Selective Audio Suppression Using Reference Signal Timing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing audio cancellation technologies lack selectivity and cannot suppress specific audio sources, instead canceling all sound in the vicinity, which is undesirable in scenarios where specific audio needs to be heard over background noise.
Innovation Solution
An audio suppression system that includes an audio source and user devices, where the audio source provides reference audio data to user devices prior to emission, allowing these devices to generate suppression signals to selectively cancel specific audio signals based on prior knowledge of the audio source's output.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If audio is broadcast at high volume to be audible over other audio, then the broadcasted audio becomes audible, but unwanted audio distractions increase for personnel in the area
Solution Approach 1:
The audio environment is segmented into desired audio sources and unwanted audio sources. The system selectively targets and suppresses only the unwanted broadcasted audio while preserving other audible sounds, allowing personnel to hear relevant audio without distractions from public address systems or loudspeakers.
Solution Approach 2:
The suppression effect is applied locally to specific audio frequencies and sources rather than uniformly across all audio. The system identifies the frequency characteristics of the unwanted broadcasted audio and applies suppression specifically to those frequencies, maintaining audio quality for other sounds.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If all sound is canceled to eliminate distractions, then unwanted audio is suppressed, but all audio including desired communication is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The audio spectrum is segmented into unwanted broadcasted audio frequencies and desired communication frequencies. The system selectively suppresses only the unwanted frequencies while allowing desired audio communication to pass through unchanged, preventing information loss.
Solution Approach 2:
Suppression is applied locally to specific frequency ranges corresponding to unwanted audio sources rather than across the entire audio spectrum. This selective approach preserves desired audio communication while eliminating distractions.
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 selective suppression of specific audio sources, allowing users to focus on other audio sources in the vicinity, improving communication and reducing distractions in environments with loud public address systems or crowd control scenarios.
Implementation Method 1
processing the reference audio data to generate a suppression signal to be output by a speaker associated with the user device to suppress the first audio signal when received at the user device
Data Source
AI summary
Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture to implement selective suppression of audio emitted from an audio source are disclosed. Example apparatus disclosed herein include a speaker, an audio output driver in communication with the speaker, memory including computer readable instructions, and a processor. In some disclosed example apparatus, the processor is to execute the instructions to perform operations including obtaining reference audio data corresponding to an audio signal to be output subsequently by the audio source and including identification data identifying the audio source, and in response to an input selection corresponding to the identification data, generating a suppression signal to provide to the audio output driver, the suppression signal based on the reference audio data and a time delay between a first time at which the reference audio data was received and a second time at which the audio signal is to be output by the audio source.