Systems and methods for modifying information of audio data based on one or more radio frequency (RF) signal reception and/or transmission characteristics

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11906642-B2
Application number	US-201816145652-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 28, 2018
Priority date	Sep 28, 2018
Publication date	Feb 20, 2024
Grant date	Feb 20, 2024

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided that may be implemented to modify information of an audio data transmission based on one or more measured signal reception and/or transmission characteristics of a radio frequency (RF) signal data transmission that contains or otherwise conveys the audio data transmission. The modified audio data may then be acoustically reproduced in analog form as sound waves. Examples of signal reception characteristics of a RF signal data transmission that may be measured and used as a basis for modifying information of audio data of an audio data transmission include, but are not limited to, time Difference of Arrival (TDOA), Angle of Arrival (AoA), measured received signal strength, etc. Example signal transmission characteristics of a RF signal that may be measured and used as a basis for modifying information of audio data include, but are not limited to, Angle of Departure (AoD).

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
receiving a radio frequency (RF) signal at a first device, the RF signal conveying digital audio data and being transmitted directly to the first device from a second device, with the digital audio data being contained within the RF signal;
measuring one or more RF signal reception or transmission characteristics of the RF signal that contains the digital audio data, the one or more RF signal reception or transmission characteristics of the RF signal being measured as the RF signal arrives at the first device directly from the second device;
then extracting the conveyed digital audio data from the received RF signal at the first device;
then producing modified digital audio data at the first device by internally modifying digital data of the conveyed digital audio data as it is received at the first device directly from the second device based on the measured RF signal reception or transmission characteristics of the RF signal only as the RF signal arrives at the first device directly from the second device;
then converting the modified digital audio data to an analog output signal; and
then reproducing analog audio acoustic sound waves from the analog output signal.

2. The method of claim 1 , where the one or more RF signal reception or transmission characteristics of the received RF signal comprise at least one of time of arrival (TOA) of the received RF signal at the first device, Time Difference of Arrival (TDOA) of the received RF signal at the first device, Angle of Arrival (AoA) of the received RF signal at the first device, Angle of Departure (AoD) of the received RF signal from the second device, and measured received RF signal strength of the received RF signal received at the first device.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining at least one of position, orientation and/or direction of the first device relative to the second device based on the measured one or more RF signal reception or transmission characteristics of the RF signal only as it the RF signal arrives at the first device directly from the second device; and
modifying digital data of the conveyed digital audio data based on the determined position, orientation and/or direction of the first device relative to the second device.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
producing the modified digital audio data at the first device by internally varying at least one of gain, tone, equalization and/or pitch information of the digital audio data based on the measured one or more RF signal reception or transmission characteristics of the RF signal only as it the RF signal arrives at the first device directly from the second device;
then converting the modified digital audio data to an analog output signal; and
then reproducing analog audio acoustic sound waves from the analog output signal at one or more speakers of the first device.

5. The method of claim 1 , where the one or more RF signal reception or transmission characteristics of the received RF signal comprise measured received RF signal strength of the RF signal received at the first device; and where the method further comprises:
producing the modified digital audio data at the first device by internally varying gain information of the digital audio data based on the measured received RF signal strength of the RF signal received at the first device by applying relatively lesser attenuation for relatively greater values of measured RF signal strength and applying relatively greater attenuation for relatively lesser values of measured RF signal strength to simulate distance from the first device to the second device that is transmitting the RF signal; and
then converting the modified digital audio data to an analog output signal; and
then reproducing analog audio acoustic sound waves from the analog output signal at one or more speakers of the first device.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining at least one of distance, position, orientation and/or direction of the first device relative to the second device based on the measured one or more RF signal reception or transmission characteristics of the RF signal only as it the RF signal arrives at the first device directly from the second device; and internally modifying digital data of the conveyed digital audio data based on the determined distance, position, orientation and/or direction of the first device relative to the second device by adding synthesized speech to the digital audio data that describes in verbal form the distance, position, orientation and/or direction of the first device relative to the second device.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising measuring the one or more RF signal reception or transmission characteristics of the RF signal when the RF signal arrives at an antenna element of the first device directly from the second device.

8. The method of claim 1 , where the RF signal received at the first device is a modulated RF signal conveying digital audio data and being transmitted from the second device with the digital audio data contained within the modulated RF signal; and where the method further comprises:
measuring the one or more RF signal reception or transmission characteristics of the modulated RF signal that contains the audio data, the one or more RF signal reception or transmission characteristics of the modulated RF signal being measured as the modulated RF signal arrives at the first device directly from the second device;
then demodulating the modulated RF signal;
then extracting the conveyed audio data from the demodulated RF signal at the first device;
then producing the modified digital audio data at the first device by internally modifying the digital data of the conveyed digital audio data as it is received at the first device directly from the second device based on the measured RF signal reception or transmission characteristics of the modulated RF signal only as the RF signal arrives at the first device directly from the second device;
then converting the modified digital audio data to an analog output signal; and
then reproducing analog audio acoustic sound waves from the analog output signal.

9. A method, comprising:
receiving a radio frequency (RF) signal at a first device, the RF signal conveying audio data and being transmitted directly to the first device from a second device;
measuring one or more RF signal reception or transmission characteristics of the RF signal as it is received at the first device directly from the second device;
producing modified audio data at the first device by modifying information of the conveyed audio data as it is received at the first device directly from the second device based on the measured RF signal reception or transmission characteristics of the RF signal only as it is received at the first device directly from the second device; and
reproducing analog audio acoustic sound waves from the modified audio data;
where the audio data comprises at least first channel audio data and second channel audio data; and where the method further comprises:
producing the modified audio data at the first device by individually varying volume level and/or pitch level information of the first channel audio data relative to volume level and/or pitch level information of the second channel audio data based on the measured RF signal reception or transmission characteristics of the RF signal received from the second device, and

simultaneously reproducing analog audio acoustic sound waves from the first channel audio data of the modified audio data at a first speaker of the first device and reproducing analog audio acoustic sound waves from the second channel audio data of the modifi

Assignees

• Silicon Lab Inc

Inventors

• Knaappila Jere M

Classifications

• H04S7/304

  For headphones · CPC title

• G01S3/8083 Primary

  determining direction of source · CPC title

• G01S3/74

  Multi-channel systems specially adapted for direction-finding, i.e. having a single antenna system capable of giving simultaneous indications of the directions of different signals (systems in which the directions of different signals are determined sequentially and displayed simultaneously G01S3/04, G01S3/14) · CPC title

• G01S5/04

  Position of source determined by a plurality of spaced direction-finders · CPC title

• H04B1/207

  with an audio or audio/video bus for signal distribution (H04B1/205 takes precedence) · CPC title