Headset Chat Mode Audio Mix Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wearable audio headsets with noise-cancelling capabilities lack effective control over the mix of ambient noise and media sources, leading to abnormal speech patterns and inadequate isolation of spoken utterances from ambient noises.
Innovation Solution
A headset with a "chat" mode that adjusts audio levels to emphasize ambient sound, featuring a vocal pickup microphone, signal mixers, and a controller that sets and adjusts Voice, Source, and Ambient volume levels, along with a beam former for directional speech isolation, allowing users to customize audio output and isolate their voice from ambient noise.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If active noise cancelling is turned off to hear surroundings, then ambient sound is heard, but the wearer loses noise cancellation and cannot control the mix of ambient noise relative to media source
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the audio signal processing into separate pathways: one for media audio, one for ambient noise, and one for voice feedback. This allows independent control of each signal type through separate gain stages, enabling the wearer to adjust the mix of ambient noise and media source without completely disabling noise cancellation, thus resolving the contradiction between controlling audio mix and maintaining noise cancellation capability.
2Loss of information
If ambient noise is redirected to headset speakers to hear surroundings, then wearer can hear ambient sound, but perceived voice level becomes skewed relative to ambient sounds
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a dedicated voice feedback pathway that captures the wearer's voice through a separate microphone and feeds it back to the headset speakers with controllable gain. This ensures the wearer hears their own voice at the correct relative level regardless of ambient noise levels, eliminating perceptual skew while maintaining the ability to access ambient sound through the ambient noise pathway.
3Reliability
If speech is picked up by noise cancellation microphone, then ambient noise is captured, but spoken utterances may be cancelled out like other ambient noises
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments speech capture into a dedicated pathway using a separate speech microphone that is not used for active noise cancellation. This dedicated speech pathway ensures that spoken utterances are captured independently from the noise cancellation microphones, preventing speech from being accidentally cancelled out while still allowing effective ambient noise capture through the original noise cancellation pathway.
4Loss of information
If dedicated microphone provides voice feedback, then self-voice feedback is achieved, but captured ambient noise is also reproduced defeating noise cancellation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the audio pathways by using a dedicated speech microphone for voice feedback that is spatially oriented toward the wearer's mouth and processed separately from ambient noise microphones. This directional setup and separate processing ensure that voice feedback is achieved while ambient noise captured by other microphones continues to be handled by the noise cancellation system, preventing unwanted ambient noise reproduction.
Data Source
AI summary
An audio headset that provides a “chat” mode to temporarily adjusts audio to preset levels to emphasize ambient sound, and includes a beamformer to provide directional speech isolation. The headset may include active noise cancellation and/or passive noise isolation. When entering chat mode, three or more relative audio levels are individually adjusted to presets, allowing the wearer to hear ambient noise and their own isolated voice, while attenuating other audio sources. This user-configurable combination of levels temporarily adjust the mix of signals that will be output to a wearer via the stereo headphone speakers.