The description generally relates to compensation for microphone roll-off variations in acoustic devices, and more particularly to compensation for microphone roll-off variations to improve active noise reduction in acoustic devices.
Acoustic devices such as headphones can include active noise reduction (ANR) capabilities that block at least portions of ambient noise from reaching the ear of a user. The acoustic device may include one or more microphones, one or more output transducers, and a noise reduction circuit coupled to the one or more microphones and output transducers to provide anti-noise signals to the one or more output transducers based on the signals detected at the one or more microphones. The anti-noise signals cancel at least portions of the ambient noise to reduce the amount of ambient noise reaching the ear of the user.
This document describes acoustic devices that include microphones and compensation modules for compensating the variations in the measured frequency response characteristics of the microphones from their specified or nominal frequency response characteristics, including compensating for variations in the low frequency roll-offs.
In a general aspect, an active noise reduction device includes a first sensor configured to generate an input signal indicative of an external environment of the active noise reduction device, in which the first sensor has a measured roll-off frequency; a first compensator configured to process the input signal to generate a compensated input signal, in which the first compensator is configure to compensate a difference between the measured roll-off frequency and a predetermined roll-off frequency for the first sensor; and a second compensator to process the compensated input signal to generate a first signal for an acoustic transducer of the active noise reduction headphone.
Implementations of the active noise reduction device can include one or more of the following features. The first sensor can include a micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) microphone. The first sensor can be designed to have the predetermined roll-off frequency equal to f1 KHz, and the first sensor is manufactured using a process that, due to manufacturing tolerances, produces sensors that have measured roll-off frequencies that range from 0.8×f1 KHz to 1.2×f1 KHz, and the first compensator compensates for the difference between the measured roll-off frequency and f1 KHz. The first compensator can include a bi-quad filter. The bi-quad filter can include a digital bi-quad filter having at least one adjustable coefficient that is configured to be adjusted based on the measured roll-off frequency of the first sensor. The at least one adjustable coefficient of the digital bi-quad filter can be configured to be adjusted such that a combination of the first sensor and the first compensator has a frequency response that more closely resembles the frequency response of a sensor having the predetermined roll-off frequency, as compared to the frequency response of the first sensor. The digital bi-quad filter can have a transfer function represented by
and the coefficient b1 can be configured to be adjusted based on the measured roll-off frequency of the first sensor. The first sensor can have a first frequency response, the first compensator can have a second frequency response that approximates a ratio between a predetermined frequency response and the first frequency response, and the predetermined frequency response can have the predetermined roll-off frequency. The first sensor can have a first frequency response that corresponds to a first transfer function, a second frequency response can have the predetermined roll-off frequency correspond to a second transfer function, and the first compensator can have a third transfer function that is a ratio between the second transfer function and the first transfer function. The second compensator can be optimized to operate with a sensor having the predetermined roll-off frequency, and the first compensator can modify the input signal such that the compensated input signal mimics an input signal generated by a sensor having the predetermined roll-off frequency. The first sensor can include a feedforward microphone, and the second compensator can include a feedforward compensator disposed in a feedforward signal flow path of the active noise reduction headphone. The first signal cam represent an anti-noise signal configured to reduce an effect of ambient noise on an output of the acoustic transducer. The active noise reduction device can further include a feedback microphone and a feedback compensator disposed in a feedback signal flow path of the active noise reduction headphone, in which the feedback compensator is configured to generate a second signal for the acoustic transducer. The first sensor can include a feedback microphone, the second compensator can include a feedback compensator disposed in a feedback signal flow path of the active noise reduction headphone, and the feedback compensator can be configured to generate a second signal for the acoustic transducer.
