Dual-Speaker Mobile Audio Routing for Hands-Free Sound Quality
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current mobile devices face limitations in switching between handset and hands-free modes due to the differing acoustic responses and impedance of receiver and hands-free speakers, resulting in inferior audio quality and mechanical/thermal limitations in far-field reproduction.
Innovation Solution
A mobile device design that routes audio signals to both receiver and hands-free speakers, utilizing a high pass filter and equalization filters to match frequency responses, and includes a spatial sound processor for improved spatial sound experience, with a gain aligner to balance signal gains and prevent amplifier clipping.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the receiver speaker is used in hands-free mode, then the device can operate in hands-free mode, but the audio quality is inferior due to lower efficiency and mechanical/thermal limits
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the receiver speaker and hands-free speaker to operate simultaneously in hands-free mode. The receiver speaker and hands-free speaker are both activated to reproduce audio signals, creating a merged acoustic output that leverages the strengths of both speakers to improve overall audio quality and spatial sound image.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite acoustic system by combining two different speaker types (receiver speaker and hands-free speaker) with different acoustic characteristics. This composite approach allows the system to achieve broader spatial sound image and improved sound pressure level by utilizing the complementary strengths of both speaker configurations.
2Reliability
If equalization filters are used to match frequency responses, then audio quality is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies equalization filters with different characteristics depending on the operating mode. In hands-free mode, a first set of equalization parameters is applied to the receiver speaker to match its frequency response with the hands-free speaker. In handset mode, different equalization parameters are applied. This dynamic parameter adjustment allows optimal audio quality in each mode while managing system complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
Mobile devices such as mobile phones typically have two speakers, one for use in a hand-set mode and one for use in a hands-free mode. A mobile device (1100) is described operable to switch between a hand-set mode and a hands-free mode, the mobile device includes a receiver speaker (10) operable in the hand-set mode and the hands-free mode of the mobile device, and a hands-free speaker (12) operable in the hands-free mode of the mobile device. The mobile device is operable in hands-free mode to route at least one audio signal to the receiver speaker and the hands-free speaker. Using the hands-free speaker and the receiver speaker may improve the sound quality without increasing the cost.