The present invention relates generally to communication devices and more specifically, to integrated ear-devices for providing acoustic communication solutions.
Novel multimedia devices are having multifunction applications. Phones and multimedia devices are used for connecting, finding, storing and spreading information via digital or audio channels (speech and listening). Such portable devices are used in different environments such as offices, silent cabinets, hospitals, metro, public but quiet places, etc., or in more noisy conditions as noisy streets, riding motorbike, etc. To satisfy sufficient quality of communications in all of these conditions the audio system has to provide a “silent input method” (do not disturb your environment while communicating) or it has to cancel noise from the surrounding environment (noise cancellation). The quality of communications is directly related to use conditions and limitations set by an audio-digital-audio signal conversion mechanism. Versatile usage conditions are difficult to cover by using present technical solutions for digital audio communications, which limits quality of information exchange and user satisfaction by products and services.
To improve audio conversion mechanisms, different technologies have been used. An example of a relatively new and direct conversion mechanism which avoids the air as sound wave propagation medium is a Silent Violin where vibrations from the wires are propagated through solid materials towards an ADC (analog-to-digital converter) for converting to a digital signal, which is then amplified and finally released into the air providing a beautiful sound quality.
Hardware (HW) miniaturization trends put size limits on both microphones and speakers challenging the quality of audio communications. Usually an audio signal propagates from the user's mouth to the air, to a microphone “listening” the air and then digitally converted and electrically amplified and finally spread into the air (e.g., by a speaker). The air is not the best medium for propagation of sound waves. Furthermore, the air is usually full of different sounds (noises) which are not useful while communicating by the portable electronic equipment. The air (gas mixture) is not the best medium, solid and liquid state materials are much more efficient in sound propagation. Moreover, the audio signal in the air has large dissipation requiring the user to speak relatively loudly to achieve a good quality of the audio communication. Therefore, a direct coupling of a microphone to a user body (avoiding the air) can present a very advanced solution for silent and not disturbing communications, such that the user does not disturb the environment while speaking (high sensitivity level) and the user is not disturbed by the environmental conditions (noise free communication).
Ordinary handsfree modules and hearing aids are very useful modules/gadgets. On the other hand, people do not like carrying separate modules while commuting and travelling. At the present, high-level integration technologies can provide a single small device which might be hosted at an external electronic device (e.g., mother phone).
In the available hands-free solutions, the background noise is clearly hearable to the receiver of the call. Certain algorithms are utilized in the noise reduction, but they can generally reduce the noise level only by 10-15 dB. However, the mobile devices are also used in circumstances, in which the noise level is high compared to the speech level. This poses a problem for the current sensor solutions (traditional pressure microphones) and, also, for actuator solutions (traditional loudspeakers). Moreover, often the users wish to protect their hearing under such conditions. For such protection either circumaural or insert-type ear-defenders are used. In both cases, the protection solution further complicates or prohibits the communication.
According to a first aspect of the invention, an apparatus, comprises: an electrode transducer, comprising at least one sensor, the at least one sensor comprising a surface resonator cavity sensitive to a predetermined acoustic frequency range, wherein the apparatus is configured for inserting it into a human ear for a handsfree operation and the at least one sensor is configured for detecting human tissue vibrations using the surface resonator cavity.
According further to the first aspect of the invention, the electrode transducer may comprise one or more sensors of the at least one sensor with one of: a) a capacitive detection mechanism, b) a piezoelectric detection mechanism, and c) a detection mechanism utilizing miniature accelerator meters. Further, each of the plurality of sensors may be optimized for a different acoustic frequency range. Further still, the electrode transducer may comprise a soft material between the sensors for adapting to the human ear.
According further to the first aspect of the invention, the at least one sensor may have a shape of a ring, line or a spiral shape.
Still further according to the first aspect of the invention, the electrode transducer may be configured for a speech detection by detecting the human tissue vibrations.