In another general aspect, an apparatus includes a microphone configured to generate a pickup signal indicative of an external environment of the apparatus, in which the microphone has a measured roll-off frequency that is different from a specified or nominal roll-off frequency for the microphone; and a compensator configured to process the pickup signal to generate a compensated pickup signal, in which the compensator is configure to compensate a difference between the measured roll-off frequency and the specified or nominal roll-off frequency for the microphone. The microphone can include a micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) microphone. The microphone can be designed to have the specified or nominal roll-off frequency equal to f1 KHz, and the microphone is manufactured using a process that, due to manufacturing tolerances, produces microphones that have measured roll-off frequencies that range from 0.8×f1 KHz to 1.2×f1 KHz, and the compensator compensates for the difference between the measured roll-off frequency and f1 KHz. The compensator can include a bi-quad filter. The bi-quad filter can include a digital bi-quad filter having at least one adjustable coefficient that is configured to be set based on the measured roll-off frequency of the microphone. The at least one adjustable coefficient of the digital bi-quad filter can be configured to be set such that a combination of the microphone and the compensator has a first roll-off frequency that is more similar to the specified roll-off frequency as compared to the measured roll-off frequency. The digital bi-quad filter can have a transfer function represented by
and the coefficient b1 is configured to be set based on the measured roll-off frequency of the microphone. The microphone can have a first frequency response, the compensator can have a second frequency response that approximates a ratio between a predetermined frequency response and the first frequency response, and the predetermined frequency response has the specified roll-off frequency. The microphone can have a first frequency response that corresponds to a first transfer function, a second frequency response having the predetermined roll-off frequency can correspond to a second transfer function, and the compensator can have a third transfer function that is a ratio between the second transfer function and the first transfer function. The apparatus can comprises a circuit that is optimized to operate with a microphone having the specified roll-off frequency, and the compensator can modify the pickup signal such that the compensated pickup signal mimics a pickup signal generated by a microphone having the specified roll-off frequency.
In another general aspect, a method includes receiving an input signal representing audio captured by a microphone of an active noise reduction headphone; processing, by a first compensator, the input signal to generate a compensated input signal, in which processing the input signal comprises compensating a difference between the measured roll-off frequency and a predetermined roll-off frequency for the microphone; and processing, by a second compensator, the compensated input signal to generate a first signal for an acoustic transducer of the active noise reduction headphone.
Implementations of the method can include one or more of the following features. The first compensator can include a digital bi-quad filter having at least one adjustable coefficient that is set based on the measured roll-off frequency of the first sensor. The at least one adjustable coefficient can be set to a value such that a combination of the first sensor and the first compensator has a frequency response that more closely resembles the frequency response of a microphone having the specified roll-off frequency, as compared to the frequency response of the first sensor. The digital bi-quad filter can have a transfer function represented by
and the coefficient b1 can be set based on the measured roll-off frequency of the first sensor. The second compensator can be optimized for the predetermined roll-off frequency, and processing the input signal can include modifying the input signal such that the compensated input signal mimics an input signal generated by a microphone having the predetermined roll-off frequency. Generating the first signal can include generating an anti-noise signal to reduce an effect of ambient noise on an output of the acoustic transducer. In some examples, receiving the input signal can include receiving an input signal representing audio captured by a feedforward microphone of the active noise reduction headphone. The second compensator can include a feedforward compensator disposed in a feedforward signal flow path of the active noise reduction headphone. In some examples, receiving the input signal can include receiving an input signal representing audio captured by a feedback microphone of the active noise reduction headphone. The second compensator can include a feedback compensator disposed in a feedback signal flow path of the active noise reduction headphone.
In another general aspect, a method of calibrating an active noise reduction headphone having a microphone is provided. The method includes measuring a roll-off frequency of the microphone to determine a measured roll-off frequency; and adjusting a configuration of a first compensator of the active noise reduction headphone, in which the first compensator is configured to compensate for a difference between the measured roll-off frequency and a predetermined roll-off frequency for the microphone, wherein the active noise reduction headphone comprises a second compensator that is configured to process an output of the first compensator to generate a first signal for an acoustic transducer of the active noise reduction headphone.
Implementations of the method can include one or more of the following features. The first compensator can include a digital bi-quad filter having at least one adjustable coefficient, and adjusting the configuration of the first compensator can include adjusting the at least one adjustable coefficient of the digital bi-quad filter based on the measured roll-off frequency of the first sensor.
In another general aspect, a method includes receiving an input signal representing audio captured by a microphone having a measured roll-off frequency; and processing, by a compensator, the input signal to generate a compensated input signal, in which processing the input signal comprises compensating a difference between the measured roll-off frequency and a specified roll-off frequency for the microphone.
