System for active noise control based on audio system output

• US 8,189,799 B2
• Filed: 04/09/2009
• Issued: 05/29/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Harman International Industries Incorporated (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Harman International Industries Incorporated (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Shridhar, Vasant, Wertz, Duane
• Primary Examiner(s): Enad, Elvin G
• Assistant Examiner(s): Horn, Robert W
• Application Number:
  US12/421,459
• Publication Number:
  US 20100260345A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,146 Days
• Field of Search: 381/71.1
• US Class Current: 381/71.1
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/17821 characterised by the analysis of the input signals only
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/17823 Reference signals, e.g. ambient acoustic environment
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/17827 Desired external signals, e.g. pass-through audio such as music or speech
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/1783 handling or detecting of non-standard events or conditions, e.g. changing operating modes under specific operating conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/17854 the filter being an adaptive filter
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/17855 for improving speed or power requirements
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/17875 using an error signal without a reference signal, e.g. pure feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/17879 using both a reference signal and an error signal
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/17885 additionally using a desired external signal, e.g. pass-through audio such as music or speech
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 2210/108 Communication systems, e.g. where useful sound is kept and noise is cancelled
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 2210/3026 Feedback

Abstract

An active noise control (ANC) system is configured to generate at least one anti-noise signal configured to drive a speaker to generate sound waves to destructively interfere with an undesired sound present in a target space. The at least one anti-noise signal is adjusted based an output signal of an audio system. The at least one anti-noise signal may be adjusted based on at least one of a volume level of the audio system, a power level of at least one predetermined frequency or frequency range of the output signal of the audio system, frequency content of an output signal of the audio system. The ANC system receives an error signal to adjust generation of the at least one anti-noise signal. The error signal is adjusted to compensate for adjustment of the at least one anti-noise signal based on the output signal of the audio system.

Claims

1. A sound reduction system comprising:

a processor; and

an active noise control system executable by the processor, the active noise control system configured to;

receive a first input signal representative of sound present in a predetermined area;

receive as a second input signal an output signal generated by an audio system communicatively coupled with the sound reduction system, the audio system configured to drive a loudspeaker to produce a desired sound in the predetermined area;

generate an anti-noise signal based on the first input signal; and

adjust the anti-noise signal based on the second input signal;

where, the anti-noise signal is configured to drive a loudspeaker to produce an audible sound to destructively interfere with an undesired sound present in the predetermined area.

2. The system of claim 1, where the second input signal is representative of the volume setting of the audio system;

and

where, the active noise control system is further configured reduce the amplitude of the anti-noise signal when the volume setting is above a predetermined threshold.

3. The system of claim 2, where the active noise control is further configured to halt production of the anti-noise when the volume setting is above the predetermined threshold.

4. The system of claim 1, where the active noise control system includes a signal level detector;

where the signal level detector is configured to determine the power level of a predetermined frequency range of the second input signal and generate a third input signal representative of the power level of the predetermined frequency range of the second input signal; and

where the anti-noise signal is adjusted based on the third input signal.

5. The system of claim 4, where the active noise control system includes an anti-noise signal compensator configured to adjust the anti-noise signal based on the third input signal.

6. The system of claim 5, where the anti-noise signal compensator is configured to reduce the amplitude of the anti-noise signal based on third input signal.

7. The system of claim 4, where the active noise control system is further configured to receive an error signal and adjust the anti-noise signal based on the error signal;

and

where the active noise control system includes an error compensator configured to adjust the error signal based on the third input signal.

8. The system of claim 7, where the error compensator is configured to generate an error compensation signal based on the third input signal and the anti-noise signal;

and

where the error compensation signal is subtracted from the error signal to adjust the error signal.

9. The system of claim 1, where the active noise control system includes a frequency analyzer configured to determine at least one signal frequency component present in the second input signal and generate a third input signal indicating the presence of the at least one signal frequency component, where the active noise control system is configured to adjust the anti-noise signal based on the third input signal.

10. The system of claim 9, where the active noise control system includes an anti-noise signal compensator having a plurality of filters, where each filter is associated with a respective frequency range and is configured to receive the first input signal;

and

where the frequency analyzer is configured to determine a plurality of frequency components present in the second input signal and generate a respective output signal indicating the presence of a corresponding frequency component in the second input signal;

where each respective output signal is associated with one of the plurality of filters; and

where each respective output signal is configured to adjust a gain of each associated filter.

11. The system of claim 10, where the second input signal includes a plurality of samples, where the frequency analyzer is configured to receive the plurality of samples to determine the frequency components present in the second input signal.

12. The system of claim 10, where each filter is configured to generate a filter output signal;

where the filter output signals are summed to form an adjusted input signal; and

where, the anti-noise signal is adjusted based on the adjusted input signal.

13. The system of claim 1, where the active noise control system is further configured to receive an error signal and adjust the anti-noise signal based on the error signal;

where the active noise control system includes an error compensator configured to adjust the error signal, where the error compensator includes a plurality of error compensation filters each configured to receive the error signal and generate a respective output signal, where the respective output signals are summed to generate an adjusted error signal; and

where the anti-noise signal is adjusted based on the adjusted error signal.

36. The system of claim 1, where the output signal generated by the audio system is indicative of only a particular condition of the audio system.

37. The system of claim 1, where the output signal generated by the audio system is representative of either an audio output signal used to drive the loudspeaker, or a volume setting of the audio system.

