Ambient audio injection

• US 9,391,580 B2
• Filed: 12/31/2012
• Issued: 07/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Helbling, Chris L.
• Primary Examiner(s): CHIN, VIVIAN C
• Assistant Examiner(s): Odunukwe, Ubachukwu
• Application Number:
  US13/731,406
• Publication Number:
  US 20140185828A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,289 Days
• Field of Search: 381/103, 381/311, 381/309, 381/71.1, 381/71.7, 381/74, 381/57, 381/71.6, 381/72, 381/317, 381/313, 381/56, 381/58, 381/94.8, 381/94.1, 381/373, 381/122, 381/312, 381/150, 455/569, 455/557, 455/575, 455/550, 455/556, 379/430, 379/433, 379/428, 379/434, 379/79, 700/94, 340/539.26, 340/539.11, 340/539.24
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1427 with transmitter-receiver for distance detection
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 3/24 Control dependent upon ambient noise level or sound level
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 3/32 the control being dependent upon ambient noise level or sound level
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 5/165 Equalizers; Volume or gain control in limited frequency bands
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1041 Mechanical or electronic switches, or control elements switches in general H01H
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1083 Reduction of ambient noise active noise reduction per se G10K11/175; protective devices for the ear, e.g. providing acoustic protection A61F11/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2201/103 Combination of monophonic or stereophonic headphones with audio players, e.g. integrated in the headphone
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2201/107 Monophonic and stereophonic headphones with microphone for two-way hands free communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/01 Input selection or mixing for amplifiers or loudspeakers for hearing aids H04R25/43
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2430/01 Aspects of volume control, not necessarily automatic, in sound systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2430/03 Synergistic effects of band splitting and sub-band processing
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2460/01 Hearing devices using active noise cancellation
• 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 25/407 Circuits for combining signals of a plurality of transducers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/505 using digital signal processing
• 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

An exemplary system comprises a device including a memory with an audio injection application installed thereon. The application comprises an equalizer module that analyzes sound characteristics of individual digital audio samples including a discrete signal, a selector module that applies a selection heuristic to select the discrete signal from the individual digital audio samples based on the sound characteristics, and an audio module that supplies to an output an insert signal generated according to the discrete signal selected by the selection heuristic.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a microphone configured to convert individual ambient sounds including a discrete sound to individual digital audio samples including a discrete signal;

a device including a memory with an audio injection application installed thereon, wherein the application comprises;

an equalizer module that generates an anti-noise signal using the individual digital audio samples and analyzes a range of sound characteristics for each of the individual digital audio samples via a Fast Fourier Transform heuristic to transform a set of digital audio samples into complex numbers representing the range of sound characteristics;

a selector module that applies a selection heuristic to select the discrete signal from the individual digital audio samples based on the sound characteristics and a duration threshold, wherein the selection heuristic includes a Boolean selection heuristic configured to match in real time each complex number produced by the equalizer module to a set of predetermined complex numbers from a network-based server according to a geographic location of the device; and

an audio module that supplies, to an output speaker, the anti-noise signal and an insert signal generated according to the discrete signal selected by the selection heuristic into a supplied audio stream at a pre-defined level based on an operation configuration to eliminate or reduce the ambient sounds and enhance situational awareness.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the selection heuristic comprises a frequency band filter configured to select complex numbers relative to a frequency band lower than a set value.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the audio module disables the insert signal in response to a predefined speed.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the equalizer module detects sound characteristics of each individual digital audio sample that are representative of a pitch including a frequency, a timbre including a tone color, a loudness including an intensity, and a duration of individual ambient sounds, and transforms each digital audio sample into individual components representative of the respective sound characteristics.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the operation configuration configured to define an insert signal supply method and volume levels at which the insert signal is supplied.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the application further comprises an interface module configured to generate a user interface configured to receive a user input altering the operation configuration.

