# US 2019/0174221 A1 · Time Heuristic Audio Control

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- Number: US 2019/0174221 A1
- Document ID: US20190174221A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 16/272,987
- Filed: 2019-02-11
- Published: 2019-06-06
- Earliest claimed: 2014-04-08
- Assignees: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation
- Applicants: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation
- Inventors: Matthew J. Jaffe; Noah Kraft; Richard Fritz Lanman, III; Jeffrey Baker
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20190174221A1

## CPC

- H04R 1/1083: {Reduction of ambient noise (active noise reduction per se G10K11/175; protective devices for the ear, e.g. providing acoustic protection A61F11/06)}
- G10L 21/0208: Noise filtering
- H04R 1/1016: {Earpieces of the intra-aural type}
- H04W 4/02: Services making use of location information
- H04R 27/00: Public address systems (circuits for preventing acoustic reaction H04R3/02; circuits for distributing signals to loudspeakers H04R3/12; {monitoring or testing arrangements for public address systems H04R29/007}; amplifiers H03F)
- H04R 2227/003: Digital PA systems using, e.g. LAN or internet
- H04R 2420/07: Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
- H04R 2460/07: Use of position data from wide-area or local-area positioning systems in hearing devices, e.g. program or information selection
- H04W 4/80: Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
- 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)
- G10L: SPEECH ANALYSIS TECHNIQUES OR SPEECH SYNTHESIS; SPEECH RECOGNITION; SPEECH OR VOICE PROCESSING TECHNIQUES; SPEECH OR AUDIO CODING OR DECODING
- H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72)

## Abstract

A time heuristic audio control system, comprises a receiver for receiving time-based data from a personal computing device and a memory storing one or more sets processing parameters comprising instructions for processing the ambient sound based upon the time-based data. The system further includes a processor coupled to the memory and the receiver configured to adjust the ambient sound as directed by a selected set of processing parameters retrieved from the memory to create adjusted audio, the selected set of processing parameters retrieved based upon the time-based data and at least one speaker for outputting the adjusted audio.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A time heuristic audio system, comprising:
an analysis block that is configured to transform digitized ambient sound into a frequency domain, and to determine a distribution of the digitized ambient sound within an audible frequency spectrum;
an ambient sound characterization block that is configured to develop an ambient sound profile based on the distribution of the digitized ambient sound within the audible frequency spectrum determined by the analysis block;
a time-based heuristic learning and characterization block that is configured to access instructions related to a particular set of processing parameters based on time-based data;
an audio parameter memory that is configured to store sets of processing parameters, and is configured to retrieve one of the sets of processing parameters based on the instructions related to the particular set of processing parameters accessed by the time-based heuristic learning and characterization block and on the ambient sound profile developed by the ambient sound characterization block; and
an audio processing block that is configured to generate processed ambient sound by processing the digitized ambient sound according to the one of the sets of processing parameters retrieved by the audio parameter memory.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The time heuristic audio system of claim 1, further comprising:
a user interface block that is configured to receive at least one manually entered processing parameter,
wherein the audio processing block is further configured to generate the processed ambient sound by processing the digitized ambient sound according to the at least one manually entered processing parameter.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The time heuristic audio system of claim 1, further comprising:
a geo-location block that is configured to provide location data; and
a location-based parameter memory that is configured to store sets of location-based processing parameters, and is configured to retrieve one of the sets of location-based processing parameters based on the location data,
wherein the audio processing block is further configured to generate the processed ambient sound according to the one of the sets of location-based processing parameters retrieved by the location-based parameter memory.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The time heuristic audio system of claim 1, wherein the audio processing block is further configured to generate a processed secondary audio feed by processing a secondary audio feed according to the one of the sets of processing parameters retrieved by the audio parameter memory, the time heuristic audio system further comprising:
an adder that adds the processed ambient sound and the processed secondary audio feed to generate digitized processed sound,
wherein the secondary audio feed corresponds to audio that is not audible in a physical location where the time heuristic audio system is present.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The time heuristic audio system of claim 4, wherein the audio processing block is configured to process the digitized ambient sound according to a first set of settings, and to process the secondary audio feed according to a second set of settings.

