Wireless headset switching control method, system and wireless headset

Abstract

The present application relates to a switching control method, system and wireless headset for wireless headphones. The wireless headset includes an external ear microphone, a transparent transmission module, an active noise reduction module and a hearing aid module. The switching control method includes: obtaining an external ear audio signal collected by the external ear microphone; performing keyword recognition and / or speaker identity recognition on the voice content in the external ear audio signal, and obtaining the signal-to-noise ratio and / or signal strength of the external ear audio signal; and based on the recognition result, determining whether the wireless headset is switched to turn off the active noise reduction module, and based on the signal-to-noise ratio and / or signal strength, determining whether the wireless headset is switched to turn on the transparent transmission module or the hearing aid module. Through this switching control method, when a user wears headphones with active noise reduction function, he or she will not miss useful information such as others greeting him or the surrounding speech related to him or her, thereby improving the user's headphone wearing experience.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application based on the Chinese invention patent application with application number 202310103038.0, application date January 30, 2023, and invention name “Switching control method, system and wireless headset for wireless headset”. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of headphones, and more specifically, to a switching control method and system for wireless headphones and a wireless headphone. Background Art

[0003] With the progress of society and the improvement of people's living standards, true wireless headphones have become an indispensable daily necessity for people. Wireless headphones with active noise reduction (ANC) function can enable users to enjoy a comfortable noise reduction experience in various noisy environments such as airports, subways, airplanes, restaurants, etc., and they are increasingly recognized by the market and customers. The principle is to use the headphones to actively emit sound waves with opposite phases to offset the residual noise in the ear (feedforward method) or to add a feedback acoustic path to the sound path (feedback method) to reduce the noise heard by the ear. In addition, in some scenarios where it is necessary to receive signals such as external voice or external environmental noise, the headphones need to have a transparent transmission function so that the wearer of the headphones can better receive external voice or external environmental noise or various external alarm sounds. In addition, for some people with hearing impairment, the headphones also need to have a hearing aid (PSAP, Personal Sound Amplification Product) function.

[0004] However, when wearing headphones indoors, such as at home, the physical obstruction of the headphones can block the user from hearing various external sounds, including ambient sound, and attenuate these sounds. When active noise cancellation is enabled, external sounds, including those of people speaking to them, are also suppressed. This can make it more likely that users will miss useful voice signals, such as greetings, when playing music or other audio. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present application is provided to solve the above-mentioned problems existing in the prior art.

[0006] The first scheme of the present application provides a switching control method for a wireless headset, wherein the wireless headset includes an external ear microphone, a transparent transmission module, and an active noise reduction module. The switching control method includes: obtaining an external ear audio signal collected by the external ear microphone; performing keyword recognition and / or speaker identity recognition on the voice content in the external ear audio signal; and based on the recognition result, switching the wireless headset to turn on the transparent transmission module or the active noise reduction module.

[0007] This application performs keyword recognition and / or speaker identification on the collected extra-ear audio signals, and based on the recognition results, determines whether the wireless headset switches to the transparent transmission module or the active noise reduction module. In this way, when wearing active noise reduction headphones, users can avoid missing useful information such as greetings from others or surrounding conversations related to them, thereby improving the user's headphone wearing experience.

[0008] The second solution of the present application provides a switching control system for wireless headphones, which includes: a transparent transmission module, which is configured to perform transparent transmission processing of the wireless headphones; an active noise reduction module, which is configured to perform active noise reduction processing of the wireless headphones; and a processor, which is configured to execute the switching control method provided by each embodiment of the first solution of the present application.

[0009] A third solution of the present application provides another switching control method for a wireless headset, which includes an external ear microphone, a transparent transmission module, an active noise reduction module, and a hearing aid module. The switching control method includes: obtaining an external ear audio signal collected by the external ear microphone; performing keyword recognition and / or speaker identity recognition on the voice content in the external ear audio signal, and obtaining the signal-to-noise ratio and / or signal strength of the external ear audio signal; and based on the recognition result, determining whether the wireless headset is switched to turn off the active noise reduction module, and based on the signal-to-noise ratio and / or the signal strength, determining whether to switch the wireless headset to turn on the transparent transmission module or the hearing aid module.

[0010] This application performs keyword recognition and speaker identification on the collected extra-ear audio signal, obtains the signal-to-noise ratio and / or signal strength of the extra-ear audio signal, and determines whether the active noise reduction module of the wireless headset is in the off state based on the recognition result, and determines whether to turn on the transparent transmission module or the hearing aid module based on the signal-to-noise ratio and / or signal strength. In this way, when a user wears a headset with active noise reduction and hearing aid functions, he or she will not miss useful information such as others greeting him or the surrounding speech related to him or her, and can appropriately determine whether to turn on the hearing aid module based on the signal quality or strength of the external voice, thereby improving the user's headset wearing experience while reducing the headset processing load as much as possible.

[0011] The fourth solution of the present application provides another switching control system for wireless headphones, which includes: a transparent transmission module, which is configured to perform transparent transmission processing of the wireless headphones; an active noise reduction module, which is configured to perform active noise reduction processing of the wireless headphones; a hearing aid module, which is configured to perform hearing aid processing of the wireless headphones; and a processor, which is configured to execute the switching control method provided by each embodiment of the third solution of the present application.

[0012] A fifth solution of the present application provides a wireless headset, comprising the switching control system according to the second solution or the fourth solution.

