Ear-Worn Audio Switching for Voice Capture in Noisy Transit
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ear-worn devices fail to effectively transition to an external sound capture mode when announcement sounds are output in noisy environments, such as in moving vehicles, due to insufficient signal-to-noise ratio and bandwidth determinations.
Innovation Solution
The ear-worn device includes a microphone, a signal processing circuit (DSP) that determines the signal-to-noise ratio and bandwidth, and a loudspeaker to output a reproduced sound signal when specific requirements are met, ensuring the device transitions to the external sound capture mode to enhance announcement sounds.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the device uses traditional sound capture mode, then power consumption is low and structure is simple, but it fails to effectively capture human voice in noisy environments
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the signal processing function into multiple independent determination modules: S/N ratio determination, bandwidth determination, and human voice determination. Each module independently evaluates a specific aspect of the sound signal, and their results are combined to control the switching between capture modes. This segmentation allows the complex processing to be modular and manageable while improving voice capture reliability in noisy environments.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary determination of S/N ratio, bandwidth, and human voice characteristics before switching to external sound capture mode. By evaluating these parameters in advance and using logical combination of their results, the system ensures that voice capture is activated only when conditions are favorable, improving reliability without unnecessarily increasing processing complexity.
2Reliability
If the device switches to external sound capture mode frequently, then human voice capture reliability improves, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary evaluation of S/N ratio, bandwidth, and human voice characteristics before switching to the more power-consuming external sound capture mode. By using logical combination of these determination results, the device activates external capture only when all conditions are met, ensuring reliable announcement capture while minimizing unnecessary power consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements continuous monitoring of sound signal parameters (S/N ratio, bandwidth, human voice detection) and uses feedback from these determinations to dynamically control the capture mode. This feedback mechanism ensures the device switches to external capture mode only when acoustic conditions warrant it, optimizing the balance between capture reliability and power consumption.
3Measurement precision
If the device uses simple S/N ratio determination, then processing speed is fast, but accuracy of human voice identification deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the voice detection process into three independent determination tasks: S/N ratio determination, bandwidth determination, and human voice determination. Each segment processes a specific aspect of the signal independently, allowing parallel execution that maintains processing speed while collectively achieving high detection accuracy through their logical combination.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs more determination operations (S/N ratio, bandwidth, and human voice determination) than a simple system would, but uses logical combination to efficiently integrate these results. This partial or excessive action ensures high voice detection accuracy while the modular structure prevents excessive processing time accumulation.
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
The device ensures users can easily hear announcement sounds over ambient noise by enhancing specific frequency components, thereby preventing the user from missing important announcements while immersed in music.
Implementation Method 1
a microphone that obtains a sound and outputs a first sound signal of the sound obtained
Implementation Method 2
a loudspeaker that outputs a reproduced sound based on the second sound signal output
Data Source
AI summary
An ear-worn device includes: a microphone that obtains a sound and outputs a first sound signal of the sound obtained; a DSP that performs determination regarding an S/N ratio of the first sound signal, determination regarding a bandwidth with respect to a peak frequency in a power spectrum of the sound, and determination of whether the sound contains human voice, and outputs a second sound signal based on the first sound signal when the DSP determines that at least one of the S/N ratio or the bandwidth satisfies a predetermined requirement and the sound contains human voice; a loudspeaker that outputs a reproduced sound based on the second sound signal output; and a housing that contains the microphone, the DSP, and the loudspeaker.