Hybrid Gooseneck Microphone DOA Switching for Conference Speech
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Solution Overview
Problem
Gooseneck microphones struggle to detect sound effectively when a person does not speak directly into them, and traditional tabletop microphones may not be optimal for natural conversation in conference settings, especially in video conferences.
Innovation Solution
A hybrid gooseneck-tabletop microphone apparatus that combines gooseneck and directional tabletop microphones, using direction of arrival (DOA) estimation and voice activity detection to selectively pass audio signals, and can switch between modes based on audio and video analysis.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a gooseneck microphone is used to detect audio from a close speaker, then noise reduction is improved, but audio detection capability deteriorates when the speaker does not speak directly into the microphone
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines a gooseneck microphone unit with a multi-directional microphone unit into a single hybrid device. The gooseneck microphone provides noise reduction for direct speech, while the multi-directional microphone captures audio from all directions. The system merges their outputs and uses processing to select or combine signals based on the speaking situation, thus achieving both noise reduction and reliable audio detection regardless of speaker orientation.
2Reliability
If a traditional tabletop microphone is used to detect natural conversation, then audio detection capability is improved, but noise reduction deteriorates compared to gooseneck microphones
Solution Approach 1:
The hybrid microphone device merges a multi-directional microphone unit (providing broad audio detection like traditional tabletop microphones) with a gooseneck microphone unit (providing noise reduction). The signal processing unit analyzes inputs from both units and selectively passes through the gooseneck microphone output when it provides better noise reduction, while allowing the multi-directional unit to contribute when capturing natural conversation is prioritized.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a hybrid microphone device switches between gooseneck and tabletop modes, then adaptability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of creating separate gooseneck and tabletop microphone devices, the patent merges both microphone types into a single hybrid device. The gooseneck microphone unit and multi-directional microphone unit are integrated into one apparatus, allowing the system to adapt between modes by processing signals from both units simultaneously or selectively, rather than requiring physical mode switching or separate devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The hybrid microphone device achieves multi-functionality by incorporating both gooseneck and multi-directional microphone units that can operate in different modes. The signal processing unit intelligently selects or combines outputs based on the speaking situation, making the single device universal enough to handle both direct-address gooseneck scenarios and natural conversation tabletop scenarios without requiring separate specialized devices.
Data Source
AI summary
A method is provided that includes detecting audio with a first microphone unit of a hybrid microphone device in a relatively narrow angular sector, and detecting, with a multi-directional microphone unit of the hybrid microphone device, audio in a relatively wide angular sector range that encompasses the relatively narrow angular sector. The method further includes determining a direction of arrival of detected audio from outputs of the multi-directional microphone unit, and selecting for output the audio detected by the first microphone unit when the direction of arrival of the detected audio by the multi-directional microphone unit is a desired direction of arrival.