[0013] Through the switching control method, system and wireless headset provided in accordance with the various embodiments of the present application, when a user is wearing active noise reduction headsets, when someone outside speaks to or greets them, the headset's working mode can be automatically switched to transparent mode or hearing-aid mode, thereby helping them hear the content of the conversation or greeting, thereby improving the user's headset wearing experience. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] In the drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, the same reference numerals may describe similar components in different views. The same reference numerals with letter suffixes or different letter suffixes may represent different instances of similar components. The accompanying drawings generally illustrate various embodiments by way of example and not limitation, and together with the description and claims, serve to illustrate the disclosed embodiments. Where appropriate, the same reference numerals are used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or similar parts. Such embodiments are illustrative and are not intended to be exhaustive or exclusive of the embodiments of the present apparatus or method.

[0015] Figure 1 A schematic diagram showing the working principle of the active noise reduction module according to an embodiment of the present application is shown;

[0016] Figure 2 A schematic diagram showing the working principle of the transparent transmission module according to an embodiment of the present application is shown;

[0017] Figure 3 A schematic diagram showing the working principle of a hearing aid module according to an embodiment of the present application is shown;

[0018] Figure 4 A flow chart of a switching control method for a wireless headset according to an embodiment of the present application is shown;

[0019] Figure 5 A block diagram showing the configuration of a switching control system according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0020] Figure 6 A flow chart showing a switching control method for a wireless headset according to another embodiment of the present application is shown; and

[0021] Figure 7 A block diagram showing the configuration of a switching control system for a wireless headset according to another embodiment of the present application is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solution of the present application, the present application is described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. The embodiments of the present application are further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments, but are not intended to limit the present application.

[0023] The words "first", "second" and similar terms used in this application do not indicate any order, quantity or importance, but are only used to distinguish. Words such as "include" or "comprise" mean that the elements before the word include the elements listed after the word, and do not exclude the possibility of including other elements. The order of the steps shown by arrows in the drawings of this application is only an example and does not mean that the steps must be executed in the order shown by the arrows. If not otherwise specified, the steps can be combined or the order of execution can be swapped to execute in an order different from that shown by the arrows, as long as the logical relationship between the steps is not affected.

[0024] Herein, the wireless headset may include any one of an in-ear headset and a semi-in-ear headset. The wireless headset may include at least an external ear microphone, a speaker, and a switching control system 200.

[0025] In one embodiment, the switching control system 200 includes an active noise reduction module 210 and a transparent transmission module 220. Figure 5 As shown. The input of the feedforward active noise reduction filter of the active noise reduction module 210 comes from the audio signal collected by the feedforward microphone, and the output of the feedforward active noise reduction filter is finally output to the speaker. The input of the feedforward transparent transmission filter of the transparent transmission module 220 comes from the audio signal collected by the feedforward microphone, and the output of the feedforward transparent transmission filter is finally output to the speaker. The wireless headset receives the wireless audio signal of another wireless device through a wireless connection and plays it through the speaker. The external ear microphone can collect the external audio signal.

[0026] First, combine Figure 1-Figure 2 The working principles of the active noise reduction module 210 and the transparent transmission module 220 included in the wireless headset provided in an embodiment of the present application are described respectively, wherein the active noise reduction module 210 is configured to perform active noise reduction control on the wireless headset, and the transparent transmission module 220 is configured to perform transparent transmission control on the wireless headset.

[0027] Figure 1 FIG1 shows a schematic diagram of the working principle of the active noise reduction module of the wireless headset according to an embodiment of the present application. Figure 1As shown, in the active noise reduction module 210, the headphones implement active noise reduction through a feedforward path and a feedback path. In some embodiments, on the feedforward path, the feedforward microphone 101a collects ambient noise outside the headphones. In addition to the noise generated by the surrounding environment, the ambient noise collected by the feedforward microphone 101a may also include audio components that leak into the surrounding environment when the headphone speaker 107 plays the audio signal. This audio component is considered part of the ambient noise. After the collected ambient noise is processed by the analog gain 102a and the analog-to-digital conversion by the first analog-to-digital converter 103a, it is transmitted to the first low-pass and downsampling filter 104a. The first low-pass and downsampling filter 104a can reduce the filter sampling rate, thereby reducing power consumption and reducing the filter order, thereby reducing the area of ​​the noise reduction chip and reducing costs. Subsequently, the feedforward active noise reduction filter 111 filters the ambient noise signal that has passed through the first low-pass and downsampling filter 104a to reduce the ambient noise collected by the feedforward microphone 101a. The noise-reduced ambient signal is transmitted to adder 109, then converted by DAC 106 and played by speaker 107. The feedforward-filtered ambient noise played by speaker 107 cancels out the ambient noise reaching the ear in the air, achieving noise reduction.

[0028] For the active noise reduction module 210, the audio signal outside the ear collected by the feedforward microphone 101a passes through the feedforward active noise reduction filter 111 and is finally played through the speaker 107 to generate an audio signal that is inversely or approximately inversely proportional to the external sound entering the ear, in order to cancel each other out with the external sound entering the ear. Therefore, the audio signal outside the ear collected by the feedforward microphone 101a must be played out through the speaker 107 with an extremely low delay, otherwise it is difficult to generate an anti-phase signal and achieve a better active noise reduction effect. This extremely low delay is on the order of a few microseconds or more than ten microseconds, not more than a few tens of microseconds. In this application, from the audio signal outside the ear collected by the feedforward microphone 101a, to the feedforward active noise reduction filter 111, to the final audio signal being played by the speaker 107, the entire process is implemented by a hardware module, so an extremely low delay can be achieved.

