Input Selection for Wind Noise Reduction on Wearable Devices

Abstract

A wind noise reduction system is provided, including a beamformer, a comparator, and an audio mixer. The beamformer may be an MVDR beamformer and generates a beamformed signal based on a first microphone signal and a second microphone signal. The comparator generates a comparison signal based on the beamformed signal and the wind microphone signal. The comparison signal may be further based on a beamformed energy level of the beamformed signal and a wind energy level of the wind microphone signal. The audio mixer generates an output audio signal based on the beamformed signal, the wind microphone signal, and the comparison signal. The wind noise reduction system may further include a wind microphone corresponding to the wind microphone signal. The wind microphone may be located in a portion of a wearable audio device configured to sit on the wearer's concha.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure is generally directed to input selection for wind noise reduction on wearable audio devices. [Background technology]

[0002] One important aspect of wearable audio devices is their ability to capture voice audio from the wearer. Whether the captured speech is in the context of a voice call with another person or of entering voice audio commands in an electronic system, the clarity of the voice audio is important to the use of the device. Most wearable audio devices utilize one or more embedded microphones to capture voice audio. However, certain devices, such as earphones, include microphones that are exposed to the external environment. These microphones are particularly vulnerable to wind noise, which can drown out the captured voice audio.

[0003] The wind noise problem can be exacerbated by wearable audio devices that utilize minimum variance distortion-free response (MVDR) beamforming. Beamforming allows the device's audio sensors to focus audio capture on a specific spatial region, such as the area around the wearer's mouth. MVDR beamforming is often preferred for its high performance in terms of clarity and naturalness, especially in areas with a certain degree of ambient noise, such as a dining room environment. However, the characteristics of MVDR beamforming can cause significant amplification of wind noise, in some cases to the point where it overwhelms any captured speech audio. Therefore, there is a need for an audio processing system capable of reducing wind noise on wearable audio devices. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The present disclosure is generally directed to input selection for wind noise reduction on wearable audio devices.

[0005] In general, in one aspect, a wind noise reduction system is provided. The wind noise reduction system includes a beamformer. The beamformer is configured to generate a beamformed signal. The beamformed signal is generated based on a first microphone signal and a second microphone signal. The beamformer may be a minimum variance distortion-free response (MVDR) beamformer.

[0006] The wind noise reduction system further includes a comparator configured to generate a comparison signal based on the beamforming signal and the wind microphone signal, and the comparison signal may be further based on a beamforming energy level of the beamforming signal and a wind energy level of the wind microphone signal.

[0007] The wind noise reduction system further includes a dynamic audio mixer. The dynamic audio mixer is configured to generate an output audio signal. The output audio signal is generated based on the beamformed signal, the wind microphone signal, and the comparison signal. According to one example, the output audio signal may be a mixture of the beamformed signal and the wind microphone signal. A ratio of the wind microphone signal to the beamformed signal in the output audio signal may correspond to the comparison signal. Furthermore, the ratio of the wind microphone signal to the beamformed signal in the output audio signal may be frequency dependent. According to another example, the output audio signal may correspond to the wind microphone signal in a frequency range of 200 Hz to 2 kHz.

[0008] According to one example, the wind noise reduction system may further include a first microphone responsive to the first microphone signal. The wind noise reduction system may further include a second microphone responsive to the second microphone signal. The wind noise reduction system may further include a wind microphone responsive to the wind microphone signal. The wind microphone may be located in a portion of the wearable audio device configured to rest on the wearer's concha. Furthermore, the wind microphone may face the floor of the wearer's concha during use.

[0009] According to an example, the first microphone signal, the second microphone signal, and the wind microphone signal may be frequency domain signals, or the first microphone signal, the second microphone signal, and the wind microphone signal may be time domain signals.

[0010] According to an example, the wind noise reduction system may further include an equalizer, which may be configured to filter the beamformed signal before it is received by the comparator and the dynamic audio mixer.

[0011] According to an example, the wind noise reduction system may further include a high-pass filter configured to filter the beamformed signal before it is received by the dynamic audio mixer.

[0012] According to one example, the wind noise reduction system may further include a feedforward noise cancellation controller for performing feedforward noise cancellation, the feedforward noise cancellation controller receiving an input corresponding to the wind microphone signal.

[0013] In general, in another aspect, a wearable audio device is provided that includes a first microphone configured to generate a first microphone signal.

[0014] The wearable audio device further includes a second microphone configured to generate a second microphone signal.

[0015] The wearable audio device further includes a wind microphone responsive to the wind microphone signal, which may be located in a portion of the wearable audio device configured to be inserted into the concha of the wearer.

[0016] The wearable audio device further includes a beamformer configured to generate a beamformed signal based on the first microphone signal and the second microphone signal.

