Phone stand using a plurality of directional speakers

• US 10,535,360 B1
• Filed: 05/25/2017
• Issued: 01/14/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TP Lab, Inc.
• Original Assignee: TP Lab, Inc.
• Inventors: Ho, Chi Fai, Chiong, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Thuykhanh
• Application Number:
  US15/605,079
• Time in Patent Office: 964 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/223 Execution procedure of a spoken command
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/0208 Noise filtering
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/0272 Voice signal separating
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/0364 for improving intelligibility
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 25/84 for discriminating voice from noise
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/028 associated with devices performing functions other than acoustics, e.g. electric candles
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/323 for loudspeakers H04R1/34 and H04R1/40 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/403 loud-speakers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2499/13 Acoustic transducers and sound field adaptation in vehicles

Abstract

A phone stand includes a phone holder for coupling to a phone conducting a voice session, a plurality of directional speakers positioned to project sound to a focused audio area corresponding to a location where a user is expected to be positioned, other speaker(s), and a system controller. The system controller is configured to receive audio signals of the voice session from the phone, separate the audio signals into speech signals and non-speech signals, obtain output mixing attributes, generate mixed signals by combining the speech signals and the non-speech signals according to the output mixing attributes, and send the mixed signals to the plurality of directional speakers. The other speaker(s) can include non-directional speakers, and the system controller is further configured to send the speech signals in the mixed signals to the plurality of directional speakers and the non-speech signals in the mixed signals to the other speaker(s).

Claims

1. A phone stand, comprising:

a phone holder for coupling to a phone, the phone for conducting an audio session, the audio session comprising at least one voice session established with a remote device and at least one other audio session of an application executing on the phone;

a plurality of directional speakers positioned to project sound to a focused audio area corresponding to a location where a user is expected to be positioned;

one or more other speakers; and

a system controller configured to;

receive audio signals of the audio session from the phone, the audio signals of the audio session comprising first audio signals received from the remote device over the at least one voice session and second audio signals received from the application executing on the phone;

separate the first and second audio signals of the audio session into speech signals and non-speech signals;

obtain one or more output mixing attributes for the speech signals and the non-speech signals;

modify the speech signals and the non-speech signals based on the one or more output mixing attributes;

generate mixed signals by combining the modified speech signals and the modified non-speech signals; and

send the mixed signals to the plurality of directional speakers.

2. The phone stand of claim 1, further comprising one or more microphones configured to capture a user'"'"'s speech as sound signals and to send the sound signals to the system controller, wherein the system controller is further configured to:

separate the sound signals into second speech signals and second non-speech signals;

obtain one or more input mixing attributes for the second speech signals and the second non-speech signals;

modify the second speech signals and the second non-speech signals based on the one or more input mixing attributes;

generate second mixed signals by combining the modified second speech signals and the modified second non-speech signals; and

send the second mixed signals to the phone.

3. The phone stand of claim 1, wherein the output mixing attributes comprise one or more of the following:

an attribute for increasing a volume of the speech signals;

an attribute for reducing a volume of the non-speech signals;

an attribute for eliminating the non-speech signals;

an attribute for maintaining the volume of the non-speech signals;

an attribute for eliminating the non-speech signals if the speech signals are present; and

an attribute for increasing a clarify of the speech signals.

4. The phone stand of claim 1, wherein the system controller is further configured to receive an incoming session indication from the phone notifying the system controller of the at least one voice session and to announce the incoming session indication using the plurality of directional speakers,

wherein the phone stand further comprises one or more microphones configured to capture speech from a user in response to the announced incoming session indication and to send sound signals of the captured speech to the system controller,

wherein the system controller is further configured to determine that the sound signals comprise an acceptance or a decline of the at least one voice session and to send the acceptance or the decline in an incoming session response message to the phone.

5. The phone stand of claim 1, wherein the one or more other speakers comprise non-directional speakers, wherein the system controller is further configured to:

send the modified speech signals in the mixed signals to the plurality of directional speakers; and

send the modified non-speech signals in the mixed signals to the one or more other speakers.

6. The phone stand of claim 1, wherein the focused area comprises any one of the following:

an area away from a dashboard of a vehicle;

an area away from a passenger side compartment box of the vehicle; and

an area behind a head rest of a seat in a vehicle.

7. The phone stand of claim 1, wherein the at least one voice session comprises a voice call between the phone and the remote device.

8. The phone stand of claim 1, wherein the audio signals received by the system controller comprises a first indication labeling a first portion of the audio signals as the speech signals and a second indication labeling a second portion of the audio signals as the non-speech signals.

9. A method for processing audio signals of an audio session from a phone, comprising:

(a) receiving, by a system controller of a phone stand, the audio signals of the audio session conducted by the phone, the audio session comprising at least one voice session established with a remote device and at least one other audio session of an application executing on the phone, the phone stand comprising a phone holder for coupling to the phone, a plurality of directional speakers positioned to project sound to a focused audio area corresponding to a location where a user is expected to be positioned, and one or more other speakers, comprising;

(a1) receiving first audio signals of the audio session from the remote device over the at least one voice session; and

(a2) receiving second audio signals of the audio session from the application executing on the phone;

(b) separating, by the system controller, the first and second audio signals into speech signals and non-speech signals;

(c) obtaining, by the system controller, one or more output mixing attributes for the speech signals and the non-speech signals;

(d) modifying the speech signals and the non-speech signals based on the one or more output mixing attributes;

(e) generating, by the system controller, mixed signals by combining the modified speech signals and the modified non-speech signals; and