Implementations of the method can include one or more of the following features. The compensator can include a digital bi-quad filter having at least one adjustable coefficient that is set based on the measured roll-off frequency of the microphone. The digital bi-quad filter can have a transfer function represented by
and the coefficient b1 can be set based on the measured roll-off frequency of the microphone.
In another general aspect, one or more machine-readable storage devices having encoded thereon computer readable instructions for causing one or more processing devices to perform operations includes: receiving an input signal representing audio captured by a microphone of an active noise reduction headphone, in which the microphone has a measured roll-off frequency; causing a first compensator to process the input signal to generate a compensated input signal, in which processing the input signal comprises compensating a difference between the measured roll-off frequency and a predetermined roll-off frequency for the microphone; and causing a second compensator to process the compensated input signal to generate a first signal for an acoustic transducer of the active noise reduction headphone.
The aspects described above can be embodied as systems, methods, computer programs stored on one or more computer storage devices, each configured to perform the actions of the methods, or means for implementing the methods. A system of one or more computing devices can be configured to perform particular actions by virtue of having software, firmware, hardware, or a combination of them installed on the system that in operation causes or cause the system to perform the actions. One or more computer programs can be configured to perform particular actions by virtue of including instructions that, when executed by data processing apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform the actions. Two or more of the features described in this disclosure, including those described in this summary section, may be combined to form implementations not specifically described herein.
Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. In case of conflict with patents or patent applications incorporated herein by reference, the present specification, including definitions, will control.
Other features and advantages of the description will become apparent from the following description, and from the claims.
In this document we describe technology that improves the performance of active noise reduction (ANR) in acoustic devices by compensating for variations in roll-off frequencies of microphones used in the acoustic devices. Active noise reduction devices such as active noise reduction headphones are used for providing potentially immersive listening experiences by reducing effects of ambient noise and sounds. In some implementations, the active noise reduction device may include a feedforward microphone, a feedback microphone, an output transducer, and a noise reduction circuit coupled to the microphones and output transducer to provide anti-noise signals to the output transducer based on the signals detected at the microphones. The active noise reduction device may include a first compensation module to compensate for the variation in the low frequency roll-off of the feedforward microphone from a specified or nominal value in order to improve the performance of the noise reduction circuit. The active noise reduction device may include a second compensation module to compensate for the variation in the low frequency roll-off of the feedback microphone from a specified or nominal value in order to improve the performance of the noise reduction circuit.
For example, the noise reduction circuit may be designed to operate optimally with a feedforward (or feedback) microphone having a specific low frequency roll-off, e.g., at frequency f1. If the feedforward (or feedback) microphone has a measured low frequency roll-off at frequency f2 that is different from f1, the active noise reduction device may not provide the optimal noise cancellation. The compensation module is designed such that the combination of the compensation module and the feedforward (or feedback) microphone produces a frequency response having a low frequency roll-off at a frequency equal to or approximately equal to f1. This allows the noise reduction circuit to operate in a more optimal manner (as compared to not using the compensation module), thus enabling the active noise reduction device to provide better noise cancellation.
The compensation module can be used in many types of active noise reduction devices. For example, and active noise reduction device may or may not include a hear-through mode, in which the noise reduction is turned down for a period of time and the ambient sounds are allowed to be passed to the user's ears. The active noise reduction device can be, e.g., a headphone, a headset, an earphone, an open-ear acoustic device (e.g., a device that includes an electro-acoustic transducer to radiate acoustic energy towards a wearer's ear canal while leaving the ear open to its environment and surroundings), eyeglasses, or a hearing aid. The following describes the compensation module being used in particular types of active noise reduction devices. It should be understood that the compensation module is not limited to being used with the particular types of active noise reduction devices described below, but can also be used with other types of active noise reduction devices.
The compensation module can be used with an acoustic device that does not provide active noise reduction functions. For example, an audio recording device or an audio processing device may be designed to optimally work with a microphone having particular frequency response characteristics, and the compensation module can be used to compensate for deviations of the actual or measured microphone frequency response characteristics from the specified or nominal frequency response characteristics to enable the audio recording device or audio processing device to operate in an optimal manner.
