Apparatus and method for enhancing an audio output from a target source

• US 9,426,568 B2
• Filed: 04/15/2014
• Issued: 08/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Harman International Industries Incorporated (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Harman International Industries LLC (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Lakkundi, Ravi, Konjeti, Srikanth, Ramesh, Anandhi
• Primary Examiner(s): SING, SIMON P
• Application Number:
  US14/253,063
• Publication Number:
  US 20150296289A1
• Time in Patent Office: 861 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2499/11 Transducers incorporated or for use in hand-held devices, e.g. mobile phones, PDA's, camera's
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/005 for combining the signals of two or more microphones specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407

Abstract

A computer-program product embodied in a non-transitory computer read-able medium that is programmed for transmitting audio data to at least one output for audio playback. The computer-program product comprises instructions for receiving at least one of a digital image of a target source using a camera, and distance and angle information of the target source entered at a user interface. The computer-program product comprises instructions for generating one or more first coordinates based on the at least one of the digital image and the distance and angle information. The computer-program product comprises instructions for adjusting a sensitivity of a first microphone based on the one or more first coordinates. The computer-program product comprises instructions for receiving audio data from the target source in response to adjusting the sensitivity of the first microphone and transmitting the audio data to one or more outputs for audio playback.

Claims

1. A computer-program product embodied in a non-transitory computer read-able medium that is programmed for transmitting audio data to one or more outputs for audio playback, the computer-program product comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving at least one of a digital image of a target source from a camera and distance and angle information of the target source at a user interface;

generating one or more first coordinates representing a location of the target source based on the at least one of the digital image and the distance and angle information;

receiving audio data from the target source in response to adjusting a sensitivity of a first microphone based on the one or more first coordinates;

transmitting the audio data to one or more outputs for audio playback;

receiving information from a gyroscope to determine if a mobile device has moved;

updating the one or more first coordinates based on the information to provide one or more second coordinates; and

adjusting the sensitivity of the first microphone via adaptive beamforming based on the one or more second coordinates.

2. The computer-program product of claim 1, further comprising instructions for adjusting the sensitivity of the first microphone via adaptive beamforming based on the one or more first coordinates.

3. The computer-program product of claim 1, further comprising instructions for receiving the audio data at the first microphone including a first amplitude;

receiving an off-axis noise at a second amplitude that is not from the target source with adaptive beamforming at a second microphone; and

determining a difference between the first amplitude and the second amplitude to provide a resultant amplitude.

4. The computer-program product of claim 3, further comprising instruction for adding the resultant amplitude to the first amplitude to increase a signal-to-noise ratio of the audio data.

5. The computer-program product of claim 1, further comprising instructions for adjusting a sensitivity of a second microphone via adaptive beamforming based on the one or more first coordinates and receiving audio data from the target source in response to adjusting the sensitivity of the second microphone.

6. The computer-program product of claim 1, further comprising instructions for requesting additional position data at the user interface;

updating the one or more first coordinates based on the addition position data to provide one or more second coordinates; and

adjusting the sensitivity of the first microphone via adaptive beamforming based on the one or more second coordinates.

7. The computer-program product of claim 6, wherein the addition position data includes at least one of distance, angle, and height of the target source.

8. The computer-program product of claim 7, further comprising instructions for receiving distance and angle data based on a mobile device position to the target source at the user interface;

and update the one or more coordinates based on the received distance and angle data.

9. The computer-program product of claim 8, wherein instructions for receiving distance and angle data based on a mobile device position include the instructions based on the information from the gyroscope.

10. The computer-program product of claim 1, further comprising additional instructions for receiving input from one or more sensors;

and monitor if a mobile device has been moved using the received input.

11. The computer-program product of claim 10, wherein the one or more sensors is at least one of a gyroscope and an accelerometer.

12. A mobile device for receiving audio data from a target source for playback at one or more outputs, the device comprising:

a camera; and

at least one control module configured to;

receive a digital image of a target source from the camera;

generate one or more first coordinates representing a location of the target source based on the digital image;

receive audio data from the target source in response to adjusting a sensitivity of a first microphone based on the one or more first coordinates;

transmit the audio data to one or more outputs for audio playback;

receive movement information from at least one of a gyroscope, an accelerometer, or both to determine if the control module has moved;

update the one or more first coordinates based on the movement information to provide one or more second coordinates; and

adjusting the sensitivity of the first microphone via adaptive beamforming based on the one or more second coordinates.

