Audio Device Adaptive Echo Cancellation for Conversation Comfort
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Solution Overview
Problem
During conversations while listening to content playback sounds, echo phenomena occur due to the attenuation and delay of sound signals between terminals, making it difficult to maintain a comfortable conversation.
Innovation Solution
An audio device and sound processing method that utilize adaptive filter echo cancellation, where an adaptive filter is used to eliminate echo signals from microphone detection signals, allowing for the output of echo-eliminated signals to reduce echo and enhance conversation comfort.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If echo cancellation is performed to eliminate telephonic communication sound, then conversation comfort is improved, but content playback sound also gets cancelled along with the echo
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the audio signal processing into two distinct paths: one for telephonic communication sound and another for content playback sound. The echo cancellation is selectively applied only to the telephonic communication sound path, while the content playback sound path remains unaffected. This segmentation allows the system to cancel echo without inadvertently cancelling the content playback sound, resolving the technical contradiction between conversation comfort and information loss.
2Adaptability or versatility
If content playback sound is output during conversation, then entertainment value is improved, but echo phenomenon worsens making conversation uncomfortable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism - the identification unit that detects whether the output sound is telephonic communication sound or content playback sound. Based on this identification, the system selectively applies echo cancellation only when telephonic communication sound is detected. This intermediary approach allows the system to maintain both entertainment value (by playing content) and conversation comfort (by cancelling echo only when appropriate), resolving the technical contradiction.
Data Source
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AI summary
There is provided an audio device including a control section configured to cause an audio signal to be output, the audio signal including a sound signal obtained through playback of content and a sound signal received from a communication partner device, and a sound processing section configured to generate an elimination signal obtained by eliminating a given sound signal from a microphone detection signal, which is the audio signal that is propagated and detected by a microphone. The control section causes the communication partner device to transmit the elimination signal.