DYNAMIC AUDIO PARAMETER ADJUSTMENT USING TOUCH SENSING

• US 20100246855A1
• Filed: 03/31/2009
• Published: 09/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Chen, Shaohai
• Granted Patent: US 8,155,330 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/107
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6016 in the receiver circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041

Abstract

An audio communications device has a handset in which a touch sensing ear piece region is coupled to an acoustic leakage analyzer. The acoustic leakage analyzer is to analyze signals from the touch sensing ear piece region and on that basis adjust an audio processing parameter. The latter configures an audio processor which generates an audio receiver input signal for the device. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.

Claims

1. A machine-implemented method for operating an audio communications device, comprising:

during a call that is being performed using the audio communications device, automatically

detecting an imprint of a user'"'"'s ear against a region around a sound emitting surface of the device using a touch sensing surface, and

adjusting an audio processing parameter of the device based on said detection to compensate for acoustic leakage between the user'"'"'s ear and the region around the sound emitting surface.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said detecting comprises:

detecting a plurality of separate touch-activated regions around the sound emitting surface, each of the separate regions being contiguous.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said adjusting an audio processing parameter of the device comprises:

adjusting a plurality of parameters of an audio signal processor whose input is to receive a downlink audio signal and a sidetone signal, to change sound pressure level and spectral content of an acoustic signal that is delivered to the user'"'"'s ear.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein said adjusting a plurality of parameters comprises one of:

adjusting a gain setting unit;

adjusting an automatic gain control (AGC) unit;

adjusting an equalization filter;

adjusting a noise suppressor or noise canceller;

adjusting a compander;

adjusting a compressor; and

adjusting an expander.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein said adjusting a plurality of parameters comprises:

boosting a frequency response range that is below 1 kHz, relative to a frequency response range that is above 1 khz, when compensating for a transition from a more sealed condition to a less sealed condition.

6. The method of claim 3 wherein said adjusting a plurality of parameters comprises:

cutting back a frequency range that is below 1 kHz, relative to a frequency response range that is above 1 khz, when compensating for a transition from a less sealed condition to a more sealed condition.

7. An audio communications device, comprising:

a handset having a touch sensing earpiece region;

an audio processor to generate an audio receiver input signal; and

an acoustic leakage analyzer coupled to the touch sensing earpiece region to analyze signals from the region and on that basis adjust an audio processing parameter of the audio processor.

8. The audio communications device of claim 7 wherein the handset comprises a touch sensitive screen in which the touch sensing earpiece region is formed at an upper end thereof and a user input and display region is formed below the earpiece region.

9. The audio communications device of claim 8 wherein the acoustic leakage analyzer is to detect a plurality of separate touch-activated regions from the touch sensing earpiece region.

10. The audio communications device of claim 9 wherein the acoustic leakage analyzer is to compare the touch-activated regions to a previously stored pattern and on that basis determine the level of acoustic sealing present around the touch sensing earpiece region.

11. The audio communications device of claim 10 wherein the acoustic leakage analyzer is to adjust the audio processing parameter to change one of loudness and spectral content of an acoustic signal emitted from a sound emitting surface of the touch sensing earpiece region, based on the determined level of acoustic sealing.

12. The audio communications device of claim 11 wherein the acoustic leakage analyzer is to boost a frequency response range of the audio signal processor that is below 1 kHz, relative to a frequency response range that is above 1 kHz, based on the determined level of acoustic sealing indicating a transition from a more sealed condition to a less sealed condition.

13. The audio communications device of claim 11 wherein the acoustic leakage analyzer is to cut back a frequency response range of the audio signal processor that is below 1 kHz, relative to a frequency response range that is above 1 kHz, based on the determined level of acoustic sealing indicating a transition from a less sealed condition to a more sealed condition.

14. The audio communications device of claim 10 wherein the audio signal processor comprises one of the following whose frequency response is adjusted by the acoustic leakage analyzer:

a gain setting unit, an automatic gain control unit, an equalization filter, a noise suppressor or noise canceller, a compressor, a compander, and an expander.

15. An article of manufacture comprising:

a machine-readable medium having stored therein program code that configures an audio communications device, having a touch sensing earpiece region, to detect an ear imprint from the earpiece region and on that basis adjust an audio processing parameter of the device to compensate for acoustic leakage at the earpiece region.

16. The article of manufacture of claim 15 wherein the program code configures the communications device to both detect the ear imprint and adjust the audio processing parameter during a call that is being performed using the device.

17. The article of manufacture of claim 16 wherein the program code configures the communications device to detect the ear imprint by analyzing signals from the earpiece region relative to a stored pattern of signals and on that basis determine that the earpiece region has transitioned between a more sealed condition to a less sealed condition.

18. The article of manufacture of claim 16 wherein the program code configures the communications device to adjust the audio processing parameter based on a determination that the earpiece region has transitioned between different acoustic seal conditions.