SOUND NORMALIZATION AND FREQUENCY REMAPPING USING HAPTIC FEEDBACK

• US 20180255411A1
• Filed: 05/03/2018
• Published: 09/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alpine Electronics of Silicon Valley, Inc. (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Alpine Electronics of Silicon Valley, Inc. (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Lin, Rocky Chau-Hsiung, Yamasaki, Thomas, Toki, Hiroyuki, Kanda, Koichiro
• Granted Patent: US 10,986,454 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01H 11/06 by electric means
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1008 Earpieces of the supra-aural or circum-aural type
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1041 Mechanical or electronic switches, or control elements switches in general H01H
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1091 Details not provided for in groups H04R1/1008 - H04R1/1083
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2400/03 Transducers capable of generating both sound as well as tactile vibration, e.g. as used in cellular phones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2460/07 Use of position data from wide-area or local-area positioning systems in hearing devices, e.g. program or information selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2460/13 Hearing devices using bone conduction transducers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2499/13 Acoustic transducers and sound field adaptation in vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 29/00 Monitoring arrangements; Testing arrangements for hearing aids H04R25/30; detection of loudspeaker connection H04R5/04; sound-field adaptation dependent on speaker detection H04S7/308
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 31/00 Apparatus or processes specially adapted for the manufacture of transducers or diaphragms therefor manufacture of microstructural arrangements of deformable or non-deformable structures in general B81C1/00182
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/033 Headphones for stereophonic communication details thereof, e.g. relating to batteries, cables or control elements H04R1/10

Abstract

Method and devices for processing audio signals based on sound profiles are provided. A sound profile can include data related to haptic movement of the audio data which is specific to a left ear or a right ear, demographic information, ethnicity information, age information, location information, social media information, intensity score of the audio data, previous usage information, or device information. A sound profile can be customized for individual user to include the inaudible frequency range at high frequency end and low frequency end. Audio data within the inaudible frequency range can be compensated by haptic movement corresponding to the inaudible frequency range. A sound profile can further include an audio frequency range and its lowest audible volume for a user. A sound profile can be provided to a user without any action from the user'"'"'s part.

Claims

1. A device for reproducing enhanced media content, the media content including audio data, comprising:

a memory component capable of storing media content, wherein the media content includes audio data and audio metadata related to the audio data in the media content;

a network component capable of receiving a first sound profile, wherein the first sound profile is capable of containing initial preselected parameters for modifying the audio data;

wherein one or more initial preselected parameters in the first sound profile are matched to one or more pieces of information in the audio metadata related to the audio data in the media or the information about the device for reproducing enhanced media content;

wherein the one or more initial preselected parameters for modifying the audio data are received without previously transmitting a user'"'"'s parameters for modifying the audio data from the device; and

a processor component configured to access the stored media content including the audio data from the memory component and the information about the device for reproducing enhanced media content, access the first sound profile received by the network component, determine a first inaudible frequency range that is inaudible for a user, compensate the first inaudible frequency range under a first compensation parameter, update the first sound profile with the first compensation parameter for the first inaudible frequency range to create a second sound profile, and modify the audio data in the media content according to the second sound profile.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the processor component is further configured to:

determine a second inaudible frequency range that is a different frequency range than the first inaudible frequency range;

compensate the second inaudible frequency range under a second compensation parameter;

update the second sound profile with the second compensation parameter to create a third sound profile; and

modify the audio data in the media content according to the third sound profile.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the network component is further configured to

transmit information about the device for reproducing enhanced media content, audio metadata related to the audio data in the media content, and the second sound profile over a network.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the processor component is configured to compensate the first inaudible frequency range by being configured to generate a haptic movement corresponding to the first inaudible frequency range.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the processor component is configured to compensate the first inaudible frequency range by being configured to generate compressed audio data from the first inaudible frequency range into a next audible audio frequency range for the audio data.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the first sound profile comprises data related to haptic movement which is specific to a left ear or a right ear, demographic information, ethnicity information, age information, location information, social media information, intensity score of the audio data, previous usage information, or device information. The device of claim 1, wherein to determine the first inaudible frequency range, the processor is further configured to:

divide an audio frequency region into a number of frequency ranges;

start from a selected frequency range among the number of frequency ranges and test the selected frequency range is inaudible or not;

continue testing whether all of the frequency ranges are inaudible;

update the sound profile with one or more parameters identifying all of the inaudible frequency ranges.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the processor component is further configured to:

divide an audio frequency region into a number of frequency ranges;