According further to the first aspect of the invention, the apparatus may further comprise an impedance-matching layer covering the at least one sensor for efficient and gentle acoustic coupling of the segmented sensors to the human ear. Further, when the apparatus is attached to an electronic device, the at least one sensor may be disengaged from a contact with the impedance-matching layer.
According still further to the first aspect of the invention, the apparatus may further comprise: a microphone, for detecting acoustic vibrations, wherein the apparatus is configured to adjust a sensitivity level or a sensitivity ratio of:
According still further to the first aspect of the invention, the apparatus may further comprise: a speaker, for providing an acoustic signal. Further, the speaker may be configured to adjust a volume of the acoustic signal coupled to the human ear. Further still, the speaker may be configured to adjust spectral content of the acoustic signal coupled to the human ear. Further still, the microphone may be configured to provide at least one of: a) a two-way communication in normal or noisy conditions, b) bin-aural recording, c) a hearing protection for the human ear from external noises, d) volume enhancement and equalization as a hearing aid, and e) a playback capability in the normal or noisy conditions.
According yet further still to the first aspect of the invention, the apparatus may further comprise an electronic processing module for supporting functionalities of all or selected components of the apparatus.
Yet still further according to the first aspect of the invention, the processing module may be configured to perform a decoding process such that the apparatus is further configured to provide media player capabilities.
Still yet further according to the first aspect of the invention, the apparatus may further comprise at least one of: a) a battery for supporting an operation of all components of the apparatus requiring an electric power, and b) a memory for storing recorded files.
Still further still according to the first aspect of the invention, the apparatus may be a part of an electronic device and may be configured for detaching from the electronic device for the inserting into the human ear and for attaching back to the electronic device. Further, the apparatus, when attached to the electronic device, may be configured to provide a further handsfree operation. Further still, the apparatus may comprise a battery and the electronic device may be configured to recharge the battery when the apparatus is attached to the electronic device.
According further still to the first aspect of the invention, the apparatus may be connected to an electronic device and the apparatus may further comprise a wireless module for providing a wireless communication of the apparatus with the electronic device, or the apparatus may be connected by a wire to the electronic device. Further, the electronic device may be a wireless device, a portable communication device, a personal digital assistant or a mobile phone.
According yet further still to the first aspect of the invention, the apparatus may be configured to operate without external assistance.
According to a second aspect of the invention, an electrode transducer, comprises: at least one sensor, which comprises a surface resonator cavity sensitive to a predetermined acoustic frequency range, wherein the at least one sensor, when inserted into a human ear for a handsfree operation, is configured to detect human tissue vibrations using the surface resonator cavity.
According further to the second aspect of the invention, the electrode transducer may comprise one or more sensors of the at least one sensor with one of: a) a capacitive detection mechanism, b) a piezoelectric detection mechanism, and c) a detection mechanism utilizing miniature accelerator meters.
Further according to the second aspect of the invention, each of the plurality of sensors may be optimized for a different acoustic frequency range.
Still further according to the second aspect of the invention, the electrode transducer may comprise a soft material between the sensors for adapting to the human ear.
According further to the second aspect of the invention, the at least one sensor may have a shape of a ring, line or a spiral.
According to a third aspect of the invention, a method, comprises: inserting an ear-device into a human ear for a handsfree operation, wherein the ear-device comprises: an electrode transducer comprising at least one sensor, the at least one sensor comprising a surface resonator cavity sensitive to a predetermined acoustic frequency range; and detecting by the at least one sensor human tissue vibrations using the surface resonator cavity.
Further according to the third aspect of the invention, the ear-device may further comprise a microphone, and the method may further comprise: detecting acoustic vibrations using the microphone, wherein the ear-device is configured to adjust a sensitivity level or a sensitivity ratio of: a) detecting the human tissue vibrations by the electrode transducer, and b) detecting the acoustic vibrations by the microphone.
Still further according to the third aspect of the invention, the ear-device may further comprise a speaker providing an acoustic signal, and the method may further comprise: adjusting at least one of: a) a volume of the acoustic signal coupled to the human ear, and b) spectral content of the acoustic signal coupled to the human ear.
