Predictive hearing health control

Abstract

A method (100) for managing a sound dose (D) of a user (40) is provided. The method (100) comprises obtaining (110) location data (60) indicating one or more user locations (X 1, X n) where the user (40) is expected to be located in the future; predicting (120) one or more of a future sound pressure (p f ) and a future sound dose (D f ) that the user (40) is expected to be exposed to at least based on the location data (60); estimating (130) a sound dose (D) over at least one dose period (T D ) based on one or more of the predicted future sound pressure (p f ) and the predicted future sound dose (D f ); and providing (140) instructions (70) for managing the sound dose (D) of the user (40) such that the sound dose (D) over the dose period (T D ) satisfies a predetermined sound dose threshold (L) for the dose period (T D ). The one or more instructions indicate a preventive measure comprising one or more of a user recommendation indicating that the user (40) is recommended to lower the playback volume, an automatic volume settings function, an automatic noise-cancellation function, and an automatic hear-through function, of an audio playback device (10) carried by the user (40).

Description

[0001] PREDICTIVE HEARING HEALTH CONTROL

[0002] TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] The present invention generally relates to hearing health. More particularly, the present invention relates to predictive hearing health control. The present invention also relates to associated methods, systems and products.

[0004] BACKGROUND

[0005] Access to audio in all its forms have increased greatly with the introduction of portable electronics equipment such as the Walkman® and later mobile phones. An audio book, a favorite song or an interesting podcast is always within reach. This, in combination with an increase in general environmental noise from industry, traffic etc. have led to an increased awareness of the deteriorating hearing health of a large portion of humanity.

[0006] The World Health Organization (WHO) has provided several studies and reports stating the danger of listening to music or other sounds at high volumes during an extended period of time. For instance, according to WHO more than 1 billion young people in the age group of 12-35 years are at risk for hearing loss due to recreational sound exposure. WHO continues to estimate the overall annual cost of unaddressed hearing loss to 980 billion USD globally. WHO estimates that 50% of hearing loss can be prevented through public health measures. Some prevention strategies target individual lifestyle choices such as exposure to loud sounds and music or wearing protective equipment such as earplugs. This can be assisted through implementing audio standards for personal audio systems and devices.

[0007] As a result, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has issued recommendation ITU-T H.870 titled “Guidelines for safe listening devices / sy stems”. Herein, it is described how a dose of sound, or sound dose, is calculated and compared to limits that indicate safe listening. Further guidelines have been issued by e.g., occupational safety and health administrations of different countries and regions and other national institutes for occupational safety and health.

[0008] However, the present inventor has identified that the management of this sound dose is difficult, if not impossible. This is, for example, due to the fact that users are typically unaware of the existence of the concept. Even if they are, there is no suitable approach that can manage the sound dose of a user to a satisfactory extent. It is in light of the observations above and others that the present inventor has come up with approaches of managing a sound dose of a user that seek to address the shortcoming of the prior art.

[0009] SUMMARY

[0010] A known way of controlling a sound dose of a listener is disclosed in the PCT patent application no. WO2023146464A1. In this patent application, the sound pressure experienced by the listener is controlled by estimating a time until a sound dose threshold will be exceeded and adjusting the sound pressure so that this time will not exceed a dose period associated with the threshold. The time period can be estimated based on a predictions about the listening behavior of the listener. A problem with this solution is that there are numerous challenges with predicting the sound pressure which a person will be exposed to in the future.

[0011] One of the primary challenges in predicting future sound pressure is the variability in environmental noise. Ambient sound levels can fluctuate due to a variety of factors such as traffic, weather conditions, construction work, public events, or the like, making it difficult to accurately forecast the sound pressure a user will encounter. Additionally, users often move unpredictably through different environments, each with its own unique sound profile. Personal behaviors, such as the use of headphones, attendance at noisy venues, or the choice of quieter locations, can influence the sound pressure levels experienced. Yet additionally, sound pressure levels in an environment can change over time. For instance, a construction site might be loud during the day but quiet at night, and accurately predicting these temporal changes adds another layer of complexity. Another issue is in environments where sound pressure results from multiple overlapping sound sources. Predicting the combined effect of these sources can be challenging, particularly when they vary in intensity and frequency over time. Technological limitations also play a role; current technologies for measuring and predicting sound pressure may have constraints in sensitivity and accuracy, affecting the reliability of predictions and, consequently, the effectiveness of sound dose management. Moreover, different users may have varying sensitivities to sound pressure levels. Predicting future sound pressure must account for these individual differences to ensure effective management of sound exposure for each user.

[0012] The present inventor has made valuable technical insights to solve or at least mitigate one or more of the challenges referred above. These insights will be presented as inventive aspects in the detailed description section and the drawings. The list of inventive aspects is not to be seen as exhaustive but rather a summary of particularly beneficial inventive aspects. Generally, all terms used herein are to be interpreted according to their ordinary meaning in the technical field, unless explicitly defined otherwise herein.

[0013] The present disclosure is concerned with managing a sound dose of a user and can be applied in the field of hearing health.

[0014] In a first inventive aspect of the disclosure there is provided a computer-implemented method for managing a sound dose of a user. The method comprises obtaining location data indicating one or more user locations where the user is expected to be located in the future, predicting one or more of a future sound pressure and a future sound dose that the user is expected to be exposed to at least based on the location data, estimating a sound dose over at least one dose period based on one or more of the predicted future sound pressure and the predicted future sound dose, and providing one or more instructions for managing the sound dose of the user such that the sound dose over the dose period satisfies a predetermined sound dose threshold for the dose period.

[0015] The first aspect of the disclosure may seek to aid in preserving the hearing health of a user. A technical benefit may include an improved prediction of the future sound pressure or the future sound dose that the user is expected to be exposed to, which in turn can allow for more accurate management of the sound dose of the user. Accordingly, the hearing health of the user can be preserved.

[0016] In some embodiments, predicting one or more of the future sound pressure and the future sound dose is further based on location sound pressure data comprising one or more of historic, current and predicted future sound pressure at one or more locations, wherein at least one of the locations is associated with at least one of the user locations. A technical benefit may include a more accurate prediction of the future sound pressure or the future sound dose.

[0017] In some embodiments, the method further comprises obtaining user sound pressure data comprising one or more of historic sound pressure and historic sound dose previously experienced by the user. Further, estimating the sound dose over the at least one dose period can further be based on the user sound pressure data. A technical benefit may include a more accurate prediction of the future sound pressure or the future sound dose.

[0018] In some embodiments, the location sound pressure data is determined at least based on the user sound pressure data. A technical benefit may include a more accurate representation of the sound pressure at a location and / or a more efficient use of data since the same data can be used for providing information about both the sound pressure experienced by a user and sound pressure associated with a location. In some embodiments, the location sound pressure data is determined at least based on sound pressure data obtained from one or more external sources associated with one or more of another user and a location. A technical benefit may include a more accurate representation of the sound pressure at a location which in turn may improve the accuracy of the prediction.

[0019] In some embodiments, the location data comprises one or more time indicators being associated with a respective user location and describing a future time period when the user is expected to be located at said respective user location. A technical benefit may include more accurate prediction of the future sound pressure or the future sound dose.

[0020] In some embodiments, the location data is determined based on one or more of calendar data, data from a user-defined list, and habit data associated with the user. A technical benefit may include a smooth way of obtaining reliable location data which in turn can improve the accuracy of the prediction.

[0021] In some embodiments, the one or more instructions indicate a preventive measure for limiting sound dose exposure of the user. A technical benefit may include that the sound dose of the user can be effectively managed.

[0022] In some embodiments, the preventive measure may comprise a user recommendation on how to limit sound dose exposure of the user. The user recommendation may comprise one or more of a preferred order and preferred time span for visiting the user locations indicated by the location data. A technical benefit may be that the user is able to adapt their behavior in order to limit their future sound dose exposure.

[0023] In some embodiments, the preventive measure comprises one or more of an automatic volume settings function, automatic noise-cancellation function, and automatic hear-through function, of an audio playback device carried by the user. A technical benefit may be that the sound dose exposure of the listener is effectively limited.

