DEVICES WITH ENHANCED AUDIO

• US 20130028443A1
• Filed: 07/28/2011
• Published: 01/31/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Pance, Aleksandar, Bilbrey, Brett, Isaac, Ronald Nadim, Hadley, Darby E., Johnson, Martin E.
• Application Number:
  US13/193,461
• Publication Number:
  US 20130028443A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/107
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 17/00 Speaker identification or verification techniques
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4143 embedded in a Personal Computer [PC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42201 biosensors, e.g. heat sensor for presence detection, EEG sensors or any limb activity sensors worn by the user input arrangements for interaction with the human body based on nervous system activity detection G06F3/015
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42202 environmental sensors, e.g. for detecting temperature, luminosity, pressure, earthquakes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42203 sound input device, e.g. microphone
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42222 Additional components integrated in the remote control device, e.g. timer, speaker, sensors for detecting position, direction or movement of the remote control, microphone or battery charging device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/439 Processing of audio elementary streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44218 Detecting physical presence or behaviour of the user, e.g. using sensors to detect if the user is leaving the room or changes his face expression during a TV program methods or arrangements for recognising human body or animal bodies or body parts G06V40/10; methods or arrangements for acquiring or recognising human faces, facial parts, facial sketches, facial expressions G06V40/16; methods or arrangements for recognising movements or behaviour G06V40/20; arrangements for identifying users in broadcast systems H04H60/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4852 for modifying audio parameters, e.g. switching between mono and stereo
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/69 Control of means for changing angle of the field of view, e.g. optical zoom objectives or electronic zooming
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/60 for the sound signals
• 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 7/15 Conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2430/01 Aspects of volume control, not necessarily automatic, in sound systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 29/001 for loudspeakers H04R29/007 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/04 : for correcting frequency response
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 2400/13 : Aspects of volume control, not necessarily automatic, in stereophonic sound systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/303 : Tracking of listener position or orientation
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/305 : Electronic adaptation of stereophonic audio signals to reverberation of the listening space H04S7/301 takes precedence

Abstract

A system for enhancing audio including a computer and an output device. The computer includes a sensor configured to determine a user location relative to the computer. The sensor is also configured to gather environment data corresponding to an environment of the computer. The computer also includes a processor in communication with the sensor and configured to process the user location and the environment data and adjust at least one of an audio output or a video output. The output device is in communication with the processor and is configured to output at least one of the audio output or the video output.

Claims

1. A method for output audio from a computing device comprising:

detecting by a sensor a user;

determining by a processor whether the user is an optimum range for a current audio output of an audio output device;

if the user is not within the optimum range, modifying the audio output;

determining by the sensor whether the user is orientated towards the computing device; and

adjusting an audio device based on the orientation of the user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a first sensor determines a presence of the user and a second sensor determines the orientation of the user.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first sensor is a motion sensor and the second sensor is a camera.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the audio output device includes a first speaker and a second speaker.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting the audio device includes at least one of adjusting a volume, adjusting a sound location, activating or deactivating an output device, or filtering a frequency.

6. A method for enhancing audio for a computer comprising:

launching an application on the computer;

determining by a sensor a user location relative to the computer;

gathering by sensor environment data corresponding to an environment of the computer; and

adjusting by a processor an audiovisual setting in view of the environment data and the user location.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

determining if the audiovisual setting is optimum for the user location; and

if the audiovisual setting is not optimum, adjusting the audiovisual setting to be optimum based on the user location.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the sensor includes a first sensor and a second sensor.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first sensor detects a user location and the second sensor gathers the environment data.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the environment data includes at least one of an estimated size of a location of the computer, a global positioning data, temperature, humidity, reverberant qualities of the location of the computer, or a distance from the computer to a large object.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein the audiovisual setting includes at least one of an audio output and a video output.

12. The method of claim 6, wherein the audiovisual setting includes only one of an audio output or a video output.

13. The method of claim 6, further comprising determining via a motion sensor whether the user has moved.

14. A system for enhancing audio comprising:

a computer including;

a sensor configured to determine a user location relative to the computer and gather environment data corresponding to an environment of the computer;

a processor in communication with the sensor and configured to process the user location and the environment data and adjust at least one of an audio output or a video output; and

an output device in communication with the processor and configured to output at least one of the audio output or the video output.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the environment data includes at least one of a reverberant quality, or an approximate dimension of the environment.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the environment data includes both a reverberant quality and an approximate dimension.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the output device is external to the computer.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine if an audiovisual setting is optimum for the user location; and

if the audiovisual setting is not optimum, adjusting the audiovisual setting to be optimum based on the user location.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the audiovisual setting includes at least one of an audio setting and a video setting.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein the output device is a speaker.