Sound enhancement for mobile phones and other products producing personalized audio for users

• US 6,944,474 B2
• Filed: 09/20/2001
• Issued: 09/13/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: K/S HIMPP
• Original Assignee: Sound Id
• Inventors: Edwards, Brent W., Menzel, Christoph, Rader, R. Scott, Johansen, Benny B., Puria, Sunil
• Primary Examiner(s): Ramakrishnaiah, Melur
• Application Number:
  US09/957,344
• Publication Number:
  US 20030064746A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,454 Days
• Field of Search: 455/432, 455/268, 455/72, 455/69, 455/550.1, 455/517, 379/390.01, 379/388.03, 379/388.05, 379/390.03, 381/106, 381/321, 381/221, 381/60, 381/315, 704/225, 704/271
• US Class Current: 455/550.1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/12 Audiometering
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2205/041 Adaptation of stereophonic signal reproduction for the hearing impaired
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/43 Signal processing in hearing aids to enhance the speech intelligibility
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/55 Communication between hearing aids and external devices via a network for data exchange
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2499/11 Transducers incorporated or for use in hand-held devices, e.g. mobile phones, PDA's, camera's
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/505 using digital signal processing
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/70 Adaptation of deaf aid to hearing loss, e.g. initial electronic fitting
• 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

A mobile phone or other personal communication device includes resources applying measures of an individual'"'"'s hearing profile, personal choice profile, and induced hearing loss profile, separately or in combination, to build the basis of sound enhancement. A personal communication device thus comprises a transmitter/receiver coupled to a communication medium for transmitted receiving audio signals, control circuitry that controls transmission, reception and processing of call and audio signals, a speaker, and a microphone. The control circuitry includes logic applying one or more of a hearing profile of the user, a user preference related hearing, and environmental noise factors in processing the audio signals. The control circuitry may includes instruction memory and an instruction execution processor such as a digital signal processor.

Claims

1. A personal communication device comprising:

a transmitter/receiver coupled to a communication medium for transmitting and receiving audio signals;

control circuitry coupled to the transmitter/receiver that controls transmission, reception and processing of call and audio signals;

an audio transducer coupled to the control circuitry that renders call and audio signals audible;

a microphone coupled to the control circuitry that transduces sounds to audio signals; and

said control circuitry including logic applying multiband compression to the audio signals, including generation of parameters for the multiband compression based on stored user data and based on environmental data determined while rendering the audio signals audible.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein said control circuitry includes instruction memory and an instruction execution processor.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein said control circuitry includes a digital signal processor.

4. The device of claim 1, including an input device adapted to indicate a volume level for said audio transducer, and wherein said environmental data comprises the volume level.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein said control circuitry generates said parameters of the multiband compression based on said stored user data and on said environmental data independently and in parallel in processing the audio signals.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein said control circuitry generates said parameters of the multiband compression based on said stored user data and on said environmental data independently and in series in processing the audio signals.

7. The device of claim 1, including a sensor which detects environmental noise, for providing said environmental data.

8. The device of claim 1, including logic to process environmental noise picked up by the microphone, for providing said environmental data.

9. The device of claim 1, including resources to obtain a hearing profile for a user from a remote source.

10. The device of claim 1, including resources to prompt a user to provide information specifying a hearing profile of the user.

11. The device of claim 1, including resources to prompt a user to provide information specifying a hearing profile of the user and a user preference.

12. The device of claim 1, including resources to prompt a user to provide information specifying a user preference.

13. The device of claim 1, including resources to prompt a user to provide information for use in defining a hearing profile of the user.

14. The device of claim 13, including a display, and wherein said resources include logic prompting with at least one of said audio transducer and said display, the user through a hearing test based upon user reaction to sounds, and in which said sounds are produced using said audio transducer.

15. The device of claim 1, wherein the stored user data comprises one or more of a hearing profile of a user and a user preference related to hearing, and the environmental data comprises environmental noise factors.

16. A mobile phone, comprising:

an antenna;

a transmitter/receiver coupled to the antenna for transmitting and receiving call and audio signals;

control circuitry, including a processor which executes instructions, coupled to the transmitter/receiver which controls the transmission and reception of the call and audio signals;

an audio transducer coupled to the control circuitry;

a microphone coupled to the control circuitry;

a memory coupled to the control circuitry holding instructions, executable by the processor, to apply multiband compression to the audio signals, including generation of parameters for the multiband compression based on stored user data and based on environmental data determined while rendering the audio signals audible.