[0024] In some embodiments, the at least one dose period has a duration of between 1 and 30 days, more preferably between 5 and 14 days, and most preferably between 6 and 8 days. This duration may be suitable for providing a reasonable and relevant time horizon for the estimation of the sound dose.

[0025] In some embodiments, the at least one dose period comprises a sliding dose period with a fixed duration. A technical benefit may include that the sliding dose period can slide over a time horizon being longer than the duration of the dose period itself. This allows more time spans to be effectively considered when managing the sound dose, which can lead to the sound dose being more safely managed. In some embodiments, the at least one dose period comprises at least two dose periods having different durations and different associated dose thresholds, and the one or more instructions are provided such that the sound dose over each dose period satisfies the predetermined sound dose threshold for each dose period. A technical benefit may include a safer management of the sound dose since both short-term and long-term sound doses can be considered.

[0026] In a second inventive aspect of the disclosure there is provided a controller configured to cause execution of a method described in reference to the first aspect. The second aspect of the disclosure may seek to integrate the functionality of the method into hardware. A technical benefit may include providing a dedicated hardware solution for sound dose management, which can offer enhanced performance, reliability and real-time processing capabilities empowered by the hardware in place.

[0027] In a third inventive aspect of the disclosure there is provided a computer program product comprising program code for performing, when executed by a controller described in reference to the second aspect, a method described with respect to the first aspect. The third aspect of the disclosure may seek to automate the management of sound exposure for users. A technical benefit may include enabling the implementation of the method via software, thus allowing for more efficient and widespread deployment and reducing the need for manual sound management.

[0028] In a fourth inventive aspect of the disclosure there is provided a transitory computer- readable storage medium comprising instructions, which when executed by a controller, cause the controller to perform a method described in reference to the first aspect. The fourth aspect of the disclosure may seek to provide a reliable medium for storing and executing instructions to manage sound exposure. A technical benefit may include offering a durable and accessible solution for maintaining and executing the method, ensuring consistent performance and reliability over time compared to more transient or manually dependent methods.

[0029] In a fifth inventive aspect of the disclosure there is provided a system for managing one or more sound doses for one or more users. The system comprises one or more microphones arranged to measure sound pressure associated with at least one of one or more locations and the one or more users, one or more storages configured to store said measured sound pressure, one or more devices configured to provide location data of a user indicating one or more user locations where the user is expected to be located in the future, and one or more controllers as described in reference to the second inventive concept. The fifth aspect of the disclosure may seek to aid in preserving the hearing health of one or more users. An advantage of the system may be that sound pressures associated with one or more users and / or one or more locations can be more efficiently measured and / or estimated by utilizing measurements from more than one microphone. Another advantage of the system can be that sound doses for more than one user can be efficiently and more accurately managed using a shared system.

[0030] In some embodiments, the one or more storages are configured to store said measured sound pressure associated with a location as location sound pressure data and / or measured sound pressure associated with a user as user sound pressure data for that user. A technical advantage may include a clear classification of the measured sound pressure so that the measurements can be used for predictions and providing instructions.

[0031] In some embodiments, at least some of the microphones are arranged to measure sound pressure associated with one or more locations and at least one of the users. A technical advantage may include a more efficient use of the microphones, resulting in more data for the users and / or locations.

[0032] In some embodiments, the devices comprise one or more of an audio playback device and an electronic device, and one or more of the microphones and the controllers. A technical benefit may include that the functionalities can be integrated in a device that is often commonly worn and / or used in everyday activities of users.

[0033] In some embodiments, at least one storage is a remote storage configured to store one or more of location sound pressure data for a plurality of locations and user sound pressure data for a plurality of users. A technical benefit may include efficient utilization of the one or more storages which can aid in coordinating data for a plurality of locations and / or users.

[0034] In some embodiments, the system further comprises a cloud server operatively connected to the remote storage. The devices can be operatively connected to the cloud server. Further, the controllers can be comprised in one or more of the cloud server and at least some of the devices. A technical benefit may include that some parts of the method can be performed in the cloud server which can obtain data from the remote storage and possibly perform at least some steps of the method.

[0035] In some embodiments, the controller is configured to provide the instructions for managing the sound dose of a user to at least one device associated with the user. A technical benefit may include increased practicality for the user.

[0036] Other aspects, objectives, features and advantages of the inventive aspects will appear from the following detailed disclosure as well as from the claims and the drawings. Generally, all terms used herein are to be interpreted according to their ordinary meaning in the technical field, unless explicitly defined otherwise herein.

[0037] It should be emphasized that the term “comprises / comprising” when used in this specification is taken to specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, or components, but does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, components, or groups thereof. All terms used in the claims are to be interpreted according to their ordinary meaning in the technical field, unless explicitly defined otherwise herein. All references to "a / an / the [element, device, component, means, step, etc.]" are to be interpreted openly as referring to at least one instance of the element, device, component, means, step, etc., unless explicitly stated otherwise. The steps of any method disclosed herein do not have to be performed in the exact order disclosed, unless explicitly stated.

[0038] Expressions like “[something] is configured for. . . [performing activity]” or “[something] is configured to . . . [perform activity]” will include typical cases where a computerized “something” (having one or more controllers, processing units, programmable circuitry, etc.) executes software or firmware installed in the computerized “something”, wherein the execution occurs in order to perform the activity in question.

[0039] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0040] The foregoing will be apparent from the following more particular description of the example embodiments, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the example embodiments.

[0041] FIG. 1 A shows a block view of an exemplary sound dose management including an electronic device and a controller.

[0042] FIG. IB shows a block view of an exemplary sound dose management including an electronic device, an audio playback device, and a controller.

[0043] FIG. 1C shows a block view of an exemplary sound dose management including an electronic device, an audio playback device, external microphones, and a controller.

[0044] FIG. ID shows a block view of an exemplary sound dose management including two users with respective devices and controllers, the respective user devices being connected to a cloud server.

[0045] FIG. 2 shows a block view of an exemplary prediction procedure according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 shows a plot of a historic sound pressure and a predicted future sound pressure according to one example.

[0046] FIG. 4 shows a plot of a sound dose over a fixed dose period according to one example.

[0047] FIG. 5 shows a plot of a sound dose over two dose periods having different durations according to one example.

[0048] FIG. 6 shows a plot of a sound dose over a sliding dose period having a fixed duration according to one example.

[0049] FIG. 7A shows a schematic view of an exemplary audio playback device being a pair of headphones.

[0050] FIG. 7B shows a schematic view of an exemplary audio playback device being a pair of headphones, and an exemplary electronic device being a mobile phone, the devices communicating via an interface.

[0051] FIG. 7C shows a schematic view of an exemplary audio playback device where transducers thereof are in remote connection therewith.

[0052] FIG. 7D shows a schematic view of an exemplary audio playback arrangement where the transducer and microphone of an audio playback device are operatively connected to a controller.

[0053] FIG. 8 shows a flowchart of a computer-implemented method according to one example.

[0054] FIG. 9 shows a block view of an exemplary computerized system that can include a controller and other computerized components according to an example.

[0055] FIG. 10 is a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to one example.

[0056] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

[0057] Inventive aspects and embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. The terminology used in the detailed description of the particular embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings is not intended to be limiting of the invention. In the drawings, like reference signs refer to like elements. Herein, the word “playback system”, “playback device” or “playback volume” is to mean playback in the sense of reproducing audio data received. The term is not to mean playback in the limiting form of playback of stored audio or media but it is to encompass all forms of media, e.g., real time media, stored media, streamed media, progressively downloaded media, etc.

[0058] The present disclosure is concerned with managing a sound dose D experienced by a user such that the risk of a damage or injury to the hearing ability of the user is reduced. An object is to achieve this without unduly limiting the activities of the user. This can be achieved by providing an improved way of predicting a future sound dose Df or future sound pressure p that the user is expected to be exposed to. The improved prediction can be achieved by at least basing the prediction on one or more locations X1, ... , Xnwhere the user is expected to be located in the future. By basing the prediction on locations, the prediction can become more accurate.

