Active Noise Reduction Headphones Profile Selection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Noise reduction headphones face inefficiencies due to generic noise canceling signals that do not account for individual variations in ear canal acoustic characteristics, leading to sub-optimal performance and potential instability when used by different subjects.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of active noise reduction headphones that include a feedback microphone, a feed-forward microphone, a noise reduction circuit, and a processor to identify and match acoustic characteristics with stored profiles, allowing for the selection of customized noise canceling signals tailored to the specific user, thereby improving noise reduction performance while maintaining user compatibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If generic noise canceling signals are used based on assumed acoustic characteristics, then device complexity is reduced and ease of manufacture is improved, but noise reduction performance deteriorates and reliability worsens when used by different subjects
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes acoustic parameters by measuring the actual acoustic characteristics of the user's ear canal and adjusting the noise canceling signals accordingly. Multiple profiles storing different controller information and acoustic parameters are implemented to adapt to different users, thereby improving reliability without significantly increasing manufacturing complexity
Solution Approach 2:
A feedback microphone detects sound proximate the speaker and generates a feedback audio signal, which is processed to identify acoustic characteristics of the subject. This feedback mechanism enables the system to automatically adapt to individual users, improving reliability while maintaining ease of manufacture through automated calibration
2Reliability
If customized noise canceling signals tailored to individual ear canal characteristics are implemented, then noise reduction performance is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system achieves universality by implementing multiple profiles that can serve different users with different acoustic characteristics. The same hardware platform supports both generic and customized operation modes, allowing the device to function universally across different users without requiring completely separate systems for each user type
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary action by pre-storing multiple profiles with different controller information and acoustic parameters in memory. When a user wears the headphones, the system quickly identifies the user's acoustic characteristics and selects the matching pre-prepared profile, avoiding the need for complex real-time calculations and reducing device complexity
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
This approach enhances noise reduction performance by providing tailored noise canceling signals that adapt to individual ear canal characteristics, improving noise cancellation while ensuring compatibility across a range of users, thereby offering better noise reduction without sacrificing user compatibility.
Implementation Method 1
a feedback microphone to detect sound proximate the speaker and generate a feedback audio signal
Implementation Method 2
These noise reduction devices generate the noise canceling signals based on an assumed set of acoustic characteristics of the subject's ear canal
Data Source
AI summary
Active noise reduction (ANR) headphones and associated methods are provided. The ANR headphones may include a memory to store a plurality of profiles each including controller information and acoustic parameters in addition to a profile selection routine executable by a processor of the ANR headphone. The profile selection routine may be configured to identify acoustic characteristics of a subject wearing the ANR headphone, compare the acoustic characteristics of the subject with the acoustic parameters of the plurality of profiles, select a profile from the plurality of profiles based on the comparison between the acoustic characteristics of the subject with the acoustic parameters of the selected profile, and provide the controller information of the selected profile to a noise reduction circuit of the ANR headphone.