Time heuristic audio control

• US 9,560,437 B2
• Filed: 10/30/2015
• Issued: 01/31/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation (Dolby Laboratories Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Doppler Labs, Inc.
• Inventors: Baker, Jeff, Lanman, III, Richard Fritz, Kraft, Noah, Jaffe, Matthew J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhang, Leshui
• Application Number:
  US14/928,996
• Publication Number:
  US 20160057526A1
• Time in Patent Office: 459 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: 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 2227/003 Digital PA systems using, e.g. LAN or internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
• 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 27/00 Public address systems circuits for preventing acoustic reaction H04R3/02; circuits for distributing signals to loudspeakers H04R3/12; monitoring or testing arrangements for public address systems H04R29/007; amplifiers H03F
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

A time heuristic audio control system, comprises a receiver for receiving time-based data from a personal computing device and a memory storing one or more sets processing parameters comprising instructions for processing the ambient sound based upon the time-based data. The system further includes a processor coupled to the memory and the receiver configured to adjust the ambient sound as directed by a selected set of processing parameters retrieved from the memory to create adjusted audio, the selected set of processing parameters retrieved based upon the time-based data and at least one speaker for outputting the adjusted audio.

Claims

1. A time heuristic audio system, comprising:

a receiver configured to receive time-based data, the time-based data at least indicating that the time heuristic audio system is scheduled to move to a particular event or a particular location at a predetermined time where the particular event or particular location is expected to have predetermined ambient sound characteristics;

an audio processing system configured to receive ambient sound and to convert the ambient sound into a digitized ambient sound signal;

a memory storing one or more sets of processing parameters comprising instructions for processing the digitized ambient sound signal based upon the time-based data; and

a processor coupled to the memory and the receiver, the processor configured to;

in response to manually altered processing parameters entered by a user via a user interface, store the time-based data and the manually altered processing parameters together in the memory;

in the event the time-based data and the manually altered processing parameters are stored together in the memory more than a threshold number of times, update the instructions stored in the memory to retrieve the manually altered processing parameters when the time-based data occurs;

compare current time data to the time-based data;

in the event the current time data matches the time-based data and the instructions stored in the memory have been updated, adjust the digitized ambient sound signal according to the manually altered processing parameters stored in the memory to create an adjusted digitized sound signal; and

in the event the current time data matches the time-based data and the instructions stored in the memory have not been updated, adjust the digitized ambient sound signal as directed by a selected set of processing parameters retrieved from the memory to create the adjusted digitized sound signal, the selected set of processing parameters retrieved based upon the time-based data

wherein the audio processing system is configured to convert the adjusted digitized sound signal into adjusted ambient sound for output using at least one speaker.

2. The time heuristic audio system of claim 1 wherein the time-based data is a selected one of:

data from a digital calendar indicating that a user is currently present in at a particular location, data comprising the present time in a location, data obtained from a series of past user actions suggesting that the user is taking part in a particular activity, data obtained from an email account suggesting that the user is currently present at a particular location, data obtained from an email account suggesting that the user is currently viewing one of a particular artist, a particular sporting event, a particular activity, or taking part in a particular activity, data from an instant messaging or short message service suggesting that the user is currently present at a particular location, data obtained from an application operating on a personal computing device, and data obtained from an instant messaging or short message service suggesting that the user is currently viewing one of a particular artist, a particular sporting event, a particular activity, or taking part in a particular activity.

3. The time heuristic audio system of claim 2 wherein the time based data is used in conjunction with a secondary source of data comprising one of the Internet, a database, or a data repository available via a network to the processor to select the selected set of processing parameters for retrieval.

4. The time heuristic audio system of claim 1 wherein the digitized ambient sound signal is adjusted based upon the time-based data so as to perform one or more of the following:

lower overall volume, increase overall volume, lower relative volume or attenuate the adjusted ambient sound signal within a first predetermined frequency range, raise the relative volume of the adjusted ambient sound signal within a second predetermined frequency, raise relative volume of a nearby sound while lowering the volume of sounds further away, raise the relative volume of a particular sound source, based upon characteristics of the particular sound source which were previously categorized, and raise relative volume of one or more particular sound sources based upon the time-based data indicating that the one or more particular sound sources are taking part in an event involving a user of the time heuristic audio system.

5. The time heuristic audio system of claim 1 wherein:

the one or more sets processing parameters stored in the memory further comprise instructions for processing secondary audio from at least one secondary audio source based upon the time-based data; and

the processor is further configured to adjust the secondary audio as directed by the selected set of processing parameters retrieved from the memory to create adjusted secondary audio and to combine the adjusted secondary audio with the adjusted digitized sound signal.

6. The time heuristic audio system of claim 1 wherein the selected set of processing parameters is automatically selected based upon more than one prior user selection of the selected set of processing parameters when the time-based data indicates that a user of the time heuristic audio system is in the particular location or at the particular event.

7. The time heuristic audio system of claim 6 wherein the processor is further for:

determining, based upon time-based data, that the user is at the particular location or the particular event; and

automatically selecting the stored processing parameters as the selected set of processing parameters.

8. The time heuristic audio system of claim 1 wherein the selected set of processing parameters is automatically selected based upon information provided by a participant in an event identified by the time-based data.

9. The time heuristic audio system of claim 1 wherein the processor is further for:

determining, based upon the time-based data, that the user is at the particular location or the particular event and that the user has selected the selected set of processing parameters for at least a second time; and

storing the selected set of processing parameters as stored processing parameters to be automatically selected when time-based data received later indicates that the user is at the particular location or the particular event.

10. The time heuristic audio system of claim 1 further comprising a personal computing device, coupled to the processor via a wireless communication link.

