PRESENTATION OF AUDIO BASED ON SOURCE

• US 20160277850A1
• Filed: 03/18/2015
• Published: 09/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo PC International Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Lenovo Singapore Pte Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Li, Scott Wentao, VanBlon, Russell Speight, Chen, Liang
• Granted Patent: US 10,499,164 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2201/40 Details of arrangements for obtaining desired directional characteristic by combining a number of identical transducers covered by H04R1/40 but not provided for in any of its subgroups
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/61 Aspects relating to mechanical or electronic switches or control elements, e.g. functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2227/003 Digital PA systems using, e.g. LAN or internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2460/07 Use of position data from wide-area or local-area positioning systems in hearing devices, e.g. program or information selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/40 Arrangements for obtaining a desired directivity characteristic

Abstract

In one aspect, a device includes a processor, at least one camera accessible to the processor, and memory accessible to the processor. The memory bears instructions executable by the processor to identify, at least in part based on input from the at least one camera, a source of sound. The instructions are also executable to, based at toast in part on input from at least one microphone, execute beamforming and provide audio at a hearing aid comprising sound from the source.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

a processor;

at least one camera accessible to the processor; and

memory accessible to the processor and bearing instructions executable by the processor to;

identify, at least in part based on input from the at least one camera, a source of sound; and

based at least in part on input from at least one microphone, execute beamforming and provide audio at a hearing aid comprising sound from the source.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the source of sound is a fast source of sound, and wherein the audio comprises sound from the first source but at least substantially not sound from at least a second source.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the audio comprises sound at least substantially only from the source.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein the source is a first source, and wherein audio comprising sound at least substantially only from the source comprises ambient sound and sound from the first source but at least substantially not sound from a second source.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein the instructions are executable to identify, at least in part based on input from the at least one camera, the second source of sound.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least one microphone comprises an array of microphones.

7. The device of claim 6, comprising the array and the hearing aid, wherein the army of microphones is disposed on the hearing aid.

8. The device of claim 6, wherein the device wirelessly communicates with the hearing aid.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the instructions to identify the source of sound comprise instructions to use one or more of facial recognition, object recognition, and eye tracking.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the source of sound is identified at least in part based on a determination using input from the at least one camera that a user is looking at the source of sound for at least a threshold amount of time.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the input from the camera comprises at least one image, and wherein the source of sound is identified at least in pact based on a determination that at least one object in at least one image from the camera is capable of producing sound.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein the input from the camera comprises at least one image, and wherein the source of sound is identified at least in part based on pixels in at least one image from the camera corresponding to a location of a person'"'"'s mouth.

13. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least one microphone is disposed on the hearing aid, and wherein the instructions are executable by the processor to:

execute the beamforming based on the hearing aid being oriented in a first orientation; and

alter the beamforming and continue to provide audio at the bearing aid comprising sound from the source in response to a change in orientation of the hearing aid from the first orientation to a second orientation different from the first orientation.

14. A method, comprising:

identifying, at least in part based on at least one image from at least one camera, at least one source of sound; and

based on the identifying of the source of sound and based at least in part on at least one signal from at least one microphone, performing signal processing on the at least one signal and presenting audio at a device comprising sound from the source.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the source of sound is a first source of sound, the method further comprising:

at least partially preventing from presentation at the device sound from sources other than the first source of sound.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the source of sound is a first source of sound, and wherein the method comprises:

identifying at least the first of sound and a second source of sound; and

performing signal processing on the at least one signal and presenting audio at the device comprising sound from the first source and from the second source, wherein audio from the first source is presented at the device at a first volume level greater than a second volume level at which audio from the second source is presented, and wherein both of the first volume level and the second volume level are greater than zero.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the second source is identified at least in part based on at least one signal from the at least one microphone.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the source of sound is a first source of sound, and wherein the method comprises:

identifying at least the first the source of sound and a second source of sound;

presenting, based at least in part on the signal processing, audio at the device comprising sound from the first source responsive to determining that a user is looking toward the first source; and

presenting, based at least in part on perforating signal processing, audio at the device comprising sound from the second source responsive to subsequently determining that the user is looking toward the second source.

19. The method of claim 18, comprising:

performing the signal processing and presenting the audio at least in part;

based on the identifying of the source of sound, based on the at least one signal from the at least one microphone, and in response to identifying a gesture from a user indicating the source of sound.

20. A device comprising:

a processor;

at least one sensor accessible to the processor; and

memory accessible to the processor and hearing instructions executable by the processor to;

identify, at least in part based on input from the sensor, an object capable of emitting sound; and

based at least in part on the identification, target the object for presentation, on at least one speaker, of sound emanating from the object.