Echo-Canceled Audio Mixing for Reproduction Sound Confirmation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional communication devices struggle to confirm whether a reproduction sound is loudly produced, leading to difficulties in acoustic echo cancellation and remote utterer confirmation.

Innovation Solution

A communication device that includes a first adder to combine a reproduction sound with a communication sound from a remote utterer and an acoustic echo canceler that cancels echo components based on a reference communication sound, allowing the remote utterer to confirm the loud production of the reproduction sound.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of information

If the reproduction sound is added to the communication sound and output to the speaker, then the remote utterer can confirm the loud production of the reproduction sound, but an acoustic echo occurs due to the microphone collecting the speaker output

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveconfirmation of loud productionVSAvoidacoustic echo

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts and removes the harmful echo component from the microphone input signal by using the speaker output signal as a reference. The echo canceller separates the desired reproduction sound from the unwanted echo feedback, allowing the remote utterer to confirm loud production while eliminating the acoustic echo interference.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The echo canceller acts as an intermediary between the speaker and microphone signals. It uses the speaker output as a reference signal to identify and remove the echo component that feeds back into the microphone, enabling the system to maintain both loud production confirmation and echo-free communication.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Object-generated harmful factors

If the acoustic echo canceler processes the reproduction sound, then the echo is canceled, but the remote utterer cannot confirm whether the reproduction sound is loudly produced

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveacoustic echoVSAvoidconfirmation of loud production

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-generated harmful factorsVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the audio signal processing into two distinct paths: one path sends the reproduction sound to the speaker for loud production, while another path sends the same reproduction sound to the echo canceller as a reference signal. This segmentation allows the echo to be canceled in the communication path while preserving the reproduction sound for confirmation purposes.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system uses feedback by sending the reproduction sound to both the speaker and the echo canceller simultaneously. The echo canceller receives the speaker output as feedback and uses it to remove echo from the microphone signal, while the processed signal still contains the reproduction sound information needed for confirmation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

3Quantity of substance

If the microphone collects sound in the vicinity including speaker output, then the acoustic echo is captured, but the communication clarity is degraded

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesound collectionVSAvoidcommunication clarity

Core Design Contradiction:

Quantity of substanceVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent converts the harmful echo feedback into a useful reference signal. By feeding the speaker output to the echo canceller, the system uses the previously harmful echo information to identify and remove echo components from the microphone signal, thereby improving communication clarity while maintaining comprehensive sound collection.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

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 solution effectively cancels acoustic echoes attributed to loud producing of communication sounds, enabling remote utterers to confirm the loud production of reproduction sounds, thus improving communication clarity.

Implementation Method 1

an acoustic echo canceler that cancels, on the basis of the communication sound to serve as a reference signal, an echo component of the communication sound contained in an input signal acquired by a microphone configured to collect a sound in the vicinity

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectAcoustic echo cancellation: Echo

Data Source

PatentUS20250193315A1Communication device, communication method, and non-transitory computer readable recording medium storing communication program

Publication Date: 2025.06.12 PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY CORP OF AMERICA

AI summary

A communication device includes: a first adder that adds a reproduction sound to a communication sound of a remote utterer and outputs the communication sound additionally including the reproduction sound to a speaker; and an acoustic echo canceler that cancels, on the basis of the communication sound to serve as a reference signal, an echo component of the communication sound contained in an input signal acquired by a microphone configured to collect a sound in a vicinity.