[0017] The wearable audio device further includes a comparator configured to generate a comparison signal based on the beamformed signal and the wind microphone signal.

[0018] The wearable audio device further includes a dynamic sound mixer configured to generate an output sound signal based on the beamformed signal, the wind microphone signal, and the comparison signal.

[0019] According to one example, the wearable audio device may be an earphone.

[0020] In general, in another aspect, a method for reducing wind noise is provided. The method includes generating, via a beamformer, a beamformed signal based on a first microphone signal and a second microphone signal. The method further includes generating, via a comparator, a comparison signal based on the beamformed signal and the wind microphone signal. The method further includes generating, via a dynamic sound mixer, an output sound signal based on the beamformed signal, the wind microphone signal, and the comparison signal.

[0021] According to another example, the method may further include (1) generating a first microphone signal via a first microphone, (2) generating a second microphone signal via a second microphone, and (3) generating a wind microphone signal via a wind microphone positioned on a portion of the wearable audio device configured to be positioned on the wearer's concha and facing the floor of the concha.

[0022] In various embodiments, a processor or controller may be associated with one or more storage media (collectively referred to herein as “memory,” e.g., volatile and non-volatile computer memory such as ROM, RAM, PROM, EPROM, and EEPROM, floppy disks, compact disks, optical disks, magnetic tape, flash, OTP-ROM, SSDs, HDDs, etc.). In some implementations, the storage media may be encrypted with one or more programs that, when executed on one or more processors and / or controllers, perform at least some of the functions described herein. The various storage media may be fixed within the processor or controller, or may be portable. In this manner, one or more programs stored on the storage media may be loaded into the processor or controller to implement various aspects described herein. The terms “program” or “computer program” are used generically herein to refer to any type of computer code (e.g., software or microcode) that may be used to program one or more processors or controllers.

[0023] It should be understood that all combinations of the foregoing concepts and additional concepts discussed in more detail below (provided such concepts are not mutually inconsistent) are contemplated as part of the inventive subject matter disclosed herein. In particular, all combinations of claimed subject matter appearing at the end of this disclosure are contemplated as part of the inventive subject matter disclosed herein. It should also be understood that terms explicitly used herein, which may also appear in any disclosure incorporated by reference, should be given the meaning most consistent with the specific concepts disclosed herein.

[0024] These and other aspects of various embodiments will be apparent from and elucidated with reference to the embodiments described hereinafter. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0025] In the drawings, like reference numbers generally refer to the same parts throughout the different views. Also, the drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead generally being placed upon illustrating the principles of the various examples. [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram of a wearer of a wearable audio device. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a wearable audio device according to aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a further isometric view of the wearable audio device of FIG. 2 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a further isometric view of the wearable audio device of FIGS. 2 and 3 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a further isometric view of the wearable audio device of FIGS. 2-4, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of a frequency domain wind noise reduction system according to aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of a time-domain wind noise reduction system according to aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 8] 1 is a flowchart of a method for reducing wind noise, according to an aspect of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0026] The present disclosure generally relates to input selection for wind noise reduction on a wearable audio device. The wearable audio device captures speech audio from a wearer via two microphones coupled to a beamformer, such as a minimum variance distortion-free response (MVDR) beamformer. The wearable audio device also captures speech audio via a wind microphone. The wind microphone is positioned in a portion of the wearable device configured to sit on the wearer's concha, with the wind microphone facing the floor of the concha. The wind microphone is therefore shielded from wind noise by the concha and structure of the wearer's ear and therefore performs better under windy conditions than a beamformer. In particular, the wind microphone generally outperforms a beamformer in the frequency range of 200 Hz to 2 kHz (in terms of characteristics such as signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) or noise floor level).

[0027] The energy level of the beamformed signal generated by the beamformer is compared with the energy level of the wind microphone signal captured by the wind microphone. The dynamic sound mixer generates the output sound signal by switching (or mixing) between the beamformed signal and the wind microphone signal based on the energy level comparison. When the energy level of the beamformed signal is higher than the energy level of the wind microphone signal, a windy condition exists, and at least a portion of the output sound signal corresponds to the wind microphone signal. Alternatively, when the energy level of the beamformed signal is lower than the energy level of the wind microphone signal, a no-wind condition exists, and at least a portion of the output sound signal corresponds to the beamformed signal.

[0028] FIG. 1 is a diagram of a wearer W of a wearable audio device 10 (see FIG. 2). In particular, FIG. 1 shows the location of the concha C of the ear E of the wearer W. The inner portion of the concha C may be referred to as the floor F. As demonstrated in subsequent figures, a portion of the wearable audio device 10 is seated within the concha C such that that portion faces the floor F. In particular, this portion of the wearable audio device 10 will be shielded from wind noise in windy conditions by the structure of the ear E.

