ALWAYS ON HEADWEAR RECORDING SYSTEM

• US 20080253583A1
• Filed: 04/09/2008
• Published: 10/16/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ST Case1Tech, LLC
• Original Assignee: Personics Holdings, Inc.
• Inventors: Usher, John, Goldstein, Steven Wayne
• Granted Patent: US 8,111,839 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/92
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/16 Sound input; Sound output speech processing G10L
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2460/15 Determination of the acoustic seal of ear moulds or ear tips of hearing devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 29/00 Monitoring arrangements; Testing arrangements for hearing aids H04R25/30; detection of loudspeaker connection H04R5/04; sound-field adaptation dependent on speaker detection H04S7/308
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/04 for correcting frequency response

Abstract

At least one exemplary embodiment is directed to an earpiece that records audio and stores the recording for a period of time.

Claims

1. An Always-On Recording System (AORS) comprising:

an acoustic monitoring assembly configured to monitor the acoustic field in a users immediate environment using an Ambient Sound Microphone (ASM) to monitor sound at an occluded ear canal;

a signal processing circuit operatively connected to the assembly, where the signal processing circuit is configured to amplify an ASM signal from the ASM and to equalize for the frequency sensitivity of the ASM;

an acoustic field monitoring assembly configured to monitor the acoustic field in the occluded ear canal, comprising an ear canal microphone (ECM) mounted in an earpiece that forms an acoustic seal of the occluded ear canal;

a signal processing circuit configured to amplify an ECM signal from the ECM and to equalize for the frequency sensitivity of the ECM; and

a data storage device configured to act as a circular buffer for constantly storing at least one of ECM signal and ASM signal.

2. The system according to claim 1 further comprising:

a signal processing circuit configured to amplify and process an Audio Content input signal; and

an audio signal router and switching matrix to select which signals are to be recorded into the data storage device.

3. The system according to claim 2, further comprising:

a User AORS configuration system configured to control the audio signal router and switching matrix.

4. The system according to claim 3 further comprising:

an audio signal multiplexing and lossy data-rate reduction system configured to process signals from the audio signal router and switching matrix.

5. The system of claim 4 further comprising:

an AORS record-activation system configured to activate recording of the signal contents of the circular buffer to a second audio signal data storage device.

6. The system according to claim 5 further comprising:

a second audio signal multiplexing and lossy data-rate reduction system configured to process the signals stored in the circular buffer before transmission of a signal to a second audio signal data storage device.

7. The system according to claim 5, further comprising:

a time-stamp audio index system configured to embed a time-coded index into the signals transmitted to the second audio signal data storage device.

8. The system according to claim 6, further comprising:

a time-stamp audio index system configured to embed a time-coded index into the signals transmitted to the second audio signal data storage device.

9. The system according to claim 8, further comprising:

a pressure equalization tube configured to equalize the pressure on the ear-drum side of the earpiece relative to an ambient pressure.

10. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a diaphragm to cover the ASM.

11. The system according to claim 10 where the diaphragm is an acoustic diaphragm covering the ASM with holes at specific locations configured to provide passive beam-forming.

12. The system according to claim 10 where the diaphragm is tuned to resonate at pre-determined frequencies.

13. The system according to claim 1 further comprising:

a Recording Status Alert System (RSAS).

14. The system according to claim 13, where the RSAS system comprises:

a decision unit to determine if the AORS is operating in a mode whereby the circular buffer is being recorded to a second data storage device. If so;

the AORS is in “

recording mode”

;

otherwise the AORS is in “

non-recording mode”

;

a system to generate an audio signal when the AORS is switched from a “

non-recording mode”

to a “

recording mode”

; and

a system to generate an audio signal when the AORS is switched from a “

recording mode”

to a “

non-recording mode.”

15. The system according to claim 14, further comprising:

a system to generate an audio signal when the AORS is in “

recording mode”

at repeating intervals; and

a communication system to transmit the audio signals to at least one of an ear-canal receiver assembly, a remote individual, a second data storage device of the AORS and a visual display system.

16. The system according to claim 1 further comprising:

a remote audio forensics analysis system configured to analyze either the contents of the circular buffer or the data stored on a second data storage device.

17. The system according to claim 16, where the remote audio forensics system includes an audio signal data communication system configured to transmit the contents of the circular buffer to a remote server for analysis of the audio signal.

18. The system according to claim 16, where the remote audio forensics system includes an audio signal data communication system configured to transmit the contents of the second data storage device to a remote server for analysis of the audio signal.

19. The system according to claim 18, further including:

a data communication system configured to transmit the analysis of the audio data back to an AORS user.

20. The system according to claim 19, further including:

a text-to-speech translation system to translate text into speech for transmission back to the AORS user.

21. The system according to claim 20, further comprising:

a text-based acoustic event logging system.

22. The system according to claim 20, further comprising:

a system which analyzes the audio data recorded by the system to determine if the AORS user has been involved in an accident.

23. The system according to claim 22, where when an accident is determined the system automatically informs another part that the AORS user has been involved in a potential accident.

24. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a Low-Memory Warning System.