[0059] The sound dose is a measure of an accumulated sound pressure experienced by a user for a specific duration of time or for a specific time period. The sound dose D may be calculated according to the previously cited ITU-T H.870 titled “Guidelines for safe listening devices / sy stems” as D = where pA(t) is an A-weighted and diffuse-field corrected sound pressure experienced at time t. A-weighting is, as is commonly known, generally applied to instrument-measured sound pressure in an effort to account for the relative loudness perceived by the human ear. The sound dose D as a function of time may be referenced as a dose-profile. Sound pressure is commonly referenced to its logarithmic measure, sound pressure level (SPL). Sound pressure is a measured root mean square (rms) value and an internationally agreed reference prefis pref = 2 ■ 10-5N / m = 20 pPa and correspondingly in dB, pref,dB = 20 log10 « 93.9794 dB SPL. Correspondingly, a sound pressure pain Pascal has an SPLacalculated as SPLa= 20 ■ log10dB.

[0060] It should be mentioned that the user (later referred to as user 40) referred to in the present disclosure is to mean a particular user for which a sound dose D is being managed with the methods, devices and / or systems disclosed herein. The user can, in the past, present and future, be subjected to sound pressure that may be caused by sound from devices and / or ambient sound. The past, present or estimated future sound pressures experienced by the user can be A-weighted sound pressure. The A-weighted measure of sound pressure is an industry standard and limits and recommendations are typically communicated as A-weighted sound pressure, or if converted to SPL, as SPL presented in dBA. However, the skilled person will appreciate that any sound pressure referred in this disclosure does not have to be an A- weighted sound pressure, but may very well be an unweighted sound pressure or a sound pressure weighted in any other suitable way. In the present disclosure, the sound pressure notation will be preferred, but the skilled person will understand that this is interchangeable with SPL as long as correct representation is used in respective calculations.

[0061] The present disclosure seeks to address the challenges in predicting future sound pressure by leveraging algorithms and location data to provide proactive sound management instructions. For example, consider a user planning to attend a concert on Friday night, and today is Monday. A method would first obtain the user’s expected locations leading up to the concert, such as their home, workplace, and gym. It would then predict the sound pressure and / or sound dose the user is likely to encounter at these locations. Based on these predictions, the method estimates the total sound dose over the days leading to the concert. To ensure the user’s cumulative sound exposure remains within a safe threshold, the method provides tailored instructions. For instance, it might suggest the user work from home to avoid noisy office environments or visit the gym during midday when it is less crowded and quieter, instead of the evening. By following these instructions, the user can effectively mitigate their sound exposure over time, ensuring their hearing health is protected even when attending high-noise events like concerts. Through such predictive and proactive measures, the present disclosure can offer a robust solution to managing sound exposure, enhancing hearing health management compared to for example reactive methods.

[0062] With reference to FIG. 1 A, an exemplary approach of managing a sound dose D of a user 40 is shown. In this particular illustration, a controller 300 collects location data 60 indicating one or more user locations Xlt... , Xnwhere the user 40 is expected to be located in the future. This data can be obtained from an electronic device 30 associated with the user 40. Based on the location data 60, the controller 300 predicts one or more of a future sound pressure p and a future sound dose D that the user 40 is expected to be exposed to at least based on the location data 60. The controller 300 then estimates a sound dose D over at least one dose period TDbased on one or more of the predicted future sound pressure p and the predicted future sound dose Df. Finally, the controller 300 provides one or more instructions 70 for managing the sound dose D of the user 40 such that the sound dose D over the dose period TDsatisfies a predetermined sounds dose threshold L for the dose period TD. These actions will now be described in more detail according to various examples. As stated above, the electronic device 30 is associated with a user 40. “Associated with” could mean that the electronic device 30 belongs to the user 40, is carried by the user 40, is within reach of the user 40 such that the user 40 can be exposed to sound emitted therefrom, can collect data pertaining to sound and / or location relating to the user 40 and / or can present instructions 70. Though the electronic device 30 is illustrated as a mobile phone, it shall be readily understood that the electronic device 30 may be any suitable electronic device such as a laptop, tablet, electronic watch, fitness tracker, vehicle navigation system, tracker, camera and / or medical device.

[0063] The same electronic device 30 can be associated with more than one person or user. In such cases, it can be beneficial to provide some form of means for identifying which user or users that is / are currently using the electronic device 30. This may include user profiles or accounts, biometric identifications such as voice or facial recognition, behavioral biometrics, device pairings such as Bluetooth, usage patterns and behavioral analysis, or the like.

[0064] The electronic device 30 is configured to provide the location data 60 associated with the user 40. It is also possible for location data 60 to be provided by combining information from more than one electronic device associated with the user 40. The location data 60 is indicative of one or more user locations X1, ... , Xnwhere the user 40 is expected to be located in the future. The user locations Xlt... , Xnwhere the user 40 is expected to be located in the future can refer to a period in the future being associated with one or more dose periods TD. For instance, the user locations Xv... , Xnmay describe where the user 40 is expected to be located the following days, such as seven days, less than seven days or more than seven days. The location data 60 may be updated or supplemented as new information becomes available.

[0065] Generally, a future location indicated by the location data 60 can be defined as geospatial coordinates and related metadata. In optional examples, it may be predicted or scheduled for a specific future time and date, as will be described further below. The location data may comprise one or more of GPS / GNSS / GLONASS coordinates (e.g., latitude, longitude, altitude), timestamps, geofences, route information, place names, contextual data (such as expected weather or events), and other relevant geospatial attributes.

[0066] The precision of location data 60 can thus play a role in predicting future sound pressure. Inaccurate or imprecise location information can lead to erroneous predictions, as the sound profile of one location may be different from another.

[0067] The location data 60 can be determined based on one or more of calendar data, data from a user-defined list, and habit data associated with the user 40. This information may be readily available by the electronic device 30, and optionally by any additional electronic device associated with the user 40 (such as the device 10 of FIG. IB). The provision of the calendar or list data is typically not done for the sole purpose of predicting the sound dose and can for instance be obtained from a calendar in a phone that the user 40 uses to keep track of their activities. Another example can be a to-do list for the week that the user 40 has composed to remember what they need to get done. Yet another example is destination inputs provided to a navigation system, such as a navigation software comprised in an electronic device 30 or external to the electronic device 30 such as a car system or phone. For instance, if the user 40 is determined to be located in a car, and a navigation to a destination is initiated, this may be indicative of a location where the user 40 is expected to be located in the future and possibly also indicate at what time the user 40 is expected to be located at the location. This is referred to as destination inputs herein. Destination inputs can be considered as a form of data from a user-defined list.

[0068] It is also possible that the information is provided for the purpose of controlling the sound dose. This could for instance take place in an application of the electronic device 30 where the user 40 inputs information about their future plans. It is also possible that the electronic device 30 keeps track of the whereabouts of the user 40. This information can then be used to determine habits that the user 40 has, which can help predict where the user 40 is likely to be located in the future. In addition, other information such as holidays could be used to help in determining the location data 60. For instance, at a national holiday, the user 40 may not be expected to be located at their job or at the commute to their job.

[0069] The controller 300 obtains the location data 60 and uses it to predict a future sound pressure Pf and / or a future sound dose Df that the user 40 is expected to be exposed to. How the location data 60 can be used for predicting future sound dose and / or pressure will be further detailed later on in this disclosure with reference to FIG. 2. It should be noted that while embodiments of the present disclosure may be exemplified with reference to only a future sound dose Df or a future sound pressure py, the skilled person will understand that the teachings of these embodiments can be applied for both, singly or in combination.

[0070] The controller 300 estimates a sound dose D over at least one dose period TD based on the predicted future sound pressure pf and / or the predicted future sound dose Df. This process will be further detailed later on in this disclosure with reference to FIG. 4.

[0071] Based on the estimation, the controller 300 causes provisioning of one or more instructions 70 for managing the sound dose D of the user 40. FIG. IB shows another exemplary approach of managing a sound dose D of a user 40. The details concerning the electronic device 30, the user 40, the location data 60, the instructions 70 and the controller 30 explained above with reference to FIG. 1 A may readily be considered also with respect to the exemplary approach of FIG. IB. However, the difference is that FIG. IB also shows some more detailed examples including both an electronic device 30 and an audio playback device 10 that can be associated with the user 40, and exemplary user sound pressure data 42.

