Advanced communication earpiece device and method

• US 10,097,149 B2
• Filed: 01/11/2016
• Issued: 10/09/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Eers Global Technologies Inc.
• Original Assignee: Eers Global Technologies Inc.
• Inventors: Voix, Jeremie, Laperle, Jean-Nicolas, Mazur, Jakub, Bernier, Antoine
• Primary Examiner(s): Goins, Davetta W
• Assistant Examiner(s): SELLERS, DANIEL R
• Application Number:
  US14/992,740
• Publication Number:
  US 20160126914A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,002 Days
• Field of Search: 381 57
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/0216 characterised by the method used for estimating noise
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 3/20 Automatic control H03G3/005 takes precedence; combined with volume compression or expansion H03G7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 3/32 the control being dependent upon ambient noise level or sound level
• 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 2201/107 Monophonic and stereophonic headphones with microphone for two-way hands free communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2410/01 Noise reduction using microphones having different directional characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2430/01 Aspects of volume control, not necessarily automatic, in sound systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2460/01 Hearing devices using active noise cancellation
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2460/05 Electronic compensation of the occlusion effect
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 29/001 for loudspeakers H04R29/007 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 29/004 for microphones H04R29/007 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/007 Protection circuits for transducers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/04 Circuit arrangements, e.g. for selective connection of amplifier inputs/outputs to loudspeakers, for loudspeaker detection, or for adaptation of settings to personal preferences or hearing impairments combinations of amplifiers H03F3/68; stereophonic systems H04S

Abstract

An earpiece device (10, 110, 210, 210′) provides advanced communication to the user thereof, for controlling a total sound dose (TND), including an audio output from an audio source (16) reaching an ear of the user occluded at the outer ear canal (15) by an in-ear device (14), for allowing an external ambient sound to be heard by the ear of the user, and for allowing a voice (NSV) of the user to be transmitted to a telecommunication transmission link (TTL). The present invention also contemplates a method of operation of the earpiece device (10, 110, 210, 210′).

Claims

1. A communication device for allowing a voice of a user to be transmitted to a telecommunication transmission link, said communication device comprising:

an in-ear device for substantially occluding an outer ear canal of the user, said in-ear device including an internal microphone for measuring a sound pressure level inside the occluded outer ear canal, and an external microphone for measuring an external ambient sound pressure level reaching the user'"'"'s ear, the internal and external measured sound pressure levels including respective acoustically deformed speech voice from the user; and

a controller device connecting to the internal and external microphones for receiving respective internal and external measured sound pressure levels, said controller device performing an evaluation of the external measured sound pressure level, digitally generating an enhanced natural speech voice signal from the internal sound pressure level depending on the evaluation when the external measured sound pressure level is larger than a noise threshold, and from both the internal and external sound pressure levels when the external measured sound pressure level is smaller or equal to the noise threshold, and transmitting the generated enhanced natural speech voice signal to the telecommunication transmission link;

wherein, when the external measured sound pressure level is smaller or equal to the noise threshold, said controller device generates the enhanced natural speech voice signal from both the internal and external sound pressure levels when the internal and external sound pressure levels correlate and/or are coherent with one another, and from the internal sound pressure level when the internal and external sound pressure levels do not correlate and/or are not coherent with one another.

2. The communication device of claim 1, wherein, when generating the enhanced natural speech voice signal from both the internal and external sound pressure levels, said controller device substantially combines, over a human voice frequency band, a high frequency portion of the external sound pressure level with a low frequency portion of the internal sound pressure level to generate the enhanced natural speech voice signal.

3. A method for transmitting a voice of a user wearing an in-ear device substantially occluding a user'"'"'s outer ear canal to a telecommunication transmission link, the in-ear device including an internal microphone for measuring a sound pressure level inside the occluded outer ear canal, and an external microphone for measuring an external ambient sound pressure level reaching the user'"'"'s ear, the internal and external measured sound pressure levels including respective acoustically deformed speech voice from the user, said method comprising the steps of:

measuring the internal and external sound pressure levels;

performing an evaluation of the external measured sound pressure level;

digitally generating an enhanced natural speech voice signal from the internal sound pressure level depending on the evaluation when the external measured sound pressure level is larger than a noise threshold, and, when the external measured sound pressure level is smaller or equal to the noise threshold, from both the internal and external sound pressure levels when the internal and external sound pressure levels correlate and/or are coherent with one another, and from the internal sound pressure level when the internal and external sound pressure levels do not correlate and/or are not coherent with one another; and

transmitting the generated enhanced natural speech voice signal to the telecommunication transmission link.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of generating includes, when generating the enhanced natural speech voice signal from both the internal and external sound pressure levels, substantially combining, over a human voice frequency band, a high frequency portion of the external sound pressure level with a low frequency portion of the internal sound pressure level to generate the enhanced natural speech voice signal.