Adaptive Sidetone Generation for Audio Signal Quality
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional sidetone generation systems in personal audio devices have fixed sidetone paths, failing to adapt to different applications and conditions, resulting in suboptimal audio signal quality and increased power utilization.
Innovation Solution
An adaptive sidetone generation system that utilizes multiple microphones to determine the device's operating mode and generate dynamic sidetones, improving audio signal quality by mixing microphone signals to recover high frequencies, cancel bone-conducted speech, and apply compensation filters to simulate an open ear frequency response.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional fixed sidetone paths are used, then device complexity is reduced, but audio signal quality deteriorates and adaptability to different applications is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic sidetone generation by switching between different sidetone paths (first and second paths) based on the determined mode of operation. The system transitions from fixed to adaptive configuration, where the sidetone characteristics change dynamically according to whether the device is in phone call mode, speaker recognition mode, or automatic speech recognition mode, thereby resolving the contradiction between adaptability and complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes parameters of the sidetone generation by selecting different processing paths with distinct characteristics. The first path applies specific processing for phone call mode while the second path applies different processing for recognition modes, allowing the system to adapt audio signal quality parameters without permanently increasing hardware complexity.
2Productivity
If fixed sidetone paths are used, then device complexity is minimized, but audio signal quality and subsequent processing efficiency deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by determining the mode of operation in advance and selecting the appropriate sidetone path before audio processing. This proactive selection optimizes audio signal quality from the outset, reducing the need for extensive subsequent processing and thereby improving overall productivity while managing complexity through intelligent pre-planning.
Data Source
AI summary
The overall performance and power utilization of an audio device may be improved with an adaptive sidetone generation system that generates sidetones optimized for different application-specific problems. In particular, systems that include sidetone generation capabilities may be developed to include numerous microphones from which information may be received and processed to generate optimized sidetones. For example, the information from the microphones may be used to receive and/or determine the audio device's operating mode. The information from the microphones and the received and/or determined mode may then be used to generate a sidetone that is optimized for the particular mode and particular conditions in which the audio device is operating. Through the generation of optimized sidetones, the audio signal quality may be improved, thus reducing the amount of subsequent audio processing required, and resulting in improved performance and power utilization.