On-Body Microphone Audio Adjustment for Adaptive Smart Devices
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing smart home devices face challenges in providing optimized 'Listen' and 'Talk' experiences due to pre-set audio settings that do not adapt to changing environments or user preferences, and existing location detection methods like camera and radar-based solutions raise privacy concerns or are economically impractical.
Innovation Solution
Using an on-body microphone to capture audio data, process it to determine sound properties, and adjust audio settings dynamically based on user location and preferences, without requiring dedicated hardware like radar or Lidar systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If pre-set audio settings are used in smart home devices, then device complexity is reduced, but adaptability to changing environments and user preferences deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically adjusts audio settings by capturing user location data and processing it to determine optimal audio parameters, eliminating the need for manual user intervention while maintaining high adaptability to changing environments and user preferences
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically changes audio parameters such as volume, equalization, and sound channel balancing based on processed location data, enabling automatic adaptation to different user positions and environmental conditions without increasing visible device complexity
2Measurement precision
If camera and computer vision techniques are used to detect user location, then measurement precision of user position is improved, but privacy concerns and device complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces camera-based optical detection with acoustic field-based location detection by analyzing sound propagation characteristics, achieving user position measurement without capturing visual images and thus eliminating privacy concerns associated with continuous camera operation
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses sound waves as an intermediary carrier to transmit location information, where acoustic signals serve as the medium for detecting user position without directly observing the user, thereby reducing privacy intrusion while maintaining detection accuracy
3Adaptability or versatility
If pre-set microphone gain threshold is used in smart devices, then device complexity is reduced, but talk experience quality deteriorates in changing audio environments
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors audio environment characteristics and uses this feedback to dynamically adjust microphone gain settings, ensuring optimal voice recognition accuracy across varying acoustic conditions without requiring manual reconfiguration
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from static pre-set microphone thresholds to dynamic gain adjustment that adapts in real-time to changing audio environments, improving voice detection reliability while maintaining manageable system complexity through automated control
4Adaptability or versatility
If multiple users share smart home devices, then device versatility is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to conflicting audio preferences
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically identifies the current user through location detection and applies personalized audio settings without requiring manual configuration, allowing multiple users to enjoy optimized audio experiences while eliminating the burden of individual setting adjustment
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides customized audio settings tailored to each user's specific location and preferences, ensuring that each user experiences optimized sound quality while sharing the same device, thus maintaining ease of operation across multiple users
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Provides optimized user experiences by automatically adjusting audio settings based on user location and preferences, enhancing both listening and talking experiences without privacy concerns or high costs.
Implementation Method 1
the sound segment is propagated as an acoustic wave between a smart device and the user
Data Source
AI summary
Methods, devices, and processor-readable media for adjusting one or both of a listening and talking experience, including processing a user device audio signal representing a sound segment received at a microphone of an on-body user device of a user, wherein the sound segment is propagated as an acoustic wave between a smart device and the user and performing an action based on the processing.