SELECTING A DIGITAL STREAM BASED ON AN AUDIO SAMPLE

• US 20120321112A1
• Filed: 06/16/2011
• Published: 12/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Schubert, Emily Clark, Hughes, Gregory F., Foo, Edwin
• Application Number:
  US13/162,488
• Publication Number:
  US 20120321112A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/312
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 25/51 for comparison or discrimination
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/43 Electronic input selection or mixing based on input signal analysis, e.g. mixing or selection between microphone and telecoil or between microphones with different directivity characteristics H04R25/407 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/554 using a wireless connection, e.g. between microphone and amplifier or using Tcoils

Abstract

One or more digital streams can be selected from a number of digital streams using a portable device. Selection of the digital streams can be based on a comparison between the number of digital streams and an audio sample received via a microphone. Selection of the digital streams can additionally or alternatively be based on the signal strength of wireless connections, the direction in which the portable device is pointed, images obtained from a camera, etc. At least one of the selected digital streams can thereafter be transmitted to a hearing aid device connected to the portable device.

Claims

1. A method for selecting a digital audio input signal using a portable device having a microphone, the method comprising:

receiving, at the portable device, a plurality of digital audio input signals, each digital audio input signal being received via a wireless connection;

detecting, by the portable device, a sound via the microphone;

comparing, by the portable device, the detected sound to the digital audio input signals; and

selecting, by the portable device, one or more of the digital audio input signals based on at least in part the comparing.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the selecting includes identifying one of the digital audio input signals as a best match signal to the detected sound based on at least in part the comparing;

and selecting at least the best match digital audio input signal.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the selecting includes ranking the digital audio input signals based on at least in part the comparing and selecting one or more of the digital audio input signals based on at least in part the ranking

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

presenting, by the portable device, a ranked listing of the one or more selected digital audio input signals to a user; and

receiving, by the portable device, an input from the user selecting a one of the one or more selected digital audio input signals.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the number of selected digital audio input signals is less than the number of the plurality of received digital audio input signals.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating, by the portable device, a digital audio output signal based on at least in part the selected one or more digital audio input signals; and

transmitting, by the portable device, the digital audio output signal to a hearing aid device.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a signal strength for each wireless connection via which each of the plurality of digital audio input signals is received;

and

wherein selecting the one or more of the digital audio input signals is further based on at least in part the signal strength of each wireless connection via which each of the digital audio input signals is received.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a direction in which the portable device is pointed;

and

wherein selecting the one or more of the digital audio input signals is further based on at least in part the direction in which the portable device is pointed.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining an image from a camera; and

wherein selecting the one or more of the digital audio input signals is further based on at least in part the obtained image.

10. A portable device comprising:

a wireless interface;

a microphone configured to capture a sound sample from an environment surrounding the portable device; and

a processor coupled to the wireless interface and the microphone, the processor configured to;

receive a digital stream via the wireless interface; and

transmit the digital stream to a connected hearing aid device based at least in part on the sound sample captured by the microphone.

11. The portable device of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to compute a first correlation between the digital stream and the captured sound sample.

12. The portable device of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to compute a second correlation between another digital stream and the captured sound sample.

13. The portable device of claim 12, wherein transmitting the digital stream based at least in part on the sound sample includes determining that the first correlation is higher than the second correlation;

and transmitting the digital stream based on at least in part the determination.

14. The portable device of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to:

display a list including the digital stream; and

receive an indication from the user selecting the digital stream.

15. The portable device of claim of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine a signal strength for a wireless signal associated with the digital stream; and

wherein the digital stream is transmitted to the hearing aid device based on at least in part the signal strength for the wireless signal.

16. The portable device of claim of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to:

generate a wireless sensor map based on at least in part one or more measurements;

identifying a direction in which the portable device is oriented based on at least in part the generated wireless sensor map; and

wherein the digital stream is transmitted to the hearing aid device based on at least in part the identified direction in which the portable device is oriented.

17. The portable device of claim of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to:

receive image data from an input source;

identify a subject based on at least in part the received image data;

determine an association between the identified subject and the digital stream; and

wherein the digital stream is transmitted to the hearing aid device based on at least in part the association between the identified subject and the digital stream.

18. The portable device of claim of claim 17, wherein the identified subject is a person.

19. The portable device of claim of claim 18, wherein the digital stream is received from a device associated with the identified person.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored instructions, thereon, which, when executed by a processor of a portable device, causes the processor to perform operations comprising:

establishing a connection between the portable device and a hearing aid device;

receiving a plurality of digital audio input signals, each digital audio input signal being received via a wireless connection;

receiving an audio sample from a microphone;

determining a correlation between each of the plurality of digital audio input signals and the received audio sample;

determining the signal strength of one or more wireless signals;

selecting at least one digital audio input signal based on at least in part;

the determined correlation between the digital audio input signal and the received audio sample; and

the determined signal strengths of the one or more wireless signals;

generating a digital audio output signal based on the at least one selected digital audio input signal; and

transmitting the digital audio output signal to the hearing aid device.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 20, the instructions further causing the processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving location information for at least one digital signal source associated with one or more of the plurality of digital audio input signals;

receiving measurement information from one or more measurement sources;

determining a direction in which the portable device is pointed based on at least in part the measurement information; and

wherein selecting at least one digital audio input signal is further based on at least in part the location information for the at least one digital signal sources and the determined direction in which the portable device is pointed.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 20, wherein the measurement information includes magnetic field measurement data.

23. A method comprising:

receiving one or more digital audio streams;

receiving an image from a camera; and

selecting a digital audios stream from the one or more digital audio streams based on at least in part the received image.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the selecting includes:

determining an association between the received image and a digital audio stream; and

selecting the digital audio stream based on at least in part the association.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the received image depicts a frame of a video and wherein the selected digital audio stream is a digital audio stream associated with the video.