Electronic device with in-pocket audio transducer adjustment and corresponding methods

• US 10,171,058 B1
• Filed: 02/02/2018
• Issued: 01/01/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Motorola Mobility LLC (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola Mobility LLC (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Alameh, Rachid, Zurek, Robert, Simerson, Jarrett
• Primary Examiner(s): Laekemariam, Yosef K
• Application Number:
  US15/887,812
• Time in Patent Office: 333 Days
• Field of Search: 381 56, 381 57, 381 58, 381 60, 381328, 381330, 381358, 381150, 381345
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 3/3005 in amplifiers suitable for low-frequencies, e.g. audio amplifiers H03G3/32, H03G3/34 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 3/32 the control being dependent upon ambient noise level or sound level
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 5/165 Equalizers; Volume or gain control in limited frequency bands
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 7/002 in untuned or low-frequency amplifiers, e.g. audio amplifiers H03G7/007, H03G7/001, H03G7/008, H03G7/02, H03G7/06 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/406 microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2410/01 Noise reduction using microphones having different directional characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2410/05 Noise reduction with a separate noise microphone
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2430/20 Processing of the output signals of the acoustic transducers of an array for obtaining a desired directivity characteristic H04R2203/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2499/11 Transducers incorporated or for use in hand-held devices, e.g. mobile phones, PDA's, camera's
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 29/002 Loudspeaker arrays
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/005 for combining the signals of two or more microphones specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407

Abstract

An electronic device includes one or more microphones, one or more sensors, and one or more processors operable with the one or more microphones and the one or more sensors. The one or more processors, upon the one or more sensors detecting the electronic device is disposed within a repository container, such as a pocket, apply an audio signal adjustment function to signals received from the one or more microphones, thereby mitigating noise in the signals caused by the repository container.

Claims

1. A method in an electronic device, the method comprising:

detecting, with one or more sensors of the electronic device, an enclosed condition;

determining, with one or more processors, an audio signal adjustment function for one or more audio transducers of the electronic device in response to the enclosed condition, wherein the one or more audio transducers comprise a plurality of microphones;

applying, with the one or more processors, the audio signal adjustment function to signals received from, or delivered to, the one or more audio transducers during the enclosed condition;

determining, with the one or more processors, which microphone of the plurality of microphones receives a least amount of enclosure noise; and

selecting, with the one or more processors, the microphone receiving the least amount of enclosure noise to capture audio input from an environment of the electronic device during the enclosed condition.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining the audio signal adjustment function comprises:

delivering, from one or more audio output devices, a predefined acoustic output to the one or more microphones; and

measuring, with the one or more processors, attenuation of the predefined acoustic output occurring between the one or more audio output devices and the one or more microphones.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining the audio signal adjustment function comprises:

estimating, with the one or more processors, a noise spectrum from the signals received from the one or more microphones while in the enclosed condition; and

comparing the noise spectrum to a reference noise spectrum stored within a memory of the electronic device.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the reference noise spectrum comprises a noise spectrum estimate determined prior to the enclosed condition.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting the enclosed condition comprises:

estimating, with the one or more processors, a noise spectrum from the signals received from the one or more microphones while in the enclosed condition;

comparing the noise spectrum to a reference noise spectrum stored within a memory of the electronic device; and

determining that a difference between the reference noise spectrum and the noise spectrum exceeds at least one predefined criterion.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the enclosed condition comprises an in-pocket condition, further comprising identifying, with the one or more processors, a pocket material by referencing a table comprising a plurality of pocket materials, each having a corresponding predefined audio signal adjustment function.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising selecting a closest predefined audio signal adjustment function from the table, wherein the applying comprises applying the closest predefined audio signal adjustment function to the signals received from one or more microphones.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

failing to find a sufficiently matching predefined audio signal adjustment function in the table; and

recording the audio signal adjustment function in the table as a new audio signal adjustment function.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

also detecting, with the one or more sensors, cessation of the enclosed condition; and

terminating application of the audio signal adjustment function to the signals received from the one or more audio transducers.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting, with the one or more sensors, motion of the electronic device; and

repeating the determining the audio signal adjustment function and the applying the audio signal adjustment function to the signals in response to detecting the motion.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the audio signal adjustment function adjusts one or more of a volume of the signals, a gain of the signals, or a spectral distribution of the signals.

12. An electronic device, comprising:

one or more microphones;

one or more loudspeakers;

one or more sensors; and

one or more processors operable with the one or more microphones and the one or more sensors;

the one or more processors, upon the one or more sensors detecting the electronic device is disposed within a repository container, applying an audio signal adjustment function to one of signals received from the one or more microphones or delivered to the one or more loudspeakers, thereby mitigating noise in the signals caused by the repository container; and

the one or more processors determining the audio signal adjustment function by comparing an estimated noise index measured by the one or more microphones when the electronic device is within the repository container with another estimated noise index measured by the one or more microphones when the electronic device is outside the repository container.

13. The electronic device of claim 12, the one or more processors further determining the audio signal adjustment function by measuring attenuation of a predefined acoustic output from the one or more loudspeakers when received by the one or more microphones.

14. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the repository container comprises a pocket.

15. The electronic device of claim 12, the audio signal adjustment function comprising one or more amplitude compensation coefficients and one or more spectral equalization coefficients.

16. The electronic device of claim 15, the one or more processors further:

detecting, from the one or more sensors, motion of the electronic device; and

applying a different audio signal adjustment function in response to the motion.

17. The electronic device of claim 12:

the one or more sensors detecting the electronic device is within the repository container when the estimated noise index measured by the one or more microphones when the electronic device is within the repository container and the another estimated noise index measured by the one or more microphones when the electronic device is outside the repository container exceeds a predefine threshold.

18. A method in an electronic device, the method comprising:

monitoring, with one or more processors, an estimated noise index occurring in signals received from one or more microphones of the electronic device;

detecting, with the one or more processors, when a change in the estimated noise index exceeds a predefined threshold, an in-container condition of the electronic device; and

applying, with the one or more processors, an audio signal adjustment function to one of the signals received from the one or more microphones or other signals delivered to one or more audio output devices to mitigate in-container noise occurring due to the in-container condition;

wherein the in-container condition comprises an in-pocket condition, further comprising identifying a pocket material of a pocket causing the in-pocket condition.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising delivering, from the one or more audio output devices of the electronic device, a predefined acoustic output to the one or more microphones, and measuring, with the one or more processors, attenuation of the predefined acoustic output occurring between the one or more audio output devices and the one or more microphones to determine the audio signal adjustment function.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the audio signal adjustment function corrects one or more of amplitude degradation of the signals or spectral degradation of the signals resulting from the in-container condition.