Electronic device and method for audio processing

Abstract

An electronic apparatus and method for audio processing are provided. The method includes: detecting a sound signal via a feedback microphone; selecting one of a first configuration and a second configuration of sound parameters based on the sound signal to obtain a selected configuration; and outputting an audio signal via a speaker based on the selected configuration.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a signal processing technique, and more particularly to an electronic device and method for audio processing. Prior Technology

[0002] Currently, the mainstream true wireless stereo (TWS) earphones on the market include in-ear earphones, open earphones, and semi-open earphones. In-ear earphones have the advantage of low leakage, effectively isolating ambient noise. However, in-ear earphones can easily put pressure on the user's ear canal, increasing discomfort and the risk of ear canal infection. Open / semi-open earphones do not put pressure on the user's ear canal, making them more suitable for situations requiring prolonged earphone wear. However, open / semi-open earphones have poorer sound isolation, making them unsuitable for noisy environments, and the sound output from open / semi-open earphones can easily leak, disturbing others. To enjoy the advantages of both in-ear and open / semi-open earphones simultaneously, users usually need to purchase multiple pairs of earphones. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The present invention provides an electronic device and method for audio processing, which can configure sound parameters for headphones that can switch between in-ear headphone mode and open-ear headphone mode.

[0004] An electronic device for audio processing according to the present invention includes a feedback microphone, a speaker, and a processor. The feedback microphone detects sound signals. The processor is coupled to the feedback microphone and the speaker. The processor selects one of a first configuration and a second configuration of sound parameters based on the sound signal to obtain a selected configuration. The processor outputs audio signals through the speaker according to the selected configuration.

[0005] In one embodiment of the invention, the electronic device further includes a skin sensor. The skin sensor is coupled to a processor and generates a detection result. The processor activates a feedback microphone based on the detection result to detect sound signals.

[0006] In one embodiment of the present invention, the processor acquires a feature value corresponding to the sound signal and determines whether the feature value is greater than a threshold. In response to the feature value being greater than the threshold, the processor selects a first configuration as the selected configuration.

[0007] In one embodiment of the invention, in response to a feature value being less than or equal to a threshold, the processor selects a second configuration as the selected configuration.

[0008] In one embodiment of the present invention, the aforementioned characteristic value includes the average root square volume.

[0009] In one embodiment of the invention, the electronic device further includes a filter. The filter is coupled to a processor. The processor uses the filter to process the audio signal to generate a filtered signal and obtains characteristic values ​​of the filtered signal.

[0010] In one embodiment of the invention, the electronic device further includes an ambient microphone. The ambient microphone is coupled to the processor and detects ambient sound signals. The processor determines a threshold based on the ambient sound signals.

[0011] In one embodiment of the present invention, the electronic device further includes a transceiver. The transceiver is coupled to a processor. The processor communicates with an external electronic device via the transceiver and receives calibration commands from the external electronic device. In response to the calibration commands, the processor detects a first audio signal and a second audio signal different from the first audio signal via a feedback microphone. The processor determines a threshold based on the first audio signal and the second audio signal.

[0012] In one embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned sound parameters include at least one of the following: equalizer parameters, active noise reduction parameters, and compensation parameters.

[0013] In one embodiment of the present invention, the above-described electronic device includes headphones.

[0014] An audio processing method according to the present invention includes: detecting a sound signal via a feedback microphone; selecting one of a first configuration and a second configuration of sound parameters based on the sound signal to obtain a selected configuration; and outputting an audio signal via a speaker based on the selected configuration.

[0015] In one embodiment of the present invention, the above method further includes: generating a detection result through a skin sensor; and activating a feedback microphone to detect a sound signal based on the detection result.

[0016] In one embodiment of the present invention, the step of selecting one of a first configuration and a second configuration of sound parameters based on a sound signal to obtain a selected configuration includes: obtaining a feature value corresponding to the sound signal and determining whether the feature value is greater than a threshold; and in response to the feature value being greater than the threshold, selecting the first configuration as the selected configuration.

[0017] In one embodiment of the present invention, the step of selecting one of a first configuration and a second configuration of sound parameters based on the sound signal to obtain a selected configuration further includes: selecting the second configuration as the selected configuration in response to a feature value being less than or equal to a threshold.