Referring to
The noise reduction circuit can include a configurable digital signal processor (DSP) that can implement various signal flow topologies and filter configurations. Examples of such digital signal processors are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,073,150 and 8,073,151, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
The term headphone, which is interchangeably used herein with the term headset, includes various types of personal acoustic devices such as in-ear, around-ear, over-the-ear, or open-ear headsets, earphones, and hearing aids. The headsets or headphones can include an earbud or ear cup for each ear. The earbuds or ear cups may be physically tethered to each other, for example, by a cord, an over-the-head bridge or headband, or a behind-the-head retaining structure. In some implementations, the earbuds or ear cups of a headphone may be connected to one another via a wireless link.
The active noise reduction headphone 100 offers a feature commonly called “talk-through” or “monitor,” in which the feedforward microphone 102 is used to detect external sounds that the user may want to hear. In some implementations, the feedforward microphone 102, upon detecting sounds in the voice-band or some other frequency band of interest, can allow signals in the corresponding frequency bands to be piped through the active noise reduction headphone 100. In some implementations, the active noise reduction headphone 100 allows multi-mode operations, in which in a “hear-through” mode, the active noise reduction functionality may be switched off or at least reduced, over at least a range of frequencies, to allow relatively wide-band ambient sounds to reach the user. In some implementations, the active noise reduction headphone 100 allows the user to control the amount of noise and ambient sounds that pass through the active noise reduction headphone 100.
In some implementations, an active noise reduction signal flow path is provided in parallel with a pass-through signal flow path, in which the gain of the pass-through signal path is controllable by the user. This may allow for implementing active noise reduction devices where the amount of ambient noise passed through can be adjusted based on user-input (e.g., either in discrete steps, or substantially continuously) without having to turn-off or reduce the active noise reduction provided by the device. In some examples, this may improve the overall user experience, for example, by avoiding any audible artifacts associated with switching between active noise reduction and pass-through modes, and/or putting the user in control of the amount of ambient noise that the user wishes to hear. This in turn can make active noise reduction devices more usable in various different applications and environments, particularly in those where a substantially continuous balance between active noise reduction and pass-through functionalities is desirable.
Various signal flow topologies can be implemented in an active noise reduction device to enable functionalities such as audio equalization, feedback noise cancellation, feedforward noise cancellation, etc. For example, as shown in the example block diagram of an active noise reduction device 110 in
Microphones are typically designed to achieve specific frequency response characteristics, such as specific low frequency roll-offs. For example, some microphones have a relatively flat signal gain above a certain frequency, but the gain is reduced as the frequency is reduced. The low frequency roll-off refers to the frequency at which the amplitude is reduced by 3 dB as compared to passband 158 (
Referring to
In the above example, even though the first and second MEMS microphones were designed to have low frequency roll-off at 35 Hz, due to manufacturing tolerances, their actual roll-off frequencies occur at 25 Hz and 45 Hz. When a company manufacturing the active noise reduction devices 100 purchases a large number of the microphones 102 and 104 from a supplier of the microphones, the company may not know in advance the exact low frequency roll-off of each individual microphone.
In some implementations, the active noise reduction filter Knc 134 and the pass-through filter Kaw 136 (
Referring to
Note that the compensation filter 172 is not used to compensate for the low frequency roll-off of the feedforward microphone 172 to make the gain in the lower frequency range (e.g., 10 Hz to 100 Hz) the same as the gain in the higher frequency range (e.g., >300 Hz). Rather, the compensation filter 172 is used to compensate for the deviation of the low frequency roll-off of the feedforward microphone 172 from its specified or nominal value.
The compensation filter 172 is configured to be easily customizable. Because different feedforward microphones 102 may have different low frequency roll-offs, the compensation filter 172 is individually adjusted to compensate for the particular feedforward microphone 102 that is paired with the compensation filter 172. Using a compensation filter 172 that is easily adjusted allows the manufacturing process for the active noise reduction device 170 to be more cost effective.
