Open-Ear ANC Using Remote Vibration Sensing and Ear Canal Prediction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Open-ear devices, such as AR glasses, face challenges in performing active noise cancellation (ANC) as they cannot directly measure sound pressure within the user's ear canal due to the absence of hardware components inside or outside the ear canal, limiting their ability to generate effective anti-noise.
Innovation Solution
Utilizing remote sensors outside the ear to measure vibrational data, combined with a prediction pipeline that predicts sound pressure levels within the ear canal, and transducers to render playback that mitigates external sounds, employing individualized models and machine-learning techniques to account for user-specific head and pinna geometry.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If open-ear devices are used to avoid obstructing the ear canal, then user comfort and natural hearing are improved, but the ability to directly measure sound pressure within the ear canal is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses an intermediary approach by placing sensors outside the ear canal and using prediction algorithms to estimate the sound pressure that would be present inside the ear canal. This mediator (prediction system) bridges the gap between the external sensor location and the internal ear canal environment, allowing ANC functionality without physical obstruction.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the direct mechanical measurement system (microphone inside ear canal) with a computational prediction system. Instead of physically measuring sound pressure at the ear canal entrance, the system uses machine learning models to predict the sound pressure based on external measurements, substituting mechanical measurement with computational estimation.
2Adaptability or versatility
If sensors are placed outside the ear canal in open-ear devices, then the ear canal remains unobstructed, but direct measurement of sound pressure at the ear canal location becomes impossible
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by collecting and analyzing user-specific anatomical data (head and pinna geometry) before the actual ANC operation. This preliminary characterization allows the prediction model to be tailored to each user's unique ear structure, improving the accuracy of sound pressure predictions without requiring physical sensors in the ear canal.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the measurement parameters from direct sound pressure measurement to vibrational data measurement outside the ear, combined with predictive modeling. By changing what is measured (from internal sound pressure to external vibrations) and using computational transformation, the system achieves ANC functionality with unobstructed ear canals.
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
Enables effective ANC in open-ear devices without obstructing the ear canal, allowing selective noise cancellation and integration into various devices, including AR glasses, providing a consistent ANC experience across different users.
Implementation Method 1
a sensor located on a portion of the headset outside an ear of the user, wherein the sensor is configured to measure sound-induced (or noise-induced) vibrational data associated with sounds from a local area
Implementation Method 2
a transducer located outside the user's ear... cause the transducer to render playback that mitigates the sounds from the local area, based on the predicted sound pressure level
Data Source
AI summary
An open-ear device performs active noise cancellation (ANC) for a user. A sensor located outside an ear of a user which does not occlude an ear canal of the ear and measures vibrational data indicative of a sound pressure level at a location outside the ear, or a level of pinna vibration of the user. A prediction pipeline generates a prediction of sound pressure within the ear canal using an individualized model, taking into account the measured vibrational data and the unique geometric shape of the user's head and pinna. This sound pressure prediction is used to generate audio instructions for rendering playback at an noise cancellation source, such as a bone conduction transducer and/or cartilage transducer, to perform ANC for the user by cancelling at least portion of the sound received at the ear canal.