Avnera Corporation

Other

Shankar Rathoud

Amit Kumar

Eric Sorensen

Eric P Etheridge

Michael Jon Wurtz

Mike Wurtz

Manpreet Singh Khaira

Thomas Irrgang

Shawn O'Connor

Jiajin An

David B Wurtz

James E Scanlan

Many headsets include automatic noise cancellation (ANC) which dramatically reduces perceived background noise and improves user listening experience. Unfortunately, the voice microphones in these devices often capture ambient noise that the headsets output during phone calls or other communication sessions to other users. In response, many headsets and communication devices provide manual muting circuitry, but users frequently forget to turn the muting on and/or off creating further problems as they communicate. To address this, the present inventors devised, among other things, an exemplary headset that detects the absence or presence of user speech, automatically muting and unmuting the voice microphone without user intervention. Some embodiments leverage relationships between feedback and feedforward signals in ANC circuitry to detect user speech, avoiding the addition of extra hardware to the headset. Other embodiments also leverage the speech detection function to activate and deactivate keyword detectors, and/or sidetone circuits, thus extending battery.

User voice activity detection

Disclosed is a signal processor for headphone off-ear detection. The signal processor includes an audio output to transmit an audio signal toward a headphone speaker in a headphone cup. The signal processor also includes a feedback (FB) microphone input to receive a FB signal from a FB microphone in the headphone cup. The signal processor also includes an off-ear detection (OED) signal processor to determine an audio frequency response of the FB signal over an OED frame as a received frequency response. The OED processor also determines an audio frequency response of the audio signal times an off-ear transfer function between the headphone speaker and the FB microphone as an ideal off-ear response. A difference metric si generated comparing the received frequency response to the ideal off-ear frequency response. The difference metric is employed to detect when the headphone cup is disengaged from an ear.

Headphone off-ear detection

A headphone having a speaker, a feedforward microphone, a feedback microphone, and an OED processor. The speaker is configured to transmit an audio playback signal based on a headphone audio signal. The feedforward microphone is configured to sense an ambient noise signal and transmit a feedforward microphone signal based at least in part on the ambient noise signal. The feedback microphone is configured to sense a total audio signal and transmit a feedback microphone signal based at least in part on the total audio signal, in which the total audio signal is the sum of the audio playback signal and at least a portion of the ambient noise level. The OED processor is configured to determine whether the headphone is off ear or on ear, based at least in part on the headphone audio signal, the feedforward microphone signal, and the feedback microphone signal.

Headphone with off-ear and on-ear detection

Many headsets include automatic noise cancellation (ANC) which dramatically reduces perceived background noise and improves user listening experience. Unfortunately, the voice microphones in these devices often capture ambient noise that the headsets output during phone calls or other communication sessions to other users. In response, many headsets and communication devices provide manual muting circuitry, but users frequently forget to turn the muting on and/or off, creating further problems as they communicate. To address this, the present inventors devised, among other things, an exemplary headset that detects the absence or presence of user speech, automatically muting and unmuting the voice microphone without user intervention. Some embodiments leverage relationships between feedback and feedforward signals in ANC circuitry to detect user speech, avoiding the addition of extra hardware to the headset. Other embodiments also leverage the speech detection function to activate and deactivate keyword detectors, and/or sidetone circuits, thus extending battery.

User voice activity detection methods, devices, assemblies, and components

A fixture for calibrating an active noise canceling (ANC) earphone, the calibration fixture including an ear model and an acoustic path. The ear model is configured to support an ANC earphone and includes an ear canal extending from an outer end of the ear canal to an inner end of the ear canal. The acoustic path is external to the ear canal and extends from, at a first end of the acoustic path, the inner end of the ear canal of the ear model to an opposite, second end of the acoustic path. The acoustic path is configured to transmit a mechanical sound wave received from the inner end of the ear canal to a region external to the ear model and adjacent the outer end of the ear canal.

Calibration and stabilization of an active noise cancelation system

A headphone detector including a headphone and a processor. The headphone has a microphone and a speaker, and the microphone is configured to generate an audio signal based on an output of the speaker. The processor is configured to receive the audio signal, determine a characteristic of the audio signal, and assess whether the headphone is on ear or off ear based on a comparison of the characteristic to a threshold. The threshold corresponds to one or more of an audio response of the audio signal at a corresponding frequency and an audio response of a feedback microphone signal at a corresponding frequency, under one or more known conditions.

Off-ear and on-ear headphone detection

A headphone detector including a headphone and a processor. The headphone has a microphone and a speaker, and the microphone is configured to generate an audio signal based on an output of the speaker. The processor is configured to receive the audio signal, determine a characteristic of the audio signal, and assess whether the headphone is on ear or off ear based on a comparison of the characteristic to a threshold. In another aspect, an off-ear detection (OED) system includes a headphone and an OED processor. The headphone has a speaker, a feedforward microphone, and a feedback microphone. The OED processor is configured to determine whether the headphone is off ear or on ear, based at least in part on a headphone audio signal, a feedforward microphone signal, and a feedback microphone signal.

A method of calibrating an earphone may include: securing an ANC earphone to a calibration fixture, the calibration fixture including an ear model configured to support the ANC earphone, the ear model having an ear canal configured to anatomically resemble a human ear canal and a concha configured to anatomically resemble a human ear concha, the ear canal extending from the concha to an inner end of the ear canal; generating, with the ANC earphone, an audio signal based on a reference tone; determining a characteristic of the audio signal; comparing the characteristic of the audio signal to a previously determined reference characteristic; and adjusting a gain value of the ANC earphone based on the comparing. Additional methods and apparatus are also disclosed.

Growing community of inventors

Beaverton, OR, United States of America

Shankar Rathoud