HEADPHONE AUDIO AND AMBIENT SOUND MIXER

• US 20170142511A1
• Filed: 11/15/2016
• Published: 05/18/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TV Ears, Inc.
• Original Assignee: TV Ears, Inc.
• Inventors: Dennis, George Joseph
• Granted Patent: US 9,936,297 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• 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 5/033 Headphones for stereophonic communication details thereof, e.g. relating to batteries, cables or control elements H04R1/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/04 Circuit arrangements, e.g. for selective connection of amplifier inputs/outputs to loudspeakers, for loudspeaker detection, or for adaptation of settings to personal preferences or hearing impairments combinations of amplifiers H03F3/68; stereophonic systems H04S

Abstract

A headphone set can enable the substantially simultaneous output of two or more audio sources to a user. The audio from the multiple sources may be mixed so that a listener can hear and understand audio received from multiple audio sources. Thus, in certain embodiments, a user can consume media and also engage in conversation with other users or listen to ambient sounds, such as a telephone ringing or an alarm. Further, a mobile device, such as a mobile phone, can mix audio from multiple sources enabling a user to consume audio from the device while also listening to ambient sound or audio received from a source other than the device, using currently-available headphones.

Claims

1. A headphone set comprising:

a left speaker housing comprising a left speaker;

a right speaker housing comprising a right speaker;

a connecting band connecting the left speaker housing with the right speaker housing; and

electronic audio mixing circuitry disposed in one or more of the left speaker housing, the right speaker housing, or the connecting band, the electronic audio mixing circuitry comprising;

an audio input configured to receive a first audio signal from an audio device over a wired or wireless connection;

a microphone configured to receive ambient audio from a user environment external to the headphone set and to convert the audio into a second audio signal;

a first volume control disposed in one of the left speaker housing and the right speaker housing, the first volume control movable by a user to adjust a first volume level associated with the first audio signal to produce an adjusted first audio signal;

a second volume control disposed in one of the left speaker housing and the right speaker housing, the second volume control movable by the user to adjust a second volume level associated with the second audio signal to produce an adjusted second audio signal; and

an audio mixer configured to mix the adjusted first audio signal with the adjusted second audio signal to obtain an audio output and to supply the audio output to one or both of the left speaker and the right speaker.

2. The headphone set of claim 1, wherein the audio mixer comprises a hardware audio mixer.

3. The headphone set of claim 1, wherein one or more of the left speaker or the right speaker are configured to output the audio output.

4. The headphone set of claim 1, wherein one of the left speaker or the right speaker is configured to output a first component of the audio output corresponding to the first audio signal and the other of the left speaker or the right speaker is configured to output a second component of the audio corresponding to the second audio signal.

5. The headphone set of claim 1, further comprising a wireless receiver configured to:

receive a volume control signal for adjusting an audio volume; and

provide the volume control signal to the first volume control, the second volume control, or both the first volume control and the second volume control.

6. The headphone set of claim 1, wherein the electronic audio mixing circuitry further comprises an amplifier configured to amplify one or more of the first audio signal or the second audio signal.

7. The headphone set of claim 1, wherein the first audio signal and the second audio signal are mixed using superposition.

8. The headphone set of claim 1, wherein the audio input device comprises a wireless receiver.

9. A speaker apparatus comprising:

an audio input configured to receive a first audio signal from an audio device;

a microphone configured to receive audio from a user environment and to convert the audio into a second audio signal;

a first volume control configured to adjust a first volume level associated with the first audio signal;

a second volume control configured to adjust a second volume level control associated with the second audio signal;

an audio mixer configured to mix the first audio signal with the second audio signal based at least in part on the first volume level and the second volume level to obtain an audio output; and

headphone speakers configured to output the audio output.

10. The speaker apparatus of claim 9, wherein the audio mixer comprises a hardware audio mixer.

11. The speaker apparatus of claim 9, wherein the headphone speakers further comprise a first speaker configured to output a first component of the audio output and a second speaker configured to output a second component of the audio output.

12. The speaker apparatus of claim 9, further comprising a wireless receiver configured to receive an input to the first volume control from an external volume control source, wherein the first volume control adjusts the first volume level based at least in part on the input to the first volume control.

13. The speaker apparatus of claim 9, further comprising a wireless receiver configured to receive an input to the second volume control from an external volume control source, wherein the second volume control adjusts the second volume level based at least in part on the input to the first volume control.

14. The speaker apparatus of claim 9, wherein the speaker apparatus further comprises an amplifier configured to amplify one or more of the first audio signal or the second audio signal.

15. The speaker apparatus of claim 9, wherein the first audio signal and the second audio signal are mixed using superposition.

16. The speaker apparatus of claim 9, wherein the audio input device comprises a wireless receiver.

17. A method of combining audio from a plurality of audio sources, the method comprising:

by a hardware audio mixer comprising one or more hardware processors;

receiving a first audio signal from a media device configured to output audio;

receiving, at a microphone, ambient audio from an environment that includes the media device;

converting the ambient audio to a second audio signal;

receiving a first volume level associated with the first audio signal;

receiving a second volume level associated with the ambient audio; and

mixing the first audio signal and the second audio signal based at least in part on the first volume level and the second volume level to obtain an audio output signal.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising mixing the first audio signal and the second audio signal using superposition.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising outputting the audio output signal via one or more speakers included in a set of headphones.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the media device includes the hardware audio mixer.