Methods and apparatus for providing privacy for a user of an audio electronic device
First Claim
1. An audio electronic device comprising an audio privacy feature for suppressing a voice, comprising:
- an input microphone that generates a voice signal in response to a voice input;
an electronics module, in electrical communication with the input microphone, that receives the voice signal from the input microphone and generates an antivoice signal based on the voice signal, wherein the electronics module comprises an inverter that inverts the voice signal into the antivoice signal so that the antivoice signal is opposite in phase to the voice signal, and a delay module that introduces a delay in the antivoice signal so that the antivoice output generated from the delayed antivoice signal is opposite in phase to the voice input, and wherein the delay module controls a length of the delay based on a feedback signal;
a suppression speaker, in electrical communication with the electronics module, that receives the antivoice signal from the electronics module and generates an antivoice output from the antivoice signal, wherein the antivoice output combines with the voice to form a voice suppression zone adjacent to the suppression speaker; and
a feedback microphone in electrical communication with the electronics module, wherein the feedback microphone converts the antivoice output into the feedback signal and wherein the electronics module receives the feedback signal from the feedback microphone.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The invention is directed to techniques for suppressing the voice of a user of an audio electronic device, such as a mobile phone, from being heard by an unintended listener. In one arrangement, the invention includes an input microphone, an electronics module, and a suppression speaker. The user speaks into the input microphone, and the electronics module generates an antivoice signal from a voice signal received from the input microphone. The suppression speaker outputs an antivoice output that combines with the voice of the user to form a voice suppression zone next to the speaker. The user thus can carry on his or her conversation in private as long as the unintended listener is within the voice suppression zone. Alternately, the user can avoid distracting other users of similar devices nearby, such as in a crowded office environment with many individuals using telephones at the same time. In another arrangement, the invention includes multiple suppression speakers that can be oriented in different directions to provide one or more voice suppression zones.
74 Citations
18 Claims
-
1. An audio electronic device comprising an audio privacy feature for suppressing a voice, comprising:
-
an input microphone that generates a voice signal in response to a voice input; an electronics module, in electrical communication with the input microphone, that receives the voice signal from the input microphone and generates an antivoice signal based on the voice signal, wherein the electronics module comprises an inverter that inverts the voice signal into the antivoice signal so that the antivoice signal is opposite in phase to the voice signal, and a delay module that introduces a delay in the antivoice signal so that the antivoice output generated from the delayed antivoice signal is opposite in phase to the voice input, and wherein the delay module controls a length of the delay based on a feedback signal; a suppression speaker, in electrical communication with the electronics module, that receives the antivoice signal from the electronics module and generates an antivoice output from the antivoice signal, wherein the antivoice output combines with the voice to form a voice suppression zone adjacent to the suppression speaker; and a feedback microphone in electrical communication with the electronics module, wherein the feedback microphone converts the antivoice output into the feedback signal and wherein the electronics module receives the feedback signal from the feedback microphone. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
-
-
8. An audio electronic device comprising an audio privacy feature for suppressing a voice, comprising:
-
an input microphone that generates a voice signal from the voice input received at the input microphone; an electronics module in electrical communication with the input microphone that receives the voice signal from the input microphone and generates a plurality of antivoice signals based on the voice signal; a plurality of suppression speakers having different orientations from each other that receive the plurality of antivoice signals from the electronics module and generate a plurality of antivoice outputs from the plurality of antivoice signals, wherein the plurality of antivoice signals combine with the voice to generate at least one voice suppression zone adjacent to the plurality of suppression speakers; and a feedback microphone in electrical communication with the electronics module, wherein the feedback microphone converts the antivoice output into the feedback signal and wherein the electronics module receives the feedback signal from the feedback microphone. - View Dependent Claims (9)
-
-
10. An electronics module for use in an audio privacy device suppressing a voice, comprising:
-
