AUTOMATIC AUDIO ENHANCEMENT SYSTEM

• US 20140133672A1
• Filed: 11/09/2012
• Published: 05/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Harman International Industries Incorporated (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Harman International Industries Incorporated (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Lakkundi, Ravi, Hampiholi, Vallabha
• Granted Patent: US 9,591,405 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/80
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2499/13 Acoustic transducers and sound field adaptation in vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/12 for distributing signals to two or more loudspeakers specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 2400/13 Aspects of volume control, not necessarily automatic, in stereophonic sound systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/302 Electronic adaptation of stereophonic sound system to listener position or orientation H04S7/301 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/303 Tracking of listener position or orientation

Abstract

Described herein is an automatic audio enhancement system (AAES) that may locate, via aspects of an electronic device, objects and/or people within a target environment, such as inside a vehicle. The AAES also may change one or more audio output signals based at least on information associated with the location of the objects and/or people. In one example of the AAES, the locating of the objects and/or people may occur in association with operation of a mobile device.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving first location information of a user at a receiver of an automatic audio enhancement system (AAES), where the first location information is derived from one or more parameters captured by one or more sensors;

sending the first location information from the receiver of the AAES to an audio signal processor of the AAES; and

processing an audio signal via the audio signal processor with respect to at least the first location information.

2. The method of claim 1, where the one or more parameters include one or more images or video recordings and the one or more sensors include one or more still or video cameras.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending the processed audio signal from the audio signal processor to one or more audio playback devices or loudspeakers.

4. The method of claim 1, where the processing of the audio signal via the audio signal processor includes processing the audio signal with respect to at least one or more audio signal presets, and where the one or more audio signal presets include one or more predetermined filters or delays associated with a predetermined potential location of the user.

5. The method of claim 4, where the predetermined potential location of the user includes one or more seats of a vehicle.

6. The method of claim 1, where the one or more sensors are embedded in an aspect of the AAES or a mobile device of the user.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

receiving handshaking information at the receiver of the AAES from the mobile device, where the one or more parameters are captured immediately after, before, or approximately at a same time as the receiving of the handshaking information.

8. The method of claim 7, where the handshaking information includes the first location information of the user.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving at the receiver of the AAES, second location information based on a vehicle or living space sensor sensed location of the user, from one or more sensors of a vehicle or a living space; and

processing the audio signal via the audio signal processor with respect to at least the first and the second location information.

10. The method of claim 9, where the receiving of the second location information occurs subsequent to receiving handshaking information at the receiver of the AAES.

11. The method of claim 1, where the one or more parameters include one or more images of the user and surroundings of the user.

12. The method of claim 11, where the surroundings of the user include one or more objects behind or to one or more sides of the user, and where the first location information includes one or more of sizes, shapes, or quantity of the one or more objects.

13. The method of claim 12, where the one or more objects include windows that are part of a vehicle.

14. The method of claim 11, where the surroundings of the user include one or more edges of one or more windows, ceilings, walls, or pieces of furniture behind or to one or more sides of the user, and where the first location information includes one or more lengths, curvatures, or quantity of the one or more edges.

15. The method of claim 11, where the surroundings of the user include one or more edges of one or more ceilings, walls, or seats of a vehicle behind or to one or more sides of the user, and where the first location information includes one or more lengths, curvatures, or quantity of the one or more edges.

16. The method of claim 9, where the one or more vehicle or living space sensors include one or more sensors that detect or measure at least one of motion, temperature, magnetic fields, gravity, humidity, moisture, vibration, pressure, electrical fields, or sound.

17. The method of claim 6, where the mobile device of the user is an aspect of the AAES and the mobile device includes the receiver or the audio signal processor of the AAES.

18. A mobile device, comprising:

a processor;

a sensor operable to;

capture one or more parameters of a user and surroundings of a user; and

transmit data associated with the one or more parameters to the processor;

a memory device that includes instructions executable by the processor to derive location information from the data associated with the one or more images; and

an interface operable to communicate the location information to an audio signal processor, where the audio signal processor is operable to process an audio signal with respect to at least the location information.

19. The mobile device of claim 18, where the sensor is a front-facing camera and the one or more parameters are one or more images.

20. A system for automatic audio enhancement in a vehicle, comprising:

a head unit that includes an audio signal processor;

one or more sensors operatively coupled to the head unit, where the one or more sensors are operable to collect first location information of an occupant of the vehicle; and

a control interface operatively coupled to the head unit, where the control interface is operable to;

receive handshaking information from a mobile device, where the handshaking information is operable to activate the head unit;

receive second location information associated with the occupant of the vehicle, where the second location information is derived from one or more parameters captured by a sensor of the mobile device, and where the one or more parameters are captured immediately after, before, or approximately at a same time as receipt of the handshaking information; and

send the first and the second location information to the audio signal processor, where the audio signal processor is operable to process an audio signal with respect to at least the first and the second location information.