Bone Conduction Noise Suppression via Signal Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing noise suppression systems face challenges in effectively removing ambient noise, especially in medium to very noisy environments, and fail to adequately address noise picked up by vibration pickups or transducers like bone conduction microphones, which are often considered insensitive to ambient noise.
Innovation Solution
A noise suppression system utilizing at least one first sound receiver and one second sound receiver, where the first receiver is a vibration pickup or transducer obtaining an additional speech signal through vibrations caused by the user speaking, allowing for effective suppression of airborne noise signals by establishing a unique signal path that differs from airborne noise, even with receivers placed close together.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a relatively large physical distance is maintained between two receivers to achieve transmission difference for noise suppression, then noise suppression performance is improved, but device complexity and spatial requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention segments the noise suppression function across multiple receivers with different characteristics (at least one air-conduction receiver and at least one bone-conduction receiver), allowing each receiver to capture different components of the acoustic signal. This segmentation enables effective noise suppression without requiring large physical distances between receivers.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces bone-conduction receivers as an intermediary mechanism that captures speech signals through vibrations transmitted through the skull, providing an alternative transmission path that bypasses the need for large spatial separation. This intermediary approach allows receivers to be placed close together while still achieving sufficient signal differentiation for noise suppression.
2Device complexity
If vibration pickups or transducers are assumed to be perfectly shielded from ambient noise, then device complexity is reduced, but noise suppression performance deteriorates in noisy environments
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies partial shielding to bone-conduction receivers, recognizing that complete shielding is unnecessary and potentially harmful. By allowing some ambient noise to pass through while maintaining sufficient isolation, the system achieves optimal performance without the complexity of perfect shielding. The bone-conduction pathway naturally provides sufficient isolation from airborne noise without requiring additional shielding structures.
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 suppression performance by providing a distinct signal path for speech and noise, improving speech clarity in loud environments and reducing ambient noise interference, even when using vibration-sensitive receivers.
Implementation Method 1
the at least one first sound receiver is a vibration pickup or transducer adapted to obtain, during use, an additional speech signal when the user is speaking, wherein the additional speech signal is obtained directly or indirectly in response to vibrations propagating through the user
Data Source
AI summary
A method and system for noise suppression of a sound signal. The sound signal includes speech of a user while speaking. The system includes a first sound receiver that obtains a first sound signal and a second sound receiver that obtains a second sound signal. The first sound signal includes a first airborne noise signal when noise is present and a first airborne speech signal when the user is speaking. The second sound signal includes a second airborne noise signal when noise is present and a second airborne speech signal when the user is speaking. The first sound receiver is a vibration pickup or transducer that obtains an additional speech signal when the user is speaking. The additional speech signal is obtained in response to vibrations propagating through the user, the vibrations being caused by the user speaking, and the first sound signal includes the additional speech signal when the user is speaking. The system is adapted to suppress, during use, at least a part of the first airborne noise signal, when present, in the first sound signal.