Apparatus, method and computer program

• US 8,477,957 B2
• Filed: 04/15/2009
• Issued: 07/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Kelloniemi, Antti Pekka, Knuuttila, Jouni Veikko
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Khanh V
• Application Number:
  US12/386,308
• Publication Number:
  US 20100266136A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,539 Days
• Field of Search: 381 711- 7114
• US Class Current: 381/71.6
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/17823 Reference signals, e.g. ambient acoustic environment
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/17853 of the filter
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/17857 Geometric disposition, e.g. placement of microphones
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/17881 the reference signal being an acoustic signal, e.g. recorded with a microphone
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/17885 additionally using a desired external signal, e.g. pass-through audio such as music or speech
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 2210/1081 Earphones, e.g. for telephones, ear protectors or headsets
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 2210/3028 Filtering, e.g. Kalman filters or special analogue or digital filters
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 2210/51 Improving tonal quality, e.g. mimicking sports cars
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1016 Earpieces of the intra-aural type

Abstract

An apparatus, method and computer program, the apparatus including includes a housing configured to be positioned in a user'"'"'s external ear, a loudspeaker located at a first position within the housing and configured to provide an acoustic signal, a microphone configured to detect an acoustic signal located at a second position within the housing, a filter configured to filter an input signal provided to the loudspeaker; and a controller configured to enable the acoustic signal detected by the microphone to be used to provide a control signal to the filter.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a housing configured to be positioned in a user'"'"'s ear;

a loudspeaker located at a first position within the housing and configured to provide an acoustic signal;

a microphone located at a second position within the housing configured to detect an acoustic signal wherein the second position is different from the first position so that the microphone is positioned between the loudspeaker and a ear drum, wherein the acoustic signal provides an indication of acoustic characteristics of the user'"'"'s ear and/or an amount of leakage between the housing and the user'"'"'s ear;

a filter configured to filter an input signal provided to the loudspeaker; and

a controller configured to use an electrical signal provided by the microphone, based on the acoustic signal, to be used to provide a control signal for controlling the filter to determine an output for the loudspeaker.

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the microphone is configured to convert the detected acoustic signal into an electrical signal and provide the electrical signal to the controller.

3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein the acoustic signal detected by the microphone comprises a plurality of frequency components from the audible frequency range.

4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the controller is configured to use the electrical signal provided by the microphone to give an indication of individual characteristics of the user'"'"'s ear.

5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the controller is located within the housing.

6. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the apparatus comprises a further microphone configured to detect an acoustic signal located at a third position where the third position is displaced from the first position such that, in use, the further microphone is positioned between the loudspeaker and an environment external to the user'"'"'s ear.

7. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the apparatus comprises a feedback circuit which is used to control the acoustic signal provided by the loudspeaker.

8. An apparatus as claimed in claim 7 wherein the output signal of the microphone is provided to the feedback circuit.

9. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the controller is also configured to use signals detected by the microphone for active noise cancellation.

10. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the housing is configured so as to at least partially seal the ear canal of the user'"'"'s ear.

11. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the acoustic signal comprises a reference signal.

12. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the housing is configured to be positioned in a user'"'"'s external ear comprising an outer ear, an ear canal, and the eardrum.

13. A method comprising:

providing an acoustic signal towards an ear drum from a first position;

detecting an acoustic signal at a second position where the second position is displaced from the first position so that a microphone is positioned between a loudspeaker and the ear drum and the first position;

using the detected acoustic signal to provide a control signal to a filter for filtering an input signal and outputting a target output to the loudspeaker,

wherein the target output is unique to a user'"'"'s ear and the position of an apparatus within the user'"'"'s ear.

14. A method as claimed in claim 13 wherein the detected acoustic signal comprises a plurality of frequency components from the audible frequency range.

15. A method as claimed in claim 14 wherein the detected acoustic signal is used to give an indication of individual characteristics of a user'"'"'s ear.

16. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a program of machine-readable instructions for causing a processor to perform the method of claim 13.

17. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a program of machine-readable instructions executable by a digital processing apparatus of a computer system to perform operations for controlling computer system actions, the operations comprising:

providing an acoustic signal towards an ear drum from a first position;

detecting an acoustic signal by a microphone at a second position where the second position is displaced from the first position so that the microphone is between a loudspeaker and the ear drum; and

using the detected acoustic signals to provide a control signal to a filter for filtering an input signal and outputting a target output to the loudspeaker,

wherein the defined target output is unique to a user'"'"'s ear and the position of the apparatus within the user'"'"'s ear.

18. A physical entity embodying the program of machine-readable instructions as claimed in claim 17.

19. An electromagnetic carrier signal carrying the program of machine-readable instructions as claimed in claim 17.