[0072] The audio playback device 10 may be any suitable audio playback device, such as headsets, a pair of headphones, one headphone, a speaker or a stereo. More details and examples will be provided below with further reference to FIGs. 7A-D. Although not shown, the electronic device 30 and the audio playback device 10 may be operatively connected and the audio playback device 10 may be configured to receive an audio stream from the electronic device 30. Alternatively, the audio playback device 10 can be comprised in the electronic device 30. To this end, the electronic device 30 may include the audio playback device’s 10 respective components.

[0073] The audio playback device 10 may comprise, or be in operative connection with, one or more audio transducer(s) 15 and / or one or more microphone(s) 17. The transducer 15 may be any form of a speaker configured for transforming electrical signals to vibration detectable by a human ear.

[0074] The microphone 17 may be arranged to measure a sound pressure experienced by a user of the audio playback device 10, such as the user 40. The sound pressure measured by the microphone 17 can be stored as user sound pressure data 42. Alternatively or additionally, the measured sound pressure may be converted to an equivalent sound dose before storage. After measurements have been performed and stored, the user sound pressure data 42 will accordingly comprise historic sound pressure phand / or historic sound dose Dhpreviously experienced by the user 40. The term “historic” in this context refers to a time period from the past comprised in one or more dose periods TD. Accordingly, old / outdated user sound pressure data may be regularly cleared and replaced with new / updated data. The user sound pressure data 42 can be stored in the electronic device 30, the audio playback device 10 and / or a remote storage 220. Although not shown, the audio playback device 10 may also contribute to the location data 60 by keeping track of the whereabouts of the user 40, which can be used to predict the one or more user locations Xt, ... , Xnas described above. In the example of FIG. IB, the controller 300 can obtain both location data 60 and user sound pressure data 42. From the location data 60, the future sound pressure Pf and / or the future sound dose DFcan be predicted, for example using methods discussed above with reference to FIG. 1 A. From the future sound pressure Pf and / or the future sound dose Df, a sound dose D over at least one dose period TD can be estimated, for example using methods discussed above with reference to FIG. 1 A.

[0075] Since also historic sound pressure phand / or historic sound dose Dhis available, the sound dose can be estimated over one or more dose periods TDextending over both past and future. In embodiments where historic sound pressure phand historic sound dose Dhis unavailable, dose periods extending over only the future can be considered. It should be noted that while user sound pressure data 42 is illustrated as being obtained from the microphone 17, it can also be obtained by other means. This will be explained further below with reference to FIG. 2. Based on the estimation of a sound dose D over at least one dose period TD, the controller 300 causes provisioning of one or more instructions 70 for managing the sound dose D of the user 40.

[0076] FIG. 1C shows another exemplary approach of managing a sound dose D of a user 40. The details concerning the electronic device 30, the user 40, the location data 60, the instructions 70 and the controller 30 explained above with reference to FIG. 1 A may readily be considered also with respect to the exemplary approach of FIG. 1C. Additionally, the details concerning the audio playback device 10 and the user sound pressure data 42 explained above with reference to FIG. IB may readily be considered also with respect to the exemplary approach of FIG. 1C. However, the difference is that FIG. 1C also shows some more detailed examples including at least one external microphone 17b (in this particular example three) capable of providing information pertaining to location sound pressure data 62. The external microphones 17b are “external” in the sense that they are not included in the audio playback device 10 associated with the user 40. The external microphones may however be included in other audio playback devices not associated with this particular user 40, for example in devices associated with other users 40.

[0077] In this example the controller 300 may also receive location sound pressure data 62 comprising one or more of historic, current and predicted future sound pressure p at one or more locations Ylt Provided that at least one of the locations Y1, ..., Ymis associated with at least one of the user locations Xlt... , Xn, the location sound pressure data 62 can contribute to the prediction of the future sound pressure Pf and / or the future sound dose D . The location sound pressure data 62 may be, as illustrated in FIG. 1C, obtained from measurements from any number of external microphones 17b and / or the (internal) microphone(s) 17a of the audio playback device 10 associated with the user.

[0078] The external microphones 17b are configured to measure sound pressure that can be associated with one or more locations Yv The external microphones 17b can be both stationary and non-stationary. For example, one or more of the external microphones 17b may be arranged at a location Y such as a gym, store, train station, by a road, or generally at any arbitrary location Y where the user 40 can be located, including or excluding the user locations X discussed above.

[0079] The sound pressures measured by the external microphones 17b and / or the microphone 17a can be geo-tagged with their associated locations X, Y. Some, or all, of the external microphones 17b can be stationary and measure sound pressure at the same location, while microphone(s) 17a and external microphones 17b comprised in devices 10, 30 can measure sound pressure at their current location. In this way, the same microphone 17a, 17b can be capable of providing information about sound pressure at a plurality of locations, for example the locations X, Y.

[0080] Measurements from the microphone(s) 17a or the external microphones 17b are not necessarily stored as location sound pressure data 62. For instance, measurements from locations that are deemed relevant may be stored as location sound pressure data 62. Which locations that are deemed relevant can depend on the intended use of the location sound pressure data 62. If the location sound pressure data 62 is meant to be used in relation to a single user 40, the relevant locations may correspond to the user locations X1, ... , Xncomprised in the location data 60 associated with the user 40. If the location sound pressure data 62 is meant to be used in relation to more than one user (as in FIG. ID which will be further described shortly), the relevant locations may correspond to user locations associated with the more than one user. In either case, the relevant locations may alternatively or additionally comprise locations that are considered public. Locations which are deemed unlikely to be visited by the one or more users 40 may be excluded from the location sound pressure data 62. It is also possible that the location sound pressure data 62 is divided into personal location sound pressure data and general location sound pressure data. In this way, measurements from locations associated with a particular user 40, such as the users’ own home, may be stored only for that user 40 as personal location sound pressure data, while measurements from locations that can be relevant for a plurality of users, such as public locations, can be stored so that it is available to be used in relation to more than one user as general location sound pressure data.

[0081] In the example of FIG. 1C, the controller 300 may cause prediction of the future sound pressure Pf and / or a future sound dose Df based on the location sound pressure data 62 and the location data 60. Based on the prediction, and optionally also based on user sound pressure data 42, a sound dose D over at least one dose period TDcan be estimated. Based on the estimation, the controller 300 can cause provision of one or more instructions 70 for managing the sound dose D of the user 40.

[0082] In FIGs. 1 A-C above, the instructions 70 may be provided to the electronic device 30 and / or the audio playback device 10. The instructions 70 may indicate a preventive measure for limiting the sound dose exposure of the user 40. The preventive measure can comprise a user recommendation on how to limit the sound dose D of the user 40. The recommendation may appear on the screen of the electronic device 30, for instance in the form of text, as an alert or when the user 40 opens an application of the electronic device. For example, before attending a loud event like a concert, the user 40 might receive a notification suggesting to work in a quieter environment like home instead of a potentially noisy office environment. The recommendation can also be conveyed to the user 40 via the audio playback device 10, such as through a voice command. For example, the audio playback device 10 may indicate a message like “Consider reducing your volume to protect your hearing”. The recommendation can also be communicated via sound or light on the electronic device 10 and / or the audio playback device 10. For instance, a certain tone or color can indicate different actions that the user 40 is recommended to take. A blue light may indicate a suggestion to lower playback volume, while a green light might suggest that it is safe to continue at the current volume. The recommendations can indicate that the user 40 is recommended to lower the playback volume of an audio playback device 10, avoid visiting a certain location X, Y, visit a certain location X, Y at another time, spend less than a certain amount of time at a location X, Y, and / or a preferred order and / or time spans for visiting certain locations X, Y.

[0083] In some examples, the preventive measure may comprise one or more of an automatic volume settings function, automatic noise-cancellation function, and automatic hear-through function, of the audio playback device 10 associated with the user 40. For the automatic volume settings function, the audio playback device 10 might automatically lower the volume of music to mitigate further exposure of the user 40 if a sound dose D over a dose period TDis nearing or expected to exceed the threshold L in the future. Similar goes for the automatic noise-cancellation function, but instead of lowering the volume, the ambient sound exposure is mitigated. For the automatic hear-through function, certain ambient sounds can be allowed while blocking harmful noise levels. For example, the audio playback device 10 can allow important sounds like traffic alerts to be heard, while still reducing the overall noise exposure.

