Human audible localization for sound emitting devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9460592-B2
Application number	US-201414225506-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 26, 2014
Priority date	Mar 4, 2011
Publication date	Oct 4, 2016
Grant date	Oct 4, 2016

Abstract

Audible signals are created and emitted that provide a human user with improved sound localization cues to quickly and efficiently find the emitting device. The different audible signals have been observed to efficiently help a human locate emitting devices that are either in close proximity to the user or that are a large distance from the user. Additionally some examples emit audible signals that have been observed to efficiently help a human locate emitting devices that are located inside a sealed enclosure, such as a box. Some audible signals include audible noise processed by band-pass filters with spectral peaks at about 500 Hz, 4 kHz, and 8 Khz. Such audible signals are alternately emitted in time with audible signals having simultaneously occurring fundamental tone frequencies that each have harmonic components.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for producing a location-aiding audible signal, the method comprising:
defining a near field location-aiding audible signal comprising audible noise processed by band-pass filters with spectral peaks at about 500 Hz, 4 kHz, and 8 Khz;
defining a far field location-aiding audible signal comprising a plurality of simultaneously occurring fundamental tone frequencies, the far field location-aiding audible signal further comprising a plurality of respective harmonic components for each fundamental tone frequency;
emitting, during each of a first set of time durations, the near field location-aiding audible signal; and
emitting, during a second set of time durations, the far field location-aiding audible signal, the second set of time durations being interleaved with the first set of time durations.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the defining the near field location-aiding audible signal comprises:
generating a pink noise audio signal with a bandwidth extending from at least 500 Hz to at least 8 kHz;
amplifying a first bandwidth of the pink noise audio signal, the first bandwidth having a resonant bandpass centered substantially around 500 Hz;
amplifying a second bandwidth of the pink noise audio signal, the second bandwidth having a resonant bandpass substantially around 4 kHz; and
amplifying a third bandwidth of the pink noise audio signal, the third bandwidth having a resonant bandpass centered substantially around 8 kHz.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the defining a near field location-aiding audible signal comprising:
receiving an audio notification signal;
amplifying a first bandwidth of the audio notification signal, the first bandwidth having a resonant bandpass centered substantially around 500 Hz;
amplifying a second bandwidth of the audio notification signal, the second bandwidth having a resonant bandpass centered substantially around 4 kHz; and
amplifying a third bandwidth of the audio notification signal, the third bandwidth having a resonant bandpass centered substantially around 8 kHz.

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising:
determining that the audio notification signal has spectral energy extending from at least substantially around 500 Hz to substantially around 8 kHz; and
supplementing, prior to amplifying the first bandwidth, prior to amplifying the second bandwidth, and prior to amplifying the third bandwidth, the audio notification signal with additional audio content, the additional audio content comprising spectral energy within the bandwidth extending from at least substantially around 500 Hz to at least substantially around 8 kHz.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the far field location-aiding audible signal comprises harmonics and inter-modulation products of the plurality of simultaneously occurring fundamental tone frequencies, the harmonics and inter-modulation products extending at least to substantially 12 kHz, and wherein
the plurality of simultaneously occurring fundamental tone frequencies comprises a first fundamental tone frequency substantially around 2 kHz,
the plurality of simultaneously occurring fundamental tone frequencies further comprises a second fundamental tone frequency substantially around 3.9 kHz,
the plurality of simultaneously occurring fundamental tone frequencies further comprises a third fundamental tone frequency substantially around 4.2 kHz,
the plurality of simultaneously occurring fundamental tone frequencies further comprise a fourth fundamental tone frequency substantially around 8 kHz, and
the plurality of simultaneously occurring fundamental tone frequencies further comprises a fifth fundamental tone frequency substantially around 9 kHz.

6. The method of claim 1 , the method further comprising:
defining an enclosed location-aiding audible signal comprising a plurality of tone sets, wherein each tone set has a respective fundamental frequency and further includes harmonic tones related to the respective fundamental frequency, the plurality of tone sets comprising a first fundamental frequency substantially around 500 Hz, a second fundamental frequency substantially around 588 Hz, and a third fundamental frequency substantially around 930 Hz; and
emitting, during each of a third set of time durations, the near field location-aiding audible signal, the third set of time durations being interleaved with the first set of time durations and the second set of time durations.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the defining the enclosed location-aiding audible signal comprises:
generating a first square wave substantially around 500 Hz;
generating a second square wave substantially around 588 Hz;
generating a third square wave substantially around 930 Hz;
creating a low pass filtered signal by combining the first square wave, the second square wave and the third square wave and applying a low pass filter with a 3 dB cutoff substantially around 5 KHz; and
compensating the low pass filtered signal to achieve a target output energy level.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the enclosed location-aiding audible signal further comprises at least one of harmonics and inter-modulation products produced by a combination of at least two of the first square wave, the second square wave, and the third square wave.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the defining the enclosed location-aiding audible signal comprises:
receiving an audio notification signal;
amplifying a first portion of a frequency spectrum of the audio notification signal, the first portion having a spectral amplitude peak substantially around 500 Hz;
amplifying a second portion of the frequency spectrum of the audio notification signal, the second portion having a spectral amplitude peak substantially around 588 Hz;
amplifying a third portion of the frequency spectrum of the audio notification signal, the third portion having a spectral amplitude peak substantially around 930 Hz;
applying, subsequent to the amplifying the first portion, amplifying the second portion, and amplifying the third portion, a low pass filter with a 3 dB cutoff substantially around 5 KHz; and
compensating, after applying the low pass filter, the audio notification signal to achieve a target output energy level.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving an audio notification signal;
determining that the audio notification signal does not contain spectral energy substantially around 500 Hz to at least substantially around 8 kHz; and
supplementing, in response to determining that the audio notification signal does not contain spectral energy substantially around 500 Hz to at least substantially around 8 kHz, the audio notification signal with additional audio content, the additional audio content comprising spectral energy extending from at least substantially around 500 Hz to at least substantially around 8 kHz.

11. A location-aiding audible signal creation device, comprising:
a near field location-aiding audible signal generator configured to define a near field location-aiding audible signal comprising broad-bandwidth audible noise with spectral portions selectively modified to create respective spectral amplitude peaks substantially around 500 Hz, substantially around 4 kHz and substantially around 8 kHz;
a far field location-aiding audible signal generator configured to define a far field location-aiding audible signal comprising a plurality of simultaneously occurring fundamental tone frequencies, the far field location-aiding audible signal further comprising a plurality of respective harmonic components for each fundamental tone frequency; and
a temporal interleaver configured to:
output, during eac

Assignees

• Blackberry Ltd

Inventors

• Ferringo Bradley Shayne
• Grenn John Patrick

Classifications

• G01S1/725

  Marker, boundary, call-sign or like beacons transmitting signals not carrying directional information · CPC title

• G08B3/10 Primary

  using electric transmission; using electromagnetic transmission · CPC title

• G08B21/24

  Reminder alarms, e.g. anti-loss alarms · CPC title