Search

EP-4662873-B1 - USER-FOCUSED COUGHING DETECTION USING ACTIVE ACOUSTIC SENSING

EP4662873B1EP 4662873 B1EP4662873 B1EP 4662873B1EP-4662873-B1

Inventors

  • FAN, Xiaoran
  • THORMUNDSSON, TRAUSTI

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20240314

Claims (14)

  1. A method comprising: transmitting (902), using a hearable (102; 102-1), during a first time period, an acoustic transmit signal (502; 502-1) that propagates within at least a portion of an ear canal (114) of a user (106); receiving (904), using the hearable (102; 102-1), during the first time period, an acoustic receive signal (504; 504-1), the acoustic receive signal (504; 504-1) representing a version of the acoustic transmit signal (502; 502-1) with one or more characteristics modified due to the propagation within the ear canal (114) and based on the user (106) coughing during at least a portion of the first time period; and determining (906) that the user (106) coughed during the first time period based on changes in an amplitude and/or a phase of the acoustic receive signal (504;504-1) due to the deformation of the ear canal (114).
  2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: generating a control signal that controls an operation of a device based on the determination that the user coughed.
  3. The method of claim 2, wherein: the device comprises the hearable (102; 102-1).
  4. The method of claim 2, wherein: the device comprises a computing device (104) that is coupled to the hearable (102; 102-1); the transmitting of the acoustic transmit signal (502; 502-1) comprises transmitting the acoustic transmit signal (502; 502-1) using the hearable (102; 102-1); and the receiving of the acoustic receive signal (504; 504-1) comprises receiving the acoustic receive signal (504; 504-1) using the hearable (102; 102-1).
  5. The method of claim 4, wherein generating the control signal causes the computing device (104) to perform health monitoring based on the determination that the user (106) coughed.
  6. The method of any previous claim, further comprising: transmitting (1002), during a second time period, another acoustic transmit signal (502) that propagates within at least a portion of the ear canal (114) of the user (106); receiving (1004), during the second time period, another acoustic receive signal (504), wherein the user (106) does not cough during the second time period and another person coughs during at least a portion of the second time period, the other person being proximate to the user; and determining that the user (106) did not cough during the second time period based on an amplitude and/or a phase of the other acoustic receive signal (504) not being significantly changed.
  7. The method of claim 6, further comprising: sensing , using an auxiliary sensor (426) and during the second time period, an over-the-air voice signal produced by the other person coughing; and determining that the other person coughed during the second time period based on the other acoustic receive signal and based on the sensing of the over-the-air voice signal.
  8. The method of claim 7, further comprising: sensing, using the auxiliary sensor (426) and during the first time period, another over-the-air voice signal produced by the user coughing, wherein the determining that the user (106) coughed comprises determining that the user (106) coughed based on the acoustic receive signal (504) and based on the sensing of the other over-the-air voice signal.
  9. The method of any previous claim, further comprising: transmitting, using a further hearable (102-2), during the first time period, a second acoustic transmit signal (502-2) that propagates within at least a portion of a second ear canal (114) of the user (106); and receiving, during the first time period, a second acoustic receive signal (504-2), the second acoustic receive signal (504-2) representing a version of the second acoustic transmit signal (502-2) with one or more characteristics modified due to the propagation within the second ear canal (114) and based on the user (106) coughing during at least a portion of the first time period, wherein determining that the user (106) coughed comprises determining that the user (106) coughed during the first time period based on the acoustic receive signal (504-1) and the second acoustic receive signal (504-2).
  10. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium (1214) comprising instructions that, responsive to execution by a processor (1210), cause a hearable (102; 102-1, 102-2) to perform any one of the methods of claims 1 to 9.
  11. A system comprising: at least one hearable having at least one transducer (406); and at least one processor (414), the system configured to perform, using the at least one transducer (406) and the at least one processor (414), any one of the methods of claims 1 to 9.
  12. The system of claim 11, further comprising: a speaker (408); and an active-noise-cancellation circuit (424) comprising a feedback microphone (410), wherein the at least one transducer (406) comprises the speaker (408) and the feedback microphone (410).
  13. The system of claim 11, comprising a second hearable, wherein: the at least one transducer (406) comprises a speaker (408) and a microphone (410); the speaker (408) is configured to be positioned at a first ear (108) of a user (106); and the microphone (410) is configured to be positioned at a second ear (108) of the user (106).
  14. The system of any one of claims 11 to 13, wherein the at least one hearable (402-1, 402-2) comprises the at least one processor (414).

