AUDIO DEVICE VOLUME MANAGER USING MEASURED VOLUME PERCEIVED AT A FIRST AUDIO DEVICE TO CONTROL VOLUME GENERATION BY A SECOND AUDIO DEVICE

• US 20120020486A1
• Filed: 07/20/2010
• Published: 01/26/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Fried, Eric P., Sabarathinam, Suresh
• Granted Patent: US 8,699,723 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/58
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 3/32 the control being dependent upon ambient noise level or sound level
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2227/003 Digital PA systems using, e.g. LAN or internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2430/01 Aspects of volume control, not necessarily automatic, in sound systems
• 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: H04S 7/303 Tracking of listener position or orientation

Abstract

An audio system includes a first audio device and a second audio device. A communications link connects the first and second audio devices together so that each may communicate with the other. The system includes an audio volume manager that varies the audio output level of the second audio device as a function of the perceived loudness of the second audio device as perceived at the first audio device.

Claims

1. A method of controlling audio volume, comprising:

receiving, by an audio volume manager, audio volume information of a first audio device that indicates a current audio volume of a second audio device as perceived at the first audio device; and

changing, by the audio volume manager, audio volume generated by the second audio device as a function of the current perceived audio volume of the second audio device as perceived at the first audio device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by an audio volume manager, status information that indicates when the first audio device and the second audio device are simultaneously in use; and

switching, by the audio volume manager, from a monitoring mode to a control mode in response to the status information indicating that the first audio device and the second audio device are simultaneously in use.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the audio volume manager stores a predetermined volume level at which the audio volume manager instructs the second audio device to maintain but not exceed at the first audio device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the changing step further comprises increasing the audio volume generated by the second audio device as the current perceived volume of the second audio device as perceived by the first audio device decreases.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the audio volume manager is situated within one of the first audio device, the second audio device and a controller that is external to both the first and second audio devices.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the audio volume manager, a user selectable threshold audio volume level setting that activates the audio volume manager to control the audio volume of the second audio device when the current perceived volume of the second audio device as perceived by the first audio device reaches this user selectable threshold audio volume level.

7. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

switching, by the audio volume manager, from the control mode to the monitoring mode when the status information indicates that the first audio device and the second audio device are not currently simultaneously in use.

8. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

repeating the receiving status information step, the receiving audio volume information step and the changing audio volume generated step at predetermined time intervals.

9. A system, comprising:

a first audio device;

a second audio device; and

an audio volume manager that receives audio volume information of the first audio device that indicates a current audio volume of the second audio device as perceived at a first audio device, wherein the audio volume manager changes audio volume generated by the second audio device as a function of the current perceived audio volume of the second audio device as perceived at the first audio device.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the audio volume manager receives status information that indicates when the first audio device and the second audio device are simultaneously in use, and wherein the audio volume manager switches from a monitoring mode to a control mode in response to the status information indicating that the first audio device and the second audio device are simultaneously in use.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the audio volume manager stores a predetermined volume level at which the audio volume manager instructs the second audio device to maintain but not exceed at the first audio device.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the audio manager increases the audio volume generated by the second audio device as the current perceived volume of the second audio device as perceived by the first audio device decreases.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the audio volume manager is situated within one of the first audio device, the second audio device and a controller that is external to both the first and second audio devices.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the audio volume manager receives a user selectable threshold audio volume level setting that activates the audio volume manager to control the audio volume of the second audio device when the current perceived volume of the second audio device as perceived by the first audio device reaches this user selectable threshold audio volume level.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the audio volume manager switches from the control mode to the monitoring mode when the status information indicates that the first audio device and the second audio device are not currently simultaneously in use.

16. The system of claim 10, further comprising repeating the receiving of status information, the receiving of audio volume information and the changing of audio volume generated by the second audio device at predetermined time intervals.

17. An audio volume manager computer program product, comprising:

a computer readable storage medium;

first program instructions that receive audio volume information of a first audio device that indicates a current audio volume of a second audio device as perceived at the first audio device; and

second program instructions that change audio volume generated by the second audio device as a function of the current perceived audio volume of the second audio device as perceived at the first audio device;

wherein the first and second program instructions are stored on the computer readable storage medium.

18. The audio volume manager computer program product of claim 17, further comprising:

third program instructions that receive status information that indicates when the first audio device and the second audio device are simultaneously in use; and

fourth program instructions that switch from a monitoring mode to a control mode in response to the status information indicating that the first audio device and the second audio device are simultaneously in use

19. The audio volume manager computer program product of claim 17, further comprising:

fifth program instructions that store a predetermined volume level at which the audio volume manager instructs the second audio device to maintain but not exceed at the first audio device.

20. The audio volume manager computer program product of claim 17, wherein the second program instructions increase the audio volume generated by the second audio device as the current perceived volume of the second audio device as perceived by the first audio device decreases.