This application is being co-filed on the same day, Feb. 14, 2014, with “Eye Glasses With Microphone Array” by Dashen Fan, Attorney Docket No. 0717.2220-001. This application is being co-filed on the same day, Feb. 14, 2014, with “Sound Induction Ear Speaker For Eye Glasses” by Dashen Fan, Attorney Docket No. 0717.2221-001. This application is being co-filed on the same day, Feb. 14, 2014, with “Noise Cancelling Microphone Apparatus” by Dashen Fan, Attorney Docket No. 0717.2216-001.
The entire teachings of the above applications are incorporated herein by reference.
Traditionally, earphones have been used to present acoustic sounds to an individual when privacy is desired or it is desired not to disturb others. Examples of traditional earphone devices include over-the-head headphones having an ear cup speaker (e.g. Beats® by Dr. Dre headphones), ear bud style earphones (e.g., Apple iPod® earphones and Bluetooth® headsets), bone-conducting speakers (e.g., Google Glass). Another known way to achieve the desired privacy or peace and quiet for others is by using directional multi-speaker beam-forming. Also well-known but not conventionally used to present acoustic sounds to an individual that is not hearing-impaired are hearing aids. An example of which is the open ear mini-Behind-the-Ear (BTE) with Receiver-In-The-Aid (RITA) device. Such a hearing aid typically includes a clear “hook” that acts as an acoustic duct tube to channel audio speaker (also referred to as a receiver in telephony applications) sound to the inner ear of a user and act as the mechanical support so that the user can wear the hearing aid, the speaker being housed in the behind-the-ear portion of the hearing aid body. However, the aforementioned techniques all have drawbacks, namely, they are either bulky, cumbersome or unreliable.
Therefore, a need exists for earphones that overcome or minimize the above-referenced problem.
The present invention generally is directed to audio eyewear and methods of their use.
In one embodiment, the audio eyewear of the invention includes a front frame and at least one temple or side frame member secured to the front frame for engaging a user's ear. The at least one side frame member has a speaker therein which can be oriented such that an audio port of the speaker faces downwardly at an angle away from the front frame and the at least one side frame member, thereby directing sound downwardly rearwardly into the user's ear generally along a vertical plane.
In a particular embodiment, the eyewear device further includes an array of microphones coupled to at least one of the front frame and at least one side frame member. The array of microphones includes at least a first and second microphone. The first microphone is located at a temple region between a top corner of a lens opening defined by the front frame and having an inner edge, and the at least one side frame member. The second microphone is located at an inner edge of the lens opening. This embodiment of the eyewear device also includes first and second audio channel outputs from the first and second microphones, respectively.
In a still more particular embodiment of the invention, the eyewear device additionally includes a beam-former electronically linked to the first and second microphones, for receiving at least the first and second audio channels and outputting the main channel and one or more reference channels. A voice activity detector is electronically linked to the beam-former for receiving the main and reference channels and outputting the desired voice activity channel. An adaptive noise canceler is electronically linked to the beam-former and the voice activity detector for receiving the main, reference and desired voice activity channels and outputting an adaptive noise cancellation channel. The noise reducer is electronically linked to the voice activity detector and the adaptive noise canceller for receiving the desired voice activity and adaptive noise cancellation channels and for outputting a desired speech channel.
Still another embodiment of the invention is a method of hearing audio, including the steps of providing audio eyewear having a front frame and at least one side frame member secured to the front frame for engaging a user's ear, the at least one side frame member having a speaker therein, and orienting the speaker such that an audio port of the speaker faces downwardly relatedly at an angle away from said at least one side frame member for directing sound downwardly rearwardly in to said users' ear generally along the vertical frame.
In one embodiment of the method, an array of microphones is coupled to the eyewear, wherein the array of microphones includes at least a first and second microphone. The first microphone is arranged to couple to the eyewear above the temple region, the temple region being located approximately between the top corner of a lens opening defined by the front frame and a support frame. The second microphone is coupled to the eyewear frame about an inner edge of the lens opening. First and second channel outputs are provided from the first and second microphones, respectively.
In yet another embodiment of the method, the method further includes the steps of forming beams at a beam-former, the beam-former receiving at least the first and second audio channels and outputting a main channel and one or more reference channels. Voice activities are detected by a voice activity detector, wherein the voice activity detector receives main and reference channels and outputs a desired voice activity channel. Noise is adaptively canceled at an adaptive noise canceller, the adaptive noise canceller receiving the main, reference and desired voice activity channels and outputting an adaptive noise cancellation channel. Noise is then reduced at a noise reducer receiving the desired voice activity and adaptive noise cancellation channels, and outputting a desired speech channel.