[0029] In some embodiments, on the feedback path, the feedback microphone 101b collects in-ear noise at a position near the ear canal on the inside of the earphone. The in-ear noise includes the audio echo signal generated when the audio signal is played and the residual signal in the ear after air cancellation. The collected in-ear noise is transmitted to the second low-pass and downsampling filter 104b after gain processing by the analog gain 102b and analog-to-digital conversion processing by the second analog-to-digital converter 103b. The second low-pass and downsampling filter 104b can reduce the filter sampling rate, thereby reducing power consumption and reducing the filter order, thereby reducing the area of ​​the noise reduction chip and reducing costs. Subsequently, the in-ear noise signal passing through the second low-pass and downsampling filter 104b is transmitted to the adder 110. To-be-played audio signal 105 is the audio signal to be transmitted to speaker 107 for playback. It is transmitted to adder 109, converted by digital-to-analog converter 106, and then played by speaker 107. It is also transmitted to echo filter 113, which is used to cancel the audio echo signal generated by speaker 107. After being filtered by echo filter 113, to-be-played audio signal 105 is fed into adder 110. Adder 110 combines the intra-ear noise processed by second low-pass and downsampling filter 104b with the audio signal processed by echo filter 113. This eliminates the influence of the audio echo signal on the feedback path. Adder 110 then transmits the combined noise signal to feedback active noise reduction filter 112 for filtering to achieve feedback noise reduction. The noise signal after feedback filtering passes through the limiter 108 and is transmitted to the adder 109 . After being converted by the digital-to-analog converter 106 , the signal is played by the speaker 107 .

[0030] The above is the working principle of active noise reduction of headphones based on the embodiments of the present application. By filtering the noise on the feedforward path and the feedback path respectively and then playing it on the speaker, the active noise reduction function of the headphones can be realized, the noise reduction effect of the headphones can be improved, and the user's listening experience can be enhanced. In some embodiments of the present application, in the active noise reduction module 210, the headphones implement the active noise reduction function through the feedforward path.

[0031] Figure 2 FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of the working principle of the transparent transmission module of the wireless headset according to an embodiment of the present application. Figure 2As shown, in the transparent transmission module 220, the headphones implement a transparent transmission process through a feedforward path and a feedback path. In some embodiments, in the feedforward path, the headphone's feedforward microphone 101a collects ambient sound outside the headphone. The collected ambient sound is processed by the analog gain 102a and the analog-to-digital conversion by the first analog-to-digital converter 103a before being transmitted to the first low-pass and downsampling filter 104a. The first low-pass and downsampling filter 104a can reduce the filter sampling rate, thereby reducing power consumption and the filter order, thereby reducing chip area and cost. Subsequently, the feedforward transparent transmission filter 114 filters the ambient sound signal that has passed through the first low-pass and downsampling filter 104a to simulate the ambient sound collected by the feedforward microphone 101a. The ambient sound signal after transparent transmission is transmitted to the adder 109, and then after digital-to-analog conversion by the digital-to-analog converter 106, it is played by the speaker 107. The transparently filtered ambient sound played by the speaker 107 approximates the external ambient sound when the user is not wearing the headphones.

[0032] The purpose of the transparent transmission module 220 is to make the ambient sound heard by the user in the ear as consistent as possible with that when the user is not wearing headphones, so that the headphones will affect the user's listening to the ambient sound as little as possible, which is conducive to normal voice communication between the user and other people in the same physical space. In order to obtain the most natural sound possible, in this application, the transparent transmission module 220 is similar to the active noise reduction module 210. The external audio signal collected by the feedforward microphone 101a is played out through the speaker 107 after an extremely low delay. This extremely low delay is on the order of a few microseconds, more than ten microseconds, and no more than tens of microseconds. In this way, the external audio signal is physically transmitted to the inside of the ear canal through the headphones, and the external audio signal collected by the feedforward microphone 101a is played in the ear canal through the transparent transmission module through the speaker 107. The difference between the two delays is very small, which improves the user's listening experience. In this application, the entire process from the extra-ear audio signal collected by the feedforward microphone 101a, to the feedforward transparent filter 114, to the final audio signal played by the speaker 107 is implemented by a hardware module, so extremely low latency can be achieved.

[0033] In some embodiments, on the feedback path, the feedback microphone 101b of the headset collects in-ear noise at a position near the ear canal on the inside of the headset. The in-ear noise includes the audio echo signal generated when the audio signal is played and the residual signal after air cancellation. The collected in-ear noise is transmitted to the second low-pass and downsampling filter 104b after gain processing by the analog gain 102b and analog-to-digital conversion processing by the second analog-to-digital converter 103b. The second low-pass and downsampling filter 104b can reduce the filter sampling rate, thereby reducing power consumption and reducing the filter order, thereby reducing the chip area to reduce cost. Subsequently, the in-ear noise signal passing through the second low-pass and downsampling filter 104b is transmitted to the adder 110. Audio signal 105 is the audio signal to be transmitted to speaker 107 for playback. It is transmitted to adder 109, converted by digital-to-analog converter 106, and then played by speaker 107. It is also transmitted to echo filter 113, which is used to cancel the audio echo signal generated by speaker 107 after audio signal 105 is played. After being filtered by echo filter 113, audio signal 105 is fed into adder 110. Adder 110 combines the intra-ear noise processed by second low-pass and downsampling filter 104b with the audio signal processed by echo filter 113. This eliminates the influence of the audio echo signal on the feedback path. Adder 110 then transmits the combined noise signal to feedback pass-through filter 115 for filtering to achieve feedback noise reduction. The noise signal after feedback filtering may be transmitted to adder 109 after passing through limiter 108, and then played by speaker 107 after undergoing digital-to-analog conversion by digital-to-analog converter 106. In some embodiments, digital-to-analog converter 106 includes upsampling and filtering circuits to enable the digital-to-analog conversion process to operate at a higher frequency; for example, when adder 109 operates at 384 kHz, the digital-to-analog conversion process of digital-to-analog converter 106 operates at 384*64=24.576 MHz.

