Method and device for loudness level determination

• US 9,225,815 B2
• Filed: 12/27/2013
• Issued: 12/29/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Zhang, Wen Hao, Wells, Andrew K, Anabathula, Prabhu, Eklund, Jonathan E, Schuster, Adrian M
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong, Harry S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sorowar, Golam
• Application Number:
  US14/142,260
• Publication Number:
  US 20150031419A1
• Time in Patent Office: 732 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/04 Details of speech synthesis systems, e.g. synthesiser structure or memory management
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6041 Portable telephones adapted for handsfree use

Abstract

A method on a mobile device for providing an audio output to a user at a determined loudness level is described. A text input is received. A loudness level of an audio output, corresponding to the text input, is determined based on a volume setting of the mobile device and a non-linear adjustment of the volume setting. The audio output is provided to an audio output component at the determined loudness level.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a mobile device, a text input from an application, wherein the application corresponds to an input source identifier;

determining, by the mobile device and based on the input source identifier, a persistent application identifier associated with the application, wherein the persistent application identifier is different from the input source identifier, and wherein the persistent application identifier is persistent across multiple instantiations of the application;

selecting, by the mobile device and based on the persistent application identifier, an audio gain map from a plurality of selectable audio gain maps;

selecting, by the mobile device, a volume setting of a plurality of volume settings;

determining, by the mobile device and based on the volume setting and the audio gain map, a loudness level of an audio output corresponding to the text input, wherein determining the loudness level comprises mapping the volume setting to the loudness level based on the audio gain map; and

providing, by the mobile device, the audio output to an audio output component at the loudness level.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of selectable audio gain maps comprises a default audio gain map, and wherein the audio gain map comprises an alternate audio gain map distinct from the default audio gain map.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the input source identifier comprises a process identifier, wherein determining the persistent application identifier comprises determining the persistent application identifier based on the process identifier, and wherein selecting the audio gain map comprises selecting the alternate audio gain map based on a lookup of the persistent application identifier in an audio mapping table of application identifiers.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising dynamically updating the audio mapping table.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the persistent application identifier comprises at least one of an application type, an application name, a service type, or a service name.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein selecting the volume setting comprises selecting the volume setting from a set of volume settings based on the input source identifier.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the text input corresponds to a default volume setting of the set of volume settings, wherein selecting the volume setting comprises selecting an alternate volume setting from the set of volume settings based on the input source identifier, and wherein the alternate volume setting is distinct from the default volume setting.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the set of volume settings comprises at least one of a ringer volume setting, a media volume setting, a notification volume setting, or an alarm volume setting.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein selecting the volume setting comprises selecting a ringer volume setting based on the input source identifier, and wherein selecting the audio gain map comprises selecting a STREAM_TTS audio gain map.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the input source identifier comprises a process identifier, wherein determining the persistent application identifier comprises determining the persistent application identifier based on the process identifier, and wherein selecting the audio gain map comprises selecting the alternate audio gain map based on a lookup of the persistent application identifier in an audio mapping table of application identifiers.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the persistent application identifier comprises unique application name associated with the application.

12. A mobile device, comprising:

a non-transitory memory; and

at least one processor configured to retrieve instructions from the memory, wherein the at least one processor is configured to;

receive a text input from an application, wherein the application corresponds to an input source identifier;

determine, based on the input source identifier, a persistent application identifier associated with the application, wherein the persistent application identifier is different from the input source identifier, and wherein the persistent application identifier is persistent across multiple instantiations of the application;

select, based on the persistent application identifier, an audio gain map from a plurality of selectable audio gain maps;

select a volume setting of a plurality of volume settings;

determine, based on the volume setting and the audio gain map, a loudness level of an audio output corresponding to the text input, wherein determining the loudness level comprises mapping the volume setting to the loudness level based on the audio gain map; and

provide the audio output to an audio output component at the loudness level.

13. The mobile device of claim 12, wherein the plurality of selectable audio gain maps comprises a default audio gain map, and wherein the audio gain map comprises an alternate audio gain map distinct from the default audio gain map.

14. The mobile device of claim 13, wherein the input source identifier comprises a process identifier, wherein the at least one processor is configured to determine the persistent application identifier based on the process identifier, and wherein the at least one processor is configured to select the alternate audio gain map based on a lookup of the persistent application identifier in an audio mapping table of application identifiers.

15. The mobile device of claim 13, wherein the text input corresponds to a default volume setting of a set of volume settings for the mobile device, wherein the at least one processor is configured to select an alternate volume setting from the set of volume settings based on the input source identifier, wherein the alternate volume setting is distinct from the default volume setting.

16. The mobile device of claim 15, wherein the at least one processor is configured to select a ringer volume setting as the alternate volume setting based on the input source identifier, and wherein the at least one processor is configured to select a STREAM_TTS audio gain map as the alternate audio gain map.

17. The mobile device of claim 12, wherein the persistent application identifier comprises unique application name associated with the application.