The compensation filter 172 is configured to have a transfer function that is approximately equal to the transfer function of the ideal microphone (having the specified or nominal low frequency roll-off) divided by the transfer function of the actual microphone (having the measured low frequency roll-off). For example, let F1 (z) represent the transfer function of the ideal microphone that has a nominal low frequency roll-off (e.g., at 35 Hz), F2(z) represent the transfer function of the actual microphone 102 (e.g., that has the low frequency roll-off at 25 Hz), and Kc(z) represent the transfer function of the compensation filter 172. The compensation filter 172 is configured such that Kc(z)=F1(z)/F2(z). This way, the transfer function of the combination of the feedforward microphone 102 and the compensation filter 172 will be F2(z)*(F1(z)/F2(z))=F1(z).
The transfer functions F1(z) and F2(z) can be found by, e.g., curve fitting. One can first find a mathematical function that has a shape similar to that of the frequency response of the microphone, and then adjust the coefficients of the function so that the shape of the function is as similar to the frequency response of the microphone as possible.
In some implementations, the function in Equation 1 below is approximately equal to F1(z)/F2(z) for an MEMS microphone having the frequency response characteristics shown in
In Equation 1 above, fvar represents the measured low frequency roll-off of the feedforward microphone 102, fnom represents the specified or nominal low frequency roll-off of the microphone, Fs represents the sampling frequency, and c1 represents a gain value. In the example above, fvar=25 Hz, and fnom=35 Hz. In some examples, the transfer function of the compensation filter can be different from the one in Equation 1.
In some implementations, the frequency response of a microphone may be different from those shown in
Referring to
Additional information about the bi-quad filter 180 can be found in, e.g., U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/473,889, filed on Mar. 30, 2017, published as U.S. Publication US2018/0286373, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/473,926, filed on Mar. 30, 2017, published as U.S. Publication US2018/0286374, the entire contents of the above applications are incorporated by reference.
In some implementations, a digital signal processor is used to implement the bi-quad filter 180, and the coefficients of the filter 180 is represented by a filter coefficient matrix [b0, b1, b2, 1, a1, a2]. The user can adjust the transfer function of the bi-quad filter by changing the coefficient values in the filter coefficient matrix. The compensation filter 172 can be implemented by setting the values b0=1, b2=0, a1=−0.99755, and a2=0. The value of b1 can be set as follows:
During the manufacturing process of the active noise reduction device 170, the low frequency roll-off of the feedforward microphone 102 is measured to determine fvar, and the coefficient b1 in the filter coefficient matrix is determined using Equation 3. In the example above, if fvar=25 Hz and fnom=35 Hz, then
b1=(25/35*a1+25/35)−1=−0.99825.
If fvar=45 Hz and fnom=35 Hz, then
b1=(45/35*a1+45/35)−1=−0.99685.
The value of b1 for the filter coefficient matrix is stored in a storage device, e.g., flash memory accessible to the digital signal processor of the active noise reduction device 170. In general, the effect of the compensation filter Kc1172 is to process the output of the feedforward microphone 102 having the low frequency roll-off fvar to generate an output 174 that approximates or equals the output that would be generated by a feedforward microphone that has the nominal low frequency roll-off fnom.
By using the bi-quad filter 180 to implement the compensation filter 172, the combination of the feedforward microphone 102 and the compensation filter 172 will, in most situations, have a frequency response that is more similar to the nominal frequency response of the microphone, than without using the compensation filter 172. Thus, the combination of the feedforward microphone 102 and the compensation filter 172 will have a low frequency roll-off that is, in most situations, closer to the nominal value (e.g., 35 Hz) than without using the compensation filter 172. If the measured low frequency roll-off of the feedforward microphone 102 is the same as the nominal value (e.g., 35 Hz), then b1=a1 and Kc(z)=1.
The bi-quad filter 180 described above is merely used as an example for implementing the compensation filter 172. Other types of compensation filters or compensation modules can also be used. For example, the compensation filter can be implemented using a digital filter having a transfer function different from Equation 2 and/or having filter coefficients different from those described above. For example, two or more compensation filters can be cascaded in series and/or used in parallel to achieve the desired compensation effect.