According further to the third aspect of the invention, the method may further comprise: taking the ear-device out of the human ear and attaching the ear-device to an electronic device for a further handsfree operation or for recharging a battery of the ear-device.
According still further to the third aspect of the invention, the ear-device may further comprise a wireless module, and the method may further comprise: providing a wireless communication of the ear-device with the electronic device.
According yet further still to the third aspect of the invention, the microphone may be configured to provide at least one of: a) two-way communications in normal or noisy conditions, b) bin-aural recording, c) a hearing protection for the human ear from external noises, d) volume enhancement and equalization as a hearing aid, and d) a playback capability in the normal or noisy conditions.
According further still to the third aspect of the invention, the electrode transducer may comprise one or more sensors of the at least one sensor with one of: a) a capacitive detection mechanism, b) a piezoelectric detection mechanism, and c) a detection mechanism utilizing miniature accelerator meters. Further, each of the plurality of sensors may be optimized for a different acoustic frequency range.
Yet still further according to the third aspect of the invention, during the detecting, the surface resonator cavity may be located substantially in a vicinity of a human tissue but without a direct physical contact with the human tissue.
According to a fourth aspect of the invention, a computer program product comprises: a computer readable storage structure embodying computer program code thereon for execution by a computer processor with the computer program code, wherein the computer program code comprises instructions for performing the third aspect of the invention, indicated as being performed by any component or a combination of components of the ear-device or an electronic device connected to the ear device using a wireless or non-wireless method.
According to a fifth aspect of the invention, a system, comprises: at least one ear-device, comprising:
an electronic device, for providing communicating acoustically generated signals to and from the ear-device.
According further to the fifth aspect of the invention, the system may further comprise: a microphone, for detecting acoustic vibrations, wherein the apparatus is configured to adjust a sensitivity level or a sensitivity ratio of:
Further according to the fifth aspect of the invention, the at least one ear-device may comprise a battery for supporting an operation of all components of the ear-device requiring an electric power, and the electronic device may be configured for recharging the battery.
Still further according to the fifth aspect of the invention, during the detecting, the surface resonator cavity may be located substantially in a vicinity of a human tissue but without a direct physical contact with the human tissue.
According to a sixth aspect of the invention, an apparatus, comprises: transducer means, comprising at least one sensor, the at least one sensor comprising a surface resonator cavity sensitive to a predetermined acoustic frequency range, wherein the apparatus is configured for inserting it into a human ear for a handsfree operation and the at least one sensor is configured for detecting human tissue vibrations using the surface resonator cavity.
According further to the sixth aspect of the invention, the transducer means may be an electrode transducer.
For a better understanding of the nature and objects of the present invention, reference is made to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the following drawings, in which:
a and 2b are schematic representations (a side view and a 3-dimensional view), respectively, of an ear-device, with one end that is located inside an ear canal having a miniature speaker, another end having a microphone and having the tissue conducting sensors on the outer surface, according to an embodiment of the present invention;
a through 4e are schematic representations of a block diagram of an ear-device with a conical shape tissue conducting sensor (
A new method, apparatus and software product for providing flexible audio communication solutions using ear-devices (for example, multifunctional and integrated ear-devices) utilizing, e.g., electrode transducers with at least one sensor (i.e., it could be one or more sensors) comprising a surface resonator cavity sensitive to a predetermined acoustic frequency range for using, for example, in headsets and hearing aids. The ear-device can be configured for inserting it into a human ear for a handsfree operation and the at least one sensor can be configured to detect human tissue vibrations using said surface resonator cavity (surface resonator cavity can be located, e.g., in a vicinity of a human tissue with some or without a direct physical contact with said human tissue).