[0084] With reference to FIG. ID, embodiments of the present disclosure (such as those explained above in relation to FIGs. 1 A-C) are shown to be applicable for more than one user 40. While FIG. ID shows two users 40a-b, any number of users (one or more) is possible. Hence, while this example primarily discussed the case where two users 40a-b are present, the components introduced can readily be employed for a single user 40 example as well, such as those with reference to FIGs. 1 A-C.

[0085] One audio playback device 10a and / or one electronic device 30a can be associated with a first user 40a and another audio playback device 10b and / or another electronic device 30b can be associated with a second user 40b. Microphones 17 in respective devices lOa-b, 30a-b can be arranged to measure sound pressure p associated with one or more locations Ylt... , Ymand / or the respective user 40a-b. The measured sound pressure p can then be stored in one or more storages 220a-b. The storages 220a-b may be comprised in the electronic devices 30a-b, the audio playback devices lOa-b and / or a cloud server 210 as a remote storage 220. Measured sound pressure p associated with a location Ylt... , Ymcan be stored as location sound pressure data 62 and measured sound pressure p associated with a user 40a, 40b can be stored as user sound pressure data 42.

[0086] The remote storage 220 may be capable of storing user sound pressure data 42 associated with a plurality of users 40a-b and / or storing location sound pressure data 62 associated with a plurality of locations X, Y. Alternatively or additionally, a storage 220a-b comprised in a device lOa-b, 30a-b can be configured to store respective user sound pressure data 42 and / or location sound pressure data 62 obtained from measurements by microphones 17 comprised in a respective device lOa-b, 30a-b. As previously mentioned, location sound pressure data 62 can be divided into personal location sound pressure data and general location sound pressure data. In that case, the general location sound pressure data may be stored in the remote storage 220 of the cloud server 210 so that it can be available for a plurality of users 40a-b and / or personal location sound pressure data may be stored in local storages 220a-b that can be comprised in one or more devices lOa-b, 30a-b associated with a user 40a-b. One or more controllers 300 configured to perform any method step described herein may be comprised in the cloud server 210 and / or the devices lOa-b, 30a-b associated with the one or more users 40a-b. The controller 300 can be comprised in both a device and the cloud server 210, i.e., the controller 300 may be an edge computing controller, a cloud server controller, or a combination thereof. Some steps of the method described herein may therefore be performed in the devices lOa-b, 30a-b while other steps can be performed remotely. As an example, obtaining 110 location data 60 and predicting 120 a future sound pressure Pf and / or a future sound dose Df may be performed remotely while estimating 130 a sound dose and providing 140 one or more instructions may be performed by the device lOa-b, 30a-b. Other examples are readily envisaged.

[0087] With reference to FIG. 2, an exemplary prediction procedure according to embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated. The block diagram illustrates a future sound pressure Pf estimated based on location data 60 and location sound pressure data 62.

[0088] The location data 60, as explained above, indicates one or more user locations Xlt. . . , Xnthat the user is expected to be located in the future. In addition, the location data 60 may also comprise one or more time indicators xlt... , xt, where each time indicator is associated with a respective user location X1, . . . , Xnand describes a future time period when the user 40 is expected to be located at said respective user location X1, . . . , Xn. The time period can refer to both periods with a fixed start time and / or stop time and time periods that only describes a duration. Note that while the location data 60 of FIG. 2 is illustrated as comprising the same number of time indicators xlt... , xtas user locations Xt, . . . , Xn, it is also possible that some user locations X1, ... , Xnhave associated time indicators xlt... , xtand others do not.

[0089] The time indicators xlt... , xtmay also be determined based on one or more of calendar data, data from a user-defined list, and habit data associated with the user, as described above. The location sound pressure data 62 comprises one or more of historic, current and predicted future sound pressure p at one or more locations F1(... , Ym. The location sound pressure data 62 may, as described above, be obtained from measurements from one or more microphones 17. The measured sound pressure at a location may be stored as historic sound pressure p. It is also possible that historic and / or current measurements associated with a location are used to predict a future sound pressure p associated with the location Ylt... , Ymand that the future sound pressure p is stored in the location sound pressure data 62. The prediction can be done using any known prediction model that may comprise one or more of an average model, a Recurring Neural Network (RNN) model and a regression model. In addition to historic, current and / or predicted future sound pressure p associated with the location Ylt... , Ym, the prediction model may also use other features as input, such as time and date of the measurements. This can be beneficial since dynamic changes in sound pressure at a location may be time dependent. For instance, the volume at an office, a gym or a club is likely dependent on the day of the week and the time of day for example due to the presence of more or less individuals at such places.

[0090] Based on the location data 60 and the location sound pressure data 62, a future sound pressure Pf or future sound dose Df can be predicted. This can be done by matching the one or more user locations Xlt. . . , Xnindicated by the location data 60 to the one or more locations Y1, ..., Ymof the location sound pressure data 62. Based on the historic, current and / or predicted future sound pressure p at a location Ylt... , Ymthat coincides with a user location X1, . . . , Xn, a future sound pressure Pf and / or future sound dose Df that the user is expected to be exposed to at that location can be predicted. A similar prediction can be performed for all or some user locations X1, . . . , Xncomprised in the location data 62 or only for user locations where the user is expected to be located in the future within one or more dose periods TD. The predictions associated with each location can then be combined and used to predict a future sound pressure P and / or future sound dose D that the user is expected to be exposed to.

[0091] It should be noted that the user locations Xlt. . . , Xnand the locations Ylt... , Ymdo not necessarily refer to stationary and / or specific locations. For instance, a location may refer to a bus, train or car. The locations can also include specific coordinates and / or predefined areas. Other examples of locations include gyms, restaurants, clubs, streets, forests, movie theaters, concerts, schools, classrooms, and much more. The mentioned examples may be both specific, such as a specific gym (with a fixed address or location, etc.), and general, such as a gym in general (a hypothetical gym environment). The degree of specificity of the user locations X1, . . . , Xnmay depend on which information that can be obtained from the devices 10, 30 associated with the user 40. For instance, calendar data may provide information that the user 40 is going to a concert the coming Saturday, without any information about the duration of the concert or which concert it is. The prediction of the future sound dose will then have to be performed based on the available information. In this example, the average sound pressure and / or sound dose typically present at a concert and an average duration of a concert could be considered for the estimation. According to a similar reasoning, it is possible to predict the future sound dose and / or future sound pressure based on location data 60 that only indicates one or more user locations X1, ... , Xnand no associated time indicators xltFor instance, if the location data 60 indicates that the user 40 is going to a gym, the prediction could be done based on an average sound pressure present at a gym and an average duration a person spends at a gym. However, the prediction will likely be more accurate when more information is available, such as if the user 40 inputs a more exact duration that is expected to be spent at the gym, and information about where the gym is located, how many people are located at the gym, if construction work is pending at the gym, if a large training session is carried out at said gym, or the like is available.

[0092] As mentioned above, the user sound pressure data 42 can alternatively or additionally be obtained by other means than measurements from one or more microphones 17. If the whereabouts of the user 40 is tracked, such as through location services comprised in a device 10, 30 associated with the user 40, this information can be combined with information from location sound pressure data 62 in order to estimate a historic sound pressure phand / or historic sound dose Dhpreviously experienced by the user 40. For instance, if the user 40 is determined to have been located at a first location during a first time period, a historic sound pressure p at the first location during the first time period can be used to estimate the sound dose D that the user 40 has been exposed to during the first time period. This can help fill in time gaps where the microphones 17 comprised in devices 10, 30 associated with the user 40 has not measured sound pressure, such as when the device(s) 10, 30 has / have been turned off. The user sound pressure data 42 could alternatively or additionally be obtained using information about the playback volume of an audio playback device 10 associated with the user 40. From the playback volume, the sound pressure experienced by the user 40 could be estimated and stored as user sound pressure data 42. Other information, such as hear-through settings of a device 10 worn by the user, can also assist in estimating the sound pressure which the user 40 has been exposed to.

