Microphone Pickup Range Control for Digital Assistants
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Users of devices with digital assistants face challenges in controlling the pickup range of microphones, especially in noisy environments, as current methods lack direct control and feedback mechanisms, leading to interference from ambient noise and other individuals' inputs.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that allow users to adjust the pickup range of microphones by receiving user-provided or contextually determined indications, calculating the adjustment magnitude, and applying it to improve audio input clarity, with visual and potentially audible feedback.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of stationary object
If the pickup range of the microphone is increased to capture more audio input, then the ability to receive commands from distant users is improved, but the interference from ambient noise and other individuals' inputs increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the pickup range based on real-time environmental conditions and user context. The processor monitors ambient noise levels, device orientation, and usage patterns to automatically optimize the microphone's effective pickup distance, transitioning between wide and narrow pickup modes as needed
Solution Approach 2:
The system enhances audio capture quality in specific directional zones rather than uniformly across all directions. By using beamforming techniques and directional processing, the microphone array focuses sensitivity on intended speakers while suppressing sounds from other directions, creating localized high-quality capture zones
2Measurement precision
If the pickup range is decreased to reduce ambient noise interference, then the clarity of intended commands is improved, but the ability to receive commands from distant users deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides multiple adjustable pickup range modes (wide, medium, narrow) that can be dynamically selected based on environmental conditions. The processor automatically transitions between modes or allows manual selection, ensuring optimal balance between clarity and range for different usage scenarios
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes key parameters of the audio processing pipeline including gain levels, filter characteristics, and beamforming weights to optimize performance for different pickup range settings. These parameter adjustments enable the same hardware to deliver different effective pickup characteristics
3Ease of operation
If direct control mechanisms are added to allow users to adjust pickup range, then user control and customization are improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system primarily operates in automatic mode where the processor monitors environmental conditions and adjusts pickup range settings without user intervention. This self-adjusting capability provides optimal performance while maintaining simple operation, with manual control available only when users specifically need customization
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates feedback mechanisms that monitor audio quality metrics, noise levels, and usage patterns to automatically adjust pickup range settings. This closed-loop control enables the device to self-optimize performance based on real-time conditions, reducing the need for complex manual control interfaces
Data Source
AI summary
One embodiment provides a method, including: receiving, at an information handling device, an indication to adjust a pickup range of a microphone of the information handling device; determining, using a processor, a magnitude by which to adjust the pickup range; and adjusting the pickup range based on the determined magnitude. Other aspects are described and claimed.