# US 12,112,094 B2 · Devices with enhanced audio

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- Number: US 12,112,094 B2
- Document ID: US12112094B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 18/194,926
- Filed: 2023-04-03
- Published: 2023-10-05
- Granted: 2024-10-08
- Earliest claimed: 2011-07-28
- Assignees: Apple Inc.
- Applicants: Apple Inc.
- Inventors: Aleksandar Pance; Brett Bilbrey; Darby E. Hadley; Martin E. Johnson; Ronald Nadim Isaac
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12112094B2

## CPC

- G06F 3/165: {Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path}
- G06F 3/0484: for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
- G06F 3/167: {Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback}
- G10L 17/00: Speaker identification or verification techniques
- H04N 7/15: Conference systems
- H04N 21/4143: {embedded in a} Personal Computer [PC]
- H04N 21/42201: {biosensors, e.g. heat sensor for presence detection, EEG sensors or any limb activity sensors worn by the user (input arrangements for interaction with the human body based on nervous system activity detection G06F3/015)}
- H04N 21/42202: {environmental sensors, e.g. for detecting temperature, luminosity, pressure, earthquakes}
- H04N 21/42203: {sound input device, e.g. microphone}
- H04N 21/4223: Cameras (H04N23/00 takes precedence)
- H04N 21/439: Processing of audio elementary streams
- H04N 21/44218: {Detecting physical presence or behaviour of the user, e.g. using sensors to detect if the user is leaving the room or changes his face expression during a TV programme (methods or arrangements for recognising human body or animal bodies or body parts G06V40/10; methods or arrangements for acquiring or recognising human faces, facial parts, facial sketches, facial expressions G06V40/16; methods or arrangements for recognising movements or behaviour G06V40/20; arrangements for identifying users in broadcast systems H04H60/45)}
- H04N 23/69: Control of means for changing angle of the field of view, e.g. optical zoom objectives or electronic zooming
- H04R 3/04: for correcting frequency response
- H04R 29/001: {for loudspeakers (H04R29/007 takes precedence)}
- H04S 7/303: {Tracking of listener position or orientation}
- H04S 7/305: {Electronic adaptation of stereophonic audio signals to reverberation of the listening space (H04S7/301 takes precedence)}
- H04N 5/60: for the sound signals
- H04N 7/142: {Constructional details of the terminal equipment, e.g. arrangements of the camera and the display}
- H04N 21/42222: {Additional components integrated in the remote control device, e.g. timer, speaker, sensors for detecting position, direction or movement of the remote control, microphone or battery charging device}
- H04N 21/4532: {involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences (monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18)}
- H04N 21/4852: {for modifying audio parameters, e.g. switching between mono and stereo}
- H04R 2430/01: Aspects of volume control, not necessarily automatic, in sound systems
- H04S 2400/13: Aspects of volume control, not necessarily automatic, in stereophonic sound systems
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)
- G10L: SPEECH ANALYSIS TECHNIQUES OR SPEECH SYNTHESIS; SPEECH RECOGNITION; SPEECH OR VOICE PROCESSING TECHNIQUES; SPEECH OR AUDIO CODING OR DECODING
- H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
- H04R: LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; ELECTRIC HEARING AIDS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS (producing sounds with frequency not determined by supply frequency G10K)
- H04S: STEREOPHONIC SYSTEMS

## Abstract

A system for enhancing audio including a plurality of sensors, an output device, and a processor in communication with the plurality of sensors and the output device. The processor is configured to process data captured by the plurality of sensors, and based on that, modify an output of the output device. The processor also is configured to determine whether there are a plurality of users associated with a video conferencing session, determine which user of the plurality of users is speaking, and enhance the audio or video output of the speaking user on the output device.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A first computing device comprising a processor that is configured to, by a video conferencing application:
communicate with a camera that captures images of a first user, and produce a video output of the first user and track movement of the first user;
communicate with a plurality of microphones that pick-up voice of the first user and produce an audio output of the first user; and
communicate with a communication interface to transmit the video output and the audio output via a network to a second computing device that is in a video conferencing session with the first computing device, the second computing displays the video output and produces sound of the audio output,
wherein the processor is configured to automatically adjust the video output of the first user as the first user moves around based on the processor using facial recognition to determine where on a display the first user is located and by tracking movement of the first user on the display.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The first computing device of claim 1 wherein the processor is configured to adjust the audio output in response to determining that the first user is speaking.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The first computing device of claim 2 wherein the processor adjusts the audio output by beam steering the plurality of microphones.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The first computing device of claim 3 wherein the processor is configured to focus or zoom the camera on the first user.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The first computing device of claim 4 wherein the video conferencing application has a setting for the processor to automatically enhance the video output or audio output of the first user when the first user is speaking.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The first computing device of claim 1 wherein the processor is configured to automatically adjust the video output of the first user, based on determining that there are multiple persons in the video conferencing session, wherein the processor determines there are multiple persons by performing facial recognition or voice recognition.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The first computing device of claim 1 wherein the video conferencing application has a setting that instructs the processor to automatically adjust the video output or the audio output of the first user when the first user is speaking.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The first computing device of claim 7 wherein the processor is configured to adjust the video output by focusing or zooming the camera on the first user.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The first computing device of claim 1 wherein the processor is configured to determine whether the first user is located offset from a middle of a display.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The first computing device of claim 1 wherein the processor is configured to adjust the audio output based on size of a room in which the first user is located or based on reverberation of the room.

### Claim 11

A method for providing a video conferencing session having video output and audio output, the method comprising the following operations performed by a first computing device executing a video conferencing application:
communicating with a camera that captures images of a first user, and produce a video output of the first user and track movement of the first user;
communicating with a plurality of microphones that pick-up voice of the first user and produce an audio output of the first user; and
communicating with a communication interface to transmit the video output and the audio output via a network to a second computing device that is in the video conferencing session with the first computing device, the second computing displays the video output and produces sound of the audio output, and the first computing device automatically adjusts the video output of the first user as the first user moves around based on the first computing device using facial recognition to determine where on a display the first user is located and by tracking movement of the first user on the display.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11 further comprising adjusting the audio output in response to determining that the first user is speaking.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12 wherein adjusting the audio output comprises beam steering the plurality of microphones.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The method of claim 13 wherein adjusting the video output comprises focusing or zooming the camera on the first user.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The method of claim 14 wherein the video conferencing application has a setting to automatically enhance the video output or the audio output of the first user when the first user is speaking.

### Claim 16 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11 further comprising automatically adjusting the video output of the first user based on determining that there are multiple persons in the video conferencing session by performing facial recognition or voice recognition.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The method of claim 16 wherein the video conferencing application has a setting to automatically adjust the video output or the audio output of the first user when the first user is speaking.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The method of claim 17 wherein adjusting the video output comprises focusing or zooming the camera on the first user.

### Claim 19 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11 further comprising determining whether the first user is located offset from a middle of a display.

### Claim 20 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11 wherein adjusting the audio output is based on size of a room in which the first user is located or based on reverberation of the room.