Referring to
Referring to
In some implementations, the active noise reduction device can have a feedforward signal flow path and a feedback signal flow path that are different from those shown in
The compensation filter Kc1172 and/or the compensation filter Kc2192 can be used in active noise cancellation systems installed in, e.g., vehicles or airplanes that use speakers to generate anti-noise signals to reduce the noise heard by the drivers or pilots. A vehicle or airplane can have multiple feedforward and feedback microphones to detect sound at various locations in the vehicle or airplane, and a compensation filter can be provided for each microphone to compensate for variations in the low frequency roll-offs from the nominal values.
Operations of the process 210 also include processing, by a first compensator, the input signal to generate a compensated input signal, in which processing the input signal comprises compensating a difference between the measured roll-off frequency and a predetermined or nominal roll-off frequency for the microphone (214). The input signal can be the signal output from the feedforward microphone 102 or the feedback microphone 104. The first compensator can be, e.g., the compensation filter 172 or 192. The first compensator can be, e.g., a bi-quad filter.
Operations of the process 400 further include processing, by a second compensator, the compensated input signal to generate a first signal for an acoustic transducer of the active noise reduction headphone (216). In some examples, the compensated input signal can be the output signal 174 of the compensation filter Kc1172 and the second compensator can be the feedforward compensator 132. In some examples, the compensated input signal can be the output signal 194 of the compensation filter Kc2192, and the second compensator can be the feedback compensator Kfb 118. The acoustic transducer can be, e.g., the output transducer 106, which can be a speaker.
Operations of the process 220 also include adjusting a configuration of a first compensator of the active noise reduction headphone, in which the first compensator is configured to compensate for a difference between the measured roll-off frequency and a predetermined or nominal roll-off frequency for the microphone (224). For example, adjusting the configuration of the first compensator can include adjusting a coefficient in the filter coefficient matrix for the first compensator, such as the coefficient b1 in Equations 2 and 3. For example, the microphone can be the feedforward microphone 102, and the first compensator can be the compensation filter Kc1172. For example, the microphone can be the feedback microphone 104, and the first compensator can be the compensation filter Kc2192.
Operations of the process 210 also include processing, by a compensator, the input signal to generate a compensated input signal, in which processing the input signal comprises compensating a difference between the measured roll-off frequency and a specified or nominal roll-off frequency for the microphone (234). The input signal can be the signal output from the feedforward microphone 102 or the feedback microphone 104. The compensator can be, e.g., the compensation filter 172 or 192. The compensator can be, e.g., a bi-quad filter.
The following describes additional examples of configurations for active noise reduction devices.
The relationships between the various sensors or microphones, and the two sources of audio (the noise source 242 and the acoustic transducer 106) can therefore be expressed using the following equations:
d=Kfbs+Kffo (Equ. 4)
s=Gsdd+Gsnn (Equ. 5)
e=Gedd+Genn (Equ. 6)
o=Gonn (Equ. 7)
Therefore, the ratio of noise measured at the feedback microphone 104 relative to the noise n is given by:
Similarly, the noise measured at the ear (e) relative to the disturbance noise n is given by:
As a reference, the open-ear response to the noise can be defined as:
The total performance of the active noise reduction device (e.g., an active noise reduction headphone) can be expressed in terms of a target Insertion Gain (IG), which is the ratio of: (i) the noise at the ear relative to the noise when the device is active and being worn by a user, and (ii) the reference open-ear response. This is given by:
where the passive insertion gain (PIG) is defined as the purely passive response of the active noise reduction device when it is worn by the user. The PIG is given by:
In some implementations, where the noise is measured at a point with an omni-directional reference microphone, the expressions in Equations 11 and 12 may be evaluated as energy ratios (e.g., without considering the phase) measured at the ear microphone before and after the user wearing the active noise reduction device, with the active noise reduction device in either active or passive mode, respectively.
