Microphone Sensitivity Compensation in Audio Devices
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing audio devices face challenges in improving audio quality and intelligibility due to variations in microphone sensitivity, aging, and noise suppression, particularly with multiple beamformers experiencing stability and computational load issues.
Innovation Solution
An audio device comprising an interface, memory, and a processor that obtains and processes multiple microphone input signals to determine a gain compensation scheme, applying it to enhance speech quality and intelligibility by compensating for microphone variations and noise, using beamforming techniques to optimize speech and noise separation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If gain compensation schemes are applied to compensate for microphone sensitivity variations, then speech quality and intelligibility are improved, but device complexity and computational requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-calculating and storing gain compensation schemes in a lookup table during system initialization or manufacturing. The processor retrieves pre-determined gain values from the lookup table based on measured microphone sensitivity variations, rather than performing complex real-time calculations. This approach improves speech quality by compensating for microphone mismatches while reducing computational burden during actual operation.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If multiple beamformers are used to improve noise suppression, then audio quality is improved, but stability decreases and computational load increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple beamforming operations into a unified processing pipeline where gain compensation is applied before beamforming. By pre-compensating microphone signals using lookup table values, the system reduces sensitivity variations that would otherwise cause instability in multi-beamformer configurations. This combination approach maintains the noise suppression benefits of multiple beamformers while improving overall system stability.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If multiple beamformers are used to improve noise suppression, then audio quality is improved, but computational load increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent reduces computational load by performing gain compensation in advance using pre-stored lookup table values. The processor retrieves predetermined gain factors based on microphone sensitivity measurements and applies them before the computationally intensive beamforming operations. This preliminary compensation step enables effective noise suppression with multiple beamformers while minimizing real-time computational requirements and energy consumption.
Data Source
AI summary
Audio device and method for operating an audio device is disclosed, the audio device. A processor is configured to: obtain a first microphone input signal and a second microphone input signal; process the first microphone input signal and the second microphone input signal for provision of an output signal; and output the output signal, then obtain a first microphone signal and a second microphone signal; determine a gain compensation scheme based on the first microphone signal and the second microphone signal; and compensate a gain of the microphone signals; wherein to determine the gain compensation scheme comprises to: apply a plurality of test compensation schemes to the first microphone signal and the second microphone signal; determine a performance parameter for each of the test compensation schemes; and select the gain compensation scheme based on the performance parameters.