[0018] In one embodiment of the present invention, the aforementioned characteristic value includes the average root square volume.

[0019] In one embodiment of the present invention, the step of obtaining feature values ​​corresponding to a sound signal includes: processing the sound signal using a filter to generate a filtered signal, and obtaining feature values ​​of the filtered signal.

[0020] In one embodiment of the present invention, the above method further includes: detecting ambient sound signals through an ambient microphone; and determining a threshold based on the ambient sound signals.

[0021] In one embodiment of the present invention, the above method further includes: receiving a calibration command from an external electronic device; in response to the calibration command, detecting a first sound signal and a second sound signal different from the first sound signal via a feedback microphone; and determining a threshold based on the first sound signal and the second sound signal.

[0022] In one embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned sound parameters include at least one of the following: equalizer parameters, active noise reduction parameters, and compensation parameters.

[0023] Based on the above, the electronic device of the present invention can configure the best sound parameters for the headphones according to the headphone mode, so that the audio signal output by the headphones matches the headphone mode. Simple Explanation of the Diagram

[0024] Figure 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of an electronic device for audio processing according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 illustrates a flowchart of an audio processing method according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3 illustrates a flowchart of a method for audio processing according to an embodiment of the present invention. Implementation

[0025] To make the contents of this invention more readily apparent, the following specific embodiments are provided as examples on which this invention can indeed be implemented. Furthermore, wherever possible, elements / components / steps using the same reference numerals in the drawings and embodiments represent the same or similar parts.

[0026] Figure 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of an electronic device 100 for audio processing according to an embodiment of the present invention. The electronic device 100 is, for example, an earphone. In one embodiment, the earphone can be configured to switch between an in-ear headphone mode and an open / semi-open headphone mode. For example, the earphone may include a mechanism for securing the earbuds. When the earbuds are attached to the earphone, the earphone may be in in-ear headphone mode. When the earbuds are not attached to the earphone, the earphone may be in open headphone mode. The electronic device 100 may include a processor 110, a storage medium 120, a transceiver 130, a speaker 140, a skin sensor 150, a feedback microphone 160, an ambient microphone 170, and a filter 180.

[0027] Processor 110 may be, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), or other programmable general-purpose or special-purpose microcontroller (MCU), microprocessor, digital signal processor (DSP), programmable controller, application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), graphics processing unit (GPU), image signal processor (ISP), image processing unit (IPU), arithmetic logic unit (ALU), complex programmable logic device (CPLD), field programmable gate array (FPGA), or other similar components or combinations thereof. Processor 110 may be coupled to storage medium 120, transceiver 130, speaker 140, skin sensor 150, feedback microphone 160, ambient microphone 170, or filter 180, and access and execute multiple modules and various applications stored in storage medium 120.

[0028] Storage medium 120 may be any type of fixed or removable random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, hard disk drive (HDD), solid-state drive (SSD), or similar elements or combinations thereof, for storing multiple modules or various applications executable by processor 110. In one embodiment, storage medium 120 may store multiple configurations of sound parameters.

[0029] Transceiver 130 transmits or receives signals wirelessly or via a wired connection. Transceiver 130 can also perform operations such as low-noise amplification, impedance matching, mixing, up- or down-frequency conversion, filtering, amplification, and similar functions. Processor 110 can communicate with external electronic devices via transceiver 130.

[0030] The loudspeaker 140 may include a dynamic speaker, an electrostatic speaker, a planar magnetic speaker, or a piezoelectric speaker.

[0031] A skin sensor 150 may be disposed on the surface of the earphone and may generate a detection result. The skin sensor 150 may be configured to contact the user's skin when the user wears the electronic device 100. The detection result of the skin sensor 150 may indicate whether the user's skin is in contact with the skin sensor 150. If the detection result indicates that the user's skin is in contact with the skin sensor 150, the processor 110 may determine that the electronic device 100 is being worn by the user based on the detection result. If the detection result indicates that the user's skin is not in contact with the skin sensor 150, the processor 110 may determine that the electronic device 100 is not being worn by the user based on the detection result.

