The inventive EAL may generally enhance a driver's spatial awareness by providing the driver with intuitive/familiar audible warnings with directionality which can be enhanced with visual warnings as well as other technologies such as ANC and Zoned audio. Thus, the driver can understand the meaning of the warning and where it is coming from so he can react to it faster. In a specific embodiment, a motor vehicle includes a plurality of outside microphones mounted in association with an outer surface of the vehicle. A plurality of loudspeakers are disposed within the passenger compartment of the vehicle. A processing device identifies a sound of interest in microphone signals received from the outside microphones. It is determined from the microphone signals a direction in which the sound of interest is traveling. This may also be done with sensors, GPS, V2X, etc. In response to the identification of the sound of interest, playing at least one of the microphone signals on the loudspeakers is begun such that the sound of interest in the microphone signal and heard by the driver on the loudspeakers is perceived by a driver of the vehicle to be traveling in the determined direction.

According to an embodiment, an interface circuit includes a current replicator and a receiver. The current replicator includes a power terminal coupled to a first reference node, an output terminal configured to output a signal proportional to a signal received from a transducer, and an interface terminal coupled to the transducer. Using a single interface terminal, the current replicator may be configured to provide power to the transducer and receive output signals from the transducer. The receiver may include a first input terminal coupled to the output terminal, a second input terminal coupled to a second reference node, and a current converter circuit coupled to the first input terminal.

Example techniques relate to changing a playback device mode based on a device base. In an example implementation, a first playback device operates in a first mode where it is connected to a first network and plays back audio content while in the first mode. The playback device detects connection of the first playback device to a device base and while the first playback device is on the device base, detects connection to a second network. The first playback device switches from operating in the first mode to operating in a second mode. The first playback device forms a stereo pair configuration with a second playback device over the second network in the second mode. While in the second mode, the first playback device plays back a first channel of audio content in synchrony with the second playback device playing back a second channel of the audio content.

A portable terminal and a portable terminal system that allows a user to hear an ambient sound highly necessary for the user while wearing an earphone on his/her ear are provided. An ambient sound output determination module is configured to determine whether or not an ambient sound should be output to the earphone based on a sound signal received from at least one microphone of a first microphone and a second microphone. A sound output control module is configured to output the sound signal received from the at least one microphone to the earphone if it is determined that the ambient sound should be output to the earphone.

An audio device capable of intelligently switching between multiple antennas is provided. The audio device receives a wireless signal by a default receiving antenna, determines signal quality metrics of the wireless signal received by various antennas, compares the signal quality metrics of the wireless signal received by the various antennas, and selects a receiving antenna from the various antennas to receive the wireless signal based on the comparison of the signal quality metrics of the wireless signal received by the various antennas.

A headset includes a wearable body, first and second earphones extending from the wearable body, controls for controlling an external communication/multimedia device wirelessly, a microphone for picking up vocal data from a user of the headset system and a signal processing unit. The signal processing unit includes circuitry for processing the vocal data into a distinctly audible vocal feedback signal, circuitry for enhancing the vocal feedback signal thereby producing an enhanced vocal feedback signal and circuitry for mixing the enhanced vocal feedback signal with audio signals originating from the external communication/multimedia device, thereby producing a mixed output signal and then sending the mixed output signal to the user via the earphones. The external communication/multimedia device comprises a vocal command application and the headset further comprises a vocal command control for sending vocal commands to the external communication/multimedia device and to the vocal command application.

A device includes one or more processors configured to execute instructions to determine a first phase based on a first audio signal of first audio signals and to determine a second phase based on a second audio signal of second audio signals. The one or more processors are also configured to execute the instructions to apply spatial filtering to selected audio signals of the first audio signals and the second audio signals to generate an enhanced audio signal. The one or more processors are further configured to execute the instructions to generate a first output signal including combining a magnitude of the enhanced audio signal with the first phase and to generate a second output signal including combining the magnitude of the enhanced audio signal with the second phase. The first output signal and the second output signal correspond to an audio zoomed signal.

Systems, apparatuses, and methods are described for a privacy blocking device configured to prevent receipt, by a listening device, of video and/or audio data until a trigger occurs. A blocker may be configured to prevent receipt of video and/or audio data by one or more microphones and/or one or more cameras of a listening device. The blocker may use the one or more microphones, the one or more cameras, and/or one or more second microphones and/or one or more second cameras to monitor for a trigger. The blocker may process the data. Upon detecting the trigger, the blocker may transmit data to the listening device. For example, the blocker may transmit all or a part of a spoken phrase to the listening device.

Provided is a method of controlling an audio output according to an orientation of an audio output apparatus, performed by the audio output apparatus, the method including receiving a stereo signal; detecting the orientation of the audio output apparatus using a sensor; outputting the stereo signal to a left speaker unit and a right speaker unit from a viewpoint of a user who views a front surface portion of the audio output apparatus on which two speaker units are arranged; and down-mixing the stereo signal and outputting the down mixed signal to at least one among an upper speaker unit and a lower speaker unit from the user's viewpoint.

An audio adaptor and method of communication is provided. The audio adaptor includes a first connector for connecting to a source of audio, a second connector for connecting to a telephone, a third connector for connecting to an audio output device, and a microcontroller. The method involves receiving a first audio signal at a line level from the source of audio, receiving a second audio signal at the line level from a telephone, transmitting the first audio signal and the second audio signal at the line level to an audio output device, attenuating the first audio signal from the line level to a microphone level and transmitting the attenuated first audio signal.