METHOD, SYSTEM AND ITEM

• US 20120281856A1
• Filed: 08/16/2010
• Published: 11/08/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Antony Zenonos, Archiveades Georgiou
• Original Assignee: Antony Zenonos, Archiveades Georgiou
• Inventors: Georgiou, Archiveades, Zenonos, Antony
• Granted Patent: US 9,653,062 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/94.2
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/17823 Reference signals, e.g. ambient acoustic environment
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/17835 using detection of abnormal input signals
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/17837 by retaining part of the ambient acoustic environment, e.g. speech or alarm signals that the user needs to hear
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/17873 using a reference signal without an error signal, e.g. pure feedforward
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/17885 additionally using a desired external signal, e.g. pass-through audio such as music or speech
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 2210/1081 Earphones, e.g. for telephones, ear protectors or headsets
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 2210/3027 Feedforward
• 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

Abstract

A method of enabling a hearer to hear desired sound while also being able to be aware of ambient sound, comprises providing a first non-audio signal representative of said desired sound, deriving a second non-audio signal from said ambient sound, combining the first and second non-audio signals in providing a third non-audio signal, and converting said third non-audio signal into sound.

Claims

67. A method of enabling a hearer to hear desired sound while also being able to be aware of ambient sound, comprising providing a first non-audio signal representative of said desired sound, deriving a second non-audio signal representative of said ambient sound without phase shift, combining the first and second non-audio signals in providing a combined non-audio signal, converting said combined non-audio signal into sound, and further comprising providing, for said second non-audio signal, one or both of a lower threshold and an upper threshold representative of a lower threshold and an upper threshold for the volume and/or frequency of said ambient sound.

68. A method according to claim 67, and further comprising adjusting said lower threshold and/or said upper threshold for said second non-audio signal.

69. A method according to claim 67, and further comprising emitting an alert upon exceeding of said lower threshold and/or said upper threshold for said second non-audio signal.

70. A method according to claim 67, and further comprising adjusting said second non-audio signal to represent adjustment of the volume and/or frequency of said ambient sound.

71. A method according to claim 67 and further comprising providing a third non-audio signal representative of a partially cancelling, ambient audio signal, and combining the first, second and third non-audio signals in providing said combined signal.

72. A method according to claim 71 and further comprising providing a fourth non-audio signal representative of a fully cancelling ambient audio signal and combining the first, second, third and fourth audio signals in providing said combined signal.

73. A method according to claim 71, and in the form of selective sound cancellation giving differentiation between wanted and unwanted sounds.

74. A method according to claim 73, wherein said third non-audio signal has been preset before said providing thereof.

75. A method according to claim 74, wherein a user selects which sound to cancel by choosing the preset non-audio signal from among a range of differing, preset non-audio signals.

76. A method according to claim 75, wherein the preset non-audio signal comprises one or more sound-cancelling parameters.

77. A method according to claim 73, wherein a user selects which sound to cancel by varying one or more sound-cancelling parameters.

78. A method according to claim 77, wherein the one or more sound-cancelling parameters are:

amount of phase shift;

time delay;

individual frequencies;

volume;

equaliser (hi, hi-mid, mid, lo-mid, and/or lo);

compression;

gating;

spectral enhancement;

threshold;

range;

gain;

ratio;

attack;

release;

minimum;

maximum;

sensitivity,

vocal, or

reverberation

or any combination thereof.

79. A method according to claim 67, wherein the sound into which said combined non-audio signal is converted is transmitted to a listener in a space and through air in said space and containing said listener.

80. A system for enabling a hearer to hear desired sound while also being able to be aware of ambient sound, comprising a first outputting device adapted to output a first non-audio signal representative of said desired sound, a second outputting device adapted to output a second non-audio signal representative of said ambient sound without phase shift, a combining arrangement adapted to combine the first and second non-audio signals to provide a combined non-audio signal, and a converting device adapted to emit sound converted from said combined non-audio signal, wherein said second outputting device is adapted to provide one or both of a lower threshold and an upper threshold for said second non-audio signal.

