Systems and methods for adjusting audio based on ambient sounds

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9936325-B2
Application number	US-201715688583-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 28, 2017
Priority date	Jan 12, 2016
Publication date	Apr 3, 2018
Grant date	Apr 3, 2018

Abstract

There is provided a system for use in an environment, the system comprising a microphone, a plurality of speakers, a memory storing an executable code, and a processor executing the executable code to receive a media content including an audio component, play the audio component of the media content over at least one of the plurality of speakers, detect, while playing the audio component, an ambient sound in the environment using the microphone, and adjust playing of the audio component of the media content for the at least one of the plurality of speakers based on the ambient sound in the environment.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for use in an environment, the system comprising:
a microphone;
a plurality of speakers;
a non-transitory memory storing an executable code; and
a hardware processor executing the executable code to:
receive a media content including an audio component;
play the audio component of the media content over at least one of the plurality of speakers;
detect, while playing the audio component, an ambient noise in the environment using the microphone; and
adjust playing of the audio component of the media content for the at least one of the plurality of speakers based on the ambient noise in the environment.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the hardware processor executes the executable code to further identify the ambient noise using a sound database stored in the non-transitory memory, and wherein detecting includes determining a volume of the ambient noise.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein detecting includes determining a volume of the ambient noise, and wherein adjusting is in response to detecting the ambient noise and based on the volume of the ambient noise.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the audio content includes a plurality of sound tracks including a dialog sound track, and wherein adjusting the playing of the audio component of the media content includes changing a volume of the dialog sound track but not a volume of all of the plurality of sound tracks.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of speakers includes a speaker of a mobile device.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein adjusting the playing of the audio component of the media content includes start playing the audio component of the media content using the speaker of the mobile device, in response to the detecting of the ambient noise in the environment.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein adjusting the playing of the audio component includes pausing the playing of the media content on one or more the plurality of speakers.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the ambient noise does not include speech.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the sound databases includes at least one of an engine noise, street noise and sirens.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the media content includes metadata describing the audio component, and wherein adjusting the playing of the audio component uses the metadata.

11. A method for use with a system having a non-transitory memory and a hardware processor in an environment, the method comprising:
receiving, using the hardware processor, a media content including an audio component;
playing, using the hardware processor, the audio component of the media content over at least one of a plurality of speakers;
detecting, using the hardware processor while playing the audio component, an ambient noise in the environment using a microphone; and
adjusting, using the hardware processor, playing of the audio component of the media content for the at least one of the plurality of speakers based on the ambient noise in the environment.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
identify, using the hardware processor, the ambient noise using a sound database stored in the non-transitory memory, and wherein detecting includes determining a volume of the ambient noise.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein detecting includes determining a volume of the ambient noise, and wherein adjusting is in response to detecting the ambient noise and based on the volume of the ambient noise.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the audio content includes a plurality of sound tracks including a dialog sound track, and wherein adjusting the playing of the audio component of the media content includes changing a volume of the dialog sound track but not a volume of all of the plurality of sound tracks.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein the plurality of speakers includes a speaker of a mobile device.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein adjusting the playing of the audio component of the media content includes start playing the audio component of the media content using the speaker of the mobile device, in response to the detecting of the ambient noise in the environment.

17. The method of claim 11 , wherein adjusting the playing of the audio component includes pausing the playing on one or more the plurality of speakers.

18. The method of claim 11 , wherein the ambient noise does not include speech.

19. The method of claim 11 , wherein the sound databases includes at least one of an engine noise, street noise and sirens.

20. The method of claim 11 , wherein the media content includes metadata describing the audio component, and wherein adjusting the playing of the audio component uses the metadata.

Assignees

• Disney Entpr Inc

Inventors

• Smith Tony
• Silverman Leon
• Chen Alexander C

Classifications

• H04R2499/11

  Transducers incorporated or for use in hand-held devices, e.g. mobile phones, PDA's, camera's · CPC title

• H04R3/005

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

• H04R2430/20

  Processing of the output signals of the acoustic transducers of an array for obtaining a desired directivity characteristic (H04R2203/12 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H04R2201/401

  2D or 3D arrays of transducers · CPC title

• H04R1/406

  microphones · CPC title