Audio Canceling Signal Timing for Targeted Noise Attenuation
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Solution Overview
Problem
The proliferation of computing devices in homes generates increased noise interference, making it difficult for individuals to clearly hear desired audio sources, such as television, amidst unwanted noise from other devices or conversations.
Innovation Solution
An audio canceling device that captures audio signals, identifies desired and undesired audio, and generates an attenuation signal through phase shifting and polarity inversion, transmitting it to create destructive interference and reduce the volume of undesired audio at a specific location, while maintaining the desired audio intact.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple computing devices are used in a home environment, then functionality and connectivity are improved, but noise interference increases making it difficult to hear desired audio
Solution Approach 1:
The patent captures the harmful noise signal and generates an attenuation signal that is 180 degrees out of phase with it. When these signals combine, they create destructive interference that cancels the harmful noise, converting the noise problem into a solution by using the noise itself to generate its own cancellation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary action by capturing the undesired audio signal, processing it to create an attenuation signal, and transmitting this attenuation signal in advance so that it arrives at the canceling location simultaneously with the undesired audio, creating preemptive destructive interference that prevents the noise from being heard.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If an attenuation signal is transmitted to cancel undesired audio, then noise reduction is achieved, but timing precision must be maintained for effective destructive interference
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors the audio environment, captures undesired audio signals, processes them into attenuation signals, and transmits them in real-time. This closed-loop feedback mechanism ensures that the attenuation signal remains synchronized with the changing noise conditions, maintaining the precise timing needed for effective destructive interference.
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
Effectively reduces the volume of undesired audio at a canceling location, improving the clarity of desired audio sources by using destructive interference techniques, which can be implemented with or without remote computing resources for signal processing.
Implementation Method 1
The attenuation-signal may then be amplified and a sound wave (attenuation-sound wave) transmitted that is directly proportional to the amplitude of the original sound wave carrying the undesired audio signal, thereby creating destructive interference
Data Source
AI summary
The implementations described include an audio canceling device that receives and audio signal from within an environment, identifies desired and undesired audio from the received audio signal and generates an attenuation-signal for use in canceling out or reducing the volume of the undesired audio at a canceling location. In addition, the audio canceling device, may determine a time delay before the attenuation-signal should be transmitted from an output based on a distance between the undesired audio source location and the canceling location and a distance between the output and the canceling location.