US 12,147,730 B2
Audio apparatus, audio distribution system and method of operation therefor
Christiaan Varekamp, Veldhoven (NL); Jeroen Gerardus Henricus Koppens, Nederweert (NL); Bart Kroon, Eindhoven (NL); Nathan Souviraa-Labastie, Mons-en-Baroeul (FR); and Arnoldus Werner Johannes Oomen, Eindhoven (NL)
Assigned to Koninklijke Philips N.V., Eindhoven (NL)
Filed by KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS N.V., Eindhoven (NL)
Filed on Apr. 20, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/136,902.
Application 18/136,902 is a continuation of application No. 17/258,822, granted, now 11,656,839, previously published as PCT/EP2019/067648, filed on Jul. 2, 2019.
Claims priority of application No. 18182366 (EP), filed on Jul. 9, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2023/0251819 A1, Aug. 10, 2023
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. G06F 3/16 (2006.01); H04L 12/18 (2006.01); H04S 7/00 (2006.01)
CPC G06F 3/165 (2013.01) [H04L 12/1827 (2013.01); H04S 7/304 (2013.01); H04S 2400/11 (2013.01); H04S 2400/15 (2013.01); H04S 2420/01 (2013.01)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An audio apparatus for an audio distribution system, wherein the audio apparatus comprises:
a receiver circuit,
wherein the receiver circuit is arranged to receive data,
wherein the data comprises audio data and proximity data,
wherein the audio data comprises a plurality of audio components,
wherein each audio component of the plurality of audio components represents audio from a first remote client of a plurality of remote clients,
wherein the proximity data is for at least one of the plurality of audio components,
wherein the proximity data is indicative of a physical proximity between remote clients; and
a generator circuit,
wherein the generator circuit is arranged to generate an audio mix of the plurality of audio components in response to the proximity data,
wherein the audio distribution system comprises an audio server,
wherein the audio server is arranged to receive incoming audio from the plurality of remote clients,
wherein the audio server is arranged to transmit a portion of audio derived from the incoming audio to at least a portion of the plurality of remote clients,
wherein the proximity data is indicative of at least one currently active remote client,
wherein the at least one currently active remote client is determined to be proximate in response to a correlation greater than a threshold between a microphone signal and a portion of the incoming audio,
wherein the microphone signal corresponds to audio captured by a plurality of microphones.