[0093] With reference to FIG. 3, a plot of historic sound pressure phand future sound pressure Pf is shown according to an example. The historic sound pressure phcan be comprised in user sound pressure data 42 that can be obtained in any way described herein. The future sound pressure p has been predicted at least based on the location data 60. FIG. 3 further illustrates a dose period TD extending over both past and future, as indicated by the transition from the uniform line depicted by the historic sound pressure phto the dashed line depicted by the future sound pressure p . The dose period TDis between a start time a and an end time b. In other examples, a dose period TDcan extend only over the future, i.e., not necessarily the past. While FIG. 3 illustrates historic and predicted future sound pressures, a similar plot showing a historic sound dose Dhand a predicted future sound dose Df could also be imagined.

[0094] With reference to FIG. 4, a sound dose D over a dose period TDhaving a fixed start time a, a fixed end time b and accordingly a fixed duration can be estimated based on the historic and / or predicted future sound pressure (as illustrated in FIG. 3), according to an example. The dose period TDis in this example over a fixed window of time referring to the cumulative measure of exposure to sound (i.e., sound dose D) assessed over a predetermined, static time frame.

[0095] With reference to FIG. 5, a sound dose D over two dose periods TDhaving the same fixed start time a, different fixed end times b, c and accordingly different fixed durations can be estimated, according to an example. The sound dose D over one or more dose periods TDhaving the same fixed start time a can be represented as sound pressure accumulated over time from the start time a. Each dose period TDcan have an associated predetermined sound dose threshold L. The sound dose threshold L can be set with the intention of indicating a safe sound exposure and may correspond to a limit from guidelines provided by for instance health administrations of different countries, such as the ones described in the background section of the present disclosure. The sound dose threshold L for a dose period TDcan be dependent on the duration of the dose period TD. For instance, daily, weekly and monthly sound doses D will have different associated thresholds. The sound dose threshold L may, as illustrated in FIG. 5, be a function of the duration of its associated dose period TD.

[0096] With reference to FIG. 6, an exemplary sliding dose period TDis considered. In this case, the sound dose D may be described as a sliding average of the sound pressure ph, Pf accumulated over the dose period TD. A sliding dose period TDcan have a fixed duration and a start point that slides between two times a — d. Since the duration of the sliding dose period is fixed, it will have the same associated threshold L regardless of the location of the starting point a, d. The sliding dose period TDcan be configured to slide over a predetermined time span starting from one start point a and ending at an end point e. For instance, if the duration of the sliding dose period TDis seven days, it may extend from a start point a six days prior to a current time to an end point e 14 days in the future. The sliding dose period TDwill then, at its initial position, extend over the past six days and the coming one day. It will then slide forward until it reaches an end point e being 14 days in the future, where it will extend from eight days from the current time to 14 days from the current time. In the case where a sliding dose period TDover a predetermined time span is considered, the location data can indicate one or more user locations Xlt... , Xnwhere the user 40 is expected to be located in the future over the predetermined time span of the sliding dose period TD. Using the above example, the future time horizon considered for the user locations would extend 14 days into the future. According to a similar reasoning, the user sound pressure data 42 may comprise historic sound pressure previously experienced by the user within the time span of the sliding dose period TD. Using the above example, the user sound pressure data 42 could comprise historic sound pressure data for the previous six days.

[0097] Both sliding and fixed sound dose periods TDcan be useful in different types of sound dose management scenarios.

[0098] The sliding approach can be used for continuous occupational noise monitoring (e.g., real-time tracking of users’ 40 noise exposure throughout a shift to ensure ongoing compliance with sound safety limits and to make immediate adjustments if necessary), urban noise management (e.g., monitoring location noise levels in real-time to manage and mitigate noise pollution dynamically for the user 40, especially in densely populated areas), construction site monitoring (e.g., continuously assessing noise levels at a location such as a site where constructions activities are present to provide useful instructions 70 for the user 40), hospital quiet zone monitoring (e.g., real-time noise tracking in critical environments, such as ICUs or patient recovery areas, to maintain a quiet environment conductive to healing for a user 40), transportation noise assessment (e.g., continuous monitoring of noise levels generated by machinery at a location where the user 40 may be located to ensure ongoing compliance with regulations and possible implementation of preventive measures), or other continuous sound dose monitoring areas of application.

[0099] The fixed approach, on the other hand, can be used for retrospective analysis or compliance checks. This may include occupational noise monitoring (e.g., evaluating users’ 40 exposure to noise over a fixed eight hour shift for purposes of making necessary adjustments to an upcoming similar type of shift), event noise assessing (e.g., measuring sound levels during a concert with a fixed time period for purposes of making necessary adjustments to an upcoming similar type of concert), environmental noise study (e.g., analyzing sound levels in a specific location where the user 40 may visit over a 24-hour period to assess the impact of nearby construction or traffic), workplace safety audits (e.g., conducting periodic checks, such as quarterly assessments, to ensure that noise exposure in a factory or industrial site where the user 40 works remains within permissible limits), or other regulatory compliance situations.

[0100] In FIGs. 4-7 discussed above, a purpose of the present disclosure is to manage the sound dose D of a user 40 such that the sound dose D over one or more dose periods TDsatisfies a predetermined sound dose threshold L for the one or more dose periods TD. This can mean managing the sound dose D over a dose period TDso that it is below a threshold L at the end of a dose period TD(as in FIG. 4). It can also mean that the sound dose D over more than one dose period TDshould be below the threshold L for each dose period TD(as in FIG. 5). Managing the sound dose D over a sliding dose period TDsuch that it satisfies a threshold L for the sliding dose period TDcan mean managing the sound dose D so that it never exceeds the threshold L during the time span a-e of the sliding dose period (as in FIG. 6). Although many embodiments mention one sound dose D, one dose threshold L and one dose period TD, one or more of the embodiments may be extended to comprise more than one sound dose D, where each sound dose D may be associated with a dose threshold L and a dose period TD.

[0101] In some embodiments, more than one future sound pressure Pf that considers different time periods and / or durations for at least one or the user location Xlt... , Xnmay be predicted. Based on the predictions, alternative sound doses D over at least one dose period TDcan be estimated. Accordingly, the alternative estimations of sound doses D can be associated with different time spans for visiting the at least one user location X}, ... , Xn, and, in the case of more than one user location, different orders for visiting the user locations Xlt..., Xn. Based on this, one or more of the alterative sound doses D that satisfies a predetermined sound dose threshold L for one or more dose periods TDcan be identified and the instructions 70 can be provided based on the time spans and / or order for visiting the location(s) Xlt... , Xnassociated with the alternative sound dose(s) D satisfying the threshold L. This may be achieved by user recommendations comprising a preferred order and / or preferred time span for visiting the user locations Xlt... , Xnthat corresponds to the order and / or time spans associated with the identified sound dose(s) D satisfying the threshold L, as discussed herein.

[0102] For example, if the location data 60 indicates that the user 40 is expected to be located at a first location X in the future, a plurality of future sound pressures Pf associated with different times the user 40 may spend at the first location X can be predicted. From this, a plurality of sound doses D associated with the different times can be estimated and an alternative sound dose D estimation satisfying the threshold L can be identified. Based on this, the user 40 can be provided with a recommendation to not spend more than the associated amount of time at the first location

[0103] In another example, the location data 60 indicates that the user is going to both a first location and a second location X2. From this, a plurality of future sound pressures Pf can be predicted. Each predicted future sound pressure Pf can be associated with different times the user can spend at the first location the second location X2and / or an order in which the user 40 can visit the first and second locations Xi,X2- The first location and / or the second location X2can have associated time indicators x15x2describing durations when the user 40 is expected to be located at the first and second locations X , X2, respectively. In that case, the predicted future sound doses could be associated only with an order for visiting the locations X ,X2. Based on the plurality of predicted future sound pressures py, a plurality of alternative sound doses D associated with the different times and / or orders can be estimated and an alternative sound dose D satisfying a threshold L can be identified. Based on this, the user 40 can be provided with a recommendation on a preferred order and / or preferred time spans for visiting the locations XltX2.

