IP Library › Granted Patent US 10,658,995
Granted Patent B1
US 10,658,995 · App. 16/248,674 · Granted May 19, 2020

Calibration of bone conduction transducer assembly

Inventors: Peter Bowers (Redmond, WA); Morteza Khaleghimeybodi (Bellevue, WA); Peter Gottlieb (Seattle, WA); Antonio John Miller (Woodinville, WA); Jack Yahkub Dagdagan (Redmond, WA)
Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
H03G5/165H04R1/1008H04R1/1041H04R3/04H04R23/02H04R29/001H04R2460/13
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,658,995
App. No.
16/248,674
Granted
May 19, 2020
Kind
B1
Abstract

Calibration of a headset that uses bone conduction to provide audio content to a wearer is presented. A first tone of a plurality of tones that are at different frequencies is presented to the wearer via an air conduction transducer. A corresponding tone having a same frequency as the first tone is also presented to the wearer via a bone conduction (BC) transducer. The corresponding tone is adjusted such that a level of loudness is within a threshold range of a level of loudness of the first tone. An ear-canal sound pressure (ECSP) resulting from the first tone is recorded and a voltage applied to the BC transducer for generating the adjusted corresponding tone. An equalization filter is generated based in part on the ECSP and the voltage, the equalization filter for filtering an audio signal for presentation via the BC transducer.

Claims (57)

1. A method comprising:

presenting, via an air conduction (AC) transducer to a wearer of a headset, a plurality of tones that are at different frequencies;

presenting, via a bone conduction (BC) transducer of the headset to the wearer, each tone corresponding to each of the plurality of tones, the each corresponding tone having a same frequency as each of the plurality of tones;

adjusting the each corresponding tone such that a level of loudness of the each corresponding tone is within a threshold range of a level of loudness of each of the plurality of tones;

recording a plurality of ear-canal sound pressures (ECSPs) resulting from the plurality of tones;

recording each voltage of a plurality of voltages applied to the BC transducer for generating each adjusted corresponding tone such that the level of loudness of the each adjusted corresponding tone is within the threshold range of the level of loudness of each of the plurality of tones;

while presenting the plurality of tones, generating an equalization filter based on the ECSPs and the voltages;

after the plurality of tones are presented, measuring, via an accelerometer coupled to the BC transducer, acceleration data while presenting an audio signal via the BC transducer; and

adjusting the audio signal for presentation via the BC transducer based on the acceleration data and an equalization curve of the generated equalization filter.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the level of loudness of the each adjusted corresponding tone represents a level of amplitude of the each adjusted corresponding tone perceived by the wearer.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein adjusting the each corresponding tone comprises:

adjusting an amplitude of the each corresponding tone such that the adjusted amplitude is within the threshold range of an amplitude of each of the plurality of tones.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

generating the equalization filter based on a ratio of the voltages to the ECSPs.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein generating the equalization filter comprises:

generating a transfer function based on the ECSPs and the voltages;

performing interpolation on the transfer function to generate an interpolated transfer function; and

performing the Inverse Fourier Transform of the interpolated transfer function to generate a time domain representation of the equalization filter.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

applying the equalization filter to the audio signal presented to the wearer via the BC transducer by convolving the equalization filter with the audio signal in time domain.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

measuring, via the accelerometer, acceleration data associated with vibration of bones in a head of the wearer when presenting the each corresponding tone to the wearer via the BC transducer.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

measuring, via a force sensor of the headset, a force applied to bones in a head of the wearer when presenting the each corresponding tone to the wearer via the BC transducer.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

measuring, via a binaural microphone, a sound pressure in an ear canal of the wearer when presenting the each corresponding tone to the wearer via the BC transducer.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

presenting, via the BC transducer, audio content to the wearer;

monitoring sensor data related to at least one variable related to an ear of the wearer measured upon presenting the audio content to the wearer via the BC transducer; and

dynamically adjusting the audio content provided to the wearer via the BC transducer so that the monitored sensor data is within a threshold from an equalization data for the BC transducer.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:

retrieving the equalization data for the BC transducer from a memory of the headset.

12. A headset comprising:

an air conduction (AC) transducer configured to present to a wearer of the headset, a plurality of tones that are at different frequencies;

an acoustic sensor configured to record a plurality of ear-canal sound pressures (ECSPs) resulting from the plurality of tones;

a bone conduction (BC) transducer configured to present to the wearer each tone corresponding to each of the plurality of tones, the each corresponding tone having a same frequency as each of the plurality of tones;

a controller configured to:

adjust the each corresponding tone such that a level of loudness of the each corresponding tone is within a threshold range of a level of loudness of each of the plurality of tones,

record each voltage of a plurality of voltages applied to the BC transducer for generating each adjusted corresponding tone such that the level of loudness of the each adjusted corresponding tone is within the threshold range of the level of loudness of each of the plurality of tones, and

while presenting the plurality of tones, generate an equalization filter based on the ECSPs and the voltages; and

an accelerometer coupled to the BC transducer, the accelerometer configured to measure, after the plurality of tones are presented, acceleration data while presenting an audio signal via the BC transducer, and

the controller is further configured to adjust the audio signal for presentation via the BC transducer based on the acceleration data and an equalization curve of the generated equalization filter.

13. The headset of claim 12 , wherein the BC transducer is further configured to present the each corresponding tone to each wearer in a set of wearers, and the headset further comprising:

a sensor configured to measure at least one variable related to an ear of each wearer in the set upon presenting the each corresponding tone to each wearer via the BC transducer, wherein the controller is further configured to:

generate equalization data for each wearer in the set based in part on the at least one variable, and

generate equalization data for the BC transducer based on the equalization data for the wearers in the set.

14. The headset of claim 13 , further comprising:

a memory configured to store the equalization data for the BC transducer.

15. The headset of claim 12 , wherein the accelerometer is configured to:

measure acceleration data associated with vibration of bones in a head of each wearer in a set when presenting the each corresponding tone to each wearer via the BC transducer.

16. The headset of claim 12 , wherein a force sensor coupled to the BC transducer is configured to:

measure a force applied to bones in a head of each wearer in a set when presenting the each corresponding tone to each wearer via the BC transducer.

17. The headset of claim 12 , wherein a binaural microphone coupled to the BC transducer is configured to:

measure a sound pressure in an ear canal of each wearer in a set when presenting the each corresponding tone to each wearer via the BC transducer.

18. The headset of claim 12 , wherein the BC transducer is further configured to present audio content to the wearer, and the headset further comprising:

a sensor configured to monitor sensor data related to at least one variable related to an ear of the wearer measured upon presenting the audio content to the wearer via the BC transducer, wherein

the controller is further configured to dynamically adjust the audio content provided to the wearer via the BC transducer so that the monitored sensor data is within a threshold from an equalization data for the BC transducer.

Assignments (2)
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Jun 8, 2022
From: FACEBOOK TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
To: META PLATFORMS TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
Reel/Frame 060315/0224 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 10, 2019
From: BOWERS, PETER; KHALEGHIMEYBODI, MORTEZA; GOTTLIEB, PETER; MILLER, ANTONIO JOHN; DAGDAGAN, JACK YAHKUB
To: FACEBOOK TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
Reel/Frame 048845/0302 →
Cited By (2)
US 12,513,484 US 12,592,218