Systems and methods for positioning a user of a hands-free intercommunication system

• US 9,779,593 B2
• Filed: 08/15/2014
• Issued: 10/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/2014
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Elwha LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Elwha LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Cheatham, III, Jesse R., Hyde, Roderick A., Ishikawa, Muriel Y., Kare, Jordin T., Mundie, Craig J., Myhrvold, Nathan P., Petroski, Robert C., Rudder, Eric D., Tan, Desney S., Tegreene, Clarence T., Whitmer, Charles, Wilson, Andrew, Wing, Jeannette M., Wood, Jr., Lowell L., Wood, Victoria Y. H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): Zhu, Qin
• Application Number:
  US14/461,106
• Publication Number:
  US 20160049052A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,145 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 7/00 Signalling systems according to more than one of groups G08B3/00 - G08B6/00; Personal calling systems according to more than one of groups G08B3/00 - G08B6/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/025 Door telephones adapted for television H04N7/186
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/142 Constructional details of the terminal equipment, e.g. arrangements of the camera and the display
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/186 Video door telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/323 for loudspeakers H04R1/34 and H04R1/40 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/326 for microphones H04R1/34 and H04R1/40 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2217/03 Parametric transducers where sound is generated or captured by the acoustic demodulation of amplitude modulated ultrasonic waves
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/00 Circuits for transducers , loudspeakers or microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/303 Tracking of listener position or orientation
• 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

A hands-free intercom may include a user-tracking sensor, a directional microphone, a directional sound emitter, a display device, and/or a communication interface. The user-tracking sensor may determine a location of a user so the directional microphone can measure vocal emissions by the user and the directional sound emitter can deliver audio to the user. The hands-free intercom may induce the user to move to a desired location and/or to stay within a connectivity area. The hands-free intercom may also or instead induce the user to face in a desired orientation. The directional sound emitter and/or the display device may induce the user by explicitly indicating the desired location, by adjusting an apparent source of the audio or video, by changing quality of delivered audio or video based on user position, by producing irritating audio or video, and/or the like.

Claims

1. A hands-free intercommunication system for positioning a user, the system comprising:

a directional microphone configured to measure vocal emissions by the user;

a directional sound emitter configured to deliver audio to the user by emitting ultrasonic sound waves modulated at audible frequencies of the audio, the ultrasonic sound waves selected to interfere with each other (i) in the air that is near the ears of the user or (ii) in a nonlinear acoustic material on or in the user such that the audio is delivered to the ears of the user; and

a communication interface configured to communicatively couple the directional microphone and the directional sound emitter to a communication device of a remote entity,

wherein the directional sound emitter is configured to produce;

a first audio signal from the remote entity when the user is within a desired location, and

a second audio signal from the remote entity when the user is not within the desired location, the second audio signal being transmitted alongside the first audio signal and used to induce the user to return to the desired location.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the directional sound emitter is configured to degrade sound quality when the user is outside the desired location.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the directional sound emitter is configured to decrease the volume when the user is outside the desired location.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the directional sound emitter is configured to decrease an audio bit rate when the user is outside the desired location.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the second audio signal comprises an overlaid distortion when the user is outside the desired location.

6. The system of claim 2, wherein the directional sound emitter is configured to degrade the sound quality based on a loss in quality of the measured vocal emissions.

7. The system of claim 2, wherein the directional sound emitter is configured to degrade the sound quality based on a distance of the user from the desired location.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the directional sound emitter is configured to increase the volume when the user is outside the desired location.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the directional sound emitter is configured to play an audio feedback sound when the user is outside the desired location.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the directional sound emitter is configured to cause the audio to appear as though it is coming from the desired location.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the directional sound emitter is configured to adjust a relative volume of the audio delivered to each ear of the user.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the directional sound emitter is configured to adjust a relative time delay of the audio delivered to each ear of the user.

13. A hands-free intercommunication system for positioning a user, the system comprising:

a directional microphone configured to measure vocal emissions by the user;

a directional sound emitter configured to deliver audio to the user by emitting ultrasonic sound waves modulated at audible frequencies of the audio, the ultrasonic sound waves selected to interfere with each other (i) in the air that is near the ears of the user or (ii) in a nonlinear acoustic material on or in the user such that the audio is delivered to the ears of the user;

a display configured to deliver video to the user; and

a communication interface configured to communicatively couple the directional microphone and the directional sound emitter to a communication device of a remote entity,

wherein the directional sound emitter is configured to produce;

a first audio signal from the remote entity when the user is facing the display within a desired location, and

a second audio signal from the remote entity when the user is not facing the display, the second audio signal being transmitted alongside the first audio signal and used to induce the user to face the display.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the display is configured to adjust the delivered video to induce the user to move to the desired location.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the display is configured to project the video into one or more eyes of the user, and wherein the display adjusts the video to induce the user to move to the desired location.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the display is configured to provide an indication of the desired location.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the indication of the desired location comprises text.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the indication of the desired location comprises an arrow.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the indication of the desired location comprises a map displaying the desired location.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the indication of the desired location comprises a map displaying a boundary where the directional microphone, the directional sound emitter, or the display will lose connectivity with the user.