[0029] 2 is an isometric view of a wearable audio device 10 embodied as earphones. In this example, the wearable audio device 10 includes eartips 14 that are inserted into the ear canals of a wearer W. The wearable audio device 10 also includes a first microphone 102. The first microphone 102 is positioned on a surface of the wearable audio device 10 such that the first microphone 102 faces generally away from the wearer W when the eartips 14 are inserted into the ear canals. The first microphone 102 can be any microphone generally configured to capture speech audio from the wearer W, such as an omnidirectional microphone.

[0030] FIG. 3 is a front view of the wearable audio device 10 of FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 3, the wearable audio device 10 includes an acoustic transducer 185 disposed within the eartip 14. The acoustic transducer 185 is configured to convert electrical signals into sound for playback to the wearer W. The wearable audio device 10 also includes a second microphone 104. The second microphone 104 is positioned on the back of the wearable audio device such that the second microphone 104 generally faces toward the wearer when the eartip 14 is inserted into the ear canal. As seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, the first microphone 102 and the second microphone 104 are each exposed to the external environment, making each microphone 102, 104 susceptible to wind noise.

[0031] Like the first microphone 102, the second microphone 104 may be any microphone generally configured to capture speech audio from the wearer W, such as an omnidirectional microphone. Additionally, as described in more detail below, the first microphone 102 and the second microphone 104 may be used in conjunction with a beamformer 114 (see FIGS. 5 and 6) to capture speech audio from a particular spatial region proximate the wearer W. In a preferred example, the beamformer 114 is an MVDR beamformer.

[0032] As used herein, the term "beamformer" generally refers to a filter or filter array used to achieve directional signal transmission or reception. In the example described herein, the beamformer combines audio signals received by multiple audio sensors (such as microphones and accelerometers) to focus on a desired spatial region, such as the area around the wearer's mouth. While different types of beamformers utilize different types of filtering, beamformers generally achieve directional reception by filtering received signals such that, when combined, signals received from the desired spatial region interfere constructively and signals received from undesired spatial regions interfere destructively. This interference results in amplification of signals from the desired spatial region and rejection of signals from undesired spatial regions. The desired constructive and destructive interference is generally achieved by controlling the phase and / or relative amplitude of the received signals before combining. Filtering may be implemented via one or more integrated circuit (IC) chips, such as a field programmable gate array (FPGA). Filtering may also be implemented using software.

[0033] The wearable audio device 10 also includes a wind microphone 106. The wind microphone 106 is positioned on a portion of the wearable audio device 10 configured to sit within the concha C of the wearer W, such that the wind microphone 106 faces the floor F of the concha C. By locating the wind microphone 106 within the concha C, the wind microphone 106 is effectively shielded from wind noise. Thus, in windy conditions, it may be preferable to use speech audio captured by the wind microphone 106 rather than the first microphone 102 or the second microphone 104. In some examples, the wind microphone 106 may also be used as an input to a feed-forward noise cancellation system. In a feed-forward noise cancellation system, the sound captured by the wind microphone may be used to remove undesired noise from audio played for the wearer W via the acoustic transducer 185. A further (left-hand) view of the wearable audio device 10 is shown in Figure 4, showing the wind microphone 106, the eartip 14, and the acoustic transducer 185. In some examples, the wind microphone 106 may be the same or similar make, model, or type of microphone as the first microphone 102 or the second microphone 104. Thus, the wind microphone 106 may be an omnidirectional microphone.

[0034] FIG. 5 is another diagram of the wearable audio device 10. FIG. 5 shows the internal circuitry 12 of the wearable audio device 10. The internal circuitry 12 includes a wind noise reduction system 100 (shown in more detail in FIGS. 6 and 7), a processor 125, a memory 175, and a transceiver 195. The processor 125 may be used to implement aspects of the wind noise reduction system 100, such as the beamformer 114, the equalizer 130, the high-pass filter 132, the energy detectors 138, 140, the comparator 118, and / or the audio mixer 122 (see FIGS. 6 and 7). The memory 175 may be configured to store data related to various aspects of the wind noise reduction system 100, such as programmable filter weights for the beamformer 114, the equalizer 130, or the high-pass filter 132 (see FIGS. 6 and 7). The transceiver 195 may be configured to transmit or receive data related to the wind noise reduction system 100. In some examples, the transceiver 195 transmits the output audio signal 124 (see FIGS. 6 and 7) to a peripheral device such as a smartphone to conduct a phone call. The transceiver 195 may also receive data corresponding to the settings of various aspects of the wind noise reduction system 100, such as programmable filter weights for the beamformer 114, the equalizer 130, or the high-pass filter 132.

