Personal Acoustic Device Position Determination

• US 20100246836A1
• Filed: 03/22/2010
• Published: 09/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bose Corporation
• Original Assignee: Bose Corporation
• Inventors: Johnson, Edwin C. JR., Burge, Benjamin D., Gauger, Daniel M. JR., Greenberger, Hal
• Granted Patent: US 8,699,719 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/58
• 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 5/04 Circuit arrangements, e.g. for selective connection of amplifier inputs/outputs to loudspeakers, for loudspeaker detection, or for adaptation of settings to personal preferences or hearing impairments combinations of amplifiers H03F3/68; stereophonic systems H04S

Abstract

Apparatus and method for determining an operating state of an earpiece of a personal acoustic device and/or the entirety of the personal acoustic device through tests to determine the current operating state, wherein the tests differ depending on a current power mode of the personal acoustic device, and wherein at least one lower power test is employed during at least one lower power mode.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a personal acoustic device comprising:

performing a first test of whether at least a first earpiece of the personal acoustic device is in position adjacent an ear of a user while in a normal power mode;

performing a second test of whether at least the first earpiece is in position adjacent an ear of the user while in a deeper low power mode;

awaiting at least an interval of time between instances of performing the second test while in the deeper low power mode;

entering the normal power mode in response to an indication from the second test that at least the first earpiece is in position adjacent an ear of the user; and

entering the deeper low power mode in response to a lack of indication that at least the first earpiece is in position adjacent an ear of the user from plural instances of performing the first test over a first period of time.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the first earpiece comprises;

a casing defining a cavity structured to be acoustically coupled to an ear canal of an ear of a user when the first earpiece is in position adjacent an ear of the user;

an outer microphone disposed on the casing so as to be acoustically coupled to an environment external to the casing; and

a inner microphone positioned within the cavity; and

the first test comprises;

operating the outer microphone to detect sounds in the environment external to the casing;

operating the inner microphone to detect sounds within the cavity; and

comparing the sounds detected in the environment external to the casing to the sounds detected within the cavity within a first range of frequencies of sound to determine whether or not the cavity is acoustically coupled to an ear canal of an ear of the user as an indication of whether at least the first earpiece is in position adjacent an ear of the user.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein:

the first earpiece further comprises an acoustic driver positioned to acoustically output sounds into the cavity; and

the second test comprises;

operating the acoustic driver to acoustically output a test sound;

operating the inner microphone to detect the test sound; and

comparing the test sound as acoustically output by the acoustic driver to the test sound as detected by the inner microphone to determine whether or not the cavity is acoustically coupled to the environment external to the casing as an indication of whether at least the first earpiece is in position adjacent an ear of the user.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the second test comprises:

operating the outer microphone to detect sounds in the environment external to the casing;

operating the inner microphone to detect sounds within the cavity; and

comparing the sounds detected in the environment external to the casing to the sounds detected within the cavity within a second range of frequencies of sound to determine whether or not the cavity is acoustically coupled to an ear canal of an ear of the user as an indication of whether at least the first earpiece is in position adjacent an ear of the user.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the second range of frequencies of sound is a narrower range of frequencies of sound than the first range of frequencies of sound.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein:

the personal acoustic device comprises an adaptive filter having a plurality of taps to compare the sounds detected in the environment external to the casing to the sounds detected within the cavity;

the first test comprises operating the adaptive filter using a first quantity of the taps and at a first sampling rate; and

the second test comprises operating the adaptive filter using a second quantity of the taps and at a second sampling rate.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the second quantity of taps is less than the first quantity of taps.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the second sampling rate is lower than the first sampling rate.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the first earpiece comprises;

a casing defining a cavity structured to be acoustically coupled to an ear canal of an ear of a user when the first earpiece is in position adjacent an ear of the user;

an acoustic driver positioned to acoustically output sounds into the cavity; and

a inner microphone positioned within the cavity; and

the first test comprises;

operating the acoustic driver to acoustically output a first test sound;

operating the inner microphone to detect the first test sound; and

comparing the first test sound as acoustically output by the acoustic driver to the first test sound as detected by the inner microphone to determine whether or not the cavity is acoustically coupled to the environment external to the casing as an indication of whether at least the first earpiece is in position adjacent an ear of the user.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

operating the inner microphone to detect noise sounds in the cavity, including the first test sound;

employing the noise sounds as a feedback reference sound to derive feedback anti-noise sounds, wherein the feedback anti-noise sounds include the first test sound; and