[0034] The above is the working principle of transparent transmission of headphones based on the embodiments of the present application. By simulating the ambient sound on the feedforward path and filtering the noise on the feedback path, the transparent transmission function of the headphones can be achieved, thereby improving the listening experience of the headphones. In some embodiments of the present application, in the transparent transmission module 220, the headphones implement the transparent transmission process through the feedforward path.

[0035] In another embodiment of the present application, Figure 7 As shown, the switching control system 200 may also include an active noise reduction module 210, a transparent transmission module 220 and a hearing aid module 230, as shown in FIG. Figure 7 As shown above. Figure 1 and Figure 2The configuration and operating principles of the active noise reduction module 210 and the transparent transmission module 220 have been described in detail and will not be repeated here. The hearing aid module 230 in this embodiment receives input from audio signals collected by a feedforward microphone and / or an external ear microphone, and the output of the hearing aid module 230 is ultimately output to a speaker.

[0036] Figure 3 A schematic diagram illustrating the operating principle of a hearing aid module 230 of a wireless headset according to an embodiment of the present application is shown. This hearing aid module 230 can assist people with hearing impairments and can also be used by people with normal hearing in certain situations. The hearing aid module 230 generally amplifies the external audio signal collected by the external ear microphone, which is then played back by the speaker 107. Therefore, it is often necessary to perform some voice noise reduction processing on the external audio signal collected by the external ear microphone to improve the user's hearing experience.

[0037] Specifically, if Figure 3 As shown, x(n) represents the input audio signal, y(n) represents the output audio signal, Gain represents the gain, DRC represents the dynamic compressor, and Limiter represents the limiter. The collected input audio signal x(n) is sent to the PSAP system. The analysis filter bank 231 divides the input audio signal x(n) into multiple frequency bands. The synthesis filter bank 232 synthesizes the audio signals of the multiple frequency bands into one audio signal to generate the output audio signal y(n), which is output by the speaker. In some embodiments, the analysis filter bank 231 and the synthesis filter bank 232 can be implemented using a gammatone filter or multiple groups of crossover filters.

[0038] The hearing aid module 230 may also include a noise reduction function based on various speech noise reduction methods, including beamforming using multiple microphones (which may be multiple feedforward microphones or call microphones), speech noise reduction methods based on spectral subtraction, speech noise reduction methods based on signal subspaces, and speech noise reduction methods based on neural networks. These speech noise reduction processes cause the hearing aid module 230 to have a large delay, which is generally more than 1ms, or even 3ms, 5ms, 10ms, etc. The hearing aid module 230 uses at least one microphone to collect speech signals, which are then processed by speech noise reduction (this speech noise reduction process is different from the active noise reduction process in the active noise reduction module 210), and finally played out through the speaker.

[0039] However, the active noise reduction module 210 and the transparent transmission module 220 in this application do not have the voice noise reduction function. Instead, they retain the original voice and even the ambient sound, and finally play it out through the speaker.

[0040] In addition, the hearing aid module 230 generally has a large amplification effect on the audio signal outside the ear. Therefore, although some of the audio outside the ear is physically transmitted through the earphone in the form of sound and reaches the ear earlier than the audio signal played by the hearing aid module 230, if it is applied to the scenario where the amplitude of the voice signal outside the ear is low or the signal-to-noise ratio is low, the adverse experience brought to the user is relatively small, allowing the user to better hear the audio outside the ear, especially the voice outside the ear.

[0041] In the wireless headset of the present application, the active noise reduction module 210 and the transparent transmission module 220 are configured to share multiple headset components, such as the feedforward microphone 101a, the feedback microphone 101b, and the echo filter 113. After switching to the corresponding module, the components contained in the module are connected accordingly. Of course, in some embodiments, the active noise reduction module 210 and the transparent transmission module 220 can have independent components to make the two modules independent of each other, and this application does not impose any special restrictions on this.

[0042] In some embodiments, the microphone may be a digital microphone, in which case Figure 1 The analog gain and the first analog-to-digital converter are not required. In addition, the feedforward active noise reduction filter, the feedback active noise reduction filter, the feedforward transparent filter, and the feedback transparent filter can be adaptive or fixed filters, which can be IIR structures, FIR structures, or a hybrid filter structure of IIR and FIR.

[0043] In addition, in the echo filter of the active noise reduction module and / or the transparent transmission module, the adaptive part is removed in the figure for simplicity, but it is certainly not ruled out that the echo filter is obtained by an adaptive algorithm.

[0044] like Figure 4 and Figure 6 As shown, the present application provides a schematic flow chart of a switching control method 400 for a wireless headset.

[0045] In an embodiment where the switching control system 200 includes an active noise reduction module 210 and a transparent transmission module 220 ( Figure 5 ), such as Figure 4 As shown, the handover control method 400 includes:

[0046] S410, acquiring an extra-ear audio signal collected by the extra-ear microphone;

[0047] S420, performing keyword recognition and / or speaker identification on the speech content in the extra-auricular audio signal; and

[0048] S430: Based on the recognition result, the wireless headset switches to turning on the transparent transmission module or the active noise reduction module.

[0049] Next, the specific process of the switching control method 400 provided by the present application will be described in detail in conjunction with the above steps S410-S430. It should be understood that the above steps S410-S430 should all be executed when the user is wearing a wireless headset.