21. The system of claim 13, wherein the display is configured to display boundary lines for the desired location.

22. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising program code configured to cause a processor to perform a method for positioning a user, the method comprising:

causing a directional microphone to measure vocal emissions by the user;

causing a directional sound emitter to deliver audio to the user by emitting ultrasonic sound waves modulated at audible frequencies of the audio, the ultrasonic sound waves selected to interfere with each other (i) in the air that is near the ears of the user or (ii) in a nonlinear acoustic material on or in the user such that the audio is delivered to the ears of the user;

communicatively coupling the directional microphone and the directional sound emitter to a communication device of a remote entity; and

causing the directional sound emitter to produce;

a first audio signal from the remote entity when the user is within a desired location, and

a second audio signal from the remote entity when the user is not within the desired location, the second audio signal being transmitted alongside the first audio signal and used to induce the user to move to the desired location.

23. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 22, wherein causing the directional sound emitter to induce the user to move comprises causing the directional sound emitter to provide a vocal indication of the desired location.

24. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 22, wherein causing the directional sound emitter to induce the user to move comprises causing the directional sound emitter to provide a vocal indication that the user is outside the desired location.

25. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 22, wherein causing the directional sound emitter to induce the user to move comprises causing the directional sound emitter to provide a vocal indication of a distance until the user reaches a boundary where the directional microphone or the directional sound emitter will lose connectivity with the user.

26. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 22, wherein causing the directional sound emitter to induce the user to move comprises causing the directional sound emitter to provide one of a plurality of vocal indications that the user is outside the desired location, wherein the one of the plurality of vocal indications is selected based on a distance of the user from the desired location.

27. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 22, wherein the method further comprises causing the directional sound emitter to induce the user to face in a desired orientation.

28. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 27, wherein causing the directional sound emitter to induce the user to face in the desired orientation comprises causing the directional sound emitter to induce the user to face a camera.

29. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 27, wherein causing the directional sound emitter to induce the user to face in the desired orientation comprises causing the directional sound emitter to cause the audio to appear as though it is coming from the desired orientation.

30. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 27, wherein causing the directional sound emitter to induce the user to face in the desired orientation comprises causing the directional sound emitter to degrade sound quality when the user is facing away from the desired orientation.

31. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 27, wherein causing the directional sound emitter to induce the user to face in the desired orientation comprises causing the directional sound emitter to play the second audio signal when the user is facing away from the desired orientation.

32. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 27, wherein causing the directional sound emitter to induce the user to face in the desired orientation comprises causing the directional sound emitter to provide a vocal indication of the desired orientation.

33. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 27, wherein causing the directional sound emitter to induce the user to face in the desired orientation comprises causing the directional sound emitter to provide a vocal indication that the user is facing away from the desired orientation.

34. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising program code configured to cause a processor to perform a method for positioning a user, the method comprising:

causing a directional microphone to measure vocal emissions by the user;

causing a directional sound emitter to deliver audio to the user by emitting ultrasonic sound waves modulated at audible frequencies of the audio, the ultrasonic sound waves selected to interfere with each other (I) in the air that is near the ears of the user or (ii) in a nonlinear acoustic material on or in the user such that the audio is delivered to the ears of the user;

causing a display to deliver video to the user;

communicatively coupling the directional microphone and the directional sound emitter to a communication device of a remote entity;

causing the directional sound emitter to produce;

a first audio signal from the remote entity when the user is facing the display within a desired location, and

a second audio signal from the remote entity when the user is not facing the display, the second audio signal being transmitted alongside the first audio signal and used to induce the user to face the display.

35. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 34, wherein the method further comprises causing the display to induce the user to move to the desired location in response to a visual stimulus indicating the user is moving away from the desired location.

36. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 34, wherein the method further comprises causing the display to induce the user to move to the desired location by causing the display to degrade video quality when the user is outside the desired location.

37. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 34, wherein the method further comprises causing the display to induce the user to move to the desired location by causing the display to increase brightness when the user is outside the desired location.

38. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 34, wherein the method further comprises causing the display to induce the user to face in a desired orientation.