operating the acoustic driver to acoustically output the feedback anti-noise sounds into the cavity, including the first test sound.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the frequency of the first test sound is an infrasonic frequency.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the second test comprises:

operating the acoustic driver to acoustically output a second test sound;

operating the inner microphone to detect the second test sound; and

comparing the test sound as acoustically output by the acoustic driver to the second test sound as detected by the inner microphone to determine whether or not the cavity is acoustically coupled to the environment external to the casing as an indication of whether at least the first earpiece is in position adjacent an ear of the user.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the frequency of the second test sound is selected to require less energy to be acoustically output than other frequencies including the frequency of the first test sound.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the personal acoustic device comprises a motion sensor, and the second test comprises monitoring the motion sensor to determine whether or not a portion of the personal acoustic device has been moved as an indication of whether at least the first earpiece is in position adjacent an ear of the user.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising performing a function while in the normal power mode, the function being selected from a group consisting of:

providing feedforward-based ANR, providing feedback-based ANR, acoustically outputting electronically provided audio into the cavity, signaling another device that the personal acoustic device is in position such that at least the first earpiece is adjacent an ear of the user, and transmitting audio detected by a communications microphone of the personal acoustic device to another device.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising ceasing to perform the function while in the deeper low power mode.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

performing the first test while in a lighter low power mode;

entering the normal power mode in response to an indication from the first test that at least the first earpiece is in position adjacent an ear of the user; and

entering the lighter low power mode in response to a lack of indication that at least the first earpiece is in position adjacent an ear of the user from an instance of performing the first test while in the normal power mode.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising altering the manner in which a function is performed during normal power mode upon entering the lighter low power mode, the function being selected from a group consisting of:

providing feedforward-based ANR, providing feedback-based ANR, acoustically outputting electronically provided audio into the cavity, signaling another device that the personal acoustic device is in position such that at least the first earpiece is adjacent an ear of the user, and transmitting audio detected by a communications microphone of the personal acoustic device to another device.

19. A personal acoustic device comprising:

a first earpiece comprising a casing defining a cavity structured to be acoustically coupled to an ear canal of an ear of a user of the personal acoustic device;

an inner microphone positioned within the cavity; and

a control circuit coupled to the inner microphone and structured to;

perform a first test of whether at least the first earpiece is in position adjacent an ear of a user while in a normal power mode;

perform a second test of whether at least the first earpiece is in position adjacent an ear of the user while in a deeper low power mode;

await at least an interval of time between instances of performing the second test while in the deeper low power mode;

put the personal acoustic device in the normal power mode in response to an indication from the second test that at least the first earpiece is in position adjacent an ear of the user; and

put the personal acoustic device in the deeper low power mode in response to a lack of indication that at least the first earpiece is in position adjacent an ear of the user from plural instances of performing the first test over a first period of time.

20. The personal acoustic device of claim 19, wherein:

the first earpiece further comprises an outer microphone coupled to the control circuit and disposed on the casing so as to be acoustically coupled to an environment external to the casing; and

to perform the first test, the control circuit is structured to;

operate the outer microphone to detect sounds in the environment external to the casing;

operate the inner microphone to detect sounds within the cavity; and

compare the sounds detected in the environment external to the casing to the sounds detected within the cavity within a first range of frequencies of sound to determine whether or not the cavity is acoustically coupled to an ear canal of an ear of the user as an indication of whether at least the first earpiece is in position adjacent an ear of the user.

21. The personal acoustic device of claim 20, wherein:

the first earpiece further comprises an acoustic driver coupled to the control circuit and positioned to acoustically output sounds into the cavity; and

to perform the second test, the control circuit is structured to;

operate the acoustic driver to acoustically output a test sound;

operate the inner microphone to detect the test sound; and

compare the test sound as acoustically output by the acoustic driver to the test sound as detected by the inner microphone to determine whether or not the cavity is acoustically coupled to the environment external to the casing as an indication of whether at least the first earpiece is in position adjacent an ear of the user.

22. The personal acoustic device of claim 20, wherein to perform the second test, the control circuit is structured to:

operate the outer microphone to detect sounds in the environment external to the casing;

operate the inner microphone to detect sounds within the cavity; and

compare the sounds detected in the environment external to the casing to the sounds detected within the cavity within a second range of frequencies of sound to determine whether or not the cavity is acoustically coupled to an ear canal of an ear of the user as an indication of whether at least the first earpiece is in position adjacent an ear of the user.

