Earpiece Background Noise Mitigation Using Ear Canal Feedback

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Solution Overview

Problem

Users of headphones or earpieces often face challenges in maintaining an optimal sound delivery experience due to background noise interference, requiring frequent volume adjustments as noise levels change.

Innovation Solution

An earpiece with an Ambient Sound Microphone (ASM) and Ear Canal Microphone (ECM) coupled with a processor that maintains a constant signal-to-noise ratio by measuring and adjusting audio levels based on background noise characteristics, using compression techniques to mitigate noise and ensure a natural audio experience.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Object-affected harmful factors

If the earpiece delivers audio content to the ear canal, then the user experiences immersive sound, but background noise interferes with the audio quality

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebackground noise interferenceVSAvoidaudio quality consistency

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system uses an ambient sound microphone to continuously monitor background noise levels and feeds this information back to the processor, which automatically adjusts the audio content level to maintain a constant signal-to-noise ratio in the ear canal

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The earpiece automatically monitors and adjusts its own audio output levels based on ambient noise conditions without requiring user intervention, maintaining optimal audio quality adaptively

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

2Reliability

If the user adjusts volume manually to overcome background noise, then audio clarity improves, but the operation becomes complex and time-consuming

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveaudio clarityVSAvoidvolume adjustment frequency

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The earpiece system autonomously monitors ambient noise levels and automatically adjusts audio content levels to maintain optimal signal-to-noise ratio, eliminating the need for manual volume adjustments by the user

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

3Object-affected harmful factors

If the earpiece attenuates ambient sound, then background noise reduction improves, but the residual noise level estimation becomes complex

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveambient sound attenuationVSAvoidnoise level estimation algorithm

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system uses an ambient sound microphone as an intermediary to measure external noise levels, and the processor uses this measurement along with the known attenuation characteristics of the earpiece to estimate the residual noise level in the ear canal

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS8718305B2Method and device for background mitigation

Publication Date: 2014.05.06 ST PORTFOLIO HLDG LLC

AI summary

Methods for audio processing suitable for use with an earpiece are provided. A method includes delivering audio to an ear canal, measuring a residual background noise level within the ear canal, and adjusting the audio based on characteristics of the residual background noise level to maintain a natural audio level. A mixing of an ambient sound signal and an ear canal signal can be used to calculate the residual background noise level. The method can include compensating the residual measurement based on microphone sensitivities.