COMPUTING DEVICE UTILIZING A RESTING SURFACE AS A SPEAKER

• US 20150201273A1
• Filed: 12/13/2012
• Published: 07/16/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Ooi, Leng, Hayashida, Jeffrey
• Granted Patent: US 9,264,802 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/24 Structural combinations of separate transducers or of two parts of the same transducer and responsive respectively to two or more frequency ranges
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/00 Circuits for transducers , loudspeakers or microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/12 for distributing signals to two or more loudspeakers specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/301 Automatic calibration of stereophonic sound system, e.g. with test microphone

Abstract

The computing device includes a speaker, a transducer configured to utilize a surface in contact with the portable computer to generate an audible sound, a detector configured to determine at least one characteristic of the surface based on at least one received sensor signal, and a controller configured to select at least one of the speaker and the transducer for audible output based on the at least one characteristic of the surface.

Claims

1. A portable computer comprising:

a speaker;

a transducer configured to utilize a surface in contact with the portable computer to generate an audible sound;

a detector configured to determine at least one characteristic of the surface based on at least one received sensor signal; and

a controller configured to select at least one of the speaker and the transducer for audible output based on the at least one characteristic of the surface.

2. The portable computer of claim 1, wherein the at least one characteristic is a physical characteristic.

3. The portable computer of claim 2, further comprising:

a pressure sensor configured to generate the sensor signal, representing the physical characteristic, such that the sensor signal indicates a pressure associated with the surface, wherein

the detector is configured to look-up a hardness in a table based on the pressure, and

the controller selects the transducer for audible output based on the hardness and a threshold value.

4. The portable computer of claim 2, further comprising:

a displacement sensor configured to generate the sensor signal, representing the physical characteristic, such that the sensor signal indicates a pressure associated with the surface, wherein

the detector is configured to look-up a hardness in a table based on the pressure, and

the controller selects the transducer for audible output based on the hardness and a threshold value.

5. The portable computer of claim 2, further comprising:

a pressure sensor configured to generate the sensor signal, representing the physical characteristic, such that the sensor signal indicates a pressure associated with the surface, wherein

the detector is configured to look-up a density in a table based on the pressure, and

the controller selects the transducer for audible output based on the density and a threshold value.

6. The portable computer of claim 2, wherein

the speaker includes a diaphragm configured to generate air motion resulting in audible sound,

the transducer is configured to generate vibrations on the surface such that the surface generates air motion resulting in audible sound without the use of a diaphragm.

7. The portable computer of claim 1, wherein the at least one characteristic is a relative physical characteristic.

8. The portable computer of claim 7, further comprising:

a pressure sensor configured to generate the sensor signal, representing the relative physical characteristic, such that the sensor signal indicates a pressure associated with the surface, wherein

the detector is configured to generate a relative hardness value based on the pressure, and

the controller selects the transducer for audible output based on the relative hardness value and a threshold value.

9. The portable computer of claim 7, further comprising:

a displacement sensor configured to generate the sensor signal, representing the relative physical characteristic, such that the sensor signal indicates a pressure associated with the surface, wherein

the detector is configured to generate a relative hardness based on the pressure, and

the controller selects the transducer for audible output based on the relative hardness and a threshold value.

10. The portable computer of claim 7, further comprising:

a pressure sensor configured to generate the sensor signal, representing the relative physical characteristic, such that the sensor signal indicates a pressure associated with the surface, wherein

the detector is configured to generate a relative density in a table based on the pressure, and

the controller selects the transducer for audible output based on the relative density and a threshold value.

11. The portable computer of claim 7, further comprising:

a gyroscope configured to generate the sensor signal, representing the relative physical characteristic, such that the sensor signal indicates an orientation of the surface relative to the portable computer, wherein

the detector is configured to generate a level characteristic based on whether or not the portable computer is level in relation to the surface based on the orientation, and

the controller selects the transducer for audible output based on the level characteristic and a threshold value.

12. The portable computer of claim 7, further comprising:

a accelerometer configured to generate the sensor signal, representing the relative physical characteristic, such that the sensor signal indicates a movement of the portable computer, wherein

the detector is configured to generate a movement characteristic based on whether or not the portable computer is moving relative to the surface based on the movement of the portable computer, and

the controller selects the transducer for audible output based on the movement characteristic and a threshold value.

13. The portable computer of claim 7, wherein

the speaker includes a diaphragm configured to generate air motion resulting in audible sound,

the transducer is configured to generate vibrations on the surface such that the surface generates air motion resulting in audible sound without the use of a diaphragm.

14. The portable computer of claim 1, further comprising:

a microphone configured to detect a tone representing an audible characteristic;

wherein

the controller is configured to generate an acoustic tone utilizing the transducer, and

the detector determines if the surface is capable of generating audible sounds based on the detected tone, the generated acoustic tone and a threshold value.

15. The portable computer of claim 1, further comprising

at least one pad located on the exterior of the portable computer and configured to be in direct contact with the surface, wherein

the transducer is configured to generate vibrations on the surface using the at least one pad such that the surface generates air motion resulting in audible sound.

16. The portable computer of claim 1, further comprising:

a first filter configured to pass signals associated with a first frequency range;

a second filter configured to pass signals associated with a second frequency range, the first frequency range being different from the second frequency range; and

a switch configured to selectively select the output of the first filter as input to the speaker and the output of the second filter as input to the transducer based on a selection signal from the controller.

17. A method for generating audible output in a computer device, the method comprising:

determining one or more characteristic associated with a surface which the computer device is in contact with, and

selecting at least one of a speaker and a transducer configured to generate vibrations on the surface such that the surface generates air motion resulting in audible sound for use as audible output of the computer device based on the determined characteristic.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the transducer is selected if the surface is capable of generating audible sounds based on the characteristic.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the speaker is selected if the surface is not capable of generating audible sounds based on the characteristic.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

determining if multi-channel audio is selected based on a user selection;

selecting both the speaker and the transducer if multi-channel audio is selected and if the surface is capable of generating audible sounds based on the characteristic, wherein

the speaker outputs audible sounds associated with a first frequency range;

the transducer outputs vibrations associated with a second frequency range, the first frequency range being different from the second frequency range.