[0104] With reference to FIG. 7 A, an exemplary audio playback device 10 in the form of a pair of headphones is shown. The audio playback device 10 comprises at least one audio transducer 15, or transducer 15 for short. The transducer 15 may be any form of a speaker configured for transforming electrical signals to vibration detectable by a human ear. The audio playback device 10 generally comprises two transducers 15, but embodiments with only one transducer 15 or more than two transducers 15 are also feasible. The audio playback device 10 further comprises one or more controllers 300. The controller 300 is configured for controlling the audio transducers 15 but may very well perform other control, processing and / or communication related to the methods or method steps described herein. The headphones 10 preferably comprise one or more microphones 17 arranged at an ear of a user 40 of the headphones 10. The microphone(s) 17 is / are configurable for measuring a current sound pressure at the ear of the user 40 that can be stored as user sound pressure data 42 and / or as location sound pressure data 62. Microphones 17 comprised in an audio playback device 10 may measure sound pressure coming from both the environment and from the transducers 15. For the user sound pressure data 42, it can be beneficial to include sound pressure from both the environment and the transducers 15, while for location sound pressure data 62, only sound pressure from the environment may be relevant. Accordingly, the sound pressure measured by microphones 17 of the audio playback device 10 may be filtered for storage as location sound pressure data 62. The filtering may be any filter suitable for removing the sound from the transducers. If the audio emitted by the transducers is known, the filter may be configured to cancel this audio.

[0105] Alternatively or additionally, the audio playback device 10 can comprise external microphones (not shown) arranged to measure ambient sound pressure, i.e., from the environment. The measured ambient sound pressure may then be stored as location sound pressure 62.

[0106] With reference to FIG. 7B, a similar audio playback device 10 as described with reference to FIG. 7A is shown in an example. The audio playback device 10 has a controller 300 that comprises, or is operatively connected to, a transceiver (not shown) configured to communicate across an interface 20 with an electronic device 30. The electronic device 30 and the audio playback device 10 may together form an audio playback arrangement. Note that any reference to an audio playback device 10 can also apply to an audio playback arrangement and vice versa. The electronic device 30 may be any suitable rendering device such as a portable electronic device 30, preferably mobile phone 30 as illustrated in FIG. 7B, portable music player, a tablet, a laptop, or any of those discussed above with reference to FIG. 1, etc. The controller 300 may be configured to receive an audio stream across the interface 20. Alternatively, or additionally, the controller 300 may be configured to send and / or receive operational data across the interface 20. The operational data may be any data relating to the operation and / or control of the audio playback device 10 and / or the electronic device 30. The controller 300 may further be configured to cause execution of any of the method steps described herein. The interface 20 may be a wired or a wireless interface 20 and may further be a digital or an analog interface.

[0107] With reference to FIG. 7C, another embodiment of an audio playback device 10 is shown. In this embodiment, transducer(s) 15 are shown. The transducer(s) 15 are remote from the microphones 17, but the microphones 17 are still arranged for measuring sound pressure associated with a user and / or a location. In this particular embodiment, the microphones 17 are arranged in a headrest of a seat 18. The seat 18 may be a seat 18 of a vehicle, an office char, a lounge chair etc. In the particular embodiment shown in FIG. 7C, the seat 18 is a seat of a vehicle in the form of a car and the transducers 15 are the audio speakers of the car. The controller 300 may be a separate controller or a controller configured to perform other processing tasks of the car. The controller 300 may be comprised in, or operatively connected to, a navigation system of the car. In this way, destination inputs from the navigation system can be used to obtain location data 60, as described above. The controller 300 may be provided with an interface 20 operatively connecting the audio playback device 10 to a device 10, 30 and / or a cloud server 210.

[0108] With reference to FIG. 7D, yet another embodiment of an audio playback arrangement 10 is illustrated. In this embodiment, the transducer 15 and the microphone 17 are not physically connected to the controller 300, but arranged to be operatively connected to the controller 300. The microphone 17 is preferably located proximal to an ear 42, 44 of a user 40 such that it may measure sound pressure p at the ear 42, 44 of the user 40. Each one of the transducer 15 and the microphone 17 may be solitary devices. The transducer 15 may, for instance, be a Bluetooth speaker and / or a smart speaker, and the microphone 17 may be a part of e.g., a hearing aid, a headset or a solitary microphone 17 configured to be worn in the proximity of an ear 42, 44 of the user 40. The controller 300 may be a portable electronic device 30 such as a mobile phone configured to communicate with the microphone 17 and the transducer 15 directly through local connectivity (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, etc.) or indirectly through a cloud server 210. The controller 300 may be a connectivity gateway configured for providing e.g., smart home functionalities, voice control etc. In some embodiments, the controller 300 is, at least partially, comprised in the cloud server 210 (see FIG. ID).

[0109] FIG. 8 shows a shows a computer-implemented method for managing a sound dose D of a user 40. The method 100 comprises obtaining 110 location data 60 indicating one or more user locations X1, ... , Xnwhere the user 40 is expected to be located in the future. The method 100 further comprises predicting 120 one or more of a future sound pressure Pf and a future sound dose Df that the user 40 is expected to be exposed to at least based on the location data 60. The method 100 further comprises estimating 130 a sound dose D over at least one dose period TDbased on one or more of the predicted future sound pressure Pf and the predicted future sound dose ; and providing 140 one or more instructions 70 for managing the sound dose D of the user 40 such that the sound dose D over the dose period TDsatisfies a predetermined sound dose threshold L for the dose period TD.

[0110] While the method above highlights some of the fundamental aspects of this disclosure, it shall be readily understood that the method can incorporate one or more additional steps. By way of example, the method may incorporate one or more actions implemented by computerized units of the system described herein, including but not limited to the microphones 17, storages 220, devices 10, 30, controllers 300 and the cloud server 210.

[0111] FIG. 9 shows an exemplary computerized system 200. The system 200 may include a number of units known to the skilled person for implementing the functionalities as described in the present disclosure. The system 200 may comprise one or more computing units capable of including firmware, hardware, and / or executing software instructions to implement the functionality described herein. The system 200 may comprise one or more processor devices 230 (herein also referred to as the controller 300), one or more memories 235, and one or more buses 240. The system 200 may include at least one computing device having the processor device 230, such as the electronic device 30. A system bus 240 may provide an interface (herein also referred to as the interface 20) for system components including, but not limited to, the memories 235 and the processor devices 230. The processor device 230 may include any number of hardware components for conducting data or signal processing or for executing computer code stored in the memories. The processor device 230 may, for example, include a general-purpose processor, an application specific processor, a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), a circuit containing processing components, a group of distributed processing components, a group of distributed computers configured for processing, or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. The processor device 230 may further include computer executable code that controls operation of the programmable device.

[0112] The system bus 240 may be any of several types of bus structures that may further interconnect to a memory bus (with or without a memory controller), a peripheral bus, and / or a local bus using any of a variety of bus architectures. The memories 235 may be one or more devices for storing data and / or computer code for completing or facilitating methods described herein. The memories 235 may include database components, object code components, script components, or other types of information structure for supporting the various activities herein. Any distributed or local memory device may be utilized with the systems and methods of this description. The memories 235 may be communicably connected to the processor device 230 (e.g.„ via a circuit or any other wired, wireless, or network connection) and may include computer code for executing one or more processes described herein. The memories may include non-volatile memories (e.g.„ read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memories (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memories (EEPROM), etc.), and volatile memories (e.g.„ random-access memory (RAM)), or any other medium which can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of machine-executable instructions or data structures and which can be accessed by a computer or other machine with a processor device. A basic input / output system (BIOS) may be stored in the non-volatile memories and can include the basic routines that help to transfer information between elements within the computer system.

[0113] A storage 245 (herein also referred to as storage 220) may be operably connected to the system 200 via, for example, I / O interfaces (e.g.„ card, device) 250 and I / O ports 255. The storage 245 can include, but is not limited to, devices like a magnetic disk drive, a solid state drive, an optical drive, a flash memory card, a memory stick, etc. The storage 245 may also include a cloud server (herein referred to as cloud server 210) implemented using any commonly known cloud-computing platform, as described above. The storage 245 or memory 235 can store an operating system that controls and allocates resources of the system 200.