The present invention has many advantages. For example, the eyewear spectacle of the invention is relatively compact, unobtrusive, and durable. Further, the device and method can be integrated with noise cancellation apparatus and methods that are also, optionally, components of the eyewear itself. In one embodiment, noise cancellation apparatus, including microphones, electrical circuitry, and software can be integrated with and, optionally, on board the eyewear worn by the user. In another embodiment, microphones mounted on board the eyewear can be integrated with the speakers and with circuitry, such as a computer, receiver or transmitter to thereby process signals received from an external source or the microphones, or to process and transmit signals from the microphone, and to selectively transmit those signals, whether processed or unprocessed, to the user of the eyewear through the speakers mounted in the eyewear. For example, human-machine interaction through the use of a speech recognition user interface is becoming increasingly popular. To facilitate such human-machine interaction, accurate recognition of speech is useful. It is also useful as a machine that can present information to the user through spoken words, for example by reading a text to the user. Such a machine output presentation facilitates hands-free activities of a user, which is increasingly popular. Users also do not have to hold a speaker or device in place, nor do they need to have electronics behind their ear, or earbuds blocking their ear. There are also no flimsy wires, and users do not have to tolerate the skin contact or pressure associated with the bone conduction speakers.
The foregoing will be apparent from the following more particular description of example embodiments of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanied drawings in which like reference characters refer to the same parts throughout the different views. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis being placed upon illustrating embodiments of the present invention.
The invention generally is directed to audio eyewear and methods of its use.
In one embodiment of the invention, shown in
In particular embodiments, such as is shown in
In some embodiments left 14 and right 16 frame members can be secured to opposite sides of front frame 12. Each side frame member 14, 16 has a respective speaker therein for providing sound to both ears of the user. At least one of the right 16 and left 14 side frame members and front frame 12 can contain electronics, microphones (not shown) and a battery (not shown). Electrical signals from the speakers and the microphones can be connected to a cell phone (not shown). At least one of the electronics and software in at least one of eyewear 10 and the cell phone can automatically adjust volume of the speakers according to ambient noise measured by the microphones.
In another embodiment, shown in
In another embodiment, shown in
The present invention can also provide a method of hearing audio signals including, with reference to
In an embodiment of the present invention, if a pressure-gradient microphone is employed, each microphone is within a rubber boot that extends an acoustic port on the front and the back side of the microphone with acoustic ducts. At the end of rubber boot, the new acoustic port is aligned with the opening in the tube, where empty space is filled with wind-screen material. If two omni-directional microphones are employed in place of one pressure-gradient microphone, then the acoustic port of each microphone is aligned with the opening.
In an embodiment, a long boom dual-microphone headset can look like a conventional close-talk boom microphone, but is a big boom with two-microphones in parallel. An end microphone of the boom is placed in front of user's mouth. The close-talk long boom dual-microphone design targets heavy noise usage in military, aviation, industrial and has unparalleled noise cancellation performance. For example, one main microphone can be positioned directly in front of mouth. A second microphone can be positioned at the side of the mouth. The two microphones can be identical with identical casing. The two microphones can be placed in parallel, perpendicular to the boom. Each microphone has front and back openings. DSP circuitry can be in the housing between the two microphones.
Microphone is housed in a rubber or silicon holder (e.g., the rubber boot) with an air duct extending to the acoustic ports as needed. The housing keeps the microphone in an air-tight container and provides shock absorption. The microphone front and back ports are covered with a wind-screen layer made of woven fabric layers to reduce wind noise or wind-screen foam material. The outlet holes on the microphone plastic housing can be covered with water-resistant thin film material or special water-resistant coating.
In another embodiment, a conference gooseneck microphone can provide noise cancellation. In large conference hall, echoes can be a problem for sound recording. Echoes recorded by a microphone can cause howling. Severe echo prevents the user from tuning up speaker volume and causes limited audibility. Conference hall and conference room can be decorated with expensive sound absorbing materials on their walls to reduce echo to achieve higher speaker volume and provide an even distribution of sound field across the entire audience. Electronic echo cancellation equipment is used to reduce echo and increase speaker volume, but such equipment is expensive, can be difficult to setup and often requires an acoustic expert.
In an embodiment, a dual-microphone noise cancellation conference microphone can provide an inexpensive, easy to implement solution to the problem of echo in a conference hall or conference room. The dual-microphone system described above can be placed in a desktop gooseneck microphone. Each microphone in the tube is a pressure-gradient bi-directional, uni-directional, or super-directional microphone.
