Selective Audio Canceling Using Destructive Interference
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Solution Overview
Problem
The proliferation of computing devices in homes leads to increased noise interference, making it difficult for individuals to clearly hear desired audio sources, such as television, due to unwanted noise from other devices or conversations.
Innovation Solution
An audio canceling device that captures audio signals, identifies desired and undesired audio, generates an attenuation signal through phase shifting and inverting, and transmits it to create destructive interference, effectively reducing the volume of undesired audio while preserving desired audio, using a combination of local and remote computing resources for signal processing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple computing devices are used in a home environment, then functionality and connectivity are improved, but noise interference increases making it difficult to hear desired audio
Solution Approach 1:
The patent captures the harmful noise signal with a microphone, processes it to create an inverted phase version, and plays it back through a speaker to create destructive interference. This converts the harmful noise into a beneficial cancellation effect, allowing desired audio to be heard clearly despite the presence of multiple computing devices generating noise.
2Measurement precision
If noise cancellation is implemented, then clarity of desired audio is improved, but device complexity increases due to additional processing requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary processing system that acts as a mediator between the noise source and the listener. This intermediary captures the noise signal, processes it through phase inversion, and introduces it back into the acoustic environment to cancel the unwanted noise, thereby improving audio clarity without requiring direct modification of the original audio sources.
3Reliability
If real-time noise cancellation is implemented, then audio quality is improved, but processing time and computational resources increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary capture of the noise signal before it reaches the listener, processes it in advance to create the inverted phase version, and prepares it for immediate playback. This preliminary action allows the cancellation signal to be ready and synchronized when the original noise arrives, enabling real-time cancellation without excessive processing delays.
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
The solution effectively reduces the volume of undesired audio at a canceling location, improving the clarity of desired audio sources by using destructive interference techniques, allowing for better audio experience in noisy environments.
Implementation Method 1
The computing device may then generate an attenuation-signal by, for example, phase shifting and/or inverting the polarity of the undesired audio signal. That attenuation-signal may then be amplified and a sound wave (attenuation-sound wave) transmitted that is directly proportional to the amplitude of the original sound wave carrying the undesired audio signal, thereby creating destructive interference.
Data Source
AI summary
The implementations described include an audio canceling device that receives and audio signal from within an environment, identifies desired and undesired audio from the received audio signal and generates an attenuation-signal for use in canceling out or reducing the volume of the undesired audio at a canceling location. In addition, the audio canceling device, may determine a time delay before the attenuation-signal should be transmitted from an output based on a distance between the undesired audio source location and the canceling location and a distance between the output and the canceling location.