[0035] 6 shows a functional block diagram of a frequency-domain version of wind noise reduction system 100. Frequency-domain wind noise reduction system 100 may be implemented to capture speech audio from a wearer W of wearable audio device 10 (e.g., earphones, see FIGS. 2-5 ) for use in a phone call or related application. Accordingly, frequency-domain wind noise reduction system 100 generates output audio signal 124. This output audio signal 124 (or a further processed version of output audio signal 124) can be transmitted wirelessly via transceiver 195 (see FIG. 5 ) to a peripheral device such as a smartphone and / or transmitted to acoustic transducer 185 to provide sidetone to wearer W of wearable audio device 10.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 6 , wind noise reduction system 100 includes three microphones disposed on wearable audio device 10 to capture speech audio: first microphone 102 (e.g., as shown in FIG. 2 ), second microphone 104 (e.g., as shown in FIG. 3 ), and wind microphone 106 (e.g., as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 ). As mentioned above, wind microphone 106 is positioned on a portion of wearable audio device 10 configured to sit within the concha C (see FIG. 1 ) of wearer W, such that wind microphone 106 faces the floor F (see FIG. 1 ) of the concha C. Thus, wind microphone 106 is shielded from wind noise, while first microphone 102 and second microphone 104 are exposed to wind noise due to their location outside the concha C. Furthermore, wind microphone 106 can also be used in a feedforward noise cancellation system.

[0037] Each of the microphones 102, 104, 106 generates a time-domain electrical signal corresponding to the captured speech audio. The first microphone 102 generates a first microphone signal 108, the second microphone 104 generates a second microphone signal 110, and the wind microphone 106 generates a wind microphone signal 112. The first microphone signal 108, the second microphone signal 110, and the third microphone signal 112 are then transformed into the frequency domain by a weighted, overlap, and add (WOLA) analysis filterbank.

[0038] The first and second frequency-domain microphone signals 208, 210 are then provided to the beamformer 114. As previously described, the beamformer 114 is used to achieve directional audio capture using the first microphone 102 and the second microphone 104. The beamformer 114 uses the first frequency-domain microphone signal 208 and the second frequency-domain microphone signal 210 to generate a beamformed signal 216. In the example of FIG. 6, the beamformer 114 is an MVDR beamformer. The algorithm used by the MVDR beamformer minimizes the power of the noise captured by the first microphone 102 and the second microphone 104 while maintaining distortion of the desired signal. In doing so, the MVDR beamformer can provide improved SNR performance over other beamformers (such as delay and sum beamformers) in disturbing noise environments, such as cafeteria-type settings. However, in some environments, such as windy environments, the MVDR beamformer may amplify noise instances by as much as 10-20 dB at some frequencies, thus adversely affecting the SNR performance of the resulting beamformed signal.

[0039] The frequency-domain wind microphone signal 212 is provided to the equalizer 130. The equalizer 130 is configured to attenuate a portion of the frequency-domain wind microphone signal 212 so that the energy level of the equalized wind microphone signal 254 is equal to the energy level of the beamformed signal 216 for more accurate wind detection in quiet, windless environments. One or more filter weights of the equalizer 130 may be programmable and / or dynamic.

[0040] The wind noise reduction system 100 then determines the energy levels of the beamformed signal 216 and the equalized wind microphone signal 254. The first energy detector 138 receives the beamformed signal 216. The first energy detector 138 analyzes the beamformed signal 216 using smoothed energy envelope analysis to generate a beamformed energy level signal 242 that corresponds to the energy level of the beamformed signal 216. Similarly, the second energy detector 140 receives the equalized wind microphone signal 254. The second energy detector 140 analyzes the equalized wind microphone signal 254 using smoothed energy envelope analysis to generate a wind microphone energy level signal 244 that corresponds to the energy level of the equalized wind microphone signal 254.

[0041] The beamforming energy level signal 242 and the wind microphone energy level signal 244 are then provided to the comparator 118. The comparator 118 generates a comparison signal 220 that indicates whether the beamforming energy level signal 242 or the wind microphone energy level signal 244 is greater. In some examples, the comparison signal 220 may also indicate the degree of difference between the beamforming energy level signal 242 and the wind microphone energy level signal 244. In a further example, the comparison signal 220 may be frequency dependent and may indicate varying energy levels across frequency. In a further example, the comparator 118 may focus on comparing energy levels within a defined frequency range, such as 200 Hz and 2 kHz. The 200 Hz and 2 kHz frequency range is an example of a frequency range where the wind microphone signal 112 may be superior (in terms of characteristics such as SNR or noise floor level) to the beamforming signal 216 in windy conditions.