In a head mounted computer, a user can desire a noise-canceling close-talk microphone without a boom microphone in front of his or her mouth. The microphone in front of the user's mouth can be viewed as annoying. In addition, moisture from the user's mouth can condense on the surface of the Electret Condenser Microphone (ECM) membrane, which after long usage can deteriorate microphone sensitivity.
In an embodiment, a short tube boom headset can solve these problems by shortening the boom, moving the ECM away from the user's mouth and using a rubber boot to extend the acoustic port of the noise-canceling microphone. This can extend the effective close-talk range of the ECM. This maintains the noise-canceling ECM property for far away noises. In addition, the boom tube can be lined with wind-screen form material. This solution further allows the headset computer to be suitable for enterprise call center, industrial, and general mobile usage. In an embodiment with identical dual-microphones within the tube boom, the respective rubber boots of each microphone can also be identical.
In an embodiment, the short tube boom headset can be a wired or wireless headset. The headset includes the short microphone (e.g., and ECM) tube boom. The tube boom can extend from the housing of the headset along the user's cheek, where the tube boom is either straight or curved. The tube boom can extend the length of the cheek to the side of the user's mouth, for instance. The tube boom can include a single noise-cancelling microphone on its inside.
The boom tube can further include a dual microphone inside of the tube. A dual microphone can be more effective in cancelling out non-stationary noise, human noise, music, and high frequency noises. A dual microphone can be more suitable for mobile communication, speech recognition, or a Bluetooth headset. The two microphones can be identical, however a person of ordinary skill in the art can also design a tube boom having microphones of different models.
In an embodiment having dual-microphones, the two microphones enclosed in their respective rubber boats are placed in series along the inside of the tube.
The tube can have a cylindrical shape, although other shapes are possible (e.g., a rectangular prism, etc.). The short tube boom can have two openings, one at the tip, and a second at the back. The tube surface can be covered with a pattern of one or more holes or slits to allow sound to reach the microphone inside the tube boom. In another embodiment, the short tube boom can have three openings, one at the tip, another in the middle, and another in the back. The openings can be equally spaced, however, other a person of ordinary skill in the art can design other spacings.
The microphone in the tube boom is a bi-directional noise-cancelling microphone having pressure-gradient microphone elements. The microphone can be enclosed in a rubber boot extending acoustic port on the front and the back side of the microphone with acoustic ducts. Inside of the boot, the microphone element is sealed in the air-tight rubber boot.
Within the tube, the microphone with the rubber boot is placed along the inside of the tube. An acoustic port at the tube tip aligns with the boom opening, and an acoustic port at the tube back aligns with boom opening. The rubber boot can be offset from the tube ends to allow for spacing between the tube ends and the rubber boot. The spacing further allows breathing room and for room to place a wind-screen of appropriate thickness. The rubber boot and inner wall of the tube remain air-tight, however. A wind-screen foam material (e.g., wind guard sleeves over the rubber boot) fills the air-duct and the open space between acoustic port and tube interior/opening.
Referring to
A microphone 1004 is arranged to be played between the two halves of the rubber boot 1002a-b. The microphone 1004 and rubber boot 1002a-b are sized such that the microphone 1004 fits in a cavity within the halves of the rubber boot 1002a-b. The microphone is coupled with a wire 1006, that extends out of the rubber boot 1002a-b and can be connected to, for instance, the noise cancellation circuit described above.
If position 4 1104d has a microphone, it is employed within a pendant.
The microphones can also be employed at other combinations of positions 1104a-e, or at positions not shown in
Noise cancellation circuit 1201 includes four functional blocks, all of which are electronically linked, either wirelessly or by hard-wire: beam-forming (BF) module 1202, Desired Voice Activity Detection (VAD) Module 1208, adaptive noise cancellation (ANC) module 1204 and single signal noise reduction (NR) module 1206. Two signals 1210 and 1212 are fed into the BF module 1202, which generates main signal 1230 and reference signal 1232 to the ANC module 1204. A closer microphone signal 1210 is collected from a microphone closer to the user's mouth and a further microphone signal is collected from a microphone further from the user's mouth, relatively. BF module 1202 also generates a main signal 1220 and reference signal 1222 for desired VAD module 1208. The main signal 1220 and reference signal 1222 can, in certain embodiments, be different from the main signal 1230 and reference signal 1232 generated for the for ANC module 1204.