In some implementations, the various noise disturbance terms may be expressed as normalized cross spectra between the available microphones as:
Using these expressions, Equation 11 may be rewritten as:
Equation 14 relates the total insertion gain (which may be referred to as the target insertion gain) of an active noise reduction device to the measured acoustics of the system, and the associated feedforward compensator 114 and feedback compensator 118, Kff and Kfb, respectively. In some implementations, for a given fixed feedback compensator 118, Equation 14 may therefore be used to compute corresponding feedforward compensators 114 for specified values of target insertion gains and the other parameters. For example, the target insertion gain can be set to 0 to obtain a feedforward compensator 114 configured to provide full active noise reduction (maximum noise cancellation) for the given device. Such a filter or feedforward compensator may be denoted as Knc. Conversely, the target insertion gain can be set to 1 to obtain a feedforward compensator 114 that passes the signals captured by the feedforward microphone 102 with unity gain. Such a filter or feedforward compensator is referred to herein as an “aware mode” or “pass-through” filter, and is denoted as Kaw.
In some implementations, to allow for intermediate target insertion gains between 0 and 1, and allow a user to control the amount of ambient noise passed through the device, the two filters Knc and Kaw can be disposed in parallel in the feedforward signal flow path, as previously shown in
Kff=Knc+C×Kaw (Equ. 15)
The parallel structure of the active noise reduction filter and the pass-through filter may be implemented in various ways. In some implementations, each of the active noise reduction filter and the pass-through filter can be substantially fixed, and the adjustable factor can be based on user-input indicative of an amount of ambient noise and sounds that the user intends to hear. This may represent an efficient and low complexity implementation, particularly for applications where the contribution of one of the signal flow paths (the active noise reduction signal flow path or the pass-through signal flow path) is expected to dominate the final output. This can happen, for example, when the value of C is expected to be close to either 0 or 1. In such cases, the magnitude responses of the individual paths may not deviate significantly from corresponding design values. For example, the magnitude response of each of the active noise reduction signal flow path and the pass-through signal flow path may be designed in accordance with a set of target spectral characteristics (e.g., spectral flatness), and when one of the paths dominate the output, the paths may not deviate significantly from the corresponding target flatness.
The design of the feedforward compensator 132 may be optimized for a feedforward microphone 102 that has a specified or nominal low frequency roll-off. If the actual or measured low frequency roll-off of the feedforward microphone 102 is different form the specified or nominal low frequency roll-off, the active noise reduction signal flow path and the pass-through signal flow path may not be able to achieve the set of target spectral characteristics (e.g., spectral flatness).
Referring to
In some implementations, when the individual gains of the active noise reduction path and the pass-through path approach one another, the phase responses of the individual paths may interfere constructively or destructively, thereby potentially making the corresponding magnitude responses deviate significantly from the design values. For example, the interference of the phase responses of the two paths may, in some cases, degrade the target flatness of the corresponding magnitude responses. This in turn may degrade the performance of the active noise reduction device.
In some implementations, the effect of interference between the phase responses of the two paths may be mitigated by using a filter bank in at least one of the two signal flow paths disposed in parallel. For example, the active noise reduction filter 134 can include a filter bank that includes a plurality of selectable digital filters, wherein each digital filter in the filter bank corresponds to a particular value of C. In some implementations, the pass-through filter 136 may include a similar filter bank. In such cases, a change in the value of C can prompt a change in one or more of the active noise reduction filter 134 and the pass-through filter 136. The filters can be selected (or computed in real time based on the value of C), for example, such that any interference between the resulting phase responses do not degrade the spectral characteristics (e.g., flatness) of the magnitude response beyond a target tolerance limit.
In some implementations, instead of obtaining a Knc and a Kaw separately for two different values of insertion gain, and adding the two filters together, the insertion gain can be kept as a free parameter to obtain two separate filters that are independent of any particular insertion gain. For example, solving for Kff using Equation 14 yields:
which may be represented as:
Kff≡Knc+IG Kaw (Equ. 17)
In Equation 17, Knc equals the first term in the right hand side of Equation 16, and represents a noise cancellation filter. Kaw equals the second term in the right hand side of Equation 16 and represents a pass-through filter.
In some implementations, the feedforward compensator 252 shown in
Referring to
Referring to
Knc2=Kc1*Knc.
The active noise reduction device 260 includes a pass-through filter Kaw2264 that is a combination of the compensation module Kc1172 and the pass-through filter Kaw 136, in which
Kaw2=Kc1*Kaw.
The active noise reduction device 260 includes a feedback filter Kfb2266 that is a combination of the compensation module Kc2192 and the feedback filter Kfb 118, in which
Kfb2=Kc2*Kfb.
