Active acoustic filter with socially determined location-based filter characteristics

• US 9,305,568 B2
• Filed: 11/03/2015
• Issued: 04/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation (Dolby Laboratories Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Doppler Labs, Inc.
• Inventors: Wiggins, Dan, Kraft, Noah, Lanman, III, Richard Fritz
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhang, Leshui
• Application Number:
  US14/930,887
• Publication Number:
  US 20160055861A1
• Time in Patent Office: 154 Days
• Field of Search: 381/23.1, 381/92, 381/26, 381/56, 381/57, 381/60, 381/312, 381/313, 381/314, 381/315, 381/317, 381/318, 381/320, 381/321, 381/61, 381/66, 381/72, 381/74, 381/73.1, 381/86, 381/91, 381/93, 381/94.1, 381/94.2, 381/94.3, 381/94.4, 381/94.7, 381/94.8, 381/94.9, 381/95, 381/96, 381/97, 381/98, 381/99, 381/100, 381/101, 381/102, 381/103, 381/120, 381/121, 381/122, 381 711- 7114, 381/334, 455/414.1, 455/414.2, 455/404.2, 455/404.1, 455/440, 455/422.1, 455/456.1, 455/456.2, 455/456.3, 455/456.4, 455/456.6, 455/457, 704/E19.013, 704/E19.014, 704E21002-E21009, 704/E21.014, 37940601-40616, 700/94
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2021/02082 the noise being echo, reverberation of the speech
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/0208 Noise filtering
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1016 Earpieces of the intra-aural type
• 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 2225/55 Communication between hearing aids and external devices via a network for data exchange
• 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 3/04 for correcting frequency response
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

There is disclosed active acoustic filter systems and methods. A processor is disposed within a housing configured to interface with a user'"'"'s ear. A memory stores data defining one or more locations and a respective set of location-based processing parameters associated with each of the one or more locations. A personal computing device external to the housing is coupled to the processor via a first wireless communications link. The personal computing device determines a current location of the active acoustic filter system. The processor generates digitized processed sound by processing digitized ambient sound in accordance with a set of location-based processing parameters retrieved from the memory, the retrieved set of location-based processing parameters associated with the current location of the active acoustic filter system as determined by the personal computing device.

Claims

1. An active acoustic filter system, comprising:

a housing configured to interface with a user'"'"'s ear;

an input subsystem disposed within the housing and comprising a microphone to receive ambient sound and generate ambient sound signals, a preamplifier and an analog to digital converter coupled to one another, the input subsystem configured to convert the ambient sound signals into digitized ambient sound signals;

a memory storing data defining one or more locations and a respective set of location-based processing parameters corresponding with each of the one or more locations;

a geolocation engine configured to determine a current location of the active acoustic filter system;

a processor disposed within the housing and coupled to the input subsystem, wherein the processor generates digitized processed sound signals by processing the digitized ambient sound signals in accordance with the set of location-based processing parameters stored in the memory which corresponds to the determined current location of the active acoustic filter system provided by the geolocation engine; and

an output subsystem disposed within the housing and coupled to the processor, the output subsystem comprising a digital to analog converter, an amplifier and a speaker coupled to one another, the output subsystem configured to convert the digitized processed sound signals into processed output sounds for the user'"'"'s ear through the speaker;

wherein at least one of the sets of location-based processing parameters comprises a collection and average of processing parameters set by a plurality of users within the determined current location for the processing of the digitized ambient sound signals.

2. The active acoustic filter of claim 1, wherein:

the housing is an earbud housing configured to fit, at least partially, within and be supported by a user'"'"'s ear.

3. The active acoustic filter system of claim 1, wherein:

the processor is further to add a secondary audio feed to the digitized processed sound signals, the secondary audio feed received from a device external to the active acoustic filter system.

4. The active acoustic filter system of claim 1, wherein:

the processor is further configured to add a secondary audio feed to the digitized processed sound signals.

5. The active acoustic filter system of claim 1, wherein processing digitized ambient sound signals includes one or more of equalization, reverberation and noise suppression.

6. A method for processing ambient sound to provide processed sound to an ear of a user in an active acoustic filter system, comprising:

determining a current location of the active acoustic filter system by a geolocation engine;

retrieving, from a memory which stores data defining one or more locations and a respective set of location-based processing parameters associated with each of the one or more locations, the set of location-based processing parameters which corresponds to the determined current location;

converting ambient sound signals into digitized ambient sound signals;

processing the digitized ambient sound signals in accordance with the retrieved location-based processing parameters to provide digitized processed sound signals, the processing performed by a processor within a housing configured to interface with the ear of the user;

converting the digitized processed sound signals into processed output sound for the user'"'"'s ear;

wherein at least one of the stored sets of location-based processing parameters comprises a collection and average of processing parameters set by a plurality of users within the determined current location for the processing of the digitized ambient sound signals.

7. The method for processing ambient sound of claim 6, further comprising:

the processor adding a secondary audio feed to the digitized processed sound signals, the secondary audio feed received by the processor via a wireless communications link.

8. The method for processing ambient sound of claim 6, wherein processing the ambient sound signals includes one or more of equalization, reverberation and noise suppression.

9. The method for processing ambient sound of claim 6, wherein the housing is an earbud housing configured to fit, at least partially, within and be supported by the user'"'"'s ear.