14. A method of reducing volume of an undesired sound present in a space comprising:

generating a first input signal representative of the undesired sound present in a predetermined area;

receiving as a second input signal an output signal produced by an audio system, the audio system configured to drive a loudspeaker to produce desired sound in the space;

generating an anti-noise signal based on the first input signal;

adjusting the anti-noise signal based on the second input signal; and

producing an audible sound based on the anti-noise signal to destructively interfere with the undesired sound present in the space.

15. The method of claim 14, where the second input signal is representative of a volume setting of the audio system, and where adjusting the anti-noise signal comprises reducing the amplitude of the anti-noise signal when the volume setting is above a predetermined threshold.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising halting production of the audible sound when the volume setting is above a predetermined threshold.

17. The method of claim 14 further comprising determining the power level of a predetermined frequency range of the second input signal;

and

generating a third input signal representative of the power level of the predetermined frequency range of the second input signal, where adjusting the anti-noise comprises adjusting the anti-noise signal based on the third input signal.

18. The method of claim 17, where adjusting the anti-noise signal based on the third input signal comprises reducing the amplitude of the anti-noise signal based on the third input signal.

19. The method of claim 17 further comprising:

receiving an error signal; and

adjusting the error signal based on the third input signal, where adjusting the anti-noise signal comprises adjusting the anti-noise signal based on the error signal.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising generating an error compensation signal based on the third input signal, where adjusting the error signal comprises subtracting the error compensation signal from the error signal.

21. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

determining at least one signal frequency component present in the second input signal; and

generating a third input signal indicating the presence of the at least one signal frequency component, where, adjusting the anti-noise signal comprises adjusting the anti-noise signal based on the third input signal.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

providing the first input signal to a plurality of filters, where each filter is associated with a respective frequency range;

determining a plurality of frequency components present in the second input signal;

generating a respective output signal indicating presence of a corresponding frequency component in the second input signal, where each respective output signal is associated with one of the plurality of filters and where each respective output signal is configured to adjust the gain of the associated filter; and

providing each of the plurality of filters with the associated respective output signal.

23. The method of claim 22 further comprising:

receiving a plurality of samples of the second input signal; and

determining the frequency components present in the second input signal based on the plurality of samples.

24. The method of claim 22 further comprising:

generating a filter output signal with each of the plurality of filters;

summing the filter outputs to form an adjusted input signal; and

adjusting the anti-noise signal based on the adjusted input signal.

25. A computer-readable medium encoded with computer executable instructions, the computer executable instructions executable with a processor, the computer-readable medium comprising:

instructions executable to generate a first input signal representative of an undesired sound present in a predetermined area;

instructions executable to receive as a second input signal an output signal produced by an audio system, the audio system configured to drive a loudspeaker to produce desired sound in the predetermined area;

instructions executable to generate an anti-noise signal based on the first input signal;

instructions executable to adjust the anti-noise signal based on the second input signal; and

instructions executable to produce an audible sound based on the anti-noise signal to destructively interfere with the undesired sound present in a space the predetermined area.

26. The computer-readable medium of claim 25, where the instructions executable to receive a second input signal comprise instruction executable to receive the second input signal representative of a volume setting of the audio system;

and

where the instructions executable to adjusting the anti-noise signal comprise instructions to reduce the amplitude of the anti-noise signal when the volume setting is above a predetermined threshold.

27. The computer-readable medium of claim 25 further comprising instructions executable to halt production of the audible sound when the volume setting is above a predetermined threshold.

28. The computer-readable medium of claim 25 further comprising instructions executable to:

determine the power level of a predetermined frequency range of the second input signal; and

generate a third input signal representative of the power level of the predetermined frequency range of the second input signal, where the instructions executable to adjust the anti-noise comprise instructions executable to adjust the anti-noise signal based on the third input signal.

29. The computer-readable medium of claim 28, where the instruction executable to adjust the anti-noise signal based on the third input signal comprise instructions executable to reduce the amplitude of the anti-noise signal based on the third input signal.

30. The computer-readable medium of claim 28 further comprising:

instructions executable to receive an error signal; and

instructions executable to adjust the error signal based on the third input signal, where the instructions executable adjust the anti-noise signal comprise instruction executable to adjust the anti-noise signal based on the error signal.

31. The computer-readable medium of claim 30 further comprising instructions executable to generate an error compensation signal based on the third input signal, where the instructions executable to adjust the error signal comprise instructions executable to subtract the error compensation signal from the error signal.

32. The computer-readable medium of claim 25 further comprising:

instructions executable to determine at least one signal frequency component present in the second input signal; and

instructions executable to generate a third input signal indicating the presence of the at least one signal frequency component, where, the instructions executable to adjust the anti-noise signal comprises instructions executable to adjust the anti-noise signal based on the third input signal.

33. The computer-readable medium of claim 32, further comprising:

instructions executable to provide the first input signal to a plurality of filters, where each filter is associated with a respective frequency range;

instructions executable to determine a plurality of frequency components present in the second input signal;

instructions executable to generate a respective output signal indicating presence of a corresponding frequency component in the second input signal, where each respective output signal is associated with one of the plurality of filters and where each respective output signal is configured to adjust the gain of the associated filter; and

instructions executable to provide each of the plurality of filters with the associated respective output signal.

34. The computer-readable medium of claim 33 further comprising:

instructions executable to receive a plurality of samples of the second input signal; and

instructions executable to determine the frequency components present in the second input signal based on the plurality of samples.

35. The computer-readable medium of claim 33 further comprising:

instructions executable to generate a filter output signal with each of the plurality of filters;

instructions executable to sum the filter outputs to form an adjusted input signal; and

instructions executable to adjust the anti-noise signal based on the adjusted input signal.