US 11,019,450 B2Granted

Directional awareness audio communications system

AssigneeOtto Engineering, Inc.

InventorsDaniel F. Stanek, Bernard L. Knych

Life of this patent

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Abstract

Various embodiments include a directional awareness audio communication system and method. The system may include remote speaker/transmitting device(s) and listener/receiving device(s). The speaker/transmitting device(s) may send real-time location information with audio or separate from the audio to the listener/receiving device(s). The listener/receiving device(s) use the speaker/transmitting device(s) location information relative to the listener/receiving device location and orientation to perform audio processing on the transmitted audio signal. The listener/receiving device(s) provide the processed audio signal in stereo (i.e., at least two speakers such as left and right headphones, vehicle speakers, control center speakers, surround sound speakers, etc.) to a user of the listener/receiving device. The listener/receiving device(s) provides a warning and outputs standard audio if the real-time location information of the speaker/transmitting device(s) is unavailable or unreliable. In various embodiments, the listener device provides haptic and/or visual feedback of the speaker device location with respect to the listener device location.

Claims24

Dependent claims

A directional awareness audio communications system comprising:

a communications device receiver comprising:
a location identification device integrated with or communicatively coupled to the communications device receiver, the location identification device configured to provide receiver location data and receiver orientation data of the communications device receiver;
a location data processor configured to:
receive the receiver location data and the receiver orientation data from the location identification device;
determine whether a transmitter location data signal identifying a remote location of a communications device transmitter has been received;
provide a warning when the transmitter location data signal has not been received;
and
compute, when the transmitter location data signal has been received, a directional vector between the communications device transmitter and the communications device receiver based on the transmitter location data signal, the receiver location data, and the receiver orientation data;
an audio processor configured to:
receive a transmitter audio signal from the communications device transmitter;
and
operate in an enhanced audio mode when the transmitter location data signal has been received by the location data processor or in a standard audio mode when the transmitter location data signal has not been received by the location data processor,
wherein the audio processor is configured to process the transmitter audio signal based on the directional vector to convert the transmitter audio signal to a directionally-enhanced audio signal when operating in the enhanced audio mode,
wherein the audio processor is configured to provide one of a standard mono audio signal or a standard stereo signal when operating in the standard audio mode;
and
at least one speaker integrated with or communicatively coupled to the communications device receiver, the at least one speaker configured to output the directionally-enhanced audio signal, the standard mono audio signal, or the standard stereo signal provided by the audio processor.

13 more elements

A method comprising:

providing, by a location identification device integrated with or communicatively coupled to the communications device receiver, receiver location data and receiver orientation data of the communications device receiver;
receiving, by a location data processor of the communications device receiver, the receiver location data and the receiver orientation data from the location identification device;
determining, by the location data processor, whether a transmitter location data signal identifying a remote location of a communications device transmitter has been received;
providing, by the location data processor, a warning when the transmitter location data signal has not been received;
computing, by the location data processor, a directional vector between the communications device transmitter and the communications device receiver based on the transmitter location data signal, the receiver location data, and the receiver orientation data when the transmitter location data signal has been received;
receiving, by an audio processor of the communications device receiver, a transmitter audio signal from the communications device transmitter;
operating, by the audio processor, in an enhanced audio mode by processing the transmitter audio signal based on the directional vector to convert the transmitter audio signal to a directionally-enhanced audio signal when the transmitter location data signal has been received by the location data processor;
operating, by the audio processor, in a standard audio mode by providing one of a standard mono audio signal or a standard stereo signal when the transmitter location data signal has not been received by the location data processor;
and
outputting, by at least one speaker integrated with or communicatively coupled to the communications device receiver, the directionally-enhanced audio signal, the standard mono audio signal, or the standard stereo signal provided by the audio processor.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/654,580Filed 16 Oct 2019 · us provisional application
Priority: 24 Oct 2018
Published: US 2020/0137509 A130 Apr 2020
Granted: 25 May 2021
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification19 codes

H04S 7/303
Electronic adaptation of stereophonic sound system to listener position or orientation: tracking of listener position or orientation
H04S 7/304
Tracking of listener position or orientation: for headphones
G08B 7/06
Signalling systems according to two or more of groups G08B3/00 - G08B6/00: using electric transmission , e.g. involving audible and visible…
H04R 1/403
By combining a number of identical transducers: loud-speakers

Family

Application62/750,007Us provisional application · filed 24 Oct 2018
Application62/852,452Us provisional application · filed 24 May 2019
Application62/876,479Us provisional application · filed 19 Jul 2019
US 2020/0137509 A1Pre-grant publication · published 30 Apr 2020
US 11,019,450 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.