Directed audio system for audio privacy and audio stream customization

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10735858-B2
Application number	US-201916520917-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 24, 2019
Priority date	Jan 12, 2017
Publication date	Aug 4, 2020
Grant date	Aug 4, 2020

Abstract

A system includes an audio transducer. The audio output of the transducer may be directed at an operator. The directionality of the audio output may ensure privacy in audio delivery. Further, the directionality of the audio output may reduce the potential for other nearby individuals to be disturbed by the audio output. A directed audio system may control the content of the audio output. The content of the audio output may be configured for applications in individual operator workspaces, multiple-operator common spaces, shared-use spaces or a combination thereof. The directed audio system may customize the audio output in accord with a stored audio profile for the operator.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A workspace comprising:
multiple defined operator locations within the workspace;
multiple audio transducers configured to generate audio outputs directed at the multiple defined operator locations;
multiple audio input channels configured to obtain captured audio from sources directed at the multiple defined operator locations;
proximity sensor circuitry configured to determine occupancy of individual ones of the multiple defined operator locations; and
audio control circuitry in communication with the multiple audio transducers, the multiple audio input channels, and the proximity sensor circuitry, the audio control circuitry configured to:
responsive to the occupancy, access an audio profile to assign for each of the individual ones of the multiple defined operator locations;
mix the captured audio from the audio input channels in accord with the audio profile for each of the defined operator locations to generate a conference audio stream; and
cause the audio transducers to generate the audio outputs in accord with the conference audio stream.

2. The workspace of claim 1 , where the multiple defined operator locations include an operator location with a We-space, an operator location within an I-space or both.

3. The workspace of claim 1 , where the sources directed at the multiple defined operator locations include a transducer array configured to record received output of transducers of the array at periodic intervals phase-shifted with respect to one another so as to generate a virtual directed microphone.

4. The workspace of claim 1 , where the at least one of the individual audio profiles includes an instruction to perform normalization among the captured audio from the audio input channels.

5. A system comprising:
a first audio transducer configured to generate a first audio output directed at an operator location;
a microphone directed at the operator location; and
audio control circuitry coupled to the first audio transducer and the microphone, the audio control circuitry configured to:
receive an indication of an identity of an operator within the operator location;
responsive to the identity:
select an audio profile for the operator;
determine an audio source on which to base the first audio output; and
select a second audio transducer to generate a second audio output based on captured audio from the microphone;

based on the audio profile and a first audio stream from the audio source, generate a second audio stream; and
send the second audio stream to the first audio transducer to cause the first audio transducer to generate the first audio output.

6. The system of claim 5 , where the second audio transducer is selected based on participation in a conference by a user associated with the audio profile.

7. The system of claim 6 , where the second audio transducer is governed by another audio profile associated with another user participating in the conference.

8. The system of claim 6 , where the audio profile includes instructions for normalization of audio from participants in the conference for the first audio output.

9. A method comprising:
determining an identity of an operator within a pre-defined operator location;
responsive to the identity of the operator:
access an audio profile for the operator;
determining an audio source on which to base audio output from an audio transducer directed at the pre-defined operator location; and
determining an audio destination to which to send an outgoing audio stream generated based on captured audio from a microphone directed at the pre-defined operator location;

receiving an incoming audio stream from the audio source;
generating the audio output based on the incoming audio stream and audio preferences stored within the audio profile; and
sending the outgoing audio stream to the audio destination.

10. The method of claim 9 , where:
the microphone comprises a transducer array; and
the method further comprises recording the received output of transducers of the array at periodic intervals phase-shifted with respect to one another so as to generate a virtual directed microphone.

11. The method of claim 9 , where the audio profile includes audio filtering preferences.

12. The method of claim 11 , where the audio filtering preferences include a preference to filter ambient sounds.

13. The method of claim 9 , where the audio profile includes audio equalization parameters.

14. The method of claim 13 , where the audio equalization parameters include a specific set of parameters for speech and another specific set of parameters for music.

15. The method of claim 9 , where the audio profile includes instructions for custom audio output overlays.

16. The method of claim 15 , where the instructions for custom audio output overlays include an instruction to overlay noise of a selected color.

17. The method of claim 15 , where the instructions for custom audio output overlays include an instruction to overlay calendar reminders.

18. The method of claim 9 , where the audio destination is selected based on participation in a conference by a user associated with the audio profile.

19. The method of claim 18 , where the audio destination is governed by another audio profile associated with another user participating in the conference.

20. The method of claim 18 , where the audio profile includes instructions for normalization of audio from participants in the conference.

Assignees

• Steelcase Inc

Inventors

• Sculley Darrin
• Slager Mark
• Wilson Scott
• Mckenna Mark
• Griffes Kirk Gregory

Classifications

• H04S7/302 Primary

  Electronic adaptation of stereophonic sound system to listener position or orientation (H04S7/301 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H04R3/12 Primary

  for distributing signals to two or more loudspeakers {(specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407)} · CPC title

• H04S3/008

  in which the audio signals are in digital form, i.e. employing more than two discrete digital channels (data reduction aspects thereof based on psychoacoustics G10L19/02) · CPC title

• H04R1/1016

  Earpieces of the intra-aural type · CPC title

• H04R1/403

  loud-speakers · CPC title