APPARATUS, SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ADJUSTING OUTPUT AUDIO VOLUME BASED ON USER LOCATION

• US 20150010169A1
• Filed: 01/30/2012
• Published: 01/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: EchoStar Ukraine LLC (Echostar Corporation)
• Original Assignee: EchoStar Ukraine LLC (Echostar Corporation)
• Inventors: Popova, Albina
• Granted Patent: US 9,431,980 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/107
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 3/20 Automatic control H03G3/005 takes precedence; combined with volume compression or expansion H03G7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2430/01 Aspects of volume control, not necessarily automatic, in sound systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 2400/13 Aspects of volume control, not necessarily automatic, in stereophonic sound systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/303 Tracking of listener position or orientation

Abstract

Systems and methods are operable to adjust an output audio volume level of presented audio content that is output as sound from one or more speakers in a media presentation environment. An exemplary embodiment detects movement of a user who is listening to the audio content; increases the output audio volume level when the detected user movement is away from a predefined location in the media presentation environment; and decreases the output audio volume level when the detected user movement is closer to the predefined location in the media presentation environment.

Claims

1. A method for adjusting an output audio volume level of presented audio content that is output as sound from one or more speakers in a media presentation environment, the method comprising:

detecting movement of a user who is listening to the audio content;

determining a distance of movement of the user based on the detected movement of the user;

increasing the output audio volume level when the detected user movement is away from a predefined location in the media presentation environment; and

decreasing the output audio volume level when the detected user movement is closer to the predefined location in the media presentation environment,

wherein an amount of change in the output audio volume level is based on the determined distance of user movement.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a current output volume level of the audio content presented to the user while at an initial location;

wherein detecting the movement of the user comprises;

detecting the initial location of the user; and

detecting a new location of the user, wherein the distance of user movement is determined from the initial location and the new location of the user; and

the method further comprising;

increasing the output audio volume level from the current output volume level to a higher output volume level when the detected movement of the user from the initial location to the new location is away from the predefined location; and

decreasing the output audio volume level from the current output volume level to a lower output volume level when the detected movement of the user from the initial location to the new location is closer to the predefined location.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a current output volume level of the audio content presented to the user while at an initial location;

wherein detecting the movement of the user comprises;

detecting the initial location of the user; and

determining a new location of the user;

when the detected movement of the user from the initial location to the new location is away from the predefined location, the method further comprising;

increasing the output audio volume level from the current output volume level for at least one front speaker, wherein an amount of change in the output audio volume level of the at least one front speaker is based on the determined distance of user movement; and

decreasing the output audio volume level from the current output volume level for at least one rear speaker, wherein an amount of change in the output audio volume level of the at least one rear speaker is based on the determined distance of user movement; and

when the detected movement of the user from the initial location to the new location is closer to the predefined location, the method further comprising;

decreasing the output audio volume level from the current output volume level for the at least one front speaker, wherein the amount of change in the output audio volume level of the at least one front speaker is based on the determined distance of user movement; and

increasing the output audio volume level from the current output volume level for the at least one rear speaker, wherein the amount of change in the output audio volume level of the at least one rear speaker is based on the determined distance of user movement.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the movement of the user comprises:

determining a forward/backwards component of the determined distance of user movement;

the method further comprising;

increasing the output audio volume level when the determined forward/backwards component of the determined distance of user movement is away from a predefined location; and

decreasing the output audio volume level when the determined forward/backwards component of the determined distance of user movement is closer to the predefined location,

wherein an amount of change in the output audio volume level is based on the determined forward/backwards component of the distance of user movement.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein detecting the movement of the user comprises:

determining a lateral component of the determined distance of user movement;

increasing the output audio volume level of at least one left channel speaker and decreasing the output audio volume level of at least one right channel speaker when the determined lateral component of the distance of user movement is to the right; and

decreasing the output audio volume level of the at least one left channel speaker and increasing the output audio volume level of the at least one right channel speaker when the determined lateral component of the distance of user movement is to the left,

wherein an amount of change in the output audio volume level is based on the determined lateral component of the distance of user movement.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the movement of the user comprises:

detecting the movement of the user at a detector residing in a media device that is controlling the output audio volume level of the audio content.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein a media device is controlling the output audio volume level of the audio content, and wherein detecting the movement of the user comprises:

detecting, at an external detector communicatively coupled to the media device, movement of the user from initial location to a new location, wherein the movement of the user is determined from the initial location and the new location of the user;

generating a first signal that increases the output audio volume level from the current output volume level when the detected movement of the user from the initial location to the new location is away from the predefined location; and