[0032] Feedback microphone 160 or ambient microphone 170 may include a dynamic microphone, a condenser microphone, an electret condenser microphone, a micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) microphone, a ribbon microphone, or a carbon microphone. When a user wears headphones (e.g., electronic device 100), feedback microphone 160 can be used to detect sound signals near the user's ear canal. Ambient microphone 170 can be used to detect ambient sound signals from the surrounding environment. Feedback microphone 160 and ambient microphone 170 may be the same or different microphones.

[0033] Filter 180 can be configured in a filtering circuit between processor 110 and feedback microphone 160. Processor 110 can use filter 180 to process the audio signal detected by feedback microphone 160 to generate a filtered signal. Filter 180 is, for example, a high-pass filter used to filter out audio signals with frequencies below 1000 Hz.

[0034] Figure 2 illustrates a flowchart of an audio processing method according to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein the audio processing method may be implemented by the electronic device 100 shown in Figure 1.

[0035] In step S201, the processor 110 can obtain the detection results through the skin sensor 150.

[0036] In step S202, the processor 110 can determine whether the electronic device 100 is being worn by the user based on the detection result. If the detection result indicates that the user's skin is in contact with the skin sensor 150, the processor 110 can determine that the electronic device 100 is being worn by the user and execute step S203. If the detection result indicates that the user's skin is not in contact with the skin sensor 150, the processor 110 can determine that the electronic device 100 is not being worn by the user and re-execute step S201.

[0037] In step S203, the processor 110 may activate the feedback microphone 160 to detect sound signals based on the detection results. Specifically, when the electronic device 100 is not worn by the user, the processor 110 may disable the feedback microphone 160 to save power. After the processor 110 determines that the electronic device 100 is worn by the user, the processor 110 may activate the feedback microphone 160 to detect sound signals.

[0038] In step S204, the processor 110 can use the filter 180 to process the sound signal to generate a filtered signal and obtain the feature value of the filtered signal. In one embodiment, the feature value may include the average root square volume, as shown in formula (1), where F is the average root square volume, n is the total number of samples of the filtered signal, and xi is the value of the i-th sample among the n samples. …(1)

[0039] In step S205, the processor 110 determines whether the feature value is greater than a threshold. If the feature value is greater than the threshold, it indicates that the electronic device 100 may be in in-ear headphone mode. Accordingly, the processor 110 executes step S206. If the feature value is less than or equal to the threshold, it indicates that the electronic device 100 may be in open-ear headphone mode. Accordingly, the processor 110 executes step S207.

[0040] In one embodiment, the processor 110 can detect ambient sound signals via the ambient microphone 170 and determine a threshold based on the ambient sound signals. For example, if the value of the ambient sound signal exceeds a preset value, the processor 110 can determine that the electronic device 100 is in a noisy environment. Accordingly, the processor 110 can raise the threshold to avoid the processor 110 being affected by noise and incorrectly determining that the electronic device 100 has switched from open-back headphone mode to in-ear headphone mode. On the other hand, if the ambient sound signal does not exceed the preset value, the processor 110 can determine that the electronic device 100 is in a quiet environment. Accordingly, the processor 110 can lower the threshold.

[0041] In one embodiment, a user can operate an external electronic device (e.g., a smartphone) to determine a threshold. Specifically, the user can operate the external electronic device to transmit a calibration command to the processor 110, wherein the calibration command can be used to instruct the user to wear the electronic device 100 in both in-ear headphone mode and open-ear headphone mode. While the user is wearing the electronic device 100 in in-ear headphone mode, the processor 110 can detect a first sound signal via a feedback microphone 160. Conversely, while the user is wearing the electronic device 100 in open-ear headphone mode, the processor 110 can detect a second sound signal via the feedback microphone 160. The processor 110 can determine the threshold based on the first and second sound signals.

[0042] In step S206, the processor 110 may select a first configuration of sound parameters corresponding to the in-ear headphone mode as the selected configuration. The processor 110 may output audio signals through the speaker 140 according to the selected configuration. The sound parameters may include equalizer parameters, active noise cancellation (ANC) parameters, or compensation parameters.

[0043] In step S207, the processor 110 may select a second configuration of sound parameters corresponding to the open headphone mode as the selected configuration. The processor 110 may output audio signals through the speaker 140 according to the selected configuration.

