Ambient audio event detection in a personal audio device headset
AssigneeCirrus Logic, Inc.
InventorJohn L. Melanson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Ambient audio event detection in a personal audio device headset provides for directive response to external audible events. Depending on the type of event, an alert may be issued, speech may be communicated to another device, program material may be interrupted and/or resumed with or without repositioning, and program material may be modified or selected for compatibility with, or to overcome, the ambient environment indicated by the detected event.
Claims16
A headphone unit for portable consumer audio playback device use, the headphone unit comprising:
- an audio program source for providing audio program information;
- an audio output transducer for generating an acoustic output from an audio output signal containing the audio program information;
- a microphone for sensing ambient sounds external to the headphone unit and producing an ambient measuring audio signal;
- an audio processor that detects an event in the ambient sounds from the ambient measuring audio signal, determines a characteristic of the event, and in response, selects a type of program material provided from the audio program source for compatibility with the event to generate the audio output signal, wherein the audio processor selects the type of the program material for acoustic compatibility with the ambient sounds corresponding to the event to set a mood or more effectively mask the ambient sounds corresponding to the event;
- and
- a battery for supplying power to the audio processor.
A method of processing audio program information in a headphone unit, the method comprising:
- providing an audio program source within the headphone unit for generating the audio program information;
- within the headphone unit, generating an acoustic output from an audio output signal containing the audio program information;
- sensing ambient sounds external to the headphone unit producing an ambient measuring audio signal;
- within the headphone unit, detecting an event in the ambient sounds from the ambient measuring audio signal;
- responsive to detecting the event, determining a characteristic of the event;
- and
- within the headphone unit, responsive to determining the characteristic of the event, selecting a type of program material for compatibility with the event as the audio program information used to generate the audio output signal, wherein the selecting selects the type of the program material for acoustic compatibility with the ambient sounds corresponding to the event to set a mood or more effectively mask the ambient sounds corresponding to the event.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.