17. The mobile phone of claim 16, including an input device adapted to indicate a volume level for said audio transducer, and wherein said environmental data comprises the volume level.

18. The mobile phone of claim 16, wherein said control circuitry generates said parameters of the multiband compression based on said stored user data and on said environmental data independently and in parallel in processing the audio signals.

19. The mobile phone of claim 16, wherein said control generates said parameters of the multiband compression based on said stored user data and on said environmental data independently and in series in processing the audio signals.

20. The mobile phone of claim 16, including a sensor which detects environmental noise, for providing said environmental data.

21. The mobile phone of claim 16, including logic to process environmental noise picked up by the microphone, for providing said environmental data.

22. The mobile phone of claim 16, wherein the memory holds instructions to obtain a hearing profile for a user from a remote source.

23. The mobile phone of claim 16, wherein the memory holds instructions to prompt a user to provide information specifying a hearing profile of the user.

24. The mobile phone of claim 16, wherein the memory holds instructions to prompt a user to provide information specifying a hearing profile of the user and a user preference.

25. The mobile phone of claim 16, wherein the memory holds instructions to prompt a user to provide information specifying a user preference.

26. The mobile phone of claim 16, wherein the memory holds instructions to prompt a user to provide information for use in defining a hearing profile of the user.

27. The mobile phone of claim 26, including a display, and wherein the memory holds instructions to prompt with at least one of said audio transducer and said display, the user through a hearing test based upon user reaction to sounds, and in which said sounds are produced using said audio transducer.

28. The mobile phone of claim 16, wherein the stored user data comprises one or more of a hearing profile of a user and a user preference related to hearing, and the environmental data comprises environmental noise factors.

29. A telephone communication system comprising:

a service provider; and

a mobile phone comprising

an antenna for transmitting and receiving call and voice signals;

a transmitter/receiver coupled to the antenna for transmitting and receiving the call and voice signals;

control circuitry, including a processor which executes instructions, coupled to the transmitter/receiver for controlling the transmission and reception of the call and audio signals;

an audio transducer coupled to the control circuitry for amplifying the call and audio signals;

a microphone coupled to the control circuitry for receiving audio signals;

a memory coupled to the control circuitry holding instructions, executable by the processor, for applying multiband compression to the audio signals, including generation of parameters for the multiband compression based on stored user data and based on environmental data determined while rendering the audio signals audible, and for communicating with the service provider.

30. The telephone communication system of claim 29, wherein the mobile phone includes an input device adapted to indicate a volume level for said audio transducer, and wherein said environmental data comprises the volume level.

31. The telephone communication system of claim 29, wherein the control circuitry generates said parameters of the multiband compression based on said stored user data and on said environmental data independently and in parallel in processing the audio signals.

32. The telephone communication system of claim 29, wherein the control circuitry generates said parameters of the multiband compression based on said stored user data and on said environmental data independently and in series in processing the audio signals.

33. The telephone communication system of claim 29, wherein the mobile phone includes a sensor which detects environmental noise, for providing said environmental data.

34. The telephone communication system of claim 29, wherein the mobile phone includes logic to process environmental noise picked up by the microphone, for providing said environmental data.

35. The telephone communication system of claim 29, wherein the memory holds instructions to obtain a hearing profile for a user from a remote source.

36. The telephone communication system of claim 29, wherein the memory holds instructions to prompt a user to provide information specifying a hearing profile of the user.

37. The telephone communication system of claim 29, wherein the memory holds instructions to prompt a user to provide information specifying a bearing profile of the user and a user preference.

38. The telephone communication system of claim 29, wherein the memory holds instructions to prompt a user to provide information specifying a user preference.

39. The telephone communication system of claim 29, wherein the memory holds instructions to prompt a user to provide information for use in defining a hearing profile of the user.

40. The telephone communication system of claim 29, wherein the mobile phone includes a display, and wherein the memory holds instructions to prompt with at least one of said audio transducer and said display, the user through a hearing test based upon user reaction to sounds, and in which said sounds are produced using said audio transducer.

41. The telephone communication system of claim 29, wherein the stored user data comprises one or more of a hearing profile of a user and a user preference related to hearing, and the environmental data comprises environmental noise factors.