[0044] Figure 3 illustrates a flowchart of a method for audio processing according to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein the method may be implemented by the electronic device 100 shown in Figure 1. In step S301, an audio signal is detected by a feedback microphone. In step S302, one of a first configuration and a second configuration of audio parameters is selected based on the audio signal to obtain a selected configuration. In step S303, audio is output through a speaker according to the selected configuration.

[0045] In summary, the electronic device of this invention can detect ambient sound through a feedback microphone to determine whether to switch to in-ear headphone mode or open-back headphone mode based on the detection results. The electronic device can configure sound parameters based on the headphone mode to match the audio output of the device with the current headphone mode. To save energy, the electronic device can determine whether it is being worn based on the detection results of a skin sensor. If the electronic device is not being worn by the user, the feedback microphone can be disabled to reduce power consumption.

[0046] 100: Electronic devices 110: Processor 120: Storage Media 130: Transceiver 140: Speaker 150: Skin Sensor 160: Feedback microphone 170: Ambient microphone 180: Filter S201, S202, S203, S204, S205, S206, S207, S301, S302, S303: Steps

Claims

1. An electronic device for audio processing, comprising: Feedback microphone to detect sound signals; speaker; A processor, coupled to the feedback microphone and the speaker; An ambient microphone, coupled to the processor and detecting ambient sound signals, wherein the ambient microphone is different from the feedback microphone, wherein the processor selects one of a first configuration and a second configuration of sound parameters to obtain a selected configuration based on the sound signal, including: determining a threshold based on the ambient sound signal, obtaining a feature value corresponding to the sound signal, and determining whether the feature value is greater than the threshold, wherein in response to the feature value being greater than the threshold, the processor selects the first configuration as the selected configuration, wherein the processor outputs an audio signal through the speaker according to the selected configuration.

2. The electronic device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising: A skin sensor, coupled to the processor, generates a detection result, wherein the processor activates the feedback microphone to detect the sound signal based on the detection result.

3. The electronic device as claimed in claim 1, wherein in response to the feature value being less than or equal to the threshold, the processor selects the second configuration as the selected configuration.

4. The electronic device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the characteristic value includes the root square volume.

5. The electronic device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising: A filter, coupled to the processor, wherein the processor uses the filter to process the audio signal to generate a filtered signal and obtains the characteristic values ​​of the filtered signal.

6. The electronic device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising: A transceiver is coupled to the processor, wherein the processor communicates with an external electronic device via the transceiver and receives a calibration command from the external electronic device, wherein in response to the calibration command, the processor detects a first sound signal and a second sound signal different from the first sound signal via the feedback microphone, wherein the processor determines the threshold based on the first sound signal and the second sound signal.

7. The electronic device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sound parameters include at least one of the following: equalizer parameters, active noise cancellation parameters, and compensation parameters.

8. The electronic device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electronic device includes headphones.

9. A method for audio processing, comprising: Sound signals are detected via a feedback microphone; Detecting ambient sound signals using an ambient microphone; Selecting one of a first configuration and a second configuration of sound parameters based on the sound signal to obtain the selected configuration includes: determining a threshold based on the ambient sound signal; obtaining a feature value corresponding to the sound signal; and determining whether the feature value is greater than the threshold. And in response to the feature value being greater than the threshold, select the first configuration as the selected configuration; and output audio through a speaker according to the selected configuration.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising: Detection results are generated using skin sensors; And based on the detection results, activate the feedback microphone to detect the sound signal.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of selecting one of the first configuration and the second configuration of the sound parameters based on the sound signal to obtain the selected configuration further comprises: In response to the feature value being less than or equal to the threshold, the second configuration is selected as the chosen configuration.

12. The method as described in claim 9, wherein the characteristic value includes the average root square volume.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of obtaining the feature value corresponding to the sound signal includes: The sound signal is processed using a filter to generate a filtered signal, and the characteristic values ​​of the filtered signal are obtained.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising: Receive calibration commands from external electronic devices; In response to the correction command, a first sound signal and a second sound signal different from the first sound signal are detected through the feedback microphone; and the threshold is determined based on the first sound signal and the second sound signal.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the audio parameters include at least one of the following: equalizer parameters, active noise reduction parameters, and compensation parameters.

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