According to embodiments of the present invention, the acoustic communication solutions utilizing multifunctional integrated ear-devices described herein, may include (but are not limited to): providing two-way communications in normal conditions as well as in noisy conditions, providing protection of hearing, recording the true sound field bin-aurally, providing a playback capability, providing volume enhancement and equalization for persons with hearing defects, etc. According to various embodiments, the ear-device can operate by itself or it can be attached to a portable communication device like a mobile phone.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, an ear-device can comprise all or a combination of the following components: a tissue conducting sensor such as the electrode transducer (e.g., using a single sensor or a plurality of segmented sensors) for detecting human tissue vibrations, a microphone (e.g., an air-coupled microphone) for detecting primarily external acoustic vibrations, a speaker for providing an acoustic signal, and a housing for holding the tissue conducting sensor, the air-coupled microphone and the speaker and for inserting into a human ear for a handsfree operation of the ear-device. According to further embodiments, a sensitivity level or a sensitivity ratio of: a) detecting the human tissue vibrations using the tissue conducting sensor such as the electrode transducer, and b) detecting the acoustic (external) vibrations using the microphone, can be adjusted. Furthermore, a volume and a frequency content of the acoustic signal coupled to said human ear by the speaker can be also adjusted, e.g., by using the plurality of sensors optimized for different frequency ranges. Also using multiple (segmented) sensors can cover more area of the human tissue and improve sensitivity of detection.
According to a further embodiment, the ear-device can comprise an electronic processing module (e.g., digital signal processor) for supporting functionalities of the tissue conducting sensor, the microphone and the speaker. Alternatively a memory module can be included in the ear-device if data storage is required. Moreover, the ear-device can have a battery for supporting an operation of all components of the ear-device requiring an electric power (alternatively the ear-device can have a wiring connection to the external electronic device or another electric power source).
Typically, the ear-device can be a part of an external electronic device (e.g., a mobile phone) and can be configured for detaching from the electronic device for inserting into the human ear and for attaching back (e.g., using a magnetic structure, snaps, etc.) to said electronic device, e.g., for recharging the battery. In one embodiment, when attached to the electronic device, the ear-device can be configured to provide the handsfree operation with more details provided in regard to
The tissue conducting sensor 16 can comprise of a plurality of segmented sensors 16a (e.g., see
The microphone 14 and the speaker 12 may be of a standard type and can be located at the ends (e.g., opposite ends) of the ear-device (e.g., see
The microphone 14 can be used for picking up the external sounds. In addition, it may be used together with the tissue conducting sensor 16 for picking up the user's speech and/or to improve overall frequency response. It is known that the sensor 16 can work in a fairly narrow frequency range (e.g., in the range 2.5-3 kHz). A conventional microphone 14 may then be used to complement the frequency range up to the desired frequency, e.g., by simultaneously using the microphone 14 and the sensor 16. Another alternative for detecting a wider frequency range would be to optimize each of these segmented sensors 16a for different acoustic frequencies complimentary to each other (this can be also in addition to using the microphone 14).
The speaker 12 radiates an acoustic wave into the human ear canal. Due to a low acoustic leak in the system (the speaker 12 can be in close proximity to the ear canal as shown in
The electronic processing module 18 (e.g., a digital signal processor) can be included in the ear-device 10 to perform some signal processing to support various functionalities, which are discussed in more detail in regard to
The shape of the ear-device 10 can be circular, conical, U-shape, etc., or custom tailored to a particular user in order to properly fit in the human ear canal. The device may also include an easy-to-use method for inserting the device into the ear. The method of insertion is important from the usability point of view. An example showing the ear-device 10 inserted into the human ear is shown in
a shows a further example among others of a schematic representation of the ear-device 10 with a conical shape electrode transducer 16 with, e.g., a capacitive detection mechanism (other mechanisms, such as piezoelectric or utilizing miniature accelerator meters as described herein, can be also used), according to a further embodiment of the present invention. In this example the ear-device 10 can serve two operational modes: when attached to the external electronic device (phone) 40 (see
When the ear-device 10 is in the HTM detached from the mother-phone 40 and placed into the user ear, the capacitive sensors 16a are coupled to the soft embodiment and further to the interior user ear to provide direct coupling to the human tissue. For example, the change of status of the sensor 16a can be made by having small magnets 48 in a mother-phone 40 (see
The modules 12, 14, 18 and 20 shown in
While hosted at the mother phone 40, the PHMS can serve as a phone speaker and also it can recharge its own battery 22 from the phone's main battery 47 (see
According to another embodiment, a usage scenario can be that while operating as an HTM independent module, the PHMS can be easily and shortly attached to the phone to pick-up the energy (i.e., recharge the battery) and then placed again in the ear and continue, e.g., the “silent communication” mode. This operation is rather easy for the user and can be made even more frequently without drastic disturbances of the continuous communication (for example, once in 15-20 minutes).
