Wearable Audio Zoom Listen-Through With Self-Voice Separation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Wearable devices struggle to provide natural-sounding audio during listen-through features due to different distortion patterns between self-voice and external signals, leading to unnatural audio input when both types of signals are not properly distinguished and filtered.
Innovation Solution
The wearable device employs self-voice activity detection (SVAD) and beamforming techniques to isolate self-voice signals from external signals, applying separate filters to each and mixing them to generate a natural-sounding output audio signal, while also utilizing active noise cancellation and audio zoom features to enhance sound separation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a single filter is applied to all audio signals, then the device complexity is reduced, but the audio naturalness deteriorates due to different distortion patterns between self-voice and external signals
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the audio signal processing into separate paths: one for self-voice signals and one for external signals. Each path has its own dedicated filter (first filter for external signals, second filter for self-voice signals), allowing independent optimization of filtering parameters for each signal type, thereby resolving the contradiction between system complexity and processing quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different filtering characteristics to different signal sources based on their specific requirements. The first filter is optimized for external signals while the second filter is optimized for self-voice signals, ensuring that each signal type receives the most appropriate processing for its distortion pattern, thus improving overall audio naturalness without requiring a single complex universal filter.
2Manufacturing precision
If separate filters are applied to self-voice and external signals, then the audio naturalness is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The audio signal is segmented into self-voice and external signal components through detection mechanisms, with each segment processed by dedicated filters. This segmentation allows for simplified individual filter designs compared to a single complex filter, while maintaining high processing quality through specialized treatment of each signal type.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a self-voice detector as an intermediary component that identifies and routes self-voice signals to the appropriate filter path. This mediator enables the system to automatically select the correct filtering path based on signal type, managing the complexity through intelligent routing rather than requiring manual configuration or complex universal processing.
3Measurement precision
If audio zoom feature is activated, then the external signal processing is enhanced, but the low frequency compensation filter becomes unnecessary and should be terminated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic filter management where the low frequency compensation filter is activated only when the audio zoom feature is not in use. When audio zoom is activated, the system automatically terminates the low frequency compensation filter, adapting the processing configuration to current operational requirements and avoiding unnecessary energy consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically discards (terminates) the low frequency compensation filter when it becomes redundant due to audio zoom activation, and can recover (reactivate) it when audio zoom is deactivated. This dynamic resource management ensures processing energy is only consumed when specific processing functions are actually needed, resolving the contradiction between enhanced detection and energy waste.
Data Source
AI summary
A wearable device may include a processor configured to perform active noise cancelation (ANC) applied to an input audio signal received by at least one microphone, and detect a self-voice signal, based on one or more transducers. The processor may also be configured to apply a first filter to an external audio signal, detected by at least one external microphone on the wearable device, during a listen through operation based on an activation of the audio zoom feature to generate a first listen-through signal that includes the external audio signal. The processor may also be configured to after the activation of the audio zoom feature terminate a second filter that provides low frequency compensation. The processor may be configured to produce an output audio signal that is based on at least the first listen-through signal that includes the external signal, and is based on the detected self-voice signal.