Earpiece with source selection within ambient environment

• US 10,681,450 B2
• Filed: 07/30/2018
• Issued: 06/09/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bragi GmbH
• Original Assignee: Bragi GmbH
• Inventors: Boesen, Peter Vincent, Dragicevic, Darko
• Primary Examiner(s): Anwah, Olisa
• Application Number:
  US16/048,671
• Publication Number:
  US 20180338199A1
• Time in Patent Office: 680 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/012 Head tracking input arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• 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 1/1091 Details not provided for in groups H04R1/1008 - H04R1/1083
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones

Abstract

A wireless earpiece includes a wireless earpiece housing, at least one microphone for detecting ambient environment sound, and a processor disposed within the wireless earpiece housing, the processor configured to distinguish between two or more sources of sound within the ambient environment sound. The wireless earpiece further includes a user interface operatively connected to the processor. The processor is configured to receive user input through the user interface to select one of the sources of sound within the ambient environment sound and wherein the processor is configured to process the ambient environment sound to emphasize portions of the ambient environment sound generated by the one of the sources of the ambient environment sound selected by the user to produce a modified sound. The earpiece may further include a speaker operatively connected to the processor to reproduce the modified sound.

Claims

1. A method for performing source selection within an ambient environment using a set of wireless earpieces comprising:

a first earpiece housing and a second earpiece housing;

a first processor disposed within the first earpiece housing and a second processor disposed with the second earpiece housing;

at least one microphone operatively connected to the first processor and at least one microphone operatively connected to the second processor; and

and at least one speaker operatively connected to the first processor and at least one speaker operatively connected to the second processor;

the method comprising steps of;

detecting ambient environment sound using the at least one microphone of a first or a second wireless earpiece;

processing the ambient environment sound at the first or second processor to distinguish between two or more sources of sound within the ambient environment sound;

presenting audibly a plurality of menu selections to a user, each of the plurality of different menu selections corresponding with a different one of the two or more sources of sound with the ambient environment;

receiving a selection of one of the sources of sound from the user of the set of wireless earpieces via a user interface operatively connected to the first or second processor;

processing the ambient environment sound to emphasize portions of the ambient environment sound generated by the one of the sources of sound selected by the user to produce a modified sound; and

producing the modified sound at the at least one speaker of the first and or second wireless earpiece.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the processing of the ambient environment sound at the first or second processor to distinguish between two or more sources of sound is performed using a feature extraction algorithm for extracting different features of the ambient environment sound.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of wireless earpieces further comprises an inertial sensor operatively connected to the first or second processor and wherein the step of receiving the selection of one of the sources of sound from the user of the set of wireless earpieces is performed using the inertial sensor.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the processing of the ambient environment sound at the first or second processor to distinguish between two or more sources of sound within the ambient environment sound comprises segmenting the ambient environment sound into different sources using a segmentation algorithm.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the selection of one of the sources of sound from the user comprises a non-contact gesture.

6. A set of wireless earpieces for performing source selection within an ambient environment, comprising:

a first earpiece housing and a second earpiece housing;

at least one microphone operatively connected to the first housing and at least one microphone operatively connected to the second housing, wherein the at least one microphone of a first or a second wireless earpiece detects ambient environment sound;

a first processor disposed within the first earpiece housing and a second processor disposed with the second earpiece housing, wherein the first or second processor distinguish between two or more sources of sound within the ambient environment sound, wherein the first or second processor present audibly a plurality of menu selections to a user where each of the plurality of different menu selections corresponds with a different one of the two or more sources of sound with the ambient environment;

a user interface operatively connected to the first or second processor, wherein the user interface receives a selection of one of the sources of sound from the user of the set of wireless earpieces, wherein the first or second processor process the ambient environment sound to emphasize portions of the ambient environment sound generated by the one of the sources of sound selected by the user to produce a modified sound; and

at least one speaker operatively connected to the first processor and at least one speaker operatively connected to the second processor, the at least one speaker of the first or second wireless earpiece producing the modified sound.

7. The set of wireless earpieces of claim 6, further comprising a feature extraction algorithm for extracting different features of the ambient environment sound to distinguish between two or more sources of sound.

8. The set of wireless earpieces of claim 6, further comprising an inertial sensor operatively connected to the first or second processor, wherein the inertial sensor receives the selection of one of the sources of sound from the user of the set of wireless earpieces.

9. The set of wireless earpieces of claim 6, wherein the processing of the ambient environment sound at the first or second processor to distinguish between two or more sources of sound within the ambient environment sound comprises segmenting the ambient environment sound into different sources using a segmentation algorithm.

10. The set of wireless earpieces of claim 6, wherein the selection of one of the sources of sound from the user comprises a non-contact gesture.