The ANC module 1204 processes the main signal 1230 and the reference signal 1232 to cancel out noises from the two signals and output noise cancelled signal 1242 to single channel NR module 1206. Single signal NR module 1206 post-processes the noise cancelled signal 1242 from the ANC module 1204 to remove any further residue noise. Meanwhile, the VAD module 108 derives, from the main signal 1220 and reference signal 1222, a desired voice activity detection (DVAD) signal 1140 that indicates the presence or absence of speech in the main signal 1220 and reference signal 1222. The DVADs signal 1240 can then be used to control the ANC modules 1204 and the NR module 1206 from the result of BF modules 1202. The DVAD signal 1240 indicates to the ANC module 1204 and Single Channel NR module 106 which sections of the signal have voice data to analyze, which can increase the efficiency of processing of the ANC module 1204 and single channel NR modules 1206 by ignoring sections of the signal without voice data. Desired speech signal 1244 is generated by single channel NR module 1206.
In an embodiment, the BF modules 1202, ANC module 1204, single NR reduction module 1206, and desired VAD module 1208 employs linear processing (e.g., linear filters). A linear system (which employs linear processing) satisfies the properties of superposition and scaling or homogeneity. The property of superposition means that the output of the system is directly proportional to the input. For example, a function F(x) is a linear system if:
F(x1+x2+ . . . )=F(x1)+F(x2)+ . . .
A satisfies the property of scaling or homogeneity of degree one if the output scales proportional to the input. For example, a function F(x) satisfies the properties of scaling or homogeneity if, for a scalar α:
F(αx)=αF(x)
In contract, a non-linear function does not satisfy both of these conditions.
Prior noise cancellation systems employ non-linear processing. By using linear processing, increasing the input changes the output proportionally. However, in non-linear processing, increasing the input changes the output non-proportionally. Using linear processing provides an advantage for speech recognition by improving feature extraction. Speaker recognition algorithm is developed based on noiseless voice recorded in quiet environment with no distortion. A linear noise cancellation algorithm does not introduce nonlinear distortion to noise cancelled speech. Speech recognition can deal with linear distortion on speech, but not non-linear distortion of speech. Linear noise cancellation algorithm is “transparent” to the speech recognition engine. Training speech recognition on the variations of nonlinear distorted noise is impossible. Non-linear distortion can disrupt the feature extraction necessary for speech recognition.
An example of a linear system is a Weiner Filter, which is a linear single channel noise removal filter. The Wiener filter is a filter used to produce an estimate of a desired or target random process by linear time-invariant filtering an observed noisy process, assuming known stationary signal, noise spectra, and additive noise. The Wiener filter minimizes the mean square error between the estimated random process and the desired process.
A further microphone signal 1312 is inputted to a frequency response matching filter 1304. The frequency response matching filter 1304 adjusts gain, phase, and shapes the frequency response of the further microphone signal 1312. For example, the frequency response matching filter 1304 can adjust the signal for the distance between the two microphones, such that an outputted reference signal 1332 representative of the further microphone signal 1312 can be processed with the main signal 1330, representative of the closer microphone signal 1310. The main signal 1330 and reference signal 1332 are sent to the ANC module.
Closer microphone signal 1310 is outputted to the ANC module as a main signal 1330. Closer microphone signal 1310 is also inputted to a low-pass filter 1306. Reference signal 1332 is input to low-pass filter 1308 to create reference signal 1322 sent to the Desired VAD module. Low-pass filters 1306 and 1308 adjust the signal for a “close talk case” by, for example, having a gradual low off from 2 kHz to 4 kHz, in one embodiment. Other frequencies can be used for different designs and distances of the microphones to the user's mouth, however.
The ANC module 1504 produces a noise cancelled signal 1542 to a Single Channel Noise Reduction (NR) module 406, similar to the ANC module 1204 of
Likewise, the second microphone 1608 is connected to a gain module 1616 and a delay module 1618, which is outputted to a combiner 1620. The third microphone 1610 is connected directly to the combiner 1620. The combiner 1620 subtracts the two provided signals to cancel noise, which creates the right signal 1620.
Likewise, the third microphone 1760 is connected to a gain module 1776 and a delay module 1778, which is outputted to a combiner 1780. The fourth microphone 1762 is connected directly to the combiner 1780. The combiner 1780 subtracts the two provided signals to cancel noise, which creates the right signal 1784.
The relevant teaching of all patents, published applications and references cited herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety.
While this invention has been particularly shown and described with references to example embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention encompassed by the appended claims.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/912,844, filed on Dec. 6, 2013. This application also claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/780,108, filed on Mar. 13, 2013. This application also claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/839,211, filed on Jun. 25, 2013. This application also claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/839,227, filed on Jun. 25, 2013.
Number | Date | Country | |
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61912844 | Dec 2013 | US | |
61780108 | Mar 2013 | US | |
61839211 | Jun 2013 | US | |
61839227 | Jun 2013 | US |