Voice Accelerometer Auto-Mute Control for Conference Microphones
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conference calls are often disrupted due to users forgetting to mute or unmute their microphones, leading to background noise interference or missed voice contributions, as existing solutions rely on manual user control and are prone to errors.
Innovation Solution
A method and device that utilize a voice accelerometer and microphone signals to automatically mute or unmute an acoustic transducer based on voice activity detection, processing signals to generate control signals that adjust the microphone's status, thereby reducing disruptions and improving user experience.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual control of the mute function is provided to users, then users can control their microphone status, but users may forget to mute or unmute leading to disruptions
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically detects voice activity and controls the microphone mute status without requiring user action. The voice accelerometer and microphone monitor vocal activity, and the system autonomously mutes or unmutes the acoustic transducer based on detected speech patterns, making the system serve itself rather than relying on user memory and action
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors voice activity through the voice accelerometer and microphone, providing real-time feedback about user speech state. This feedback loop enables the system to dynamically adjust microphone status in response to detected voice activity, ensuring reliable mute control without user intervention
2Adaptability or versatility
If the microphone is left unmuted during non-speaking periods, then the user can speak when needed, but background noise overwhelms and disrupts other users' audio
Solution Approach 1:
The microphone status transitions dynamically between muted and unmuted states based on real-time voice activity detection. The system continuously adapts the microphone's operational state in response to detected speech patterns, allowing the microphone to be available when needed while automatically suppressing background noise during non-speaking periods
Solution Approach 2:
The voice accelerometer detects voice activity in advance before the user actually speaks into the microphone. This preliminary detection allows the system to proactively unmute the microphone before speech begins, ensuring no speech is missed while maintaining mute status during silent periods to prevent background noise transmission
3Object-generated harmful factors
If the microphone is muted during speaking periods, then background noise is blocked, but the user's voice is not heard requiring repetition
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses continuous feedback from the voice accelerometer and microphone to determine when the user is speaking. This real-time monitoring ensures the microphone remains muted during non-speaking periods to block background noise while automatically opening during speaking periods to transmit the user's voice clearly, maintaining communication efficiency without requiring repetition
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 disruptions during conference calls by accurately detecting voice activity and automatically adjusting the microphone status, enhancing the user experience by minimizing background noise interference and ensuring clear communication.
Implementation Method 1
a voice accelerometer generates the signal by detecting vibrations of the vocal chords of the user through the device
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques for automatically muting or unmuting an acoustic transducer include receiving a signal representing an output by a voice accelerometer of a device, determining whether the signal is indicative of a presence or absence of voice activity by a user of the device, and generating a control signal that causes an acoustic transducer to be muted responsive to determining that the signal is indicative of an absence of voice activity by the user, or that causes the acoustic transducer to be unmuted response to determining that the signal is indicative of a presence of voice activity by the user.