Description

BACKGROUND Wireless technology has become prevalent in everyday life, making communication and data readily accessible to users. One type of wireless technology are wireless hearables, examples of which include wireless earbuds and wireless headphones. Wireless hearables have allowed users freedom of movement while listening to audio content from music, audio books, podcasts, and videos. With the prevalence of wireless hearables, there is a market for adding additional features to existing hearables without introducing hardware changes. US 2022 / 0 386 959 A1 and US 2022 / 0 087 570 A1 disclose methods for determining that a user coughed during a time period. US 2014 / 0 051 940A1 discloses a method for determining blood pulse, based on a transmitted and received acoustic signal that propagates with an ear canal of a user. Sensing methods using ear-mounted devices are disclosed in RÖDDIGER TOBIAS ET AL: "Sensing with Earables", PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACM ON INTERACTIVE, MOBILE, WEARABLE AND UBIQUITOUS TECHNOLOGIES, ACMPUB27, NEW YORK, NY, USA, vol. 6, no. 3, 7 September 2022 (2022-09-07), pages 1-57, XP058925371. SUMMARY A claimed solution is specified by a method according to claim 1, by a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 10 and by a system according to claim 11. Dependent claims specify embodiments thereof. Techniques and apparatuses are described for performing user-focused coughing detection using active acoustic sensing. During active acoustic sensing, a hearable transmits and receives at least one acoustic signal, which propagates within a user's ear canal. This acoustic signal can be modulated by muscle movements caused by the user coughing. As the acoustic signal propagates within the user's ear canal, it remains substantially isolated from external environmental noise. As such, active acoustic sensing can perform user-focused coughing detection. In contrast to other coughing detection techniques, user-focused coughing detection enables monitoring of the user's coughing while substantially preventing the generation of false positives caused by an external source (e.g., another person or media) that is in proximity to the user and/or the hearable. Accordingly, active acoustic sensing can provide accurate and reliable coughing detection that can discriminate between the user and another outside source. User-focused coughing detection can be useful for health monitoring and enabling early detection of an illness. In addition to being relatively unobtrusive, some hearables can be configured to perform user-focused coughing detection using active acoustic sensing without the need for additional hardware. As such, the size, cost, and power usage of the hearable can help make health monitoring accessible to a larger group of people and improve the user experience with hearables. Aspects described below include a method for performing user-focused coughing detection using active acoustic sensing. The method includes transmitting, with a hearable, during a first time period, an acoustic transmit signal that propagates within at least a portion of an ear canal of a user. The method also includes receiving, with the hearable, during the first time period, an acoustic receive signal The acoustic receive signal represents a version of the acoustic transmit signal with one or more characteristics modified based on the propagation within the ear canal and based on the user coughing during at least a portion of the first time period. The method additionally includes determining that the user coughed during the first time period based on changes in an amplitude and/or phase of the acoustic receive signal due to the deformation of the ear canal. The method can optionally include generating a control signal that controls an operation of a device based on the determination that the user coughed. The device may comprise at least one of the hearable or a computing device that is coupled to the hearable. Aspects described below include a computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, responsive to execution by a processor, cause a hearable to perform any one of the methods described herein. In one example, the at least one processor may be part of the device of which an operation is controlled based on the detected coughing or the at least one processor may be part of a hearable coupled to the device of which an operation is controlled based on the detected coughing. Aspects described below include a system comprising a hearable with at least one transducer and comprising at least one processor. The system is configured to perform, using the at least one transducer and the at least one processor, any one of the methods described herein. For example, the at least one transducer may be configured to transmit the acoustic transmit signal and/or to receive the acoustic receive signal. Aspects described below include a system with means for performing user-focused coughing detectio