Wearable communication enhancement device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9848260-B2
Application number	US-201314035142-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 24, 2013
Priority date	Sep 24, 2013
Publication date	Dec 19, 2017
Grant date	Dec 19, 2017

Abstract

Embodiments disclosed herein may include a wearable apparatus including a frame having a memory and processor associated therewith. The apparatus may include a camera associated with the frame and in communication with the processor, the camera configured to track an eye of a wearer. The apparatus may also include at least one microphone associated with the frame. The at least one microphone may be configured to receive a directional instruction from the processor. The directional instruction may be based upon an adaptive beamforming analysis performed in response to a detected eye movement from the infrared camera. The apparatus may also include a speaker associated with the frame configured to provide an audio signal received at the at least one microphone to the wearer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A wearable apparatus comprising:
a frame having a memory and processor associated therewith;
an infrared camera associated with the frame and in communication with the processor, the infrared camera configured to track an eye of a wearer;
at least one microphone associated with the frame, the at least one microphone configured to receive a directional instruction from the processor, the directional instruction based upon, at least in part, an adaptive beamforming analysis performed in response to a detected eye movement from the infrared camera, wherein an identification of a non-wearer of the apparatus is performed based upon detecting a pre-defined eye movement of the wearer, wherein detecting the pre-defined eye movement of the wearer triggers a setting that avoids inadvertently resetting the directional instruction if the wearer looks away from the non-wearer, wherein the at least one microphone includes a beamformer with a spatial postfilter and a model based reverberation equalizer configured to suppress reverberation at the spatial postfilter; and
a speaker associated with the frame, the speaker configured to provide an audio signal received at the at least one microphone to the wearer only.

2. The wearable apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to convert the audio signal to text.

3. The wearable apparatus of claim 2 , further comprising:
at least one lens configured to receive the text from the processor and to provide the text to the wearer.

4. The wearable apparatus of claim 2 wherein the memory is configured to store at least one of contact information and conversation log files based upon the converted text.

5. The wearable apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a facial recognition camera associated with the frame, the facial recognition camera configured to identify the non-wearer of the apparatus.

6. The wearable apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the speaker is included within at least one headphone in communication with the processor.

7. The wearable apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the directional instruction is based upon, at least in part, an identification of the non-wearer of the apparatus.

8. The wearable apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
at least one lens configured to display visual feedback to the wearer, the visual feedback including at least one of beam shape, beam direction, and the identified non-wearer of the apparatus.

9. A method comprising:
tracking an eye of a wearer using a camera associated with a frame, the frame having a processor and a memory associated therewith;
receiving a directional instruction from the processor at a microphone associated with the frame, the directional instruction based upon, at least in part, an adaptive beamforming analysis performed in response to a detected eye movement from the camera, wherein an identification of a non-wearer of the apparatus is performed based upon detecting a pre-defined eye movement of the wearer, wherein detecting the pre-defined eye movement of the wearer triggers a setting that avoids inadvertently resetting the directional instruction if the wearer looks away from the non-wearer, wherein the at least one microphone includes a beamformer with a spatial postfilter and a model based reverberation equalizer configured to suppress reverberation at the spatial postfilter;
adjusting a direction of the at least one microphone, based upon the directional instruction;
receiving an audio signal at the at least one microphone; and
providing the audio signal to the wearer only using a speaker associated with the frame.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
converting, using the processor, the audio signal to text.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
receiving the text from the processor and providing the text to at least one lens.

12. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
storing at least one of contact information and conversation log files based upon the converted text in the memory.

13. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
identifying the non-wearer of the apparatus using a facial recognition camera associated with the frame.

14. The method of claim 9 , wherein the speaker is included within at least one headphone in communication with the processor.

15. The method of claim 9 , wherein the directional instruction is based upon, at least in part, the identification of a non-wearer of the apparatus.

16. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
displaying visual feedback to the wearer on at least one lens, the visual feedback including at least one of beam shape, beam direction, and the identified non-wearer of the apparatus.

17. A wearable apparatus comprising:
a frame having a memory and processor associated therewith;
an infrared camera associated with the frame and in communication with the processor, the infrared camera configured to track an eye of a wearer, wherein an identification of a target of the apparatus is performed based upon detecting a pre-defined eye movement of the wearer;
a second camera associated with the frame and in communication with the processor, the second camera configured to track a position of the target of the apparatus upon detecting the pre-defined eye movement of the wearer;
at least one microphone associated with the frame, the at least one microphone configured to receive a directional instruction from the processor based upon adaptive beamforming analysis performed by the processor and the position of the target of the apparatus, wherein the at least one microphone includes a beamformer with a spatial postfilter and a model based reverberation equalizer configured to suppress reverberation at the spatial postfilter; and
a speaker associated with the frame, the speaker configured to provide an audio signal received at the at least one microphone to the wearer only.

Assignees

• Nuance Communications Inc

Inventors

• Conliffe Iain A

Classifications

• G02C11/10 Primary

  Electronic devices other than hearing aids · CPC title

• H04R3/005

  for combining the signals of two or more microphones (specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407) · CPC title

• G10L2015/221

  Announcement of recognition results · CPC title

• G10L15/26

  Speech to text systems (G10L15/08 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H04R1/406

  microphones · CPC title