[0050] In step S410, an external ear microphone may be provided as a component of the wireless headset to collect external ear audio signals and transmit the collected external ear audio signals to the processor 240 (eg, Figure 6 For example, the extra-ear audio signal is the speech content of a person speaking or greeting the user while the user is wearing the wireless headset, and may also include any ambient sound in the user's physical space.

[0051] After receiving the extra-ear audio signal from the extra-ear microphone, the processor 240 performs keyword recognition and / or speaker identification on the speech content in the extra-ear audio signal in step S420. Here, "speech content" refers to content related to human speech.

[0052] In this embodiment, "keyword recognition" is, on the one hand, the process of detecting and determining whether the voice content includes predetermined keywords. The predetermined keywords vary depending on the user and can be preset by the user in advance, such as the user's name, common name, slogan, etc. They can also be determined based on the user's family members and the user's role in the family. For example, user 1 may have the keyword "Dad", user 2 may have the keyword "Mom", and so on. After the predetermined keywords are preset, they can be written to the storage module (not shown) of the wireless headset. When performing keyword recognition on the voice content, the processor 240 first detects and extracts the keywords in the voice content and compares them with the predetermined keywords in the storage module. If a matching keyword is found, the voice content is determined to be content that the user needs or is interested in listening to.

[0053] On the other hand, "speaker identification" involves detecting and determining whether the speaker of the speech content belongs to a predetermined speaker group. This predetermined speaker group can be preset by the user, for example, including family, colleagues, and friends. The speech or speech features of each person in the group are pre-stored in the wireless headset's storage module. When performing speaker identification on the speech content, processor 240 first detects and extracts the speech features of the speech content and compares them with the predetermined speech features in the storage module. If there is a match, the speech content is determined to be content that the user needs or is interested in listening to.

[0054] It should be understood that any speech recognition technology in the prior art can be used to specify the detection and recognition of speech content, and this application will not go into details here.

[0055] In one embodiment, the processor 240 may perform either keyword recognition or speaker identification on the speech content. That is, if either keyword recognition or speaker identification is successfully identified, switching is initiated, thereby avoiding misjudgments (switching is not performed when it should be) and reducing power consumption of the wireless headset. In a preferred embodiment, both keyword recognition and speaker identification may be performed, and switching is initiated only after both are successfully identified. This improves the recognition accuracy of the speech content and avoids misjudgments (switching is initiated when it should not be).

[0056] In step S430 , the processor 240 switches the wireless headset to turn on the transparent transmission module 220 or the active noise reduction module 210 based on the recognition result in step S420 .

[0057] In some embodiments, when the active noise reduction module 210 of the wireless headset is turned on (for example, the feedforward active noise reduction filter 111 is turned on), when a predetermined keyword is recognized and / or it is recognized that the speaker belongs to a predetermined speaker group, it means that the voice content is content that the user needs or is interested in listening to, and the processor 240 initiates a switch, turning off the active noise reduction module 210 (for example, turning off the feedforward active noise reduction filter 111) and turning on the transparent transmission module 220 (turning on the feedforward transparent transmission filter 114); and when the active noise reduction module 210 is turned off (the feedforward active noise reduction filter 111 is turned off), when a predetermined keyword is recognized and / or it is recognized that the speaker belongs to a predetermined speaker group, the processor keeps the active noise reduction module 210 turned off (the feedforward active noise reduction filter 111 is turned off) and turns on the transparent transmission module 220 (turning on the feedforward transparent transmission filter 114).

[0058] For example, if the processor 240 recognizes the keyword "dad" in the speech content of the extraauricular audio signal and this matches one of the predetermined keywords stored in the storage module, the processor 240 determines that the speech content is relevant to the user and initiates a switch: if the user initially enabled the active noise cancellation mode of the wireless headphones, the processor 240 disables the active noise cancellation mode and switches to transparent mode; if the user initially did not enable the active noise cancellation mode of the wireless headphones, the processor 240 maintains the active noise cancellation mode disabled and switches to transparent mode. Alternatively, if the processor 240 recognizes from the speech content that the speaker is from a member of a predetermined speaker group, the processor 240 determines that the speaker is associated with the user and is one of the preset speakers (e.g., the user's child), and initiates the same switch as described above. Alternatively, if the processor 240 recognizes from the speech content that the speaker is from a member of the predetermined speaker group and also recognizes from the speech content that the speaker is from a member of the predetermined speaker group, the processor 240 further determines that the user needs or is interested in speaking with the speaker and initiates the switch, thereby avoiding misjudgments.

[0059] In one embodiment, when a wireless audio signal from another device is being played through the speaker 107 in the wireless headset (the signal is obtained by the wireless headset through wireless transmission and is an audio signal, such as music or other audio), the processor 240 switches on the transparent transmission module 220 and cuts off (stops playing) the wireless audio signal or weakens (reduces the playback volume) the wireless audio signal. In this way, in the transparent transmission mode, only the sound outside the ear is heard without being interfered with or less interfered with by the played wireless audio signal. It should be understood that the wireless device here can be a mobile phone, tablet computer, desktop computer, router, etc. Wireless communication between the wireless device and the headset can be carried out through Bluetooth, WiFi, etc. The wireless device can obtain the wireless audio signal from the remote server.