7. A method, comprising:

converting, by a microphone, individual ambient sounds including a discrete sound to individual digital audio samples including a discrete signal;

generating an anti-noise signal using the individual digital audio samples;

analyzing, by an electronic device, a range of sound characteristics for each of the individual digital audio samples via a Fast Fourier Transform heuristic to transform a set of digital audio samples into complex numbers representing the range of sound characteristics;

applying a selection heuristic to select the discrete signal from the individual digital audio samples based on the sound characteristics and a duration threshold, wherein the selection heuristic includes a Boolean selection heuristic configured to match in real time each complex number to a set of predetermined complex numbers from a network-based server according to a geographic location of the electronic device; and

supplying, to an output speaker of the electronic device, the anti-noise signal and an insert signal generated according to the discrete signal selected by the selection heuristic into a supplied audio stream at a pre-defined level based on an operation configuration to eliminate or reduce the ambient sounds and enhance situational awareness.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the selection heuristic comprises a frequency band filter configured to select complex numbers relative to a frequency band lower than a set value.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising detecting sound characteristics of each individual the digital audio sample that are representative of a pitch including a frequency, a timbre including a tone color, a loudness including an intensity, and a duration of individual ambient sounds, and transforming each digital audio sample into individual components representative of the respective sound characteristics.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the operation configuration configured to define an insert signal supply method and volume levels at which the insert signal is supplied.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the method further comprises:

generating a user interface configured to receive a user input altering the operation configuration.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable medium tangibly embodying computer-executable instructions, comprising:

converting, by a microphone, individual ambient sounds including a discrete sound to individual digital audio samples including a discrete signal;

generating an anti-noise signal using the individual digital audio samples;

analyzing, by an electronic device, a range of sound characteristics for each of the individual digital audio samples via a Fast Fourier Transform heuristic to transform a set of digital audio samples into complex numbers representing the range of sound characteristics;

applying a selection heuristic to select the discrete signal from the individual digital audio samples based on the sound characteristics and a duration threshold, wherein the selection heuristic includes a Boolean selection heuristic configured to match in real time each complex number to a set of predetermined complex numbers from a network-based server according to a geographic location of the electronic device; and

supplying, to an output speaker of the electronic device, the anti-noise signal and an insert signal generated according to the discrete signal selected by the selection heuristic into a supplied audio stream at a pre-defined level based on an operation configuration to eliminate or reduce the ambient sounds and enhance situational awareness.

13. The medium of claim 12, wherein the selection heuristic comprises a frequency band filter configured to select complex numbers relative to a frequency band lower than a set value.

14. The medium of claim 12, further comprising detecting sound characteristics of each individual the digital audio sample that are representative of a pitch including a frequency, a timbre including a tone color, a loudness including an intensity, and a duration of individual ambient sounds, and transforming each digital audio sample into individual components representative of the respective sound characteristics.

15. The medium of claim 12, wherein supplying the insert signal is based on an operation configuration configured to define an insert signal supply method and volume levels at which the insert signal is supplied.

16. The medium of claim 12, wherein the instructions further comprise:

generating a user interface configured to receive a user input altering the operation configuration.

17. A device, comprising:

a microphone configured to convert individual ambient sounds including a discrete sound to individual digital audio samples including a discrete signal;

a memory with an audio injection application installed thereon, wherein the application comprises;

an equalizer module that generates an anti-noise signal using the individual audio samples and analyzes a range of sound characteristics for each of the individual digital audio samples via a Fast Fourier Transform heuristic to transform a set of digital audio samples into complex numbers representing the range of sound characteristics,

a selector module that applies a selection heuristic to select the discrete signal from the individual digital audio samples based on the sound characteristics and a duration threshold, wherein the selection heuristic includes a Boolean selection heuristic configured to match in real time each complex number produced by the equalizer module to a set of predetermined complex numbers from a network-based server according to a geographic location of the device, and

an audio module that supplies, to an output speaker, the anti-noise signal and an insert signal generated according to the discrete signal selected by the selection heuristic into a supplied audio stream at a pre-defined level based on an operation configuration to eliminate or reduce the ambient sounds and enhance situational awareness.