The active noise reduction device 260 functions in a similar manner as the active noise reduction device 200 of
Various modifications or combinations of the above modules are possible. For example, the active noise reduction device 260 can be modified to use the feedback filter Kfb 118 in the feedback signal flow path, and use filters Knc2 and Kaw2 in the feedforward signal flow path. For example, the active noise reduction device 260 can be modified to use the active noise reduction filter Knc 134 and the pass-through filter Kaw 135 in the feedforward signal flow path, and use the feedback filter Kfb2 in the feedback signal flow path. For example, the active noise reduction device 260 can be modified to use to use the compensation module Kc2192 and the feedback filter Kfb 118 in the feedback signal flow path, and use filters Knc2262 and Kaw2264 in the feedforward signal flow path. For example, the active noise reduction device 260 can be modified to use to use the compensation module Kfb2266 in the feedback signal flow path, and use the compensation module Kc1172 and filters Knc 134 and Kaw 136 in the feedforward signal flow path.
In some examples, a headphone includes a left active noise reduction device and a right active noise reduction device. The microphones in the left active noise reduction device may have a low frequency roll-offs that are different from those of the microphones in the right active noise reduction device. The compensation filters Kc1172 and Kc2192 are useful to ensure that the noise cancellation effects in both the left active noise reduction device and the right active noise reduction device are similarly optimized.
The functionality described herein, or portions thereof, and its various modifications (hereinafter “the functions”) can be implemented, at least in part, via a computer program product, e.g., a computer program tangibly embodied in an information carrier, such as one or more non-transitory machine-readable media or storage device, for execution by, or to control the operation of, one or more data processing apparatus, e.g., a programmable processor, a computer, multiple computers, and/or programmable logic components.
A computer program or software can be written in any form of programming language, including compiled or interpreted languages, and it can be deployed in any form, including as a stand-alone program or as a module, component, subroutine, or other unit suitable for use in a computing environment. A computer program can be deployed to be executed on one computer or on multiple computers at one site or distributed across multiple sites and interconnected by a network.
The software may be provided on a medium, such as a CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, or Blu-ray disc, readable by a general or special purpose programmable computer or delivered (encoded in a propagated signal) over a network to the computer where it is executed. The software may be implemented in a distributed manner in which different parts of the computation specified by the software are performed by different computers. Each such computer program is preferably stored on or downloaded to a storage media or device (e.g., solid state memory or media, or magnetic or optical media) readable by a general or special purpose programmable computer, for configuring and operating the computer when the storage media or device is read by the computer system to perform the procedures described herein. The inventive system may also be considered to be implemented as a computer-readable storage medium, configured with a computer program, where the storage medium so configured causes a computer system to operate in a specific and predefined manner to perform the functions described herein.
Actions associated with implementing all or part of the functions can be performed by one or more programmable processors executing one or more computer programs to perform the functions described above, such as compensation of low frequency roll-off variations of microphones. All or part of the functions can be implemented as, special purpose logic circuitry, e.g., an FPGA and/or an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit). In some implementations, at least a portion of the functions may also be executed on a floating point or fixed point digital signal processor (DSP) such as the Super Harvard Architecture Single-Chip Computer (SHARC) developed by Analog Devices Inc.
Processors suitable for the execution of a computer program include, by way of example, both general and special purpose microprocessors, and any one or more processors of any kind of digital computer. Generally, a processor will receive instructions and data from a read-only memory or a random access memory or both. Components of a computer include a processor for executing instructions and one or more memory devices for storing instructions and data.
Other examples and applications not specifically described herein are also within the scope of the following claims. Elements of different implementations described herein may be combined to form other examples not specifically set forth above. Elements may be left out of the structures described herein without adversely affecting their operation. Furthermore, various separate elements may be combined into one or more individual elements to perform the functions described herein.
A number of examples of the description have been described. Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the description. For example, some of the steps described above may be order independent, and thus can be performed in an order different from that described. It is to be understood that the foregoing description is intended to illustrate and not to limit the scope of the invention, which is defined by the scope of the appended claims.
For example, the microphone frequency response characteristics can be different from those shown in
Other examples are within the scope of the following claims.
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