[0060] In a preferred embodiment, when the active noise reduction module 210 is enabled, the wireless headset obtains a representative value of the signal strength of the external audio signal as a first threshold. When the signal strength of the external audio signal is greater than or equal to the first threshold, the wireless headset switches to enabling the transparent transmission module based on the recognition result. In other words, the wireless headset does not initiate switching whenever a predetermined keyword and / or a speaker belonging to a predetermined speaker group are recognized in the voice content of the detected external audio signal. Instead, the wireless headset only initiates switching when the signal strength of the external audio signal exceeds a threshold strength. "Exceeding the threshold strength" indicates that the speaker may be speaking directly to the user in an attempt to establish a conversation, is very close to the user, or is speaking loudly. This avoids triggering switching due to a speaker unintentionally whispering or talking to themselves, thereby avoiding or reducing interference to the user and reducing the power consumption of the wireless headset.

[0061] In another embodiment of the switching control system 200 including the active noise reduction module 210, the transparent transmission module 220 and the hearing aid module 230 ( Figure 7 ), such as Figure 6 As shown, the handover control method 400 may further include:

[0062] S410, acquiring an extra-ear audio signal collected by the extra-ear microphone;

[0063] S440, performing keyword recognition and / or speaker identification on the voice content in the extra-auricular audio signal, and obtaining a signal-to-noise ratio and / or signal strength of the extra-auricular audio signal; and

[0064] S450: Based on the recognition result, determine whether the wireless headset is switched to turn off the active noise reduction module, and based on the signal-to-noise ratio and / or the signal strength, determine whether the wireless headset is switched to turn on the transparent transmission module or the hearing aid module.

[0065] S410 has been described in detail above and will not be repeated here.

[0066] The difference between S440 and the aforementioned S420 is that, in addition to performing keyword recognition and / or speaker identification on the voice content in the extra-auricular audio signal collected by the extra-auricular microphone in S410, the processor 240 also needs to obtain the signal-to-noise ratio and / or signal strength of the extra-auricular audio signal.

[0067] In S450, based on the keyword recognition and / or speaker identity recognition results determined in S440, the processor 240 determines whether the wireless headset is switched to turn off the active noise reduction module 210, and the processor 240 determines whether to switch the wireless headset to turn on the transparent transmission module 220 or the hearing aid module 230 based on the obtained signal-to-noise ratio and / or signal strength.

[0068] Specifically, in keyword recognition and / or speaker identity recognition for voice content, if the processor 240 recognizes a predetermined keyword and / or recognizes that the speaker belongs to a predetermined speaker group, it is determined that the voice content is content needed or interested in by the user, and the wireless headset is switched to put the active noise reduction module 210 in the off state: if the active noise reduction module 210 is in the on state (the feedforward active noise reduction filter 111 is on) at this time, the active noise reduction module 210 is turned off (the feedforward active noise reduction filter 111 is turned off), and if the active noise reduction module 210 is in the off state (the feedforward active noise reduction filter 111 is off) at this time, the active noise reduction module 210 is kept off (the feedforward active noise reduction filter 111 is kept off). If the predetermined keyword is not recognized and / or it is recognized that the speaker does not belong to the predetermined speaker group, no processing is performed (specifically, in an embodiment configured with only keyword recognition processing, if the predetermined keyword is not recognized, switching is not initiated; in an embodiment configured with only speaker identity recognition processing, if it is recognized that the speaker does not belong to the predetermined speaker group, switching is not initiated; in an embodiment configured with both keyword recognition and speaker identity recognition processing, if the predetermined keyword is not recognized and it is recognized that the speaker does not belong to the predetermined speaker group, switching is not initiated).

[0069] Similarly, in a preferred embodiment, when the active noise reduction module 210 is turned on in the wireless headset, a representative value of the signal strength of the outside-ear audio signal is obtained as a first threshold, and when the signal strength of the outside-ear audio signal is greater than or equal to the first threshold, based on the recognition result, the wireless headset is switched to keep the active noise reduction module 210 in the off state.

[0070] In addition, in a preferred embodiment, when the processor 240 switches the wireless headset to the active noise reduction module 210 in the off state, it determines whether the transparent transmission module or the hearing aid module needs to be turned on based on whether the signal-to-noise ratio and / or signal strength of the acquired extra-ear audio signal exceeds the respective thresholds.

[0071] Specifically, when the signal-to-noise ratio is greater than or equal to the second threshold and / or the signal strength is greater than or equal to the third threshold, the wireless headset is switched to turn on the transparent transmission module 220 (turn on the feedforward transparent transmission filter 114); and when the signal-to-noise ratio is less than the second threshold and / or the signal strength is less than the third threshold, the wireless headset is switched to turn on the hearing aid module 230. In this way, the advantages of the transparent transmission mode and the hearing aid mode are combined to improve the user experience. That is, in the hearing aid mode, the user can clearly hear voice signals that are farther away, weaker, or have a poor signal-to-noise ratio. For voice signals that are closer, have a stronger signal strength, or have a better signal-to-noise ratio, in the transparent transmission mode, the voice signal has a smaller delay, reducing interference from external audio signals that pass through the ear canal from the physical space of the wireless headset.

[0072] Here, turning on the transparent transmission module 220 is performed by turning on the feedforward transparent transmission filter 114, that is, turning on the feedforward transparent transmission filter 114 means turning on the transparent transmission module 220. However, in some embodiments, the feedback channel (that is, the feedback transparent transmission filter 115) can be turned on at this time, while in other embodiments, the feedback channel (that is, the feedback transparent transmission filter 115) can be turned off at this time. Similarly, turning on the active noise reduction module 210 is performed by turning on the feedforward active noise reduction filter 111, that is, turning on the feedforward active noise reduction filter 111 means turning on the active noise reduction module 210. However, in some embodiments, the feedback channel (that is, the feedback active noise reduction filter 112) can be turned on at this time, while in other embodiments, the feedback channel (that is, the feedback active noise reduction filter 112) can be turned off at this time.