a voice signal input that receives a voice signal representative of the voice of a user input into an input microphone; an antivoice signal output that provides an antivoice signal; a controller that receives the voice signal from the voice signal input and generates the antivoice signal based on the voice signal so that the antivoice signal enables a suppression speaker to generate an antivoice output based on the antivoice signal that combines with the voice to form a voice suppression zone adjacent to the suppression speaker; a delay module, wherein the controller inverts the voice signal into the antivoice signal so that the antivoice signal is opposite in phase to the voice signal and the delay module introduces a delay in the antivoice signal so that the antivoice output generated from the delayed antivoice signal is opposite in phase to the voice input; and a feedback signal input receiving a feedback signal representative of the delayed antivoice signal that tunes the delay. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12)
-
-
13. A method for suppressing a voice received by an unintended listener to the voice, the steps comprising:
-
generating a voice signal based on a voice input of a user; generating an antivoice signal based on the voice signal by (1) inverting the voice signal to provide the antivoice signal so that the antivoice signal is opposite in phase to the voice signal, and (2) adding a delay to the antivoice signal so that an antivoice output to be generated from the delayed antivoice signal is opposite in phase to the voice input of the user, a length of the delay being controlled based on a feedback signal; generating the antivoice output based on the delayed antivoice signal, the antivoice output being combined with the voice in order to suppress the voice received by the unintended listener located in a voice suppression zone formed by the antivoice output; and generating the feedback signal in a feedback microphone by converting the antivoice output into the feedback signal. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15)
-
-
16. A computer readable medium having computer readable code thereon for suppressing a voice received by an unintended listener to the voice, the medium comprising:
-
instructions for receiving a voice signal based on the voice of a user; instructions for generating an antivoice signal based on the voice signal by (1) inverting the voice signal to provide the antivoice signal so that the antivoice signal is opposite in phase to the voice signal, and (2) adding a delay to the antivoice signal so that an antivoice output to be generated from the delayed antivoice signal is opposite in phase to the voice input of the user, a length of the delay being controlled based on a feedback signal; instructions for outputting the antivoice signal to a suppression speaker so that the antivoice signal enables the generating of an antivoice output based on the antivoice signal that combines with the voice in order to suppress the voice received by the unintended listener located in a voice suppression zone formed by the antivoice output; wherein the feedback signal is generated by a feedback microphone converting the antivoice output into the feedback signal.
-
-
17. An audio electronic device comprising an audio privacy feature for suppressing a voice, comprising:
-
an input microphone that generates a voice signal in response to a voice input; means for receiving the voice signal from the input microphone and generating an antivoice signal based on the voice signal; a suppression speaker that receives the antivoice signal from the means for receiving and generating, and generates an antivoice output from the antivoice signal, wherein the antivoice output combines with the voice to form a voice suppression zone adjacent to the suppression speaker; and a feedback microphone in communication with said means for receiving and generating, wherein the feedback microphone converts the antivoice output into a feedback signal and provides said feedback signal to said means for receiving and generating.
-
-
18. An audio electronic device comprising an audio privacy feature for suppressing a voice, comprising:
-
an input microphone that generates a voice signal in response to a voice input; an electronics module, in electrical communication with the input microphone, that receives the voice signal from the input microphone and generates an antivoice signal based on the voice signal, wherein the electronics module comprises an inverter that inverts the voice signal into the antivoice signal so that the antivoice signal is opposite in phase to the voice signal, and a delay module that introduces a delay in the antivoice signal so that the antivoice output generated from the delayed antivoice signal is opposite in phase to the voice input, and wherein the delay module controls a length of the delay based on a feedback signal; a suppression speaker, in electrical communication with the electronics module, that receives the antivoice signal from the electronics module and generates an antivoice output from the antivoice signal, wherein the antivoice output combines with the voice to form a voice suppression zone adjacent to the suppression speaker and wherein the delay is based on a distance from the input microphone to the suppression speaker; a feedback microphone located proximate said suppression speaker, said feedback microphone in electrical communication with the electronics module, wherein the feedback microphone converts the antivoice output into the feedback signal and wherein the electronics module receives the feedback signal from the feedback microphone, and wherein the audio electronic device is selected from the group comprising a phone device, a wireless hand-held phone and a computerized device; and a transmitter that generates a transmit signal that is capable of being received by another audio electronics device, a receiver that is capable of receiving a remote signal from the other electronics device, and a personal speaker that provides a user output in response to the remote signal.
-
Specification