US 12,284,499 B1
Augmented hearing via adaptive self-reinforcement
Andrew Lovitt, Redmond, WA (US); and Nicholas William Metzar, Beaverton, OR (US)
Assigned to Meta Platforms Technologies, LLC, Menlo Park, CA (US)
Filed by Meta Platforms Technologies, LLC, Menlo Park, CA (US)
Filed on Dec. 22, 2022, as Appl. No. 18/086,826.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/348,604, filed on Jun. 3, 2022.
Int. Cl. H04R 3/12 (2006.01); G10L 25/51 (2013.01); H04R 1/40 (2006.01); H04R 3/00 (2006.01)
CPC H04R 3/12 (2013.01) [G10L 25/51 (2013.01); H04R 1/403 (2013.01); H04R 1/406 (2013.01); H04R 3/002 (2013.01); H04R 2430/01 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An audio system comprising:
a sensor array configured to capture sound from a local area;
a controller configured to:
localize each particular sound, of multiple sounds in the captured sound, based on:
identified values, for a given sound feature, as differently measured by at least two sensors in the sensor array, and/or
visual information, received from a headset associated with the audio system, indicating location changes for the particular sound,
identify, based at least in part on the localization for the multiple sounds,
A) someone speaking as a sound source in the captured sound and
B) background noise,
determine an amount of the background noise in the captured sound,
determine a level of reinforcement to be applied to at least the sound source based in part on the amount of the background noise, and
generate a reinforcement audio signal based on the level of reinforcement; and
a transducer array configured to generate reinforcement audio for the sound from the sound source based on the reinforcement audio signal.