Ear-Worn ANC Audio Chain Integration for Low-Latency Processing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ear-worn hearing devices suffer from excessive latency in audio signal processing due to serial processing of audio signals, which hampers effective active noise cancellation (ANC) performance.
Innovation Solution
Integrating active noise cancellation (ANC) circuitry and speaker-performance-enhancement circuitry, such as pre-distortion circuitry, on a common die to facilitate direct communication of audio signals without format conversion, thereby reducing latency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If serial processing architecture is used with separate ANC circuitry and speaker-performance-enhancement circuitry, then device complexity is reduced and ease of manufacture is improved, but signal latency increases and ANC performance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines ANC circuitry and speaker-performance-enhancement circuitry into a single integrated processing unit. This merging eliminates the need for separate circuit blocks and their associated format conversion interfaces, directly reducing signal latency while maintaining all necessary processing functions within one unified architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated processing unit performs multiple functions simultaneously - both active noise cancellation and speaker performance enhancement (such as pre-distortion). This multi-functional approach eliminates the need for separate dedicated circuits for each function, reducing overall system complexity and inter-circuit communication overhead.
2Reliability
If format conversion blocks are added between ANC circuitry and speaker-performance-enhancement circuitry, then signal compatibility is improved, but processing latency increases
Solution Approach 1:
By integrating ANC and speaker-performance-enhancement circuitry into one processing unit, the patent eliminates the need for intermediate format conversion blocks. The unified architecture allows direct signal passing between functions, ensuring compatibility through internal signal routing rather than external conversion, thus removing processing delays.
3Ease of repair
If multiple separate circuit blocks are used for ANC and speaker enhancement, then functional independence is improved and ease of repair is enhanced, but signal latency increases due to additional processing stages
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges ANC and speaker-performance-enhancement functions into a single integrated circuit block. This consolidation reduces the number of inter-block signal paths and eliminates format conversion stages, directly reducing processing latency while maintaining all necessary processing capabilities within the unified structure.
Data Source
AI summary
An ear-worn hearing device includes a speaker disposed in a housing comprising a portion configured for wear over, on, or at least partially in a canal of a user's ear. Microphones are integrated with the housing, and a digital signal processing chain is coupled to and located between the microphones and the speaker. The digital signal processing chain includes active noise cancellation (ANC) circuitry configured to generate an anti-noise signal, and speaker-performance-enhancement circuitry coupled to the ANC circuitry and configured to generate a signal based on the anti-noise signal for the speaker. The digital signal processing chain is configured to communicate audio signals between the ANC circuitry and the speaker-performance-enhancement circuitry without changing a format of the audio signals.