Headset Talk-Through Gain Control for User Speech Attenuation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Communications headsets with added ANR and TT functionality face challenges in reducing infiltration and false triggering of audio compressors due to user speech, leading to complex signaling and increased weight in cables, which affects the user's ability to hear external speech without hearing their own voice at unnatural levels.
Innovation Solution
A communications headset with a talk-through and ANR microphone system that includes a talk-through circuit with a controllable attenuator and envelope detector to reduce signal gain in response to user speech, preventing excessive amplification of the user's voice and maintaining effective talk-through functionality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-generated harmful factors
If gain control is applied to reduce user speech amplitude in talk-through signal, then user's own voice is prevented from being amplified unnaturally, but this may also reduce the amplitude of external speech that needs to be heard
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different processing to different components of the audio signal. The envelope detector analyzes the amplitude envelope of the user's speech separately from the external speech signal. By detecting peaks in the user's speech envelope and applying gain reduction only during these detected speech events, the system selectively attenuates the harmful user voice amplification while preserving external speech that occurs between or during non-peak periods.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses a feedback mechanism where the envelope detector continuously monitors the talk-through signal for user speech peaks, and this detection feeds back to control the gain of the talk-through amplifier. This closed-loop feedback allows dynamic adjustment of the gain based on real-time detection of user speech, automatically reducing gain when user speech is detected and maintaining normal gain when it is not, thus resolving the contradiction between suppressing user voice and preserving external speech.
2Adaptability or versatility
If complex signaling is added to control gain levels between separate headset components, then gain control functionality is achieved, but cable weight and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple functions into integrated circuits within the headset components. The envelope detector, gain controller, and talk-through amplifier are merged into a single integrated circuit board within the headset. This integration eliminates the need for separate control boxes and extensive cabling, as all gain control functionality is built into the headset itself, thereby achieving the desired adaptability without increasing cable weight or complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary envelope detector circuit that processes the audio signal and generates control signals for gain adjustment. This intermediary component acts as a mediator between the audio signal path and the gain control mechanism, enabling sophisticated gain management through compact circuitry rather than complex external signaling systems, thus maintaining cable simplicity while achieving advanced functionality.
Data Source
AI summary
A gain of a signal representing sounds detected by a talk-through and/or feedforward ANR microphone of a talk-through function provided by a communications headset is reduced in response to a user of the communications headset speaking.