Wind Noise Detection and Suppression in Audio Devices
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing audio devices face challenges in effectively suppressing wind noise, which degrades intelligibility and interferes with signal processing, especially in outdoor environments, due to the cumbersome nature of existing solutions like physical shielding.
Innovation Solution
A system that detects wind noise in acoustic signals using a characterization engine to classify and suppress or discard frames with wind noise, employing multiple microphones to differentiate between speech and noise, and applying modifications to the signal using a wind noise model.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If physical shielding (wind screen) is provided for the microphone, then wind noise reduction is improved, but device complexity and portability are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical physical shielding system with a digital signal processing system. Instead of using a wind screen to physically block wind noise, the system uses a microphone array to capture acoustic signals and applies digital processing algorithms to identify and remove wind noise from the audio signal, thereby eliminating the need for mechanical shielding components.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and removes wind noise from the acoustic signal through digital processing. By separating the wind noise component from the desired speech signal using algorithms that analyze frequency characteristics and spatial patterns, the system extracts only the harmful wind noise portion for removal, leaving the speech signal intact.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If physical shielding is used, then wind noise is reduced, but ease of operation and portability are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical physical shielding system with a digital signal processing system. Instead of using a wind screen to physically block wind noise, the system uses a microphone array to capture acoustic signals and applies digital processing algorithms to identify and remove wind noise from the audio signal, thereby eliminating the need for mechanical shielding components.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If wind noise suppression processing is applied, then wind noise is reduced, but processing time and computational complexity are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the audio signal into multiple frequency bands and time frames to enable parallel processing. By dividing the signal into smaller components (e.g., frequency bins, time slots), the system can process different segments simultaneously or in parallel, reducing the overall processing time while maintaining effective wind noise suppression.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary processing steps such as pre-computing filter coefficients, pre-characterizing wind noise patterns, and preparing processing parameters before actual wind noise occurs. This allows the system to respond more quickly when wind noise is detected, reducing real-time processing delays.
Data Source
AI summary
Wind noise is detected in and removed from an acoustic signal. Features may be extracted from the acoustic signal. The extracted features may be processed to classify the signal as including wind noise or not. The wind noise may be removed before or during processing of the acoustic signal. The wind noise may be suppressed by estimating a wind noise model, deriving a modification, and applying the modification to the acoustic signal. In audio devices with multiple microphones, the channel exhibiting wind noise (i.e., acoustic signal frame associated with the wind noise) may be discarded for the frame in which wind noise is detected.