Wearable Beamforming via Motion-Defined Direction Vectors
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Solution Overview
Problem
Wearable computers face inconvenience and inefficiency in noisy environments due to the need to bring the device close to the mouth for voice input, which can be dangerous in activities like driving or running.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of beamforming techniques using a microphone array and motion sensors to isolate the user's speech by determining a direction vector to the user's mouth, allowing voice input without needing to move the device close to the mouth.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the wearable computer is brought close to the mouth for voice input, then the speech recognition accuracy is improved, but the convenience and safety during activities like driving or running deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the audio capture function into multiple microphones arranged in an array, allowing the system to spatially segment and distinguish between the user's speech and environmental noise sources, thereby maintaining accuracy without requiring close proximity to the mouth
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical solution of physically moving the device close to the mouth with an electronic/software-based beamforming algorithm that processes audio signals from multiple microphones to electronically focus on the user's speech direction
2Measurement precision
If the wearable computer is brought close to the mouth for voice input, then the speech signal quality is improved, but the harmful effect of noise from the physical environment worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies beamforming to create a directional sensitivity pattern that provides different quality characteristics for different spatial locations - high sensitivity and quality for signals from the user's mouth direction, and low sensitivity for signals from other directions where environmental noise originates
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the presence of environmental noise, which is normally harmful, into a useful indicator by using the microphone array to detect noise sources and their directions, then using this information to adjust the beamforming pattern to suppress those specific noise sources while preserving the user's speech
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 convenient and safe voice input in various environments by effectively isolating the user's speech from extraneous noise, improving the usability of wearable computers in activities like driving or running.
Implementation Method 1
a microphone array (106) configured to generate an audio signal from sound within a physical environment, including an utterance detected by the microphone array
Data Source
AI summary
A wearable computer is configured to use beamforming techniques to isolate a user's speech from extraneous audio signals occurring within a physical environment. A microphone array of the wearable computer may generate audio signal data from an utterance from a user's mouth. A motion sensor(s) of the wearable computer may generate motion data from movement of the wearable computer. This motion data may be used to determine a direction vector pointing from the wearable computer to the user's mouth, and a beampattern may be defined that has a beampattern direction in substantial alignment with the determined direction vector to focus the microphone array on the user's mouth for speech isolation.