Adaptive Noise Suppression for Mobile Handset Calls
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Solution Overview
Problem
Mobile phone users face challenges in balancing ambient noise suppression during calls, as existing technologies either fail to allow background sounds to be heard clearly when needed or do not adapt to changes in device position, leading to suboptimal communication experiences.
Innovation Solution
A mobile device system that automatically detects when the phone is moved from an at-the-ear to an away-from-the-ear position during a call, adjusting the ambient noise suppression accordingly to enable or disable noise reduction, using multiple microphones and decision logic to switch between noise suppression modes and microphone beamforming techniques.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If ambient noise suppression is enabled during a call, then speech intelligibility is improved, but background sounds cannot be heard clearly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the noise suppression feature dynamically adjustable based on device position. The system transitions between suppressed and unsuppressed states according to whether the device is held at-the-ear or away-from-the-ear, allowing the noise suppression characteristic to adapt to different usage scenarios rather than remaining static
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the noise suppression parameter based on detected device position. When the device is detected in away-from-the-ear position, the noise suppression is reduced or disabled, allowing background sounds to pass through. This parameter change resolves the contradiction by adjusting the noise suppression level according to the specific usage context
2Loss of information
If ambient noise suppression is disabled to hear background sounds, then background sound clarity is improved, but speech intelligibility deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts noise suppression based on real-time detection of device position. When held at-the-ear, suppression is active for clear speech; when moved away-from-the-ear, suppression is reduced or disabled to capture background sounds, thus adapting the speech intelligibility characteristic to the current usage scenario
Solution Approach 2:
The noise suppression parameter is changed based on device position detection. In at-the-ear position, high suppression is applied for speech clarity; in away-from-the-ear position, suppression is reduced or disabled to preserve background sounds, resolving the contradiction through context-dependent parameter adjustment
3Reliability
If noise suppression is always active, then speech quality is maintained, but the system cannot adapt to different device positions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamics by making noise suppression adaptive to device position through automatic detection mechanisms. The system transitions between suppressed and unsuppressed states based on whether the device is held at-the-ear or away-from-the-ear, enabling the speech quality characteristic to adapt to different usage scenarios
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback from device position detection to control noise suppression. The detection mechanism provides feedback about whether the device is at-the-ear or away-from-the-ear, and this feedback automatically adjusts the noise suppression level, creating a closed-loop system that adapts speech quality to the current usage context
4Adaptability or versatility
If the system detects device position changes, then noise suppression can be optimized, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies self-service by implementing automatic device position detection and automatic noise suppression adjustment without requiring user intervention. The system detects its own position state and autonomously adjusts the noise suppression parameter, eliminating the need for manual user control while achieving optimized noise suppression
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs feedback mechanisms where device position detection automatically triggers appropriate noise suppression levels. The detection system provides feedback about device position, and this feedback automatically controls the noise suppression algorithm, creating an autonomous adaptive system that optimizes performance based on actual usage conditions
Data Source
AI summary
A method in a communications device includes the following operations. During a call, a process automatically detects that the device has moved from an at-the-ear position to an away-from-the-ear position. Based on the detection, a noise suppressor that operates upon an uplink signal for the call is signaled to change its noise suppression performance. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.