Partial HRTF compensation or prediction for in-ear microphone arrays

Abstract

In some embodiments, an ear-worn sound reproduction system is provided. The system includes a housing mountable on the ear that is located within the auricle of the ear and closes the ear canal. In some embodiments, a housing mountable on an ear includes a plurality of outwardly facing microphones. Since the externally facing microphone may be located within the auricle of the ear but outside the ear canal, the microphone will experience some but not all of the three-dimensional acoustic effects of the auricle. In some embodiments, sound is reproduced by an internally facing driver element of the housing using a plurality of filters applied to signals received by a plurality of externally facing microphones to maintain three-dimensional positioning cues that would appear at the eardrum without the housing, such that the housing is substantially transparent to the user. In some embodiments, techniques are provided for deriving a plurality of filters.

Description

[0001] Cross-reference(s) to related application(s) This application is based on US Patent Application No. 16 / 522,394, filed July 25, 2019, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. technical field [0002] The present disclosure generally relates to in-ear audio devices. Background technique [0003] Headphones are pairs of speakers that are worn on or around the user's ears. Circum-ear headphones use a strap over the user's head to hold the speaker in place over or in the user's ear. Another type of earphone is called an earbud or earpiece, and includes a unit that is worn within the pinna of the user's ear, close to the user's ear canal. [0004] With the increased use of personal electronic devices, both earphones and earbuds are becoming more common. For example, people use headphones connected to their phones to play music, listen to podcasts, etc. As another example, people who experience hearing loss also use ear-worn devices to amplify ...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

Furthermore, hearables for those experiencing hearing loss often fail to accurately reproduce environmental cues, thus making it difficult for the wearer to localize reproduced sounds

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