[0042] The equalized wind microphone signal 254 is then provided to the high-pass filter 132. The high-pass filter 132 is configured to remove or attenuate low-frequency noise in windy conditions. One or more filter weights of the high-pass filter 132 may be programmable and / or dynamic. Notably, for accurate energy level comparison, a high high-pass filter is not applied to the equalized wind microphone signal 254 received by the second energy detector 140. Furthermore, no high-pass filter is applied to the beamformed signal 216 to preserve low-frequency aspects in windless conditions.

[0043] The comparison signal 220, the beamformed signal 216, and the filtered wind microphone signal 256 are provided to the audio mixer 122. The audio mixer 122 may function as a crossfader to generate a frequency-domain output audio signal 224 by switching or mixing the beamformed signal 216 and the filtered wind microphone signal 256 based on the comparison signal 220. As the comparison signal 220 changes based on the beamformed energy level signal 242 and the wind microphone energy level signal 244, the switching or mixing settings of the audio mixer 122 change accordingly. Thus, the audio mixer 122 can be considered a dynamic audio mixer.

[0044] In one example, the audio mixer 122 is configured to switch back and forth between the beamformed signal 216 and the filtered wind microphone signal 256 to generate the output audio signal 224. If the comparison signal 220 indicates that the energy level of the beamformed signal 216 is significantly higher than the energy level of the equalized wind microphone signal 254 (corresponding to windy conditions), the frequency-domain output audio signal 224 may correspond to the filtered wind microphone signal 256. If the comparison signal 220 indicates that the energy level of the beamformed signal 216 is significantly lower than the energy level of the equalized wind microphone signal 254 (corresponding to no wind conditions), the frequency-domain output audio signal 224 may switch to correspond to the beamformed signal 216. In some examples, this switching may be limited to a frequency range where the wind microphone 106 (located on the concha C of the wearer W) performs significantly better than the beamformer 114 in windy conditions. By dynamically switching back and forth, the audio mixer 122 adapts the frequency-domain output audio signal 224 to use the beamformed signal 216 in windless conditions and the frequency-domain wind microphone signal 212 in windy conditions, improving performance over either the beamformed signal 216 or the frequency-domain wind microphone signal 212 alone across the entire applicable frequency range.

[0045] In one example, this switching may be limited to a defined frequency range. For example, if the energy level of the beamformed signal 216 is significantly higher than the energy level of the equalized wind microphone signal 254 (indicating windy conditions), the frequency-domain output signal 224 may be configured to correspond to the beamformed signal 216 above 2 kHz, while also corresponding to the filtered wind microphone signal 256 below 2 kHz, since the effect of wind noise on the beamformed signal is most severe below 2 kHz.

[0046] In another example, rather than switching between the beamformed signal 216 and the filtered wind microphone signal 256, the frequency-domain output audio signal 224 may be a mixture of the two, similar to a mixing crossfade. If the comparison signal 220 indicates that the energy level of the beamformed signal 216 is higher than the energy level of the equalized wind microphone signal 254 by a 2-to-1 ratio (indicating windy conditions), the frequency-domain output audio signal 224 may be a mixture of the beamformed signal 216 and the equalized wind microphone signal 254 in a 1-to-2 ratio. As with the previous example, this mixture of the beamformed signal 216 and the filtered wind microphone signal 256 may be limited to a defined frequency range within the frequency-domain output audio signal 224, such as below 2 kHz. In some examples, the ratio of the beamformed signal 216 to the filtered wind microphone signal 256 may vary across frequency.

[0047] Once generated, the frequency-domain output audio signal 224 may be provided to additional circuitry for further processing in the frequency domain. Alternatively, the frequency-domain output audio signal 224 may be converted to the time domain by the WOLA synthesis filterbank 150. The time-domain output audio signal 124 may then be further processed before being transmitted via the transceiver 195 to a peripheral device, such as a smartphone, for use in a phone call or related application.

[0048] Apart from wind noise reduction, the (time-domain) wind microphone signal 112 may also be used for feed-forward noise cancellation to reduce noise played back to the wearer W via the acoustic transducer 185. The wind microphone signal 112 may be provided to a feed-forward noise cancellation controller 134. The feed-forward noise cancellation controller 134 then generates a noise-resistant signal 146 based on the wind microphone signal 112, which is provided to the acoustic transducer 185 to cancel noise captured by the wind noise microphone 106, such as audible noise in the concha C of the wearer W.

