Integrated Noise Reduction Using External Microphones
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional noise reduction systems in devices with microphone arrays, such as hearing aids and cochlear implants, are ineffective when the target sound source is not in the predefined direction, leading to poor performance in environments like classrooms or vehicles.
Innovation Solution
The integration of a local microphone array with external microphones, using a weighted combination of a priori and direct estimates of sound sources, allows for improved noise reduction by adjusting tuning parameters based on confidence measures to account for changes in sound source location.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional noise reduction systems use a predefined direction for target sound sources, then the system structure is simple, but the speech intelligibility deteriorates when the sound source is not in the predefined direction
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the beamformer weights based on real-time sound source location estimates rather than using fixed predefined directions. The weighted combination of a priori and direct estimates allows the system to adapt to changing sound source positions, making the noise reduction effective for sound sources in any direction.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback from sound source location estimation to continuously update the beamforming weights. The direct estimate of sound source location is fed back into the system to adjust the weighting parameters, creating a closed-loop control that improves speech intelligibility based on actual sound source position.
2Reliability
If the system uses a weighted combination of a priori and direct estimates, then the speech intelligibility improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the parameter of interest from fixed beamformer weights to time-varying weights that depend on sound source location estimates. By parameterizing the weights as a function of estimated sound source position, the system achieves improved speech intelligibility through a systematic approach that manages complexity through mathematical modeling.
Data Source
AI summary
Presented herein are techniques for generated an integrated estimate of a target sound (e.g., speech) in sound signals received by at least a local microphone array of a device. In embodiments, the integrated estimate may be generated based on sound signals received by the at least a local microphone array of a device and at least one external microphone.