[0114] The system 200 may interact with network devices 260 via the I / O interfaces 250, or the I / O ports 255. Through the network devices 260, the system 200 may interact with a network. Through the network, the system 200 may be logically connected to remote computers. Through the network, the server-side platform 210 may communicate with the client-side platform 220, as described above. The networks with which the system 200 may interact include, but are not limited to, a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), and other networks.

[0115] With reference to FIG. 10, a schematic illustration of a (non-transitory) computer- readable (storage) medium 400 is shown according to one exemplary embodiment. The computer-readable medium 400 may be associated with or connected to the system 200 as described herein, and is capable of storing a computer program product 410. The computer- readable medium 400 in the disclosed embodiment is a memory stick, such as a Universal Serial Bus (USB) stick. The USB stick 400 comprises a housing 430 having an interface, such as a connector 340, and a memory chip 320. In the disclosed embodiment, the memory chip 420 is a flash memory, i.e.„ a non-volatile data storage that can be electrically erased and reprogrammed. The memory chip 420 stores the computer program product 410 which is programmed with computer program code (instructions) that when loaded into a processor device, will perform a method, for instance the method 100 explained with reference to FIG. 8. The USB stick 400 is arranged to be connected to and read by a reading device for loading the instructions into the processor device. It should be noted that a computer-readable medium can also be other mediums such as compact discs, digital video discs, hard drives or other memory technologies commonly used. The computer program code (instructions) can also be downloaded from the computer-readable medium via a wireless interface to be loaded into the processing device. The operational steps described in any of the exemplary aspects herein are described to provide examples and discussion. The steps may be performed by hardware components, may be embodied in machine-executable instructions to cause a processor to perform the steps, or may be performed by a combination of hardware and software. Although a specific order of method steps may be shown or described, the order of the steps may differ. In addition, two or more steps may be performed concurrently or with partial concurrence.

[0116] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular aspects only and is not intended to be limiting of the disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. It will be further understood that the terms "comprises," "comprising," "includes," and / or "including" when used herein specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof.

[0117] It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc., may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first element could be termed a second element, and, similarly, a second element could be termed a first element without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0118] Relative terms such as "below" or "above" or "upper" or "lower" or "horizontal" or "vertical" may be used herein to describe a relationship of one element to another element as illustrated in the Figures. It will be understood that these terms and those discussed above are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in addition to the orientation depicted in the Figures. It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being "connected" or "coupled" to another element, it can be directly connected or coupled to the other element, or intervening elements may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being "directly connected" or "directly coupled" to another element, there are no intervening elements present.

[0119] Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs. It will be further understood that terms used herein should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with their meaning in the context of this specification and the relevant art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.

[0120] It is to be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the aspects described above and illustrated in the drawings; rather, the skilled person will recognize that many changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the present disclosure and appended claims. In the drawings and specification, there have been disclosed aspects for purposes of illustration only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the inventive concepts being set forth in the following claims.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A method (100) for managing a sound dose (D) of a user (40), the method (100) comprising: obtaining (110) location data (60) indicating one or more user locations (X1;, Xn) where the user (40) is expected to be located in the future; predicting (120) one or more of a future sound pressure (py) and a future sound dose (Dy) that the user (40) is expected to be exposed to at least based on the location data (60); estimating (130) a sound dose (D) over at least one dose period (TD) based on one or more of the predicted future sound pressure (py) and the predicted future sound dose (Dy); and providing (140) one or more instructions (70) for managing the sound dose (D) of the user (40) such that the sound dose (D) over the dose period (TD) satisfies a predetermined sound dose threshold (L) for the dose period (TD), wherein the one or more instructions indicate a preventive measure comprising one or more of a user recommendation indicating that the user (40) is recommended to lower the playback volume, an automatic volume settings function, an automatic noise-cancellation function, and an automatic hear-through function, of an audio playback device (10) carried by the user (40).

2. The method (100) of claim 1, wherein predicting (120) one or more of the future sound pressure (py) and the future sound dose (Dy) is further based on location sound pressure data (62) comprising one or more of historic, current and predicted future sound pressure (p) at one or more locations (T ... , Tm), wherein at least one of the locations (T ... , Tm) is associated with at least one of the user locations (X1;... , Xn).

3. The method (100) of any preceding claim, further comprising: obtaining (112) user sound pressure data (42) comprising one or more of historic sound pressure (ph) and historic sound dose (Dh) previously experienced by the user (40), wherein estimating (130) the sound dose (D) over the at least one dose period (TD) is further based on the user sound pressure data (42).

4. The method (100) of claims 2 and 3, wherein the location sound pressure data (62) is determined at least based on the user sound pressure data (42).

5. The method (100) of claim 4, wherein the location sound pressure data (62) is determined at least based on sound pressure data (82) obtained from one or more external sources (80) associated with one or more of another user and a location (T , Tm).

6. The method (100) of any preceding claim, wherein the location data (60) comprises one or more time indicators (x- ... ,each time indicator (x- ... , x£) being associated with a respective user location (X}, Xn) and describing a future time period when the user (40) is expected to be located at said respective user location (X Xn).

7. The method (100) of any preceding claim, wherein the location data (60) is determined based on one or more of calendar data, data from a user-defined list, and habit data associated with the user (40).

8. The method (100) of any preceding claim, wherein the preventive measure comprises a user recommendation on how to limit sound dose (£)) exposure of the user (40).

9. The method (100) of claim 8, wherein the user recommendation comprises one or more of a preferred order and preferred time span for visiting the user locations ( p . . . , Xn) indicated by the location data (60).

10. The method (100) of any preceding claim, wherein the at least one dose period (TD) has a duration of between 1 and 30 days, more preferably between 5 and 14 days, and most preferably between 6 and 8 days.

11. The method (100) of any preceding claim, wherein the at least one dose period (T ) comprises a sliding dose period with a fixed duration.

12. The method (100) of any preceding claim, wherein the at least one dose period (TD) comprises at least two dose periods having different durations and different associateddose thresholds (L), and wherein the one or more instructions (70) are provided such that the sound dose (£)) over each dose period (TD) satisfies the predetermined sound dose threshold (L) for each dose period (TD).

13. A controller (300) configured to cause execution of the method (100) of any preceding claim.

14. A computer program product comprising program code for performing, when executed by a controller (300), the method (100) of any of claims 1-12.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium (400) comprising instructions, which when executed by a controller (300), cause the controller (300) to perform the method (100) of any of claims 1-12.

16. A system (200) for managing one or more sound doses (£)) for one or more users (40), the system (200) comprising: one or more microphones (17) arranged to measure sound pressure (p) associated with at least one of one or more locations (Kp , Tm) and the one or more users (40); one or more storages (220) configured to store said measured sound pressure; one or more devices (10, 30) configured to provide location data (60) of a user (40) indicating one or more user locations (Xp ... , Xn) where the user (40) is expected to be located in the future; and one or more controllers (300) of claim 13.

17. The system (200) of claim 16, wherein the one or more storages (220) are configured to store said measured sound pressure (p) associated with a location (Kp ... , Km) as location sound pressure data (62) and / or measured sound pressure associated with a user (40) as user sound pressure data (42) for that user (40).

18. The system (200) of any of claims 16-17, wherein at least some of the microphones (17) are arranged to measure sound pressure associated with one or more locations (Kp ... , Tm) and at least one of the users (40).

19. The system (200) of any of claims 16-18, wherein the devices (10, 30) comprise: one or more of an audio playback device (10) and an electronic device (30), and one or more of the microphones (17) and the controllers (300).

20. The system (200) of any of claims 16-19, wherein at least one storage (220) is a remote storage configured to store one or more of location sound pressure data (62) for a plurality of locations (T Tm) and user sound pressure data (42) for a plurality of users (40).

21. The system (200) of claim 20, further comprising a cloud server (210) operatively connected to the remote storage, wherein the devices (10, 30) are operatively connected to the cloud server (210), and wherein the controllers (300) are comprised in one or more of the cloud server (210) and at least some of the devices (10, 30).

22. The system (200) of any of claims 16-21, wherein the controller (300) is configured to provide (340) the instructions (70) for managing the sound dose (£)) of a user (40) to at least one device (10, 30) associated with the user (40).

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