Microphone Array Touch Control for Noisy Human-Machine Interaction

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Solution Overview

Problem

Voice interaction in high-noise or high-interference scenarios is inaccurate and disruptive, limiting the human-machine interaction experience.

Innovation Solution

A control method using a microphone array with microphones corresponding to different spatial areas in a terminal device, enabling touch control to perform operations without voice interaction, thereby improving accuracy and reducing interference.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If voice interaction is used for human-machine interaction, then the interaction can be performed hands-free, but the accuracy is significantly reduced in high-noise or high-interference scenarios

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvehands-free operationVSAvoidvoice interaction accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the microphone array into multiple independent microphone units, each corresponding to different spatial areas. By detecting touch operations on specific microphones, the system can identify the spatial location of the user's hand and determine the intended operation, thereby achieving both hands-free operation and high accuracy even in noisy environments.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Ease of operation

If voice interaction is used for human-machine interaction, then the interaction can be performed remotely, but interference to other surrounding users occurs

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveremote operationVSAvoidinterference to other users
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent assigns different functions to different microphones based on their spatial locations. Each microphone or group of microphones corresponds to a specific spatial area and can be independently activated by touch operations from users in that area. This local differentiation allows remote operation while preventing interference to other surrounding users, as only the microphones in the user's spatial area respond to their touch inputs.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

3Adaptability or versatility

If a microphone array with multiple spatial areas is used, then the flexibility of human-machine interaction is improved, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinteraction flexibilityVSAvoidmicrophone array configuration
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent makes each microphone in the array multi-functional by enabling it to serve both as a voice pickup device and as a touch-sensitive control element. The same microphone array structure that provides spatial audio capture also enables touch-based spatial control, eliminating the need for separate control interfaces and reducing overall device complexity while improving interaction flexibility.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentEP4700564A1Control method and apparatus, and terminal device
Publication Date: 2026.02.25 YINWANG INTELLIGENT TECHNOLOGIES CO LTD
  • EP4700564A1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP4700564A1 patent drawingFigure 3
  • EP4700564A1 patent drawingFigure 4(a)

AI summary

Embodiments of this application provide a control method and apparatus, and a terminal device. The method may be applied to the field of human-machine interaction. The method includes: A terminal device detects a touch operation on one or more microphones in a microphone array, where the touch operation indicates the terminal device to execute a human-machine interaction instruction, and microphones in the microphone array correspond to different spatial areas in the terminal device; and the terminal device controls, based on the touch operation, the terminal device to execute the human-machine interaction instruction. Embodiments of this application may be applied to a terminal device like an intelligent vehicle or an electric vehicle, and a user does not need to perform voice interaction with the terminal device. This helps improve accuracy of human-machine interaction in a high-noise or high-interference scenario, and avoids interference to another surrounding user in a voice interaction process, thereby helping improve human-machine interaction experience of the user.