### Claim 6 (depends on 4)

The time heuristic audio system of claim 4, wherein the one of the sets of processing parameters define how the secondary audio feed is combined with the digitized ambient sound.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The time heuristic audio system of claim 1, wherein the audio processing block is further configured to receive a second set of processing parameters from a cloud source, and to process the digitized ambient sound according to the second set of processing parameters.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The time heuristic audio system of claim 1, further comprising:
a processor that is configured to implement the analysis block, the ambient sound characterization block, the time-based heuristic learning and characterization block, and the audio processing block.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The time heuristic audio system of claim 1, further comprising:
a microphone that is configured to capture ambient sound; and
an analog-to-digital converter that is configured to generate the digitized ambient sound based on the ambient sound captured by the microphone.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The time heuristic audio system of claim 1, further comprising:
a digital to analog converter that is configured to convert the processed ambient sound into an analog signal; and
a speaker that is configured to output sound corresponding to the analog signal converted by the digital to analog converter.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The time heuristic audio system of claim 1, wherein the analysis block is further configured to determine a presence of dominant sounds at particular frequencies, and
wherein the ambient sound characterization block is further configured to develop the ambient sound profile based on the presence of the dominant sounds at the particular frequencies determined by the analysis block.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The time heuristic audio system of claim 1, wherein the time-based heuristic learning and characterization block is further configured to access the instructions related to the particular set of processing parameters based on a determination that the time heuristic audio system is present at one of a particular location, a particular event, and a particular premises.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The time heuristic audio system of claim 1, wherein the time-based heuristic learning and characterization block is further configured to access the instructions related to the particular set of processing parameters based on a present time and a present location of the time heuristic audio system stored in a data repository.

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

The time heuristic audio system of claim 1, wherein the time-based heuristic learning and characterization block works in conjunction with the ambient sound characterization block to use a first set of processing parameters prior to the ambient sound characterization block detecting music, and a second set of processing parameters after the ambient sound characterization block has detected the music.

### Claim 15

A method of controlling a time heuristic audio system, the method comprising:
transforming, by an analysis block, digitized ambient sound into a frequency domain;
determining, by the analysis block, a distribution of the digitized ambient sound within an audible frequency spectrum;
developing, by an ambient sound characterization block, an ambient sound profile based on the distribution of the digitized ambient sound within the audible frequency spectrum determined by the analysis block;
accessing, by a time-based heuristic learning and characterization block, instructions related to a particular set of processing parameters based on time-based data;
storing, by an audio parameter memory, sets of processing parameters;
retrieving, by the audio parameter memory, one of the sets of processing parameters based on the instructions related to the particular set of processing parameters accessed by the time-based heuristic learning and characterization block and on the ambient sound profile developed by the ambient sound characterization block;
generating, by the audio processing block, processed ambient sound by processing the digitized ambient sound according to the one of the sets of processing parameters retrieved by the audio parameter memory.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, further comprising:
receiving, by a user interface block, at least one manually entered processing parameter; and
generating, by the audio processing block, the processed ambient sound by processing the digitized ambient sound according to the at least one manually entered processing parameter.

### Claim 17 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, further comprising:
providing, by a geo-location block, location data;
storing, by a location-based parameter memory, sets of location-based processing parameters;
retrieving, by the location-based parameter memory one of the sets of location-based processing parameters based on the location data; and
generating, by the audio processing block, the processed ambient sound according to the one of the sets of location-based processing parameters retrieved by the location-based parameter memory.

### Claim 18 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, further comprising:
generating, by the audio processing block, a processed secondary audio feed by processing a secondary audio feed according to the one of the sets of processing parameters retrieved by the audio parameter memory; and
adding, by an adder, the processed ambient sound and the processed secondary audio feed to generate digitized processed sound,
wherein the secondary audio feed corresponds to audio that is not audible in a physical location where the time heuristic audio system is present.

### Claim 19 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, further comprising:
capturing, by a microphone, ambient sound; and
generating, by an analog-to-digital converter, the digitized ambient sound based on the ambient sound captured by the microphone.

### Claim 20 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, further comprising:
converting, by a digital to analog converter, the processed ambient sound into an analog signal; and
outputting, by a speaker, sound corresponding to the analog signal converted by the digital to analog converter.