Headphone Accelerometer Echo Suppression via SNR-RES Gating
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional audio devices fail to effectively suppress echoes in accelerometer signals during voice communication sessions, especially in windy or noisy environments, leading to distracting echoes and the need to mute the uplink signal, which prevents double-talk scenarios.
Innovation Solution
A method where a near-end headphone device performs echo suppression and echo gating on accelerometer signals by combining the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) with residual echo suppression (RES) signals, allowing for the generation of an uplink audio signal that blends the gated accelerometer signal with the microphone signal, thereby reducing echoes without muting the entire signal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If echo suppression is applied to accelerometer signals during voice communication, then echo quality is improved, but signal processing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The echo suppression process is segmented into two distinct stages: acoustic echo cancellation (AEC) that removes linear echo components, and residual echo suppression (RES) that removes non-linear echo components. This segmentation allows each stage to be optimized independently, managing overall complexity while achieving comprehensive echo suppression.
Solution Approach 2:
An intermediary combined SNR-RES signal is introduced as a gating control mechanism. This intermediate signal combines the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the accelerometer signal with the residual echo suppression (RES) signal, and is used to intelligently gate the processed accelerometer signal before blending with the microphone signal, providing adaptive control without requiring complex real-time analysis.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the uplink signal is muted to prevent echo, then echo quality is improved, but communication continuity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of completely muting the uplink signal during echo conditions, the system applies partial action by selectively gating the accelerometer signal based on the combined SNR-RES signal threshold. This partial gating approach suppresses echo while preserving legitimate speech content, allowing double-talk scenarios to continue without full signal interruption.
Solution Approach 2:
The gating mechanism is made dynamic by continuously monitoring the combined SNR-RES signal and adjusting the gate state in real-time. This dynamic approach allows the system to adapt to changing acoustic conditions, maintaining communication continuity when speech is present while suppressing echo when appropriate, rather than using static muting.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If accelerometer signal processing is enhanced to reduce echo, then echo quality is improved, but computational resources increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by pre-computing and combining the SNR and RES signals into a single combined SNR-RES signal that serves as the gating threshold. This preliminary combination reduces the computational burden during real-time operation, as the complex multi-parameter analysis is performed in advance rather than continuously during signal processing.
Data Source
AI summary
A method performed by a near-end headphone device, while the device is engaged in a voice communication session with a far-end device. The method receives a downlink audio signal from the far-end device and drives a speaker with the downlink audio signal. The method receives an accelerometer signal from an accelerometer of the near-end device and performs echo cancellation and residual echo suppression. The method generates a combined SNR-RES signal based on a SNR of the echo cancelled the accelerometer signal and the residual echo suppression signal. The method determines whether the combined SNR-RES signal is below a threshold. In response to being below the threshold, the method gates the echo cancelled accelerometer signal, generates an uplink audio signal by blending the gated signal with a microphone signal and transmits the uplink audio signal to the far-end device.