select a frequency range that is audible;

decrease or increase an audio volume at the selected frequency range until it becomes a lowest audible volume in the selected frequency range;

record the lowest audible volume for the selected frequency range; and

update the first sound profile with the lowest audible volume for the selected frequency range.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the processor component is further configured to:

play the audio data based on the first sound profile;

generate haptic movement for a haptic device connected to the device for reproducing enhanced media content;

receive feedback from a sensor connected to the haptic device; and

revise the first sound profile based on the feedback received from the sensor connected to the haptic device.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the haptic device is wearable on a human body, and the haptic device comprises a mechanical movement component to generate a mechanical movement on the contact point, a processing unit to process received audio haptic and to control the mechanical movement, and a sensor to collect feedback from the contact point.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein, to test whether the selected frequency range is inaudible the processor is configured to:

start from an audio volume at the selected frequency range that is inaudible;

increase the audio volume at the selected frequency range until it becomes audible by a testing ear or exceeds a predetermined maximum volume;

identify the frequency range as inaudible if the predetermine maximum volume is reached.

12. A device for reproducing enhanced media content, the media content including audio data, comprising:

a haptic device,

a memory component capable of storing media content, wherein the media content includes audio data and audio metadata related to the audio data in the media content;

a network component capable of receiving a first sound profile, wherein the first sound profile is capable of containing initial preselected parameters for modifying the audio data;

wherein one or more initial preselected parameters in the first sound profile are matched to one or more pieces of information in the audio metadata related to the audio data in the media or the information about the device for reproducing enhanced media content;

wherein the one or more initial preselected parameters for modifying the audio data are received without previously transmitting a user'"'"'s parameters for modifying the audio data from the device; and

a processor component configure to access the stored media content including the audio data from the memory component and the information about the device for reproducing enhanced media content, access the first sound profile received by the receiver component, play the audio data in the media content modified according to the first sound profile, and control the haptic device movement while playing the audio data based on the first sound profile.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the haptic device comprises an attachment component to attach the haptic device to a contact point on a human body, a mechanical movement component to generate a mechanical movement on the contact point.

14. The device of claim 12, wherein the first sound profile comprises data related to haptic movement of the audio data which is specific to a left ear or a right ear, demographic information, ethnicity information, age information, location information, social media information, intensity score of the audio data, previous usage information, and device information.

15. The device of claim 12, wherein the processor component is further configured to:

determine a first inaudible frequency range that is inaudible for a user;

compensate the first inaudible frequency range;

update the first sound profile with the first inaudible frequency range for the audio data to become a second sound profile; and

modify the audio data in the media content according to the second sound profile.

16. The device of claim 12, wherein the compensating the first inaudible frequency range for the audio data is performed by generating haptic movement corresponding to the first inaudible frequency range.

17. The device of claim 12, wherein the processor component is further configured to:

divide an audio frequency region into a number of frequency ranges;

select a frequency range that is audible;

decrease or increase an audio volume at the selected frequency range until it becomes a lowest audible volume in the selected frequency range;

record the lowest audible volume for the selected frequency range; and

update the first sound profile with the lowest audible volume for the selected frequency range.

18. A device for reproducing enhanced media content, the media content including audio data, comprising:

a haptic device with a sensor capable of being placed on a contact point on a human body;

a memory component capable of storing media content, wherein the media content includes audio data and audio metadata related to the audio data in the media content;

a network component capable of transmitting information about the device for reproducing enhanced media content, audio metadata related to the audio data in the media content, and a sound profile over a network, and capable of receiving a first sound profile over the network,

wherein the first sound profile is capable of containing initial preselected parameters for modifying the reproduction of the audio data; and

a processor component configured to;

access the stored media content including the audio data from the memory component;

access the first sound profile received by the network component;

select a frequency range;

determine a lowest haptic intensity for haptic movement that can be detected at the contact point for the frequency range;

update the first sound profile with the lowest haptic intensity for the frequency range to become a second sound profile; and

modify the reproduction of the audio data in the media content according to the second sound profile.

19. The device of claim 18, wherein the sound profile comprises information identifying the location of the haptic device on a user'"'"'s body.

20. The device of claim 18, wherein the processor component is further configured to:

determine a first inaudible frequency range that is inaudible for a user;

compensate the first inaudible frequency range under a first compensation parameter;

update the second sound profile with the first compensation parameter for the first inaudible frequency range to create a third sound profile; and

modify the audio data in the media content according to the third sound profile.