[0049] FIG. 7 illustrates the time-domain transformation of FIG. 6 . In FIG. 7 , wind noise cancellation and feedforward noise cancellation are performed to provide audible sidetone to the wearer W. Sidetone may be defined as audible feedback provided to the wearer W confirming proper operation of the wearable audio device 10. This audible feedback includes a small amount of the wearer W's voice. By hearing this audible feedback, the wearer W can confirm that the microphones 102, 104 of the wearable audio device 10 are operating properly, adjust their speaking levels to an appropriate level, and / or confirm connectivity for a voice call or other connection. The use of sidetone may also provide additional benefits to the wearer W, such as increasing environmental audio transparency and allowing the wearer W to speak with a more natural voice. Because the frequency-domain transformation of FIG. 6 introduces some latency into the audio feedback, potentially reducing its effectiveness, this sidetone processing is preferably performed in the time domain.

[0050] 7, the first microphone signal 108 and the second microphone signal 110 are provided to the beamformer 114 as time-domain signals. Similarly, the wind microphone signal 112 is provided to the equalizer 130 as a time-domain signal. Therefore, the signals generated by the beamformer 114 (beamformed signal 116), the first energy detector 138 and the second energy detector 140 (beamformed energy level signal 142 and wind microphone energy level signal 144), the equalizer 130 (equalized wind microphone signal 154), the high-pass filter 132 (filtered wind microphone signal 156), the comparator 118 (comparison signal 120), and finally the audio mixer 122 (output audio signal 124) are also time-domain signals similar to the frequency-domain signals described with respect to FIG. 6. The time-domain output audio signal 124 may be provided to additional circuitry for further processing in the time domain. Further, the time-domain output audio signal 124 may be provided to a sidetone controller 136. The sidetone controller 136 processes the time-domain output audio signal 124 into a sidetone signal 152 for playback to the wearer W via an acoustic transducer 185. While the sidetone signal 152 is played by the acoustic transducer 185, noise proximate to the concha C of the wearer W may be reduced by providing an anti-noise signal 146 to the acoustic transducer 185, as described with reference to FIG.

[0051] 8 is a flowchart of a method 900 for reducing wind noise. The method 900 includes generating 902 a beamformed signal based on a first microphone signal and a second microphone signal via a beamformer. The method 900 further includes generating 904 a comparison signal based on the beamformed signal and the wind microphone signal via a comparator. The method 900 further includes generating 906 an output audio signal based on the beamformed signal, the wind microphone signal, and the comparison signal via a dynamic audio mixer.

[0052] According to another example, the method 900 may further include the operational steps of (1) generating 908 a first microphone signal via a first microphone, (2) generating 910 a second microphone signal via a second microphone, and (3) generating 912 a wind microphone signal via a wind microphone positioned on a portion of the wearable audio device configured to be positioned on the wearer's concha and facing the floor of the concha.

[0053] All definitions defined and used herein should be understood to control for dictionary definitions, definitions in documents incorporated by reference, and / or ordinary meanings of the defined terms.

[0054] The indefinite articles "a" and "an," as used in the specification and claims, unless expressly indicated otherwise, should be understood to mean "at least one."

[0055] The phrase "and / or," as used in the specification and claims, should be understood to mean "either or both" of the elements so conjoined, i.e., elements that are conjunctively present in some cases and disjunctively present in other cases. Multiple elements listed with "and / or" should be construed in the same manner, i.e., "one or more" of the elements so conjoined. Other elements, whether related or unrelated to the elements specifically identified, may optionally be present other than the elements specifically identified by the "and / or" clause.

[0056] As used in this specification and claims, "or" should be understood to have the same meaning as "and / or" as defined above. For example, when separating items in a list, "or" or "and / or" should be interpreted as inclusive, i.e., including at least one, but also including more than one, of a number or list of elements, and optionally including additional unlisted items. Terms such as "only one of" or "exactly one of," or, when used in the claims, "consisting of," refer to the inclusion of exactly one element of a number or list of elements only when clearly indicated otherwise. Generally, the term "or" as used herein will only be interpreted as indicating exclusive alternatives (i.e., "one or the other, but not both") when preceded by terms of exclusivity, such as "either," "one of," "only one of," or "exactly one of."

[0057] As used in this specification and claims, the phrase "at least one" in reference to a list of one or more elements should be understood to mean at least one element selected from any one or more of the elements in the list of elements, but not necessarily including at least one of each and every element specifically listed in the list of elements, and not excluding any combinations of elements in the list of elements. This definition also allows for elements, whether related or unrelated to the specifically identified elements, to be optionally present other than the elements specifically identified in the list of elements to which the phrase "at least one" refers.

[0058] It is also to be understood that, unless expressly indicated otherwise, in any method claimed herein that includes more than one step or action, the order of the method steps or actions is not necessarily limited to the order in which the method steps or actions are recited.