Furthermore, openings 30 in the housing 24 (the housing 24 can be made of a hard polymeric material) to provide audio properties of the ear-device 10 in the OM. These openings 30 can also be utilized in the HTM mode for facilitating various applications (e.g., bin-aural recording) described in
The device 40 can also comprise an ear-device cradle 45 with the magnets 48 (described herein) for attaching and detaching the ear-device 10, and possibly a main battery 47 for recharging the battery 22 of the ear-device 10.
There are a growing number of people willing to protect their hearing during a loud event (e.g., a rock concert). For this purpose, insert-ear-defenders are commonly used. According to embodiments of the present invention, this ear-plug can be made as a smart ear-device. The ear-device can be used for an active control of a music volume and a frequency content. The user may be able to adjust the volume so that the music is at a comfortable level. On the other hand, the tissue sensor can detect the user speech or other sounds “internally” through the human tissue vibrations, as described herein, such the user can communicate with the outside world in a noisy environment. Moreover, since there is a microphone in the device, it may also be used for recording the concert as heard by the listener bin-aurally to a mobile device in order to create a personal content. Moreover, one could possibly provide the concert to another user via a wireless link. Also, the ear-device, according to an embodiment of the present invention, can provide a decoding process (e.g., using the processing module 18) and media player capabilities. It is noted that if the hearing protecting or bin-aural recording is used, the user should have the ear-device 10 in both ears.
Moreover, sometimes it is virtually impossible to make a phone call in a noisy environment. According to embodiments of the present invention, the ear-device utilizes tissue-conduction as a means to pick-up speech with a highly reduced background noise. The in-ear speaker with ear-defender functionality can provide a clear call reproduction and high intelligibility even in such an audio-hostile environment as a concert. Other applications/use cases may include teleconferencing to enable speaker localization to both directions. In addition to advanced features, the embodiments of the present invention can also support the basic functions, such as playback in noisy conditions. It can further support other ways of communications, not only by audio but by tapping/knocking by user finger or jaw or teeth (in mouth movement), as well as a hearing aid concept, etc.
According to embodiments described herein, the user does not need to use a loud voice while communicating using a very low threshold for a signal generation which provides a silent communication capability, such that only the user's voice is transferred to the other side (surrounding noise cancellation).
The flow chart of
In a next step 52, a sensitivity level for detecting internal acoustic vibrations (by the electrode transducer/tissue conducting sensor 16) and/or detecting external acoustic vibrations (by the microphone 14) are adjusted. In a next step 54, a volume of the acoustic signal of the speaker 12 is adjusted. In a next step 56, the ear-device 10 is removed from the human ear and attached to an external electronic device 40 for recharging the battery and/or for an external use. In a next step 58, the ear-device 10 is inserted into a human ear after recharging for a further use, and the process goes back to step 52.
As explained above, the invention provides both a method and corresponding equipment consisting of various modules providing the functionality for performing the steps of the method. The modules may be implemented as hardware, or may be implemented as software or firmware for execution by a computer processor. In particular, in the case of firmware or software, the invention can be provided as a computer program product including a computer readable storage structure embodying computer program code (i.e., the software or firmware) thereon for execution by the computer processor.
Also, it is noted that various embodiments of the present invention recited herein can be used separately, combined or selectively combined for specific applications.
It is to be understood that the above-described arrangements are only illustrative of the application of the principles of the present invention. Numerous modifications and alternative arrangements may be devised by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention, and the appended claims are intended to cover such modifications and arrangements.