Graphic Control for Directional Audio Input

• US 20100123785A1
• Filed: 11/17/2008
• Published: 05/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Tamchina, Philip George, Lee, Michael, Lee, Jae Han, Chen, Shaohai, Seguin, Chad G.
• Application Number:
  US12/272,650
• Publication Number:
  US 20100123785A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/207.110
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/611 where the recognised objects include parts of the human body
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2430/20 Processing of the output signals of the acoustic transducers of an array for obtaining a desired directivity characteristic H04R2203/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/005 for combining the signals of two or more microphones specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407

Abstract

A device to provide an audio output includes a microphone array, a signal processor, and a graphic user interface (GUI). The signal processor is coupled to the microphone array to perform audio beamforming with input from the microphone array. The GUI is coupled to the signal processor to display a plurality of audio sources, to receive a selection of at least one of the plurality of audio sources from a user, and to provide the selection to the signal processor for aiming the audio beamforming toward the selected audio source. The selection may be made by touching the display. The device may further include a camera and the GUI may display an image received from the camera as the plurality of audio sources. The camera may provide a moving video image and the signal processor may provide a synchronized audio signal aimed at the selected audio source.

Claims

1. A device to provide an audio output, the device comprising:

a microphone array;

a signal processor coupled to the microphone array to produce the audio output using audio beamforming with input from the microphone array;

a graphic user interface (GUI) coupled to the signal processor, the GUI to display an image of a plurality of audio sources, to receive a selection of at least one of the plurality of audio sources from a user, and to provide the selection to the signal processor for aiming the audio beamforming toward the selected audio source.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the signal processor is to identify a spatial arrangement of sounds received by the microphone array and provides the spatial arrangement to the GUI, the GUI to display a graphic representation of the spatial arrangement as the image of the plurality of audio sources.

3. The device of claim 1 further comprising a camera coupled to the GUI, the GUI to display an image received from the camera as the image of the plurality of audio sources.

4. The device of claim 3 further comprising an image processor coupled to the camera and the GUI, the image processor to identify faces in the image received from the camera, the GUI to display the identified faces in the image of the plurality of audio sources as selectable audio sources.

5. The device of claim 3, wherein the camera provides a moving video image and the signal processor provides a synchronized audio signal aimed at the selected audio source as the audio output.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the GUI is to further receive a size associated with the selection of the audio source and the signal processor adjusts a front lobe size according to the size associated with the selection of the audio source.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the GUI is to further receive selections of two or more of the plurality of audio sources from the user.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the signal processor further searches for voice activity only among the selected two or more of the plurality of audio sources.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the selection is made by touching the image on the GUI.

10. The device of claim 1, further comprising a central processing unit (CPU) coupled to a memory, the memory including instructions which, when executed by the CPU, provide the audio beamforming.

11. A method for aiming audio beamforming, the method comprising:

displaying an image of a plurality of audio sources;

receiving a selection of at least one of the plurality of audio sources;

beamforming a plurality of audio inputs from a microphone array to produce an audio output; and

aiming the audio beamforming toward the selected audio source.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

identifying a spatial arrangement of sounds received by the microphone array; and

displaying a graphic representation of the spatial arrangement as the image of the plurality of audio sources.

13. The method of claim 11 further comprising displaying an image received from a camera as the image of the plurality of audio sources.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

identifying faces in the image received from the camera; and

displaying the identified faces in the image of the plurality of audio sources as selectable audio sources.

15. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

providing a moving video image from the camera; and

providing a synchronized audio signal aimed at the selected audio source.

16. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

receiving a size associated with the selection of the audio source; and

adjusting a front lobe size according to the size associated with the selection of the audio source.

17. The method of claim 11 further comprising receiving selections of two or more of the plurality of audio sources from the user.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising searching for voice activity only among the selected two or more of the plurality of audio sources.

19. A device for aiming audio beamforming, the device comprising:

means for displaying an image of a plurality of audio sources;

means for receiving a selection of at least one of the plurality of audio sources;

means for beamforming a plurality of audio inputs from a microphone array to produce an audio output; and

means for aiming the audio beamforming toward the selected audio source.

20. The device of claim 19 further comprising:

means for identifying a spatial arrangement of sounds received by the microphone array; and

means for displaying a graphic representation of the spatial arrangement as the image of the plurality of audio sources.

21. The device of claim 19 further comprising means for displaying an image received from a camera as the image of the plurality of audio sources.

22. The device of claim 21 further comprising:

means for identifying faces in the image received from the camera; and

means for displaying the identified faces in the image of the plurality of audio sources as selectable audio sources.

23. The device of claim 21 further comprising:

means for providing a moving video image from the camera; and

means for providing a synchronized audio signal aimed at the selected audio source.

24. The device of claim 19 further comprising:

means for receiving a size associated with the selection of the audio source; and

means for adjusting a front lobe size according to the size associated with the selection of the audio source.

25. The device of claim 19 further comprising means for receiving selections of two or more of the plurality of audio sources from the user.

26. The device of claim 25 further comprising means for searching for voice activity only among the selected two or more of the plurality of audio sources.