Headphone Transparency Control Through Gesture-Based Audio Mixing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Audio devices that significantly attenuate outside sounds make it difficult for users to hear important environmental sounds, such as approaching cars or friend's voices, due to the masking of external microphone signals by media signals.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a method to control audio parameters using a graphical user interface that adjusts headphone transparency settings and equalization curves based on user input, allowing external microphone signals to be audible above media signals through a geometric shape interface on a display, which corresponds to gain settings and noise cancellation modes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If headphones create a substantially closed system to attenuate outside sounds, then sound isolation and media signal quality are improved, but the ability to hear environmental sounds deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary system that includes external microphones positioned on the headphones to capture environmental sounds, a processing system to separate and enhance these sounds from media signals, and a output mechanism to deliver the processed environmental sounds to the user. This intermediary system allows users to hear environmental sounds while maintaining the closed system for sound isolation, resolving the contradiction between attenuation and environmental sound perception.
2Loss of information
If external microphone signal gain is increased to make environmental sounds audible, then environmental sound perception is improved, but media signal quality and clarity deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the audio signal processing into distinct pathways: one for capturing and processing environmental sounds through external microphones, and another for handling media signals. The processing system separates these signals, applies appropriate gain and filtering to each independently, and then combines them. This segmentation allows environmental sound gain to be increased without compromising media signal quality, as each signal type is processed independently before mixing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by using different processing parameters for different signal components. Environmental sounds receive specific gain adjustments and filtering tailored to their characteristics, while media signals maintain their original quality parameters. This localized processing ensures that each signal type optimizes its own quality without negatively affecting the other, resolving the contradiction between environmental sound audibility and media signal quality.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a complex audio parameter control system is implemented to balance external and media signals, then signal balancing capability is improved, but device complexity and ease of operation worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a self-service control mechanism where the processing system automatically monitors the audio environment and dynamically adjusts the balance between environmental sounds and media signals without requiring manual user intervention. The system uses feedback from microphones and signal analysis to automatically optimize gain parameters, filtering, and mixing ratios. This self-adjusting capability provides sophisticated audio balancing while maintaining simple operation for the user, resolving the contradiction between adaptability and ease of operation.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of controlling headphones having external microphone signal pass-through functionality may involve controlling a display to present a geometric shape on the display and receiving an indication of digit motion from a sensor system associated with the display. The sensor system may include a touch sensor system or a gesture sensor system. The indication may be an indication of a direction of digit motion relative to the display. The method may involve controlling the display to present a sequence of images indicating that the geometric shape either enlarges or contracts, depending on the direction of digit motion and changing a headphone transparency setting according to a current size of the geometric shape. The headphone transparency setting may correspond to an external microphone signal gain setting and/or a media signal gain setting of the headphones.