[0059] In the claims, as well as in the above specification, all transitional phrases such as "comprising," "including," "carrying," "having," "containing," "involving," "holding," "composed of," and the like, are to be understood to mean open-ended, i.e., including but not limited to. The transitional phrases "consisting of" and "consisting essentially of," in particular, are closed or semi-closed transitional phrases, respectively.

[0060] The above-described examples of the described subject matter can be implemented in any of numerous ways. For example, some aspects may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination thereof. If at least a portion of any aspect is implemented in software, the software code may be executed on any suitable processor or collection of processors, whether provided on a single device or computer, or distributed across multiple devices / computers.

[0061] The present disclosure may be implemented as a system, method, and / or computer program product at any level of technical detail contemplated. The computer program product may include a computer-readable storage medium (or media) having computer-readable program instructions that cause a processor to perform aspects of the present disclosure.

[0062] A computer-readable storage medium may be a tangible device that can hold and store instructions for use by an instruction execution device. The computer-readable storage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device, an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, a semiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of computer-readable storage media includes the following: portable computer diskettes, hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM, or flash memory), static random access memory (SRAM), portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), digital versatile disk (DVD), memory sticks, floppy disks, punch cards, or mechanically encoded devices having instructions recorded thereon such as raised structures in grooves, and suitable combinations of the foregoing. As used herein, a computer-readable storage medium is not to be construed as a transitory signal itself, such as a freely propagating electromagnetic wave such as an electric wave, an electromagnetic wave propagating through a transmission medium such as a waveguide (e.g., a light pulse passing through a fiber optic cable), or an electrical signal traveling down an electrical wire.

[0063] The computer-readable program instructions described herein can be downloaded from a computer-readable storage medium to each computing / processing device or to an external computer or external storage device via a network, such as the Internet, a local area network, a wide area network, and / or a wireless network. The network may include copper transmission cables, optical fiber transmissions, wireless transmissions, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers, and / or edge servers. A network adapter card or network interface of each computing / processing device receives the computer-readable program instructions from the network and transfers the computer-readable program instructions for storage in a computer-readable storage medium within the respective computing / processing device.

[0064] Computer-readable program instructions for carrying out the operations of the present disclosure may be assembler instructions, instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions, machine-dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions, state configuration data, integrated circuit configuration data, or source or object code written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including object-oriented programming languages ​​such as Smalltalk or C++, procedural programming languages ​​such as the "C" programming language, or similar programming languages. The computer-readable program instructions may execute entirely on the user's computer, partially on the user's computer, as a standalone software package, partially on the user's computer and partially on a remote computer, or entirely on a remote computer or server. In the latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or may be connected to an external computer (e.g., through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider). In some examples, electronic circuitry, including, for example, a programmable logic circuit, a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or a programmable logic array (PLA), may execute computer-readable program instructions by individualizing the electronic circuitry using state information of the computer-readable program instructions to perform aspects of the present disclosure.

[0065] Aspects of the present disclosure are described herein with reference to flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to examples of the present disclosure. It will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer-readable program instructions.

[0066] Computer-readable program instructions may be provided to a processor of a special-purpose computer or other programmable data processing device to produce a machine, whereby the instructions, executing via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing device, create means for performing the functions / operations specified in one or more blocks of the flowcharts and / or block diagrams. Furthermore, these computer-readable program instructions may be stored on a computer-readable storage medium that can direct a computer, programmable data processing device, and / or other device to function in a particular manner, whereby the computer-readable storage medium on which the instructions are stored includes an article of manufacture having instructions that implement aspects of the functions / operations specified in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams or blocks.

[0067] Also, the computer-readable program instructions may be loaded into a computer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other device to generate a computer-implemented process for a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer, other programmable apparatus, or other device, such that the instructions executing on the computer, other programmable apparatus, or other device perform the functions / operations specified in one or more blocks of the flowcharts and / or block diagrams.

[0068] The flowcharts and block diagrams in the figures illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods, and computer program products according to various examples of the present disclosure. In this regard, each block of the flowcharts or block diagrams may correspond to a module, segment, or portion of instructions, including one or more executable instructions for performing specified logical function(s). In some alternative implementations, the functions noted in the blocks may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may in fact be executed substantially simultaneously, or in some cases, the blocks may be executed in the reverse order, depending on the functionality involved. Furthermore, it should be noted that each block of the block diagrams and / or flowchart illustrations, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and / or flowchart illustrations, may be implemented in a dedicated hardware-based system that performs specific functions or that operates or executes a combination of dedicated hardware and computer instructions.

[0069] Other implementations are within the scope of the following claims and other claims to which the applicant may be entitled.

