Boomless Earpiece Wearing Position Detection via Microphone Signal Strength
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Solution Overview
Problem
Boomless headsets face challenges in ensuring accurate audio signal capture due to incorrect wearing positions, leading to weak audio signals and increased background noise, as the directional microphones may point away from the wearer's mouth.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating both local talker microphones and reference microphones in the earpieces, with signal processing logic to determine the correct wearing position by measuring signal strength differences between these microphones and adjusting audio processing accordingly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If beamforming or directional microphones are used to improve audio signal from the wearer's mouth, then audio signal quality is improved, but the system becomes sensitive to incorrect wearing position which causes the microphone to point away from the mouth
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary detection of the wearing position by analyzing audio signals from multiple microphones before establishing the primary audio capture path. This preliminary action identifies whether the headset is worn correctly, allowing the system to adjust beamforming parameters or switch to an alternative microphone configuration to compensate for incorrect wearing, thereby maintaining audio signal quality regardless of wearing position
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors audio signals from multiple microphones to detect wearing position status and provides feedback to adjust the beamforming direction or activate alternative capture paths. This feedback loop ensures that the system adapts to incorrect wearing positions by redirecting the audio capture focus or switching to microphones that remain optimally positioned, thus maintaining measurement precision while reducing sensitivity to wearing errors
2Measurement precision
If multiple microphones are added to detect wearing position and improve audio capture, then audio signal quality and wearing position detection are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the microphones multi-functional by using them for both audio capture and wearing position detection. The same array of microphones that captures audio signals also serves to determine wearing position through signal analysis, eliminating the need for separate sensors or additional hardware components. This universal usage reduces device complexity while maintaining high measurement precision for both functions
Solution Approach 2:
The system merges the audio capture function and wearing position detection function into a single integrated process. By combining these functions, the patent avoids adding separate hardware systems, thereby reducing overall device complexity. The microphones serve dual purposes: capturing audio signals and providing data for wearing position analysis, which simplifies the device architecture while achieving both objectives
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein are techniques for determining a wearing position of a boomless headset. An earpiece of the boomless headset can include at least one local talker (LT) microphone and a reference microphone. The LT microphone(s) are disposed substantially in a first end of the earpiece closest to a mouth of a LT when the LT wears the earpiece. The reference microphone is disposed substantially in a second end of the earpiece, furthest from the mouth of the LT when the LT wears the earpiece. A signal strength measurement (SSM) for a local talker audio signal to the LT microphone(s) and a SSM for a signal to the reference microphone are obtained. Signal processing logic can determine whether the earpiece is worn at an incorrect ear based on whether a difference between the SSM for the LT microphone(s) and the SSM for the reference microphone is below a predetermined threshold.