Digital Audio Path for Headset Noise Cancellation Over 3.5 mm Jack
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional noise cancellation circuits in electronic devices face challenges in achieving desired levels of noise reduction due to increasing demands from advanced headphone quality and audio playback fidelity, making it difficult to implement effective noise cancellation.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of digital noise cancellation circuitry in electronic devices and accessories, which processes digital audio and noise signals from noise cancellation microphones to reduce ambient noise, allowing for enhanced noise cancellation performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional analog noise cancellation circuitry is used, then the circuit complexity and power consumption are lower, but the noise cancellation performance is insufficient to meet advanced audio playback fidelity requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces analog noise cancellation circuitry with digital signal processing. The digital audio signal and digital noise signal from microphones are processed using digital subtraction operations to generate a noise-cancelled audio signal. This substitution of digital processing for analog circuitry achieves superior noise cancellation performance while maintaining manageable system complexity through software-based implementation.
2Measurement precision
If conventional analog noise cancellation circuitry is used, then the power consumption and circuit complexity are reduced, but the noise reduction accuracy is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent substitutes digital signal processing for analog noise cancellation circuits, achieving higher noise reduction accuracy through precise digital subtraction of noise signals from audio signals. While digital processing inherently consumes more power than analog circuits, the patent optimizes power consumption by implementing the digital processing in the electronic device rather than in the accessory, and by using efficient digital signal processing algorithms.
3Reliability
If digital noise cancellation circuitry is implemented in the accessory, then the noise cancellation performance is improved, but the accessory power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the digital noise cancellation processing function from the accessory and relocates it to the electronic device. The accessory only needs to capture audio and noise signals with microphones and transmit them digitally, while the computationally intensive noise cancellation processing is performed by the electronic device's processor. This extraction of the processing function significantly reduces the power consumption and computational requirements of the accessory while maintaining high noise cancellation performance.
4Measurement precision
If digital noise cancellation processing is performed, then the noise reduction accuracy is enhanced, but the processing complexity and computational requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex analog noise cancellation circuitry with digital signal processing operations. The digital processing involves capturing audio and noise signals, converting them to digital form if necessary, performing subtraction operations to remove noise components, and outputting the cleaned audio signal. This digital approach achieves superior noise reduction accuracy while managing processing complexity through standardized digital signal processing algorithms and the computational power of modern electronic devices.
Data Source
AI summary
Electronic devices and accessories are provided that may communicate over wired communications paths. The electronic devices may be portable electronic devices such as cellular telephones or media players and may have audio connectors such as 3.5 mm audio jacks. The accessories may be headsets or other equipment having mating 3.5 mm audio plugs and speakers for playing audio. Microphones may be included in an accessory to gather voice signals and noise cancellation signals. Analog-to-digital converter circuitry in the accessory may digitize the microphone signals. Digital voice signals and voice noise cancellation signals can be transmitted over the communications path and processed by audio digital signal processor circuitry in an electronic device. Digital-to-analog converter circuitry in the accessory may convert digital audio signals to analog speaker signals. Digital noise cancellation signals may use digital noise signals to cancel noise from digital audio signals that have been received from an electronic device.