Device for detecting, monitoring, and cancelling ghost echoes in an audio signal

• US 10,186,279 B2
• Filed: 06/21/2017
• Issued: 01/22/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: REVx Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: REVx Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Rauschmayer, Dennis
• Primary Examiner(s): Gay, Sonia L
• Application Number:
  US15/629,305
• Publication Number:
  US 20170365272A1
• Time in Patent Office: 580 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2021/02082 the noise being echo, reverberation of the speech
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/0232 Processing in the frequency domain
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 25/51 for comparison or discrimination
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 29/001 for loudspeakers H04R29/007 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 29/002 Loudspeaker arrays
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/002 Damping circuit arrangements for transducers, e.g. motional feedback circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/04 for correcting frequency response

Abstract

In some examples, devices for detecting and measures a ghost echo current in an audio signal are described. For instance, the device may be configured to sample a current of an audio signal, compare with an expected current, and determine an impulse response of the ghost echo current based on the sampled current and the expected current. The device may also be configured to reduce the ghost echo current using the impulse response.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

an input interface releasably coupled to an audio source;

an output interface releasably coupled to an output device;

a path from the input interface to the output interface to allow a current associated with an audio signal generated by the audio source to reach the output device;

a current sense to sample the current to determine a measured current;

a communication interface to receive the audio signal from the audio source independently from the path;

a modeling component to determine an estimated current based at least in part on the audio signal;

a compare component to determine a ghost echo current based at least in part on the measured current and the estimated current.

2. The device as recited in claim 1, wherein the compare component:

determines a first impulse response by applying a first channel estimation algorithm to the measured current;

determines a second impulse response by applying a second channel estimation algorithm to the estimated current; and

determines a third impulse response of the ghost echo current based at least in part on the first impulse response and the second impulse response.

3. The device as recited in claim 2, wherein the first channel estimation algorithm is a least mean square algorithm.

4. The device as recited in claim 2, wherein the first channel estimation algorithm and the second channel estimation algorithm are identical.

5. The device as recited in claim 2, wherein the first channel estimation algorithm and the second channel estimation algorithm are different.

6. The device as recited in claim 2, further comprising a ghost echo processing component to reduce the ghost echo current on the path based at least in part on the third impulse response.

7. The device as recited in claim 1, further comprising a ghost echo processing component to modify the current on the path based at least in part on the ghost echo current.

8. The device as recited in claim 1, wherein:

the communication interface is further configured to receive speaker characteristics; and

the modeling component determines the estimated current based at least in part on the speaker characteristics.

9. The device as recited in claim 1, wherein the communication interface sends the ghost echo current to the audio source.

10. A method comprising:

causing a first speaker to output sound into a first environment;

measuring a first current associated with the sound being output by the first speaker;

determining a first impulse response associated with the first current;

causing the first speaker to stop outputting the sound into the first environment;

causing the first speaker to output the sound into a second environment;

measuring a second current associated with the sound being output by the first speaker in the second environment;

determining a second impulse response associated with the second current;

determining a third impulse response of a first ghost echo current associated with the first current based at least in part by on the first impulse response and a second impulse response;

causing the first speaker to stop outputting the sound into the second environment;

causing a second speaker to output the sound into the first environment;

measuring a third current associated with the sound being output by the second speaker in the first environment;

determining a fourth impulse response associated with the third current; and

determining a fifth impulse response of a second ghost echo current associated with the second current based at least in part by on the fourth impulse response and the third impulse response.

11. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein determining the first impulse response includes applying a channel estimation algorithm to the first current.

12. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein determining the first impulse response includes applying a least mean square algorithm to the first current.

13. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the sound is wideband noise.

14. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the first environment is an ear channel.

19. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein determining the third impulse response of the first ghost echo is based at least in part on the first current and the second current.

20. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein measuring the first current includes measuring the first current at a position between an audio source and the first speaker.

15. A method comprising:

causing a first speaker to output an audio signal as sound into an ear canal;

measuring a first current associated with the sound being output by the first speaker;

determining a first magnitude associated with a first system response based at least in part on the first current;

determining a first phase associated with the first system response based at least in part on the first current; and

determining a transfer function of a ghost echo current associated with the first current based at least in part by on the first magnitude, the first phase, a second magnitude, and a second phase, the second magnitude and the second phase determined based at least in part on a second current sampled while the speaker outputs the sound into a second environment, the second environment different from the ear canal and being an acoustic non-reflective environment, the ghost echo current representing a reflection of sound pressure within the ear canal captured by the first speaker, the reflection of sound pressure created in response to movement of a speaker driver of the first speaker within the ear canal.

16. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the first magnitude and the first phase are determined at a plurality of predetermined frequency points.

17. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the sound is at least one high pitched tone.

18. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the sound includes at least one of a chirp, swept tone, or stepped tone.