13. The mobile device of claim 12, wherein the at least one control module is further configured to adjust a sensitivity of a second microphone based on the one or more first coordinates and receive audio data from the target source in response to adjusting the sensitivity of the second microphone.

14. The mobile device of claim 13, wherein the at least one control module is further configured to adjust the sensitivity of at least one of the first microphone and the second microphone via adaptive beamforming based on the one or more first coordinates.

15. The mobile device of claim 12, wherein the at least one control module is further configured to receive the audio data at the first microphone including a first amplitude;

receive an off-axis noise at a second amplitude that is not from the target source with adaptive beamforming at a second microphone;

determine a difference between the first amplitude and the second amplitude to provide a resultant amplitude; and

add the resultant amplitude to the first amplitude to increase a signal-to-noise ratio of the audio data.

16. The mobile device of claim 12, wherein the at least one control module is further configured to request for target source location information at a user interface;

update the one or more first coordinates based on the target source location information to provide one or more second coordinates; and

adjust the sensitivity of the first microphone via adaptive beamforming based on the one or more second coordinates, wherein the target source location information is at least one of distance, angle, and height of the target source.

17. A method for transmitting audio data to one or more outputs for audio playback, the method comprising:

receiving, via a control module, at least one of a first digital image of a target source from a camera and distance and angle information of the target source at a user interface;

generating one or more first coordinates representing a location of the target source based on the at least one of the first digital image and the distance and angle information;

adjusting a sensitivity of a first microphone via adaptive beamforming based on the one or more first coordinates;

receiving audio data from the target source in response to adjusting the sensitivity of the first microphone;

transmitting the audio data to one or more outputs for audio playback;

receiving information from a gyroscope to determine if the control module has moved;

updating the one or more first coordinates with the information to provide one or more second coordinates; and

adjusting the sensitivity of the first microphone via adaptive beamforming based on the one or more second coordinates.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising receiving the audio data at the first microphone including a first amplitude;

receiving an off-axis noise at a second amplitude that is not from the target source with adaptive beamforming at a second microphone;

determining a difference between the first amplitude and the second amplitude to provide a resultant amplitude; and

adding the resultant amplitude to the first amplitude to increase a signal-to-noise ratio of the audio data.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

transmitting a request for a second digit image of the target source;

receiving the second digital image of the target source;

generating one or more second coordinates based on the second digital image of the target source; and

adjusting the sensitivity of the first microphone via adaptive beamforming based on the one or more second coordinates.

20. A computer-program product embodied in a non-transitory computer read-able medium that is programmed for transmitting audio data to one or more outputs for audio playback, the computer-program product comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving at least one of a digital image of a target source from a camera and distance and angle information of the target source at a user interface;

generating one or more first coordinates representing a location of the target source based on the at least one of the digital image and the distance and angle information;

receiving audio data from the target source in response to adjusting a sensitivity of a first microphone based on the one or more first coordinates; and

transmitting the audio data to one or more outputs for audio playback;

receiving accelerometer information from an accelerometer to determine if a mobile device has moved;

updating the one or more first coordinates based on the accelerometer information to provide one or more second coordinates; and

adjusting the sensitivity of the first microphone via adaptive beamforming based on the one or more second coordinates.

21. The computer-program product of claim 20, further comprising operations including adjusting a sensitivity of a second microphone based on the one or more first coordinates and receive audio data from the target source in response to adjusting the sensitivity of the second microphone.

22. The computer-program product of claim 21, further comprising operations including adjusting the sensitivity of at least one of the first microphone and the second microphone via adaptive beamforming based on the one or more first coordinates.

23. The computer-program product of claim 20, further comprising operations including receive the audio data at the first microphone including a first amplitude;

receiving an off-axis noise at a second amplitude that is not from the target source with adaptive beamforming at a second microphone;

determining a difference between the first amplitude and the second amplitude to provide a resultant amplitude; and

adding the resultant amplitude to the first amplitude to increase a signal-to-noise ratio of the audio data.