Vehicle with ear piece to provide audio safety

• US 20170156000A1
• Filed: 11/21/2016
• Published: 06/01/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2015
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Bragi GmbH
• Original Assignee: Bragi GmbH
• Inventors: Boesen, Peter Vincent
• Application Number:
  US15/356,909
• Publication Number:
  US 20170156000A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 3/3005 in amplifiers suitable for low-frequencies, e.g. audio amplifiers H03G3/32, H03G3/34 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6066 including a wireless connection
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1016 Earpieces of the intra-aural type
• 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 2499/13 Acoustic transducers and sound field adaptation in vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 29/001 for loudspeakers H04R29/007 takes precedence

Abstract

An earpiece includes an earpiece housing, a speaker associated with the ear piece housing, a microphone associated with the ear piece housing a wireless transceiver disposed within the ear piece housing and a processor disposed within the ear piece housing. The earpiece is configured to connect with a vehicle using the wireless transceiver and after connection with the vehicle automatically enter a driving mode. In the driving mode, the earpiece senses ambient sound with the microphone and reproduces the ambient sound at the speaker.

Claims

1. An earpiece comprising:

an earpiece housing;

a speaker associated with the ear piece housing;

a microphone associated with the ear piece housing;

a wireless transceiver disposed within the ear piece housing;

an intelligent control system disposed within the ear piece housing;

wherein the earpiece is configured to connect with a vehicle using the wireless transceiver and after connection with the vehicle automatically enter a driving mode;

wherein in the driving mode, the earpiece senses ambient sound with the microphone and reproduces the ambient sound at the speaker.

2. The earpiece of claim 1 wherein the earpiece persistently maintains the driving mode while a user of the earpiece is driving the vehicle.

3. The earpiece of claim 1 wherein the earpiece is locked in the driving mode while a user of the earpiece is driving the vehicle.

4. The earpiece of claim 1 wherein the earpiece is further configured to receive audio from one or more microphones of the vehicle.

5. The earpiece of claim 3 wherein one of the microphones of the vehicle is outside of a vehicle cabin of the vehicle.

6. The earpiece of claim 3 wherein one of the microphones of the vehicle is within a vehicle cabin of the vehicle.

7. The earpiece of claim 1 wherein the intelligent control system is adapted to process the ambient sound to remove noise.

8. The earpiece of claim 1 wherein the intelligent control system is adapted to combine the ambient sound and an audio stream.

9. The earpiece of claim 1 wherein the intelligent control system is adapted to reduce the amplitude of the ambient sound.

10. The earpiece of claim 1 wherein the intelligent control system is adapted to increase the amplitude of the ambient sound or portions thereof.

11. A method comprising:

providing an earpiece comprising an ear piece housing, a speaker, a microphone, an intelligent control system operatively connected to the microphone and the speaker, and a transceiver disposed within the ear piece housing and operatively connected to the intelligent control system;

communicating data from a vehicle to the earpiece to put the earpiece in a driving mode. wherein in the driving mode ambient sound sensed with the microphone of the ear piece is reproduced at the speaker of the ear piece.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising providing the vehicle, the vehicle comprising a vehicle transceiver for operative communication with the transceiver of the ear piece.

13. The method of claim 11 further comprising communicating an audio stream from the vehicle to the ear piece.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising combining the audio stream from the vehicle with the ambient sound at the ear piece.

15. The method of claim 11 further comprising receiving audio from one or more vehicle microphones and communicating an audio stream containing the audio from the vehicle to the earpiece.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein at least one of the vehicle microphones is within a vehicle cabin of the vehicle.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein at least one of the vehicle microphones is outside of the vehicle cabin of the vehicle.

18. The method of claim 11 further comprising processing the ambient sound at the ear piece to change audio characteristics of the ambient sound.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the audio characteristics of the ambient sound include volume of the ambient sound.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the processing comprises increasing the volume of the ambient sound.