DEVICE AND SYSTEM HAVING SMART DIRECTIONAL CONFERENCING

• US 20140136203A1
• Filed: 12/21/2012
• Published: 05/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Liu, Kexi, Xiang, Pei
• Granted Patent: US 9,368,117 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/246
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2210/301 Soundscape or sound field simulation, reproduction or control for musical purposes, e.g. surround or 3D sound; Granular synthesis
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/096 using a touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/355 Geolocation input, i.e. control of musical parameters based on location or geographic position, e.g. provided by GPS, WiFi network location databases or mobile phone base station position databases
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 17/00 Speaker identification or verification techniques
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 29/002 Loudspeaker arrays
• 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: H04S 7/303 Tracking of listener position or orientation
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/40 Visual indication of stereophonic sound image

Abstract

Some implementations provide a method for identifying a speaker. The method determines position and orientation of a second device based on data from a first device that is for capturing the position and orientation of the second device. The second device includes several microphones for capturing sound. The second device has movable position and movable orientation. The method assigns an object as a representation of a known user. The object has a moveable position. The method receives a position of the object. The position of the object corresponds to a position of the known user. The method processes the captured sound to identify a sound originating from the direction of the object. The direction of the object is relative to the position and the orientation of the second device. The method identifies the sound originating from the direction of the object as belonging to the known user.

Claims

1. An apparatus for identifying a speaker, the apparatus comprising:

a first device for capturing a position and an orientation of a second device, the second device comprising a plurality of microphones for capturing sound, wherein the second device has a movable position and a movable orientation; and

at least one processor configured to;

determine the position and orientation of the second device based on data from the first device;

assign an object as a representation of a known user, the object having a moveable position;

receive a position of the object, the position of the object corresponding to a position of the known user;

process the captured sound to identify sound originating from the direction of the object, wherein the direction of the object is relative to the position and the orientation of the second device; and

identify the sound originating from the direction of the object as belonging to the known user.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first device comprises a touch sensitive screen.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the second device comprises a first inductive component and a second inductive component, the touch sensitive screen capturing the position and the orientation of the second device by capturing where the first and second inductive components are coupled to the touch sensitive screen.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the first inductive component has a different size than the second inductive component.

5. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the touch sensitive screen is included within a surface table.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first device comprises a mobile device.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the mobile device comprises one or more of a handset, a tablet, a phone, a smart phone, a portable electronic device, an electronic notepad, and/or a personal digital assistant (PDA).

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first device comprises an image capturing screen.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the second device comprises at least one visual marker, the image capturing screen for capturing the position and the orientation of the second device by capturing the position and orientation of the at least one visual marker of the second device.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the object comprises a graphical user interface element in a graphical user interface presented on a screen.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the screen comprises a touch sensitive screen, the graphical user interface element being moveable within the graphical user interface via an interaction with the touch sensitive screen displaying the graphical user interface.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a movement in the position of the object represents a movement in the position of the known user.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the object comprises a physical object that is moveable.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the object comprises a device having a touch sensitive screen.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the object comprises another microphone array that is configured to be in communication with the processor.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus comprises a handset.

17. A method for identifying a speaker, the method comprising:

determining a position and orientation of a second device based on data from a first device, the first device for capturing the position and orientation of the second device, the second device comprising a plurality of microphones for capturing sound, wherein the second device has a movable position and a movable orientation;

assigning an object as a representation of a known user, the object having a moveable position;

receiving a position of the object, the position of the object corresponding to a position of the known user;

processing the captured sound to identify sound originating from the direction of the object, wherein the direction of the object is relative to the position and the orientation of the second device; and

identifying the sound originating from the direction of the object as belonging to the known user.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the first device comprises a touch sensitive screen.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the second device comprises a first inductive component and a second inductive component, the touch sensitive screen capturing the position and the orientation of the second device by capturing where the first and second inductive components are coupled to the touch sensitive screen.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the first inductive component has a different size than the second inductive component.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the touch sensitive screen is included within a surface table.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein the first device comprises a mobile device.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the mobile device comprises one or more of a handset, a tablet, a phone, a smart phone, a portable electronic device, an electronic notepad, and a personal digital assistant (PDA).

