assignee: Bragi GmbH
• Inventors: Boesen, Peter Vincent
• Primary Examiner(s): Ton, David L
• Application Number:
  US15/847,287
• Publication Number:
  US 20180184195A1
• Time in Patent Office: 721 Days
• 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 1/46 Special adaptations for use as contact microphones, e.g. on musical instrument, on stethoscope throat mountings H04R1/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/41 Detection or adaptation of hearing aid parameters or programs to listening situation, e.g. pub, forest
• 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 25/606 acting directly on the eardrum, the ossicles or the skull, e.g. mastoid, tooth, maxillary or mandibular bone, or mechanically stimulating the cochlea, e.g. at the oval window
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 29/001 for loudspeakers H04R29/007 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 29/008 Visual indication of individual signal levels visual indication of stereophonic sound image H04S7/40

Abstract

In embodiments of the present invention, a method of modifying ambient sound received by an earpiece in accordance with an environmental characterization may have one or more of the following steps: (a) receiving the ambient sound at a microphone operably coupled to the earpiece, (b) determining, via a processor operably coupled to the microphone, the environmental characterization based on the ambient sound, (c) modifying, via the processor, the ambient sound in accordance with a plurality of parameters associated with the environmental characterization to create a modified ambient sound, (d) communicating, via a speaker operably coupled to the earpiece, the modified ambient sound, (e) receiving the ambient sound at the second microphone, (f) determining, via the processor, a location of the ambient sound from a temporal differential and an intensity differential between the reception of the ambient sound at the microphone and the reception of the ambient sound at the second microphone, and (g) determining, via the processor, a location of the ambient sound from a temporal differential and an intensity differential between the reception of the ambient sound at the microphone of the earpiece and the reception of the ambient sound at the second microphone of the second earpiece.

Claims

1. An earpiece comprising:

an earpiece housing;

a first microphone operably coupled to the earpiece housing;

a second microphone operably coupled to the earpiece housing, wherein the second microphone is positioned to receive the ambient sound;

a sensor for detecting an environmental parameter to provide contextual information in addition to sound;

a speaker operably coupled to the earpiece housing; and

a processor operably coupled to the earpiece housing, the first microphone, the second microphone, and the speaker,

wherein the processor determines a location of the ambient sound from a temporal differential between the reception of the ambient sound at the first microphone and the reception of the ambient sound at the second microphone;

wherein the first microphone is positioned to receive an ambient sound;

wherein the processor is programmed to characterize an environment associated with the ambient sound using the ambient sound, sensor data for detecting the environment and user location data, user history, user preferences, and third party history or third-party preferences; and

wherein the processor is programmed to modify the ambient sound based on a set of parameters associated with the environment and communicate, via the speaker, the modified ambient sound.

2. The earpiece of claim 1 wherein the parameters associated with the environment are based on user settings.

3. The earpiece of claim 2 wherein the user settings are made via voice input.

4. The earpiece of claim 1 wherein the modification of the ambient sound based on the set of parameters associated with the environment is performed automatically.

5. A set of earpieces comprising a left earpiece and a right earpiece, wherein each earpiece comprises:

an earpiece housing;

a microphone operably coupled to the earpiece housing;

a sensor for detecting an environmental parameter to provide contextual information in addition to sound;

a speaker operably coupled to the earpiece housing; and

a processor operably coupled to the earpiece housing, the microphone, and the speaker, wherein the processor determines a location of the ambient sound from the reception of the ambient sound at the microphone of the left earpiece and the reception of the ambient sound at the microphone of the right earpiece;

wherein each microphone is positioned to receive an ambient sound;

wherein each processor is programmed to characterize an environment associated with the ambient sound using the ambient sound and sensor data for detecting the environment and user settings; and

wherein each processor is programmed to modify the ambient sound based on a set of parameters associated with the environment and communicate, via the speaker, the modified ambient sound.

6. The set of earpieces of claim 5 wherein the parameters associated with the environment are based on the user settings.

7. The set of earpieces of claim 6 wherein the user settings are made via voice input.

8. The set of earpieces of claim 5 wherein the modification of the ambient sound based on the set of parameters associated with the environment is performed automatically.

9. A method of modifying ambient sound received by an earpiece in accordance with an environmental characterization comprising the steps of:

receiving the ambient sound at a first microphone and a second microphone operably coupled to the earpiece;

detecting an environmental parameter utilizing a sensor to provide contextual information in addition to sound;

determining, via a processor operably coupled to the microphones, the environmental characterization based on the ambient sound;

determining, via the processor, a location of the ambient sound from a temporal differential and an intensity differential between the reception of the ambient sound at the first microphone and the reception of the ambient sound at the second microphone;

characterizing an environment associated with the ambient sound using the ambient sound and the sensor data for detecting the environment and user settings;

modifying, via the processor, the ambient sound in accordance with a plurality of parameters associated with the environmental characterization to create a modified ambient sound; and

communicating, via a speaker operably coupled to the earpiece, the modified ambient sound.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the user settings are made via voice input.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the user settings comprise location data, user history, user preferences, third party history, or third-party preferences.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein the earpiece further comprises a second microphone.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising the step of receiving the ambient sound at the second microphone.

14. The method of claim 9 wherein the ambient sound is received by a second earpiece, wherein the second earpiece comprises a second microphone.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising determining, via the processor, a location of the ambient sound from a temporal differential and an intensity differential between the reception of the ambient sound at the microphone of the earpiece and the reception of the ambient sound at the second microphone of the second earpiece.