Earbud Noise Cancellation via Inter-Ear Communication

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Solution Overview

Problem

Sleep pathologies, such as snoring, can negatively impact the sleep of bed partners, leading to health issues for them.

Innovation Solution

Ear-worn devices with microphone arrays detect sounds generated by a source body, generate anti-phase noise cancellation data packages, and transmit them to other ear-worn devices to cancel the sound for the bed partner.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If noise cancellation is provided for a bed partner, then sleep quality is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesleep qualityVSAvoiddevice complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system divides the noise cancellation function into separate ear-worn devices, with each device independently detecting and generating anti-phase sounds for its wearer. This segmentation allows each device to be simpler while the combined system achieves comprehensive noise cancellation for multiple users simultaneously.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The processor acts as an intermediary that receives detected sounds from microphone arrays, generates anti-phase noise cancellation signals, and transmits them to the appropriate ear-worn device. This intermediary processing layer simplifies the overall system architecture by centralizing the complex noise cancellation computations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Measurement precision

If multiple microphone arrays are used to detect sound, then sound detection accuracy is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesound detection accuracyVSAvoiddevice complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Multiple microphone arrays are combined within each ear-worn device to create a distributed sensing system. This merging of multiple simple microphones into a coordinated array achieves accurate sound source localization and detection without requiring each individual component to be complex.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

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

Improves the sleep quality of the bed partner by effectively canceling disturbing sounds, thereby enhancing their health.

Implementation Method 1

two or more microphone arrays which detect sound generated by a source body

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectSound detection: Sound

Implementation Method 2

generate a noise cancellation data package that includes an anti-phase sound based on the detected sound

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectNoise cancellation: Sound

Data Source

PatentUS20260089433A1Noise cancellation based on communication between ear-worn devices

Publication Date: 2026.03.26 RESMED PTY LTD

AI summary

Two or more microphone arrays in an ear-worn device such as an earbud may detect a sound generated by a source body. A processor of the earbud may generate, based on the sound, a noise cancellation data package including an anti-phase sound. The processor may transmit the noise cancellation data package to a second earbud to cancel the sound for another body.