Abstract:
A method for operating an active noise reduction system that is designed to reduce the harmonic or sinusoidal noise emanating from a rotating device, where there is an active noise reduction system input signal that is related to the frequency of the noise to be reduced, and where the active noise reduction system comprises one or more adaptive filters that output a generally sinusoidal noise reduction signal that is used to drive one or more transducers with their outputs directed to reduce the noise. Distortions of the noise reduction signal are detected. A distortion is based at least in part on differences between the frequency of the noise reduction signal and the frequency of the harmonic noise. The noise reduction signal is altered based on the detected distortion.
Abstract:
A method performed by a wearable audio output device worn by a user is provided for controlling external noise attenuated by wearable audio output device. A speech is detected from a user wearing the wearable audio output device, wherein the audio output device has active noise reduction turned on. It is determined, based on the detecting, that the user desires to speak to a subject in the vicinity of the user. In response to the determining, a level of noise reduction is reduced to enable the user to hear sounds external to the audio output device. It is determined that the user desires to speak to the subject by detecting at least one condition of a plurality of conditions.
Abstract:
A system and method for selecting audio capture sensors of wearable devices in obtaining voice data. The method provides obtaining signals associated with the user's voice at first and second wearable devices, comparing energy levels of the first and second signals, and selecting one or more audio capture sensors based on the energy levels of each signal. Due to the symmetry of the acoustic energy produced by the user's voice to a first and second wearable device, any difference in energy level between the total energy obtained by the first wearable device and the total energy obtained by the second wearable device can be attributed solely to ambient noise. Thus, the device with the higher total energy has a lower signal-to-noise ratio and selection of an audio capture sensor of the other wearable device with a higher signal-to-noise ratio is provided to obtain voice data moving forward.
Abstract:
A personal audio device configured to be worn on the head or body of a user and including a plurality of microphones configured to provide a plurality of separate microphone signals capturing audio from an environment external to the personal audio device, and a processor configured to process a first subset of the plurality of separate microphone signals using a first array processing technique to provide a first array signal, compare the first array signal to a microphone signal from the plurality of separate microphone signals, and select the first array signal or the microphone signal based on the comparison.
Abstract:
A method performed by a wearable audio output device worn by a user is provided for controlling external noise attenuated by wearable audio output device. A speech is detected from a user wearing the wearable audio output device, wherein the audio output device has active noise reduction turned on. It is determined, based on the detecting, that the user desires to speak to a subject in the vicinity of the user. In response to the determining, a level of noise reduction is reduced to enable the user to hear sounds external to the audio output device. It is determined that the user desires to speak to the subject by detecting at least one condition of a plurality of conditions.
Abstract:
Audio pickup systems and methods are provided to enhance an audio signal by removing noise components related to an acoustic environment. The systems and methods receive a primary signal and one or more reference signals from various microphones. Adaptive filtering and combining minimizes an energy content of a resulting output signal, e.g., to form a substantially null output when the system is in a static acoustic environment. When the system is a playback sound source, one or more echo cancellers may contribute to removing content from the output signal. A change in the acoustic environment, such as a new sound source, causes content in the output signal until the adaptive filtering adapts to the new environment. In some examples, a desired content such as a wake-up word is detected and adaptation is stopped.
Abstract:
Audio pickup systems and methods are provided to enhance an audio signal by removing noise components related to an acoustic environment. The systems and methods receive a primary signal and a reference signal. The reference signal is adaptively filtered and subtracted from the primary signal to minimize an energy content of a resulting output signal.
Abstract:
A headphone, headphone system, and speech enhancing method is provided to enhance speech pick-up from the user of a headphone and includes receiving a plurality of signals from a set of microphones and generating a primary signal by array processing the microphone signals to steer a beam toward the user's mouth. A noise reference signal is also derived from one or more microphones, and a voice estimate signal is generated by filtering the primary signal to remove components that are correlated to the noise reference signal.
Abstract:
The technology described in this document can be embodied in a computer-implemented method that includes receiving, at a first acoustic device, a representation of an audio signal, and amplifying the representation of the audio signal by a first gain factor to generate an amplified input signal. The method also includes processing the amplified input signal by an audio codec that includes one or more processors to generate a processed signal that represents a portion of the audio signal to be output by a second acoustic device. The processed signal includes noise originating at the audio codec. The method further includes transmitting the processed signal to the second acoustic device.
Abstract:
The technology described in this document can be embodied in a computer-implemented method that includes receiving, at a first acoustic device, a representation of an audio signal, and amplifying the representation of the audio signal by a first gain factor to generate an amplified input signal. The method also includes processing the amplified input signal by an audio codec that includes one or more processors to generate a processed signal that represents a portion of the audio signal to be output by a second acoustic device. The processed signal includes noise originating at the audio codec. The method further includes transmitting the processed signal to the second acoustic device.