Voice Equalization Using Face Position for Clearer VOIP Speech
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
In voice-over-Internet protocol (VOIP) systems, the directional nature of human speech frequencies leads to attenuation as the user adjusts their head position, affecting intelligibility, as the microphone captures speech non-uniformly, resulting in reduced clarity when the user is not facing directly towards it.
Innovation Solution
A method that uses a camera to determine the user's head orientation relative to the microphone, retrieves a lookup table identifying frequency attenuation based on head angle, and adjusts the signal gain to compensate for these attenuations, ensuring consistent voice quality by dynamically equalizing the audio signal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the user adjusts their head position away from directly facing the microphone, then the user has greater freedom of movement and natural communication posture, but the speech frequencies become attenuated and intelligibility decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors the user's head orientation using a camera and uses this feedback to dynamically adjust the equalization parameters of the microphone signal. The camera tracks the user's face position and orientation, and this information is fed back to the signal processing system to compensate for frequency attenuation in real-time, maintaining speech intelligibility regardless of head position.
Solution Approach 2:
The equalization parameters are made dynamic rather than fixed. The system continuously adapts the frequency compensation based on the detected head orientation, allowing the audio processing to change in real-time as the user moves their head. This dynamic adjustment ensures that the speech remains intelligible across various head positions without requiring the user to maintain a fixed posture.
2Device complexity
If a fixed equalization setting is used for the microphone, then the device complexity is reduced, but the audio fidelity deteriorates when the user's head orientation changes
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the equalization parameters dynamically based on the detected head orientation. Instead of using a fixed equalization curve, the system selects from multiple pre-defined equalization profiles or generates custom profiles based on the current head angle. This allows the audio fidelity to be maintained across different orientations while keeping the processing complexity manageable through the use of pre-characterized frequency response data.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary characterization of the frequency attenuation for various head orientations and stores this data in advance. By pre-computing and storing the equalization compensation data for different head positions, the system avoids the need for complex real-time calculations during actual speech processing, thus maintaining audio fidelity without excessive processing complexity.
3Reliability
If the system implements dynamic equalization based on head position tracking, then the voice intelligibility is improved, but the device complexity increases due to additional sensors and processing
Solution Approach 1:
The camera in the system serves multiple functions: it provides video output for the user, performs facial recognition or identification, and tracks head orientation for audio equalization. By making the camera multi-functional, the system avoids adding dedicated sensors solely for head tracking, thus improving voice intelligibility without proportionally increasing device complexity. The same hardware resource is leveraged for multiple purposes.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses the camera that is already present for video communication to also perform head orientation tracking. Rather than adding a separate sensor system, the existing camera infrastructure is utilized for dual purposes: video processing and audio equalization control. This self-service approach allows the system to enhance voice intelligibility while minimizing additional hardware complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A method may include enabling a camera to capture an image of a user operating an information handling system. An orientation of the user's head relative to a microphone may be determined based on the image. The method may further include retrieving a lookup table identifying attenuation of particular frequencies of human speech as a function of head angle. The method concludes by adjusting a gain of a signal received from the microphone to compensate for the attenuation, the adjusting based on the lookup table and based on the user's head orientation.