(f) sending, by the system controller, the mixed signals to the plurality of directional speakers.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the phone stand further comprises one or more microphones, wherein the method further comprises:

capturing, by the one or more microphones, a user'"'"'s speech as sound signals;

sending, by the one or more microphones, the sound signals to the system controller;

separating, by the system controller, the sound signals into second speech signals and second non-speech signals;

obtaining, by the system controller, one or more input mixing attributes for the second speech signals and the second non-speech signals;

modifying the second speech signals and the second non-speech signals based on the one or more input mixing attributes;

generating, by the system controller, second mixed signals by combining the modified second speech signals and the modified second non-speech signals; and

sending, by the system controller, the second mixed signals to the phone.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the output mixing attributes comprise one or more of the following:

an attribute for increasing a volume of the speech signals;

an attribute for reducing a volume of the non-speech signals;

an attribute for eliminating the non-speech signals;

an attribute for maintaining the volume of the non-speech signals;

an attribute for eliminating the non-speech signals if the speech signals are present; and

an attribute for increasing a clarify of the speech signals.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the phone stand further comprises one or more microphones, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving, by the system controller, an incoming session indication from the phone notifying the system controller of the at least one voice session;

announcing, by the system controller, the incoming session indication using the plurality of directional speakers;

capturing, by the one or more microphones, speech from a user in response to the announced incoming session indication;

sending, by the one or more microphones, sound signals of the captured speech to the system controller;

determining, by the system controller, that the sound signals comprise an acceptance or a decline of the at least one voice session; and

sending, by the system controller, the acceptance or the decline in an incoming session response message to the phone.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the one or more other speakers comprise non-directional speakers, wherein the sending (f) comprises:

(f1) sending, by the system controller, the modified speech signals in the mixed signals to the plurality of directional speakers; and

(f2) sending, by the system controller, the modified non-speech signals in the mixed signals to the one or more other speakers.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the focused area comprises any one of the following:

an area away from a dashboard of a vehicle;

an area away from a passenger side compartment box of the vehicle; and

an area behind a head rest of a seat in a vehicle.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the at least one voice session comprises a voice call between the phone and the remote device.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the audio signals received by the system controller comprises a first indication labeling a first portion of the audio signals as the speech signals and a second indication labeling a second portion of the audio signals as the non-speech signals.

17. A non-transitory computer readable medium embodied in a phone stand, the medium comprising computer readable program code embodied therein, wherein when executed by a processor causes the processor to:

(a) receive audio signals of an audio session conducted by a phone, the audio session comprising at least one voice session established with a remote device and at least one other audio session of an application executing on the phone, the phone coupled to the phone stand via a phone holder, comprising;

(a1) receive first audio signals of the audio session from the remote device over the at least one voice session; and

(a2) receive second audio signals of the audio session from the application executing on the phone;

(b) separate the audio signals into speech signals and non-speech signals;

(c) obtain one or more output mixing attributes for the speech signals and the non-speech signals;

(d) modify the speech signals and the non-speech signals based on the one or more output mixing attributes;

(e) generate mixed signals by combining the modified speech signals and the modified non-speech signals; and

(f) send the mixed signals to a plurality of directional speakers of the phone stand, wherein the plurality of direction speakers is positioned to project sound to a focused audio area corresponding to a location where a user is expected to be positioned.

18. The medium of claim 17, wherein the phone stand further comprises one or more microphones, wherein the processor is further caused to:

receive sound signals captured by the one or more microphones from a user'"'"'s speech;

separate the sound signals into second speech signals and second non-speech signals;

obtain one or more input mixing attributes for the second speech signals and the second non-speech signals;

modify the second speech signals and the second non-speech signals based on the one or more input mixing attributes;

generate second mixed signals by combining the modified second speech signals and the modified second non-speech signals; and

send the second mixed signals to the phone.

19. The medium of claim 17, wherein the output mixing attributes comprise one or more of the following:

an attribute for increasing a volume of the speech signals;

an attribute for reducing a volume of the non-speech signals;

an attribute for eliminating the non-speech signals;

an attribute for maintaining the volume of the non-speech signals;

an attribute for eliminating the non-speech signals if the speech signals are present; and

an attribute for increasing a clarify of the speech signals.

20. The medium of claim 17, wherein the phone stand further comprises one or more microphones, wherein the processor is further caused to:

receive an incoming session indication from the phone notifying of the at least one voice session;

announce the incoming session indication using the plurality of directional speakers;

receive sound signals captured by the one or more microphones from a user'"'"'s speech in response to the announced incoming session indication;

determine that the sound signals comprise an acceptance or a decline of the at least one voice session; and

send the acceptance or the decline in an incoming session response message to the phone.

21. The medium of claim 17, wherein the one or more other speakers comprise non-directional speakers, wherein the send (f) comprises:

(f1) send the modified speech signals in the mixed signals to the plurality of directional speakers; and

(f2) send the modified non-speech signals in the mixed signals to the one or more other speakers.

22. The medium of claim 17, wherein the focused area comprises any one of the following:

an area away from a dashboard of a vehicle;

an area away from a passenger side compartment box of the vehicle; and

an area behind a head rest of a seat in a vehicle.

23. The medium of claim 17, wherein the at least one voice session comprises a voice call between the phone and the remote device.

24. The medium of claim 17, wherein the audio signals comprise a first indication labeling a first portion of the audio signals as the speech signals and a second indication labeling a second portion of the audio signals as the non-speech signals.