MULTI-SOURCE AUDIO AMPLIFICATION AND EAR PROTECTION DEVICES

• US 20170048609A1
• Filed: 07/15/2016
• Published: 02/16/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Team IP Holdings, LLC
• Original Assignee: Hearing Lab Technology, LLC
• Inventors: Mann, Doug, Schnell, Timothy D.
• Granted Patent: US 10,111,014 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1041 Mechanical or electronic switches, or control elements switches in general H01H
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1083 Reduction of ambient noise active noise reduction per se G10K11/175; protective devices for the ear, e.g. providing acoustic protection A61F11/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2430/01 Aspects of volume control, not necessarily automatic, in sound systems
• 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

Abstract

Apparatus and methods for multi-source audio amplification and ear protection devices are provided herein. In certain configurations, an audio amplification and ear protection device includes at least one microphone that generates an ambient sound signal based on detecting ambient sound, at least one speaker, and an electrical system that controls sound outputted by the at least one speaker based on amplifying the ambient sound signal and a secondary sound source signal. The electrical system receives a first user-controlled volume signal that is operable to control an amount of amplification provided to the ambient sound signal, and a second user-controlled volume signal that is operable to control an amount of amplification provided to the secondary sound source signal.

Claims

1. An audio amplification and ear protection device comprising:

at least one microphone configured to generate an ambient sound signal based on detecting ambient sound;

at least one speaker; and

an electrical system configured to amplify the ambient sound signal and a secondary sound source signal, and to control the at least one speaker to simultaneously output sound based on the ambient sound signal and sound based on the secondary sound source signal,

wherein the electrical system is configured to receive a first user-controlled volume signal operable to control an amount of amplification provided to the ambient sound signal and a second user-controlled volume signal operable to control an amount of amplification provided to the secondary sound source signal.

2. The audio amplification and ear protection device of claim 1, wherein the device is a hearing aid.

3. The audio amplification and ear protection device of claim 1, further comprising a transceiver configured to wirelessly receive the secondary sound source signal.

4. The audio amplification and ear protection device of claim 3, wherein the transceiver comprises a Bluetooth transceiver.

5. The audio amplification and ear protection device of claim 1, further comprising an audio input port configured to receive the secondary sound source signal via a wired connection.

6. The audio amplification and ear protection device of claim 1, further comprising a built-in audio component configured to generate the secondary sound source signal.

7. The audio amplification and ear protection device of claim 1, further comprising an ambient sound control interface configured to generate the first user-controlled volume signal based on input from a user, and a secondary sound source control interface configured to generate the second user-controlled volume signal based on input from the user.

8. The audio amplification and ear protection device of claim 7, wherein at least one of the ambient sound control interface or the secondary sound control interface comprises a touch differentiated control.

9. The audio amplification and ear protection device of claim 8, wherein the touch differential control comprises a first knob of a first diameter, and a second knob of a second diameter greater than the first diameter.

10. The audio amplification and ear protection device of claim 1, wherein the electrical system is configured to wirelessly receive the first and second user-controlled volume signals.

11. The audio amplification and ear protection device of claim 1, wherein the at least one microphone comprises a first microphone operable to capture ambient sound from a first direction, and a second microphone configured to capture ambient sound from a second direction different from the first direction.

12. The audio amplification and ear protection device of claim 11, wherein the electrical system is configured to control sound outputted to a first speaker of the at least one speaker based on ambient sound captured by the first microphone and to separately control sound outputted to a second speaker of the at least one speaker based on ambient sound captured by the second microphone.

13. The audio amplification and ear protection device of claim 12, wherein the electrical system is configured to receive one or more user-controlled volume signals operable to separately control volume of sound outputted to the first speaker relative to volume of sound outputted to the second speaker.

14. The audio amplification and ear protection device of claim 12, further comprising a first ear piece including the first speaker and the first microphone, and a second ear piece comprising the second speaker and the second microphone.

15. The audio amplification and ear protection device of claim 14, further comprising a device body, wherein the at least one microphone further comprises a third microphone operable to capture ambient sound from a third direction different from the first direction and the second direction, wherein the third microphone is located on the device body.

16. The audio amplification and ear protection device of claim 15, wherein the electrical system comprises a transceiver configured to wirelessly receive the secondary sound source signal and to wirelessly transmit ambient sound detected by the third microphone.

17. The audio amplification and ear protection device of claim 16, wherein the device body comprises a first arm, a second arm, and a neck loop connecting the first and second arms, wherein the third microphone is integrated within a perforated acoustic grating of the first arm or the second arm.

18. The audio amplification and ear protection device of claim 14, wherein the first ear piece comprises a first ear plug configured for insertion in a first ear of a user, and wherein the second ear piece comprises a second ear plug configured for insertion in a second ear of a user.

19. The audio amplification and ear protection device of claim 14, wherein the first ear piece comprises a first ear cup configured to enclose a first ear of a user, and wherein the second ear piece comprises a second ear cup configured to enclose a second ear of a user.

20. The audio amplification and ear protection device of claim 1, wherein the electrical system comprises an automatic gain controller configured to limit a maximum volume of sound outputted by the at least one speaker.

21. The audio amplification and ear protection device of claim 20, wherein the electrical system operates in a compression mode for a duration time after detecting an ambient sound event above a threshold, wherein the electrical system is configured to decrease the amount of amplification provided to the ambient sound signal without user input in the compression mode.

22. The audio amplification and ear protection device of claim 1, wherein the electrical system is operable in a plurality of user-selectable operating modes, wherein the electrical system is configured to process at least one of the ambient sound signal or the secondary sound source signal differently in each of the user-selectable operating modes.

23. The audio amplification and ear protection device of claim 22, wherein the electrical system provides frequency-dependent amplification to at least one of the ambient sound signal or the secondary sound source signal in one or more of the plurality of user-selectable operating modes.

24. A method of processing sound in an audio amplification and ear protection device, the method comprising:

generating an ambient sound signal based on detecting ambient sound using at least one microphone;

using one or more speakers to simultaneously output sound based on the ambient sound signal and sound based on a secondary sound signal;

receiving a first user-controlled volume signal as an input to the electrical system;

controlling an amount of amplification to the ambient sound signal provided by an electrical system based on the first user-controlled volume signal;

receiving a second user-controlled volume signal as an input to the electrical system; and

controlling an amount of amplification to the secondary sound source signal provided by the electrical system based on the second user-controlled volume signal.

25. An apparatus comprising:

a first ear piece comprising;

a first microphone configured to generate an ambient sound signal based on detecting ambient sound, and

a first speaker configured to output sound based on both the ambient sound signal and a secondary sound source signal; and

electronic circuitry configured to simultaneously amplify the ambient sound signal and the secondary sound source signal,

wherein the electronic circuitry is configured to receive a first user-controlled volume signal operable to control an amount of amplification provided to the ambient sound signal and a second user-controlled volume signal operable to control an amount of amplification provided to the secondary sound source signal.