[0073] In one embodiment, the location in which the wireless headset performs mode switching can also be limited. Specifically, when a user wears the wireless headset in a predetermined location and the wireless headset is enabled, the external audio signal collected by the external ear microphone is acquired and keyword recognition and / or speaker identification is performed. This can also prevent the switching from being initiated when the user is not in the target location, reduce switching caused by misjudgment, and also reduce the power consumption of the wireless headset. Specifically, method 400 also includes determining whether the user wearing the wireless headset is in the predetermined location. If it is determined that the user is not in the predetermined location, the switching process of processor 240 is disabled. Conversely, if it is determined that the user is in the predetermined location, processor 240 acquires the external audio signal collected by the external ear microphone and performs keyword recognition and / or speaker identification, and based on this, determines whether to switch. The predetermined location can be any location preset by the user, such as home or office, and the preset location is stored in the headset's storage module.

[0074] Optionally, the user's smart device (e.g., a mobile phone) can obtain location information through a positioning system (e.g., GPS) and send the location information to the processor 240 of the wireless headset through wireless communication (e.g., Bluetooth, Wi-Fi) between the smart device and the wireless headset. After receiving the location information, the processor 240 can determine whether the user is in a predetermined location based on the location information. It should be understood here that since the user is wearing the wireless headset, the location information of the user's smart device is equivalent to the location information of the wireless headset, that is, the two are basically in the same surrounding environment, such as home or office.

[0075] In this embodiment, when the user presets a predetermined place, the user can use the same positioning means to store the location of the preset place (such as home or office) in the storage module in the form of a positioning address (coordinates).

[0076] Since many places, such as homes or offices, often have some wireless devices (such as smart TVs, smart refrigerators, smart sweeping robots, etc.) with some short-range wireless communication devices (such as WiFi, Bluetooth, etc.), they correspond to unique and fixed MAC addresses and do not move with the user's movement. Therefore, optionally, the processor 240 can determine whether the wireless headset is located in a predetermined place by determining the MAC address of the wireless device to which the wireless headset is connected. The MAC address of the wireless device in the predetermined place can be pre-stored by the user in the storage module of the wireless headset. When the user is in the predetermined place, the wireless headset worn by the user is connected to the wireless device in the place, thereby determining the MAC address of the connected wireless device and comparing it with the pre-stored MAC address. If the match is successful, it means that the user is in the predetermined place.

[0077] Preferably, the predetermined keywords and / or speaker group members stored in the storage module may be different for different predetermined locations. For example, if the predetermined location is home, the keywords may be preset as "Dad", "Mom", etc., and the speaker group members may include son, daughter, dad, mom, etc.; while if the predetermined location is office, the keywords may be preset as "Mr. Wang", "Supervisor", etc., and the predetermined speaker group members may include Xiao Wang, Xiao Li, etc.

[0078] Therefore, by limiting the switching control of the wireless headset to a predetermined location, it is possible to avoid the user being disturbed by external sounds in non-predetermined locations and causing erroneous switching, thereby improving the user experience and reducing the power consumption of the wireless headset.

[0079] In the embodiment of the present application, the external ear microphone is connected to Figure 1 、 Figure 2 The feedforward microphone 101a in the figure can be the same microphone, and the audio signal collected by the feedforward microphone 101a is the extra-ear audio signal. The feedforward microphone 101a can also be a group of microphones consisting of multiple microphones. The feedforward microphone 101a is generally located outside the ear and can be used to collect ambient sound outside the ear. The extra-ear microphone can be the same microphone as the feedforward microphone 101a, or it can include other microphones outside the ear, such as headphones may have other call microphones, or it can serve as an extra-ear microphone or part of an extra-ear microphone. Alternatively, in some embodiments, the extra-ear microphone can be a separate microphone other than the feedforward microphone 101a or the call microphone.

[0080] Furthermore, during the process in which the processor 240 switches the active noise reduction module 210 from an on state to an off state, and switches the transparent transmission module 220 or the hearing aid module 230 from an off state to an on state, the feedforward active noise reduction filter 111, the feedforward transparent transmission filter 114, or the hearing aid module 230 operate simultaneously. During time T1 of the switching process, the outputs of the feedforward active noise reduction filter 111 and the feedforward transparent transmission filter 114 or the hearing aid module 230 are weighted and ultimately output to the speaker 107. For example, during time T1, the weight of the output of the feedforward active noise reduction filter 111 monotonically decreases from 1 to 0, and the weight of the output of the feedforward transparent transmission filter 114 or the hearing aid module 230 correspondingly monotonically increases from 0 to 1, thereby completing the switching process. Ultimately, the feedforward active noise reduction filter 111 is turned off, and the transparent transmission module 220 or the hearing aid module 230 is turned on. During time T1, the change in weight can be linear, or other function curves, or can be configured in the form of a table, but it needs to be monotonic so that the switching process is gradual and smooth, thereby improving the subjective experience of the headphone wearer.