81. A system according to claim 80, wherein said second outputting device is adjustable to adjust said lower threshold and/or said upper threshold.

82. A system according to claim 80, and further comprising an alerting device able to communicate with said second outputting device to alert to exceeding of said first threshold and/or said second threshold.

83. A system according to claim 80, wherein said second outputting device is adjustable to adjust said second non-audio signal

84. A method of partially cancelling sound, comprising:

providing a first non-audio signal representative of a desired audio signal to be listened to;

providing a second non-audio signal representative of a partially-cancelling, ambient audio signal; and

combining the first and second non-audio signals in providing a heard audio signal.

85. A method according to claim 84, and in the form of selective sound cancellation giving differentiation between wanted and unwanted sounds.

86. A method according to claim 84, wherein said second non-audio signal has been preset before said providing thereof.

87. A method according to claim 86, wherein a user selects which sound to cancel by choosing the preset non-audio signal from among a range of differing, preset non-audio signals.

88. A method according to claim 87, wherein the preset non-audio signal comprises one or more sound-cancelling parameters.

89. A method according to claim 85, wherein a user selects which sound to cancel by varying one or more sound-cancelling parameters.

90. A method according to claim 89, wherein the one or more sound-cancelling parameters are:

amount of phase shift;

time delay;

individual frequencies;

volume;

equaliser (hi, hi-mid, mid, lo-mid, and/or lo);

compression;

gating;

spectral enhancement;

threshold;

range;

gain;

ratio;

attack;

release;

minimum;

maximum;

sensitivity,

vocal, or

reverberation

or any combination thereof.

91. A method according to claim 84 and further comprising transmitting said heard audio signal to a listener in a space and through air in said space and containing said listener.

92. A method according to claim 84 and further comprising:

providing a substantially fully cancelling, phase-altered, third non-audio signal; and

combining the first, second and third non-audio signals in providing said heard audio signal.

93. A system for partially cancelling sound, comprising:

a first outputting device adapted to output a first non-audio signal representative of a desired audio signal to be listened to;

a providing device adapted to provide a second non-audio signal representative of a partially-cancelling, phase-altered ambient audio signal;

a combining arrangement adapted to combine the first and second non-audio signals in providing a combined non-audio signal; and

a second outputting device adapted to convert the combined non-audio signal into a heard audio signal.

94. A system according to claim 93, wherein the providing device is adapted to provide a preset said second non-audio signal.

95. A system according to claim 94, wherein the providing device is adapted to provide selectively another, differing preset non-audio signal.

96. A system according to claim 93 and configured to provide selective sound cancellation, allowing differentiation between wanted and unwanted sounds.

97. A system according to claim 93, wherein said providing device is adapted to provide also a substantially fully cancelling, phase-altered, third non-audio signal and said combining arrangement is adapted to combine the first, second and third non-audio signals in providing said combined non-audio signal.

98. Apparatus comprising an item consisting of any one of the group consisting of a telephone, a mobile phone, a television, a karaoke machine, a computer, a Hi-Fi, a surround-sound system, a games console, and an in-vehicle audio device, the apparatus comprising only one microphone, which is included in said item, and having a capability of playing audio files for a user to listen to,

wherein the microphone is capable of detecting ambient sound and the item further comprises:

a phase-altering arrangement adapted to alter the phase of sound detected by the microphone to provide a phase-altered non-audio signal; and

a combining arrangement adapted to combine the phase-altered non-audio signal and a representative non-audio signal representative of a desired audio signal from a stored audio file prior to a user'"'"'s listening to a heard audio signal consequent upon combining of said phase-altered non-audio signal and said representative non-audio signal,

wherein the phase-altering arrangement is adapted to alter the phase of sound detected by the microphone to provide said phase-altered non-audio signal in the form of a partially-cancelling, phase-altered non-audio signal.

99. Apparatus according to claim 98, wherein said phase-altering arrangement serves to alter the phase of sound detected by the microphone to provide also a substantially fully cancelling, phase-altered non-audio signal.