11. The time heuristic audio system of claim 10 wherein the personal computing device operates as a source of the time-based data, the personal computing device comprising:

a second memory storing at least one time-based data source; and

a transmitter for transmitting the time-based data to the receiver.

12. The time heuristic audio system of claim 1, wherein the audio processing system comprises:

a housing enclosing at least a portion of the processor and at least a portion of the memory;

at least one microphone for receiving the ambient sound, converting the ambient sound into electrical signals, and for providing the ambient sound in the form of the electrical signals to a preamplifier;

the preamplifier coupled to an analog to digital converter and the analog to digital converter configured to convert the ambient sound into the digitized ambient sound signal for operation by the processor; and

a digital to analog converter, an amplifier, and the at least one speaker to convert the adjusted digitized sound signal from the processor into the adjusted ambient sound, wherein

the at least one microphone, the preamplifier, the analog to digital converter, the digital to analog converter, the amplifier, and the at least one speaker are disposed within the housing.

13. The time heuristic audio system of claim 12 wherein the housing is an earbud housing configured to fit, at least partially, within and be supported by a user'"'"'s ear.

14. The time heuristic audio system of claim 1 wherein the time-based data is used in conjunction with ambient sound characterization performed by the time heuristic audio system to identify when the selected set of processing parameters should begin being used to process the digitized ambient sound signal so as to derive the adjusted ambient sound.

15. A method for time heuristic audio control, comprising:

storing in a memory one or more sets processing parameters comprising instructions for processing the ambient sound based upon received time-based data;

receiving time-based data at a receiver, the time-based data indicating that a user is scheduled to move to a particular event or a particular location where the particular event or particular location is expected to have predetermined ambient sound characteristics;

receiving ambient sound and converting the ambient sound into a digitized ambient sound signal;

in response to manually altered processing parameters entered by a user via a user interface, storing the time-based data and the manually altered processing parameters together in the memory;

in the event the time-based data and the manually altered processing parameters are stored together in the memory more than a threshold number of times, updating the instructions stored in the memory to retrieve the manually altered processing parameters when the time-based data occurs;

comparing current time data to the time-based data;

in the event the current time data matches the time-based data and the instructions stored in the memory have been updated, adjusting, by a processor, the digitized ambient sound signal according to the manually altered processing parameters stored in the memory to create an adjusted digitized sound signal;

in the event the current time data matches the time-based data and the instructions stored in the memory have not been updated, adjusting, by the processor, the digitized ambient sound signal as directed by a selected set of processing parameters retrieved from the memory to create the adjusted digitized sound signal, the selected set of processing parameters selected based upon the time-based data;

converting the adjusted digitized sound signal into adjusted ambient sound; and

outputting the adjusted ambient sound using at least one speaker.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the time-based data is a selected one of:

data from a digital calendar indicating that a user is currently present in at a particular location, data comprising a present time in a location, data obtained from a series of past user actions suggesting that the user is taking part in a particular activity, data obtained from an email account suggesting that the user is currently present at a particular location, data obtained from an email account suggesting that the user is currently viewing one of a particular artist, a particular sporting event, a particular activity, or taking part in a particular activity, data from an instant messaging or short message service suggesting that the user is currently present at a particular location, data obtained from an application operating on a personal computing device, and data obtained from an instant messaging or short message service suggesting that the user is currently viewing one of a particular artist, a particular sporting event, a particular activity, or taking part in a particular activity.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the time based data is used in conjunction with a secondary source of data comprising one of the Internet, a database, or a data repository available via a network to the processor to select the selected set of processing parameters for retrieval.

18. The method of claim 15 wherein the digitized ambient sound signal is adjusted based upon the time-based data so as to perform one or more of the following:

lower overall volume, increase overall volume, lower relative volume or attenuate the ambient sound within a first predetermined frequency range, raise the relative volume of the ambient sound within a second predetermined frequency, raise the relative volume of a nearby sound while lowering the volume of sounds further away, raise relative volume of a particular sound source, based upon characteristics of the particular sound source which were previously categorized, and raise relative volume of one or more particular sound sources based upon the time-based data indicating that the one or more particular sound sources are taking part in an event involving a user of the system.

19. The method of claim 15 wherein:

the one or more sets comprise instructions for processing secondary audio from at least one secondary audio source based upon the time-based data; and

the secondary audio is adjusted as directed by the selected set of processing parameters retrieved from the memory and combined with the adjusted digitized sound signal.

20. The method of claim 15 wherein the selected set of processing parameters is automatically selected based upon more than one prior user selection of the selected set of processing parameters when the time-based data indicates that a user of a time heuristic audio system used in the particular location or at the particular event.

21. The method of claim 15 wherein the selected set of processing parameters is automatically selected based upon information provided by a participant in an event identified by the time-based data.

22. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

determining, based upon the time-based data, that the user is at the particular location or the particular event and that the user has selected the selected set of processing parameters for at least a second time; and

storing the selected set of processing parameters as stored processing parameters to be automatically selected when time-based data received later indicates that the user is at the particular location or the particular event.

23. The method of claim 22 further comprising:

determining, based upon time-based data, that the user is at the particular location or the particular event; and

automatically selecting the stored processing parameters as the selected set of processing parameters.

24. The method of claim 15 wherein a personal computing device operates as a source of the time-based data, the personal computing device for:

storing at least one time-based data source; and

transmitting the time-based data for reception by the receiver.

25. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

performing ambient sound characterization; and

using the time-based data in conjunction with the ambient sound characterization to identify when the selected set of processing parameters should begin being used to process the ambient sound so as to generate the adjusted ambient sound for output.