23. The personal acoustic device of claim 22, wherein the second range of frequencies of sound is a narrower range of frequencies of sound than the first range of frequencies of sound.

24. The personal acoustic device of claim 22, wherein:

the control circuit comprises an adaptive filter coupled to the inner microphone and the outer microphone, and having a plurality of taps to compare sounds detected by the inner microphone to sounds detected by the outer microphone;

to perform the first test, the adaptive filter is structured to use a first quantity of the taps and operate at a first sampling rate; and

to perform the second test, the adaptive filter is structured to use a second quantity of the taps and operate at a second sampling rate.

25. The personal acoustic device of claim 24, wherein the second quantity of taps is less than the first quantity of taps.

26. The personal acoustic device of claim 24, wherein the second sampling rate is lower than the first sampling rate.

27. The personal acoustic device of claim 19, wherein:

the first earpiece further comprises an acoustic driver coupled to the control circuit and positioned to acoustically output sounds into the cavity; and

to perform the first test, the control circuit is structured to;

operate the acoustic driver to acoustically output a first test sound;

operate the inner microphone to detect the first test sound; and

compare the first test sound as acoustically output by the acoustic driver to the first test sound as detected by the inner microphone to determine whether or not the cavity is acoustically coupled to the environment external to the casing as an indication of whether at least the first earpiece is in position adjacent an ear of the user.

28. The personal acoustic device of claim 27, wherein the control circuit is further structured to:

operate the inner microphone to detect noise sounds in the cavity, including the first test sound;

employ the noise sounds as a feedback reference sound to derive feedback anti-noise sounds, wherein the feedback anti-noise sounds include the first test sound; and

operate the acoustic driver to acoustically output the feedback anti-noise sounds into the cavity, including the first test sound.

29. The personal acoustic device of claim 27, wherein the frequency of the first test sound is an infrasonic frequency.

30. The personal acoustic device of claim 27, wherein to perform the second test, the control circuit is structured to:

operate the acoustic driver to acoustically output a second test sound;

operate the inner microphone to detect the second test sound; and

compare the test sound as acoustically output by the acoustic driver to the second test sound as detected by the inner microphone to determine whether or not the cavity is acoustically coupled to the environment external to the casing as an indication of whether at least the first earpiece is in position adjacent an ear of the user.

31. The personal acoustic device of claim 30, wherein the frequency of the second test sound is selected to require less energy to be acoustically output than other frequencies including the frequency of the first test sound.

32. The personal acoustic device of claim 19, wherein:

the personal acoustic device further comprises a motion sensor coupled to the control circuit and disposed on a portion of the personal acoustic device; and

to perform the second test, the control circuit is structured to monitor the motion sensor to determine whether or not at least the portion of the personal acoustic device has been moved as an indication of whether at least the first earpiece is in position adjacent an ear of the user.

33. The personal acoustic device of claim 19, wherein the personal acoustic device is structured to perform a function while in the normal power mode, the function being selected from a group consisting of:

providing feedforward-based ANR, providing feedback-based ANR, acoustically outputting electronically provided audio into the cavity, signaling another device that the personal acoustic device is in position such that at least the first earpiece is adjacent an ear of the user, and transmitting audio detected by a communications microphone of the personal acoustic device to another device.

34. The personal acoustic device of claim 33, wherein the control circuit causes the personal acoustic device to cease to perform the function while in the deeper low power mode.

35. The personal acoustic device of claim 19, wherein the control circuit is structured to:

perform the first test while in a lighter low power mode;

put the personal acoustic device into the normal power mode in response to an indication from the first test that at least the first earpiece is in position adjacent an ear of the user; and

put the personal acoustic device into the lighter low power mode in response to a lack of indication that at least the first earpiece is in position adjacent an ear of the user from an instance of performing the first test while in the normal power mode.

36. The personal acoustic device of claim 35, wherein the control circuit is further structured to alter the manner in which the personal acoustic device performs a function during the normal power mode upon putting the personal acoustic device into the lighter low power mode, the function being selected from a group consisting of:

providing feedforward-based ANR, providing feedback-based ANR, acoustically outputting electronically provided audio into the cavity, signaling another device that the personal acoustic device is in position such that at least the first earpiece is adjacent an ear of the user, and transmitting audio detected by a communications microphone of the personal acoustic device to another device.