generating a second signal that decreases the output audio volume level from the current output volume level when the detected movement of the user from the initial location to the new location is closer to the predefined location.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the external detector is a component of an infrared (IR) sound blaster, and further comprising:

communicating one of the first signal and the second signal from the IR sound blaster to the media device that is controlling the output audio volume level of the audio content.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the user is a first user of a plurality of users, and further comprising:

determining an identity of the first user from the plurality of users; and

retrieving a first output audio volume level function associated with the identity of the first user, the first output audio volume level function being one of a plurality of output audio volume level functions each associated with identities of each one of the plurality of users,

wherein the output audio volume level is increased or decreased based on the first output audio volume level function.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the user is a first user of a plurality of users, and further comprising:

determining a first type of media content from the plurality of different types of media content; and

retrieving a first output audio volume level function associated with a first type of media content, the first output audio volume level function being one of a plurality of output audio volume level functions each associated with one of the plurality of different types of media content,

wherein the output audio volume level is increased or decreased based on the first output audio volume level function.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the movement of the user comprises:

determining a new location of the user;

determining a distance ratio based on interpolation between a first known location, a second known location and the determined new location of the user; and

determining a new output audio volume level based upon the determined distance ratio, and based on interpolating between a first output audio volume level associated with the first distance and a second output audio volume level associated with the second distance,

wherein the output audio volume level is increased or decreased based on the new output audio volume level.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the predefined location is a location of at least one of the speakers that is outputting a portion of the output audio volume.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the presented audio content is presented with associated video content that is presented on a visual presentation device, and wherein the predefined location is a location of the visual presentation device.

14. An automatic output audio volume adjuster system, comprising:

a media content stream interface configured to receive streaming media content, wherein the streaming media content comprises at least audio content that is output as sound from at least one speaker in a media presentation environment;

a detector configured to detect a movement of a user listening to the audio content; and

a processor system communicatively coupled to the detector and the media content stream interface, wherein the processor system;

determines a distance of movement of the user based on the detected movement;

increases an output audio volume level of the sound output from the at least one speaker when the detected user movement is away from a predefined location; and

decreases an output audio volume level of the sound output from the at least one speaker when the detected user movement is closer to the predefined location,

wherein an amount of change in the output audio volume level is based on the determined distance of user movement.

15. The automatic output audio volume adjuster system of claim 14, wherein the media content stream interface and the processor system reside in a media device, wherein the detector is a device external to the media device, and wherein the media device further comprises:

an interface configured to receive information from the external detector.

16. The automatic output audio volume adjuster system of claim 14, wherein the media content stream interface resides in a media device, wherein the detector and the processor system reside in an infrared (IR) blaster that is external to the media device, and wherein the IR blaster further comprises:

an IR interface configured to transmit an infrared signal comprising information that increases or decreases the output audio volume level of the sound output from the at least one speaker.

17. The automatic output audio volume adjuster system of claim 14, wherein the detector is a first detector located in a first room of the media presentation environment, and further comprising:

a second detector residing in a second room of the media presentation environment,

wherein the processor system adjusts the output audio volume level of the sound output from the at least one speaker to a predefined value when the second detector detects presence of the user.

18. The automatic output audio volume adjuster system of claim 14, further comprising:

at least one front speaker; and

at least one rear speaker;

wherein the at least front speaker is closer to a television than the at least one rear speaker,

wherein the output audio volume level is decreased for the at least one front speaker and the output audio volume level is increased for the at least one rear speaker when the detected movement of the user is closer to the television, and

wherein the output audio volume level is increased for the at least one, front speaker and the output audio volume level is decreased for the at least one rear speaker when the detected movement of the user is farther away from the television.

19. A method for adjusting output audio volume level of presented audio content that is output as sound from at least one speaker in a media presentation environment, the method comprising:

identifying a first location of a user in the media presentation environment;

associating a first output audio volume level of the sound output from the at least one speaker with the first location;

identifying a second location of the user in the media presentation environment;

associating a second output audio volume level of the sound output from the at least one speaker with the second location;

detecting a location of the user listening to the presented audio content;

adjusting the output audio volume level to the first output audio volume level when the user is proximate to the first location; and

adjusting the output audio volume level to the second output audio volume level when the user is proximate to the second location.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the at least one speaker is at least one front speaker, and wherein another speaker is a rear speaker, and further comprising:

adjusting the output audio volume level of the at least one front speaker to the first output audio volume level when the user is proximate to the first location; and

adjusting the output audio volume level of the rear speaker to a third output audio volume level when the user is proximate to the first location.