24. The method of claim 17, wherein the first device comprises an image capturing screen.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the second device comprises at least one visual marker, the image capturing screen for capturing the position and the orientation of the second device by capturing the position and orientation of the at least one visual marker of the second device.

26. The method of claim 17, wherein the object comprises a graphical user interface element in a graphical user interface presented on a screen.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the screen comprises a touch sensitive screen, the graphical user interface element being moveable within the graphical user interface via an interaction with the touch sensitive screen displaying the graphical user interface.

28. The method of claim 17, wherein the object comprises a physical object that is moveable.

29. The method of claim 17, wherein the object comprises a device having a touch sensitive screen.

30. An apparatus for identifying a speaker, the apparatus comprising:

means for determining a position and orientation of a second device based on data from a first device, the first device for capturing the position and orientation of the second device, the second device comprising a plurality of microphones for capturing sound, wherein the second device has a movable position and a movable orientation;

means for assigning an object as a representation of a known user, the object having a moveable position;

means for receiving a position of the object, the position of the object corresponding to a position of the known user;

means for processing the captured sound to identify sound originating from the direction of the object, wherein the direction of the object is relative to the position and the orientation of the second device; and

means for identifying the sound originating from the direction of the object as belonging to the known user.

31. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the first device comprises a touch sensitive screen.

32. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the second device comprises a first inductive component and a second inductive component, the touch sensitive screen capturing the position and the orientation of the second device by capturing where the first and second inductive components are coupled to the touch sensitive screen.

33. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the first inductive component has a different size than the second inductive component.

34. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the touch sensitive screen is included within a surface table.

35. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the first device comprises a mobile device.

36. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein the mobile device comprises one or more of a handset, a tablet, a phone, a smart phone, a portable electronic device, an electronic notepad, and a personal digital assistant (PDA).

37. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the first device comprises an image capturing screen.

38. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein the second device comprises at least one visual marker, the image capturing screen for capturing the position and the orientation of the second device by capturing the position and orientation of the at least one visual marker of the second device.

39. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the object comprises a graphical user interface element in a graphical user interface presented on a screen.

40. The apparatus of claim 39, wherein the screen comprises a touch sensitive screen, the graphical user interface element being moveable within the graphical user interface via an interaction with the touch sensitive screen displaying the graphical user interface.

41. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein a movement in the position of the object represents a movement in the position of the known user.

42. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the apparatus comprises a handset.

43. A computer readable storage medium comprising one or more instructions for identifying a speaker, which when executed by at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to:

determine a position and orientation of a second device based on data from a first device, the first device for capturing the position and orientation of the second device, the second device comprising a plurality of microphones for capturing sound, wherein the second device has a movable position and a movable orientation;

assign an object as a representation of a known user, the object having a moveable position;

receive a position of the object, the position of the object corresponding to a position of the known user;

process the captured sound to identify sound originating from the direction of the object, wherein the direction of the object is relative to the position and the orientation of the second device; and

identify the sound originating from the direction of the object as belonging to the known user.

44. The computer readable storage medium of claim 43, wherein the first device comprises a touch sensitive screen.

45. The computer readable storage medium of claim 44, wherein the second device comprises a first inductive component and a second inductive component, the touch sensitive screen capturing the position and the orientation of the second device by capturing where the first and second inductive components are coupled to the touch sensitive screen.

46. The computer readable storage medium of claim 45, wherein the first inductive component has a different size than the second inductive component.

47. The computer readable storage medium of claim 44, wherein the touch sensitive screen is included within a surface table.

48. The computer readable storage medium of claim 43, wherein the first device comprises a mobile device.

49. The computer readable storage medium of claim 48, wherein the mobile device comprises a handset, a tablet, a phone, a smart phone, a portable electronic device, an electronic notepad, and/or a personal digital assistant (PDA).

50. The computer readable storage medium of claim 43, wherein the first device comprises an image capturing screen.

51. The computer readable storage medium of claim 43, wherein the second device comprises at least one visual marker, the image capturing screen for capturing the position and the orientation of the second device by capturing the position and orientation of the at least one visual marker of the second device.