LIGHT-BASED DETECTION FOR ACOUSTIC APPLICATIONS

• US 20120230699A1
• Filed: 03/14/2012
• Published: 09/13/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jawbone Innovations, LLC
• Original Assignee: AliphCom, Inc. (AliphCom Corp.)
• Inventors: Burnett, Gregory C.
• Granted Patent: US 9,066,186 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 398/133
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6815 Ear
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2021/02165 Two microphones, one receiving mainly the noise signal and the other one mainly the speech signal
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/0208 Noise filtering
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1008 Earpieces of the supra-aural or circum-aural type
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1083 Reduction of ambient noise active noise reduction per se G10K11/175; protective devices for the ear, e.g. providing acoustic protection A61F11/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/406 microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/46 Special adaptations for use as contact microphones, e.g. on musical instrument, on stethoscope throat mountings H04R1/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 23/008 using optical signals for detecting or generating sound
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/005 for combining the signals of two or more microphones specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/04 for correcting frequency response

Abstract

A light-based skin contact detector is described, including a boot having an index of refraction less than or equal to another index of refraction associated with skin at a frequency of light, a light emitter and detector coupled to the boot and configured to measure an amount of light energy reflected by an interface of the boot, and a digital signal processor configured to detect a change in the amount of light energy reflected by the interface. Embodiments relate to methods for detecting skin contact by measuring an amount of energy reflected by an interface when a boot is not in contact with skin, measuring another amount of energy reflected by another interface when the boot is in contact with the skin, and detecting a change between the amount of energy and the another amount of energy using a digital signal processor.

Claims

1. A device, comprising:

a boot comprising an index of refraction less than or equal to another index of refraction associated with skin at a frequency of light;

a light emitter and detector coupled to the boot and configured to measure an amount of light energy reflected by an interface of the boot; and

a digital signal processor configured to detect a change in the amount of light energy reflected by the interface.

2. The device of claim 1, further comprising a microphone configured to detect speech.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the light emitter and detector is mounted to a side of the boot.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the boot comprises a moldable material.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the boot comprises medical-grade silicone rubber.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the boot comprises an optically clear gel.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the boot comprises a hypoallergenic surface.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the index of refraction of the boot is approximately 1.4 for infrared light.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the light emitter and detector comprises an infrared light-emitting diode pair.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the amount of the light energy reflected by the interface of the boot is determined based on a shape of the boot and movement of the skin interfacing with the boot.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the light emitter and detector is configured to detect contact between the boot and the skin;

12. The device of claim 1, wherein the light emitter and detector is configured to detect the amount of the light energy reflected within the boot relative to the shape of the boot and movement of the skin interfacing with the boot.

13. A method, comprising:

measuring an amount of energy reflected by an interface using a light emitter and detector when a boot is not in contact with skin;

measuring another amount of energy reflected by another interface using the light emitter and detector when the boot is in contact with the skin; and

detecting skin contact by detecting a change between the amount of energy and the another amount of energy using a digital signal processor.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the amount of energy is greater than the another amount of energy.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising detecting speech after detecting, the skin contact.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the energy comprises infrared light energy transmitted using infrared spectra.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein an index of refraction of the boot is less than and almost equal to another index of refraction of the skin.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the light emitter and detector comprises an infrared light-emitting diode pair.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein the interface is between the boot and air.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein the another interface is between the boot and the skin.