Active Noise Cancellation Sidetone Source Separation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Active noise cancellation systems tend to cancel both background noise and the user's own voice, leading to reduced communication quality and safety concerns, as they often fail to distinguish between noise and useful signals, resulting in an unnatural user experience.
Innovation Solution
Implementing an enhanced sidetone approach with a source separation module that separates the user's voice from environmental noise, allowing it to be mixed back into the audio output while maintaining effective noise cancellation, using techniques like source separation and spatially selective processing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If active noise cancellation systems generate anti-noise waveform to reduce background noise, then noise reduction effectiveness is improved, but the user's own voice is also cancelled leading to reduced communication quality
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the audio signal into distinct components: background noise and user's voice. By separating these components, the system can selectively cancel noise while preserving the user's voice signal for communication purposes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary processing stage that analyzes the audio signal to distinguish between noise and voice components. This intermediary layer enables selective manipulation of different signal components before final output.
2Measurement precision
If active noise cancellation systems use microphones to pick up external noise reference signal, then noise detection capability is improved, but the system fails to distinguish between noise and useful signals
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different processing qualities to different parts of the audio signal. Voice components receive preservation treatment while noise components receive cancellation treatment, enabling selective manipulation based on signal type.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the processing parameters applied to different signal components. By varying the treatment applied to different frequency ranges or signal characteristics, the system can distinguish and separately handle noise versus voice signals.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If active noise cancellation systems generate anti-noise waveform to interfere destructively with original noise wave, then noise reduction level is improved, but the user experience becomes unnatural
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the user's voice signal from the mixed audio input and separates it from the background noise. This extracted voice signal is then preserved and potentially enhanced, while only the noise portion undergoes cancellation processing.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables users to hear their own voice clearly while maintaining the effectiveness of active noise cancellation, enhancing the naturalness and comfort of the communication experience without compromising noise reduction.
Implementation Method 1
generates an anti-noise waveform that is an inverse form of the noise wave... This anti-noise waveform interferes destructively with the original noise wave to reduce the level of the noise
Data Source
AI summary
Uses of an enhanced sidetone signal in an active noise cancellation operation are disclosed. In one example, a method of audio signal processing includes producing an anti-noise signal based on information from a first audio signal. A target component of a second audio signal is separated from a noise component of the second audio signal to produce at least one among a separated target component and a separated noise component. Based on at least one among the separated target component and the separated noise component, an audio output signal is produced.