[0081] In some embodiments, various RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computer) processors can be used as the processor 240 of the switching control system of the present application to perform corresponding functions, and an embedded system (such as, but not limited to, a SOC) can be used to implement the processing of external audio signals and wireless audio signals. Specifically, commercially available modules (IP) have many modules, such as, but not limited to, memory (the memory can be internal memory or external expansion memory on the IP), various communication modules (such as a Bluetooth module), codecs, buffers, etc. Other components such as antennas, microphones, and speakers can be externally connected to the chip. An interface can be used to connect an external microphone for collecting audio signals. Users can build an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) based on purchased IP or independently developed modules to implement various communication modules, codecs, and various steps of the method of the present application, thereby reducing power consumption and cost. Note that the "switching control system" in this application is intended to refer to a system that controls the target device in which it is located. It can generally refer to, for example, a chip, such as an ASIC implemented based on a SOC, but is not limited to this. Any hardware circuit capable of controlling the control, software-processor configuration, and software-hardware firmware can be used to implement the control system. For example, the processing performed by the processor 240 may be implemented as executable instructions executed by a RISC processor, or may be formed as different hardware circuit modules, or may be formed as a combination of software and hardware firmware, which will not be described in detail here.

[0082] In addition, although exemplary embodiments have been described herein, the scope includes any and all embodiments based on the present application with equivalent elements, modifications, omissions, combinations (e.g., solutions that intersect various embodiments), adaptations, or changes. The elements in the claims are to be interpreted broadly based on the language employed in the claims and are not limited to the examples described in this specification or during the prosecution of this application, which examples are to be interpreted as non-exclusive. Therefore, this specification and examples are intended to be considered as examples only, with the true scope and spirit being indicated by the following claims and the full scope of their equivalents.

[0083] The above description is intended to be illustrative rather than restrictive. For example, the above examples (or one or more of their solutions) can be used in combination with each other. For example, those of ordinary skill in the art can use other embodiments when reading the above description. In addition, in the above-mentioned specific embodiments, various features can be grouped together to simplify the application. This should not be interpreted as an intention that the features of an application that does not require protection are necessary for any claim. On the contrary, the subject matter of the present application may be less than all the features of the embodiments of a specific application. Thus, the claims are incorporated into the specific embodiments as examples or embodiments, wherein each claim is independently a separate embodiment, and it is considered that these embodiments can be combined with each other in various combinations or arrangements. The scope of the present invention should be determined with reference to the appended claims and the full scope of equivalents to which these claims are entitled.

[0084] The above embodiments are merely exemplary embodiments of the present application and are not intended to limit the present invention. The scope of protection of the present invention is defined by the claims. Those skilled in the art may make various modifications or equivalent substitutions to the present invention within the spirit and scope of protection of the present application, and such modifications or equivalent substitutions shall also be deemed to fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A switching control method for a wireless headset, characterized in that: The wireless headset includes an external ear microphone, a transparent transmission module, an active noise reduction module, and a hearing aid module. The switching control method includes: When the wireless headset is worn by a user and the wireless headset is enabled, determining whether the user wearing the wireless headset is located at a predetermined location; When it is determined that the user is located at the predetermined location, obtaining an extra-ear audio signal collected by the extra-ear microphone; Performing keyword recognition and / or speaker identification on the speech content in the extra-auricular audio signal, and obtaining a signal-to-noise ratio and / or signal strength of the extra-auricular audio signal; and Based on the recognition result, determining whether the wireless headset is switched to the active noise reduction module being in the off state, and when the wireless headset is switched to the active noise reduction module being in the off state, determining based on the signal-to-noise ratio and / or the signal strength that the wireless headset is switched to turn on the transparent transmission module or the hearing aid module; When the signal-to-noise ratio is less than a second threshold and the signal strength is less than a third threshold, the wireless headset is switched to turn on the hearing aid module.

2. The switching control method according to claim 1, wherein: Based on the signal-to-noise ratio and / or signal strength of the external-ear audio signal, the wireless headset is switched to enable the transparent transmission module or the hearing aid module, including: When the signal-to-noise ratio is greater than or equal to the second threshold, or the signal strength is greater than or equal to the third threshold, the wireless headset is switched to turn on the transparent transmission module.

3. The switching control method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The keyword recognition is used to determine whether the voice content includes a predetermined keyword, and the speaker identity recognition is used to determine whether the speaker belongs to a predetermined speaker group; Determining, based on the recognition result, whether the wireless headset is switched to a state where the active noise reduction module is turned off includes: When the voice content includes the predetermined keyword and / or the speaker belongs to the predetermined speaker group, the wireless headset is switched to enable the active noise reduction module to be in the off state.

4. The switching control method according to claim 1, wherein: Determining whether the user wearing the wireless headset is located at the predetermined location includes: Receiving location information sent by the user's smart device; and It is determined whether the user is located at the predetermined location based on the location information.

5. The switching control method according to claim 1, wherein: Determining whether the user wearing the wireless headset is located at the predetermined location includes: Determining a MAC address of a wireless device to which the wireless headset is connected; and It is determined whether the user is located at the predetermined location based on the MAC address.

6. The switching control method according to claim 2, wherein: Also includes: When the active noise reduction module is turned on in the wireless headset, obtaining a representative value of the signal strength of the external-ear audio signal as a first threshold; When the signal strength of the external audio signal is greater than or equal to a first threshold, based on the recognition result, it is determined that the wireless headset is switched to enable the active noise reduction module to be in the off state.

7. A switching control system for a wireless headset, characterized in that: The switching control system includes: a transparent transmission module, configured to perform transparent transmission processing of the wireless headset; an active noise reduction module, configured to perform active noise reduction processing for the wireless headset; a hearing aid module configured to perform hearing aid processing for the wireless headset; and A processor configured to execute the handover control method according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. A wireless headset, characterized in that: Comprising the switching control system according to claim 7.

9. The wireless headset according to claim 8, characterized in that The wireless earphone includes any one of an in-ear earphone and a semi-in-ear earphone.

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