AUDIO DEVICE VOLUME MANAGER USING MEASURED DISTANCE BETWEEN FIRST AND SECOND AUDIO DEVICES TO CONTROL VOLUME GENERATION BY THE SECOND AUDIO DEVICE

• US 20120020487A1
• Filed: 07/20/2010
• Published: 01/26/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Fried, Eric P., Sabarathinam, Suresh
• Application Number:
  US12/839,489
• Publication Number:
  US 20120020487A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/58
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 3/301 the gain being continuously variable
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 3/32 the control being dependent upon ambient noise level or sound level
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/60 including speech amplifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72415 for remote control of appliances
• 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: H04R 2227/003 Digital PA systems using, e.g. LAN or internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2430/01 Aspects of volume control, not necessarily automatic, in sound systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 27/00 Public address systems circuits for preventing acoustic reaction H04R3/02; circuits for distributing signals to loudspeakers H04R3/12; monitoring or testing arrangements for public address systems H04R29/007; amplifiers H03F
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/303 Tracking of listener position or orientation

Abstract

An audio system includes a first audio device and a second audio device. A communications link connects the first and second audio devices together so that each may communicate with the other. The system includes an audio volume manager that varies the audio output level of the second audio device as a function of the perceived loudness of the second audio device as perceived at the first audio device. To determine the perceived loudness of the second audio device as perceived at the first audio device, the audio volume manager may measure the current distance between the first and second audio devices.

Claims

1. A method of controlling audio volume, comprising:

receiving, by an audio volume manager, distance information that indicates a current distance between a first audio device and a second audio device; and

changing, by the audio volume manager, audio volume generated by the second audio device as a function of the current distance to control the audio volume of the second audio device as perceived at the first audio device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the audio volume manager, from the current distance an indication of a current audio volume received at the first audio device resulting from an audio signal generated by the second audio device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the audio volume manager, status information that indicates when the first audio device and the second audio device are simultaneously in use; and

switching, by the audio volume manager, from a monitoring mode to a control mode in response to the status information indicating that the first audio device and the second audio device are simultaneously in use.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the changing step further comprises increasing the audio volume generated by the second audio device as the current distance between first and second audio device increases.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the audio volume manager is situated within one of the first audio device, the second audio device and a controller that is external to both the first and second audio devices.

6. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving, by the audio volume manager, a user selectable threshold audio volume level setting that activates the audio volume manager to control the audio volume of the second audio device when the indication of the current audio volume received at the first audio device reaches this user selectable threshold audio volume level.

7. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

switching, by the audio volume manager, from the control mode to the monitoring mode when status information indicates that the first audio device and the second audio device are not currently simultaneously in use.

8. The method of claim 3, further comprising repeating the receiving status information step, the receiving distance information step and the changing audio volume generated step at predetermined time intervals.

9. A system, comprising:

a first audio device;

a second audio device; and

an audio volume manager that receives distance information that indicates a current distance between the first audio device and the second audio device, wherein the audio volume manager changes audio volume generated by the second audio device as a function of the current distance to control the audio volume of the second audio device as perceived at the first audio device.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the audio volume manager determines from the current distance an indication of a current audio volume received at the first audio device resulting from an audio signal generated by the second audio device.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the audio volume manager receives status information that indicates when the first audio device and the second audio device are simultaneously in use, and wherein the audio volume manager switches from a monitoring mode to a control mode in response to the status information indicating that the first audio device and the second audio device are simultaneously in use.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the audio manager increases the audio volume generated by the second audio device as the current distance between first and second audio device increases.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the audio volume manager is situated within one of the first audio device, the second audio device and a controller that is external to both the first and second audio devices.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the audio volume manager receives a user selectable threshold audio volume level setting that activates the audio volume manager to control the audio volume of the second audio device when the indication of the current audio volume received at the first audio device reaches this user selectable threshold audio volume level.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the audio volume manager switches from the control mode to the monitoring mode when status information indicates that the first audio device and the second audio device are not currently simultaneously in use.

16. The system of claim 10, further comprising repeating the receiving of status information, the receiving of distance information and the changing of audio volume generated by the second audio device at predetermined time intervals.

17. An audio volume manager computer program product, comprising:

a computer readable storage medium;

first program instructions that receive distance information that indicates a current distance between a first audio device and a second audio device; and

second program instructions that change audio volume generated by the second audio device as a function of the current distance to control the audio volume of the second audio device as perceived at the first audio device;

wherein the first and second program instructions are stored on the computer readable storage medium.

18. The audio volume manager computer program product of claim 17, further comprising:

third program instructions that determine from the current distance an indication of a current audio volume received at the first audio device resulting from an audio signal generated by the second audio device.

19. The audio volume manager computer program product of claim 17, further comprising:

fifth program instructions that receive status information that indicates when the first audio device and the second audio device are simultaneously in use; and

sixth program instructions that switch the audio volume manager from a monitoring mode to a control mode in response to the status information indicating that the first audio device and the second audio device are simultaneously in use.

20. The audio volume manager computer program product of claim 17, wherein the second program instructions increase the audio volume generated by the second audio device as the current distance between first and second audio device increases.