User Voice Activity Detection Methods, Devices, Assemblies, and Components
First Claim
1. A communication assembly comprising:
- an incoming audio signal node configured for connection to a communication device that provides an incoming audio signal Rx;
signal processing circuitry configured to output a voice activity detection signal indicative of a determined absence or presence of user speech, the signal processing circuitry configured to determine absence or presence of user speech based on a first signal Φ
, a second signal θ
, and a third signal, with the ϕ and
θ
signals derived from two or more transducers responsive to at least the ambient noise a, user speech s, and the audio input signal u, with the ϕ and
θ
signals satisfying a constraint
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Accused Products
Abstract
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.
22 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A communication assembly comprising:
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an incoming audio signal node configured for connection to a communication device that provides an incoming audio signal Rx; signal processing circuitry configured to output a voice activity detection signal indicative of a determined absence or presence of user speech, the signal processing circuitry configured to determine absence or presence of user speech based on a first signal Φ
, a second signal θ
, and a third signal, with the ϕ and
θ
signals derived from two or more transducers responsive to at least the ambient noise a, user speech s, and the audio input signal u, with the ϕ and
θ
signals satisfying a constraint - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A method of operating a communication assembly having a voice mic output signal and a set of two or more transducers, the method comprising:
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determining whether a user of the communication assembly is speaking based on the output of the two or more transducers; and in response to a determination that the use is not speaking, changing the operating state of one or more speech-dependent modules associated with the communication assembly to a resource conservation state. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16)
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18. A communication assembly comprising:
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first and second transducers configured to be worn on a user head, with the first transducer configured for substantially greater acoustic coupling to a user vocal region than the second transducer; and signal processing circuitry configured to output a voice activity detection signal indicative of a determined absence or presence of user speech in a predetermined frequency range when the first and second transducers are mounted to a user head; and wherein the signal processing circuitry is further configured to indicate absence of user speech when the first and second transducers are positioned on a standard head and torso simulator (HATS) that is outputting a speech signal in the predetermined frequency range. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20)
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Specification