[0070] While various examples have been described and illustrated herein, those skilled in the art will readily conceive of numerous other means and / or structures for performing the functions and / or results and / or obtaining one or more of the advantages described herein, and each of such modifications and / or variations is deemed to be within the scope of the examples described herein. More generally, those skilled in the art will readily recognize that all parameters, dimensions, materials, and configurations described herein are exemplary, and further, that the actual parameters, dimensions, materials, and / or configurations will depend on the particular application or applications for which the teachings of the present invention are used. Those skilled in the art will recognize or be able to ascertain, using no more than routine experimentation, many equivalents to the specific examples described herein. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the foregoing examples are presented by way of example only and that, within the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereof, the examples may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described and claimed. Examples of the present disclosure are directed to each individual feature, system, article, material, kit, and / or method described herein. Furthermore, any combination of two or more such features, systems, articles, materials, kits, and / or methods is included within the inventive scope of the present disclosure, if such features, systems, articles, materials, kits, and / or methods are not mutually inconsistent.

Claims

1. 1. A wind noise reduction system, comprising: a beamformer configured to generate a beamformed signal based on the first microphone signal and the second microphone signal; a comparator configured to generate a comparison signal based on the beamformed signal and a wind microphone signal; a dynamic audio mixer configured to generate an output audio signal based on the beamformed signal, the wind microphone signal, and the comparison signal; A wind noise reduction system comprising:

2. The wind noise reduction system of claim 1 , wherein the beamformer is a minimum variance distortionless response (MVDR) beamformer.

3. The wind noise reduction system of claim 1 , wherein the comparison signal is further based on a beamforming energy level of the beamformed signal and a wind energy level of the wind microphone signal.

4. The wind noise reduction system of claim 1 , wherein the output audio signal is a mixture of the beamformed signal and the wind microphone signal.

5. The wind noise reduction system of claim 4 , wherein a ratio of the wind microphone signal to the beamformed signal in the output audio signal corresponds to the comparison signal.

6. The wind noise reduction system of claim 5 , wherein the ratio of the wind microphone signal to the beamformed signal in the output audio signal is frequency dependent.

7. 2. The wind noise reduction system of claim 1, wherein the output audio signal corresponds to the wind microphone signal in the frequency range of 200 Hz to 2 kHz.

8. a first microphone corresponding to the first microphone signal; a second microphone corresponding to the second microphone signal; a wind microphone corresponding to the wind microphone signal; The wind noise reduction system of claim 1 further comprising:

9. 9. The wind noise reduction system of claim 8, wherein the wind microphone is located in a portion of a wearable audio device configured to rest against the concha of a wearer.

10. 9. The wind noise reduction system of claim 8, wherein the wind microphone faces the floor of the wearer's concha during use.

11. The wind noise reduction system of claim 1 , wherein the first microphone signal, the second microphone signal, and the wind microphone signal are frequency domain signals.

12. The wind noise reduction system of claim 1 , wherein the first microphone signal, the second microphone signal, and the wind microphone signal are time-domain signals.

13. The wind noise reduction system of claim 1 , further comprising an equalizer configured to filter the beamformed signal before it is received by the comparator and the dynamic audio mixer.

14. The wind noise reduction system of claim 1 , further comprising a high pass filter configured to filter the beamformed signal before it is received by the dynamic audio mixer.

15. The wind noise reduction system of claim 1 , further comprising a feedforward noise cancellation controller for performing feedforward noise cancellation, said feedforward noise cancellation controller receiving an input corresponding to said wind microphone signal.

16. A wearable audio device, comprising: a first microphone configured to generate a first microphone signal; a second microphone configured to generate a second microphone signal; a wind microphone responsive to a wind microphone signal; a beamformer configured to generate a beamformed signal based on the first microphone signal and the second microphone signal; a comparator configured to generate a comparison signal based on the beamformed signal and the wind microphone signal; a dynamic audio mixer configured to generate an output audio signal based on the beamformed signal, the wind microphone signal, and the comparison signal; A wearable audio device comprising:

17. 17. The wearable audio device of claim 16, wherein the wind microphone is located in a portion of the wearable audio device configured to be inserted into the concha of a wearer.

18. The wearable audio device of claim 16 , wherein the wearable audio device is an earphone.

19. 1. A method for reducing wind noise, comprising: generating a beamformed signal based on the first microphone signal and the second microphone signal via a first beamformer; generating a comparison signal based on the beamformed signal and a wind microphone signal via a comparator; generating an output audio signal based on the beamformed signal, the wind microphone signal, and the comparison signal via a dynamic audio mixer; A method comprising:

20. generating a first microphone signal via a first microphone; generating a second microphone signal via a second microphone; generating the wind microphone signal via a wind microphone located on a portion of the wearable audio device configured to be placed on the wearer's concha and facing the floor of the concha; 20. The method of claim 19 further comprising:

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