METHODS AND DEVICES FOR ADAPTIVE RINGTONE GENERATION

• US 20080161063A1
• Filed: 12/29/2006
• Published: 07/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Evans, Christopher A., Clark, Joel Anthony, Schuster, Adrian M., Visitkitjakarn, Ukrit
• Granted Patent: US 8,995,683 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/567
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 19/044 according to the level of ambient noise

Abstract

Disclosed are methods and devices for adapting a ringtone in accordance with ambient noise. In one embodiment a method includes processing an ambient noise signal to determine an ambient noise volume. When there is an incoming communication and it is determined that the ambient noise has a low ambient noise volume, a method can include generating a ringtone having a ringtone volume that is initially a low volume and increasing the ringtone volume over a predetermined period of time. A method can include applying a filter to the ringtone signal to increase a signal-to-noise ratio, the filter configured to increase an amplitude of a frequency that is not one of the predominant frequencies of the ambient noise and that the transducer is configured to output according to the transducer frequency response. In another embodiment, a second transducer may generate a ringtone output in addition to the first transducer.

Claims

1. A method of a mobile communication device having a transducer, the method for adapting a ringtone in accordance with ambient noise, the method comprising:

detecting ambient noise to generate an ambient noise signal;

processing the ambient noise signal to determine an ambient noise volume and to determine a noise frequency spectrum;

receiving an incoming communication signal; and

generating by the transducer in response to the incoming communication signal a ringtone output responsive to the ambient noise volume and the noise frequency spectrum.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein generating by the transducer a ringtone output responsive to the ambient noise volume and the noise frequency spectrum comprises:

generating a ringtone signal;

applying a filter to the ringtone signal to increase a perceived loudness of a ringtone output over a perceived loudness of the ambient noise; and

activating the transducer to generate a ringtone output based on the ringtone signal, the ringtone output having a ringtone volume that is an elevated volume when it is determined that the ambient noise has a volume greater than a threshold value.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the transducer is configured to generate output at particular frequencies according to a transducer frequency response characterized by a low efficiency band and a high efficiency band, and wherein generating by the transducer a ringtone output responsive to the ambient noise volume and the noise frequency spectrum comprises:

generating a ringtone signal;

applying a filter to the ringtone signal, the filter configured to increase an amplitude of at least one frequency in the high efficiency band of the transducer; and

applying a filter to the ringtone signal, the filter configured to reduce an amplitude of at least one frequency of the low efficiency band of the transducer; and

activating the transducer to generate a ringtone output based on the ringtone signal, the ringtone output having a ringtone volume that is an elevated volume, when it is determined that the ambient noise has a volume greater than a threshold value.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the transducer is configured to generate output at particular frequencies according to a transducer frequency response, and wherein generating by the transducer a ringtone output responsive to the ambient noise volume and the noise frequency spectrum comprises:

generating a ringtone signal;

processing the noise frequency spectrum to determine predominant frequencies of the ambient noise that the transducer is configured to output according to the transducer frequency response;

applying a filter to the ringtone signal to increase a signal-to-noise ratio, the filter configured to increase an amplitude of a frequency that is not one of the predominant frequencies of the ambient noise and that the transducer is configured to output according to the transducer frequency response; and

applying a filter to the ringtone signal to decrease the signal-to-noise ratio, the filter configured to reduce an amplitude of at least one of the predominant frequencies of the ambient noise that the transducer is configured to output according to the transducer frequency response; and

activating the transducer to generate a ringtone output based on the ringtone signal, the ringtone output having a ringtone volume that is an elevated volume when it is determined that the ambient noise volume has a volume greater than a threshold value.

5. A method of a mobile communication device having a transducer, the method for adapting a ringtone in accordance with ambient noise, the method comprising:

detecting ambient noise to generate an ambient noise signal;

processing the ambient noise signal to determine an ambient noise volume and to determine a noise frequency spectrum;

processing the noise frequency spectrum to determine which frequencies of the noise frequency spectrum have a perceived loudness greater than a particular perceived loudness;

receiving an incoming communication signal;

generating a ringtone signal in response to the incoming communication signal;

applying a filter to the ringtone signal to increase an amplitude of at least one frequency having a perceived loudness greater than the particular perceived loudness, the frequency different from frequencies of the noise frequency spectrum having a perceived loudness greater than the particular perceived loudness; and

activating the transducer to generate a ringtone output based on the ringtone signal.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising:

applying a filter to the ringtone signal to decrease an amplitude of one or more frequencies of the ringtone signal that are not different from frequencies of the noise frequency spectrum having a perceived loudness greater than the particular perceived loudness.

7. The method of claim 5 further comprising:

generating by the transducer a ringtone output based on the ringtone signal, the ringtone output having a ringtone volume that is an elevated volume when it is determined that the ambient noise has a volume greater than a threshold value.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the transducer is configured to generate output at particular frequencies according to a transducer frequency response and wherein applying a filter to the ringtone signal to increase an amplitude of at least one frequency having a perceived loudness greater than the particular perceived loudness, the frequency different from frequencies of the noise frequency spectrum having a perceived loudness greater than the particular perceived loudness comprises:

applying a filter to the ringtone signal to increase a perceived loudness of the ringtone over a perceived loudness of the ambient noise in accordance with the transducer frequency response.