Noise cancellation for phone conversation

• US 8,824,666 B2
• Filed: 03/09/2009
• Issued: 09/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Empire Technology Development LLC (Allied Inventors Management, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Empire Technology Development LLC (Allied Inventors Management, LLC)
• Inventors: Conte, Thomas Martin, Wolfe, Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Jamal, Alexander
• Application Number:
  US12/400,488
• Publication Number:
  US 20100226491A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,003 Days
• Field of Search: 381/73.1, 381/71.1, 381/71.8, 381/71.11, 379/406.02, 379/406.03
• US Class Current: 379/406.02
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/17823 Reference signals, e.g. ambient acoustic environment
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/17837 by retaining part of the ambient acoustic environment, e.g. speech or alarm signals that the user needs to hear
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/17873 using a reference signal without an error signal, e.g. pure feedforward
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2021/02165 Two microphones, one receiving mainly the noise signal and the other one mainly the speech signal
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/02 Speech enhancement, e.g. noise reduction or echo cancellation reducing echo effects in line transmission systems H04B3/20; echo suppression in hands-free telephones H04M9/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/123 using adaptive balancing or compensation means adaptive filter circuits and algorithms H03H
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/19 Arrangements of transmitters, receivers, or complete sets to prevent eavesdropping, to attenuate local noise or to prevent undesired transmission; Mouthpieces or receivers specially adapted therefor circuit arrangements for preventing eavesdropping H04M1/68; telephone cabinets E04H1/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 9/082 using echo cancellers echo cancellers per se H04B3/23

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for noise cancellation of phone conversation. Some of the systems can include a phone having a microphone and a noise cancellation device. In some examples, the noise cancellation device has a microphone for receiving an input sound wave and positioned proximate the phone microphone, a processor for generating a noise cancellation sound wave based on the input sound wave, and a speaker for outputting the noise cancellation sound wave. The phone microphone and the noise cancellation device microphone can be shared or different microphones, and can also be microphone is integral to the phone. The shared or separate microphones can be part of a phone headset.

Claims

1. A system for phone noise attenuation comprising:

a phone configured to receive an input sound wave, the phone comprising;

a display configured to display information related to usage of the phone including a phone number from which a call is received, a phone number being called, and a menu;

a keyboard; and

an auxilliary port; and

a noise cancellation device comprising;

a noise cancellation microphone configured to receive the input sound wave;

a processor configured to determine an amplitude and a polarity of the input sound wave and generate a noise cancellation sound wave having an amplitude and polarity selected to reduce an amplitude of the input sound wave, wherein the processor is further configured to attenuate the noise cancellation sound wave based on local environmental characteristics including surrounding air temperature;

a read-only memory configured to store information related to use of the noise cancellation device;

a power supply configured to provide power to the noise cancellation device, the power supply further configured to be recharged via a universal serial bus port, the power supply comprising a battery including a nickel metal-hydride battery, a lithium-ion battery, or a lithium-polymer battery;

a speaker configured to output the noise cancellation sound wave; and

an echo cancellation device configured to recognize the noise cancellation sound wave and, when it reappears though an input of the phone, suppress or cancel the noise cancellation sound wave; and

a voice training device coupled to the processor and including software stored in the memory including a statistical model for training to identify a speech pattern of the user, the statistical model including a hidden Markov model configured to output a sequence of symbols, wherein the voice training device is configured to train the processor to identify the speech pattern of the user using the statistical model, including to identify frequencies and amplitudes of the speech pattern of the user, and wherein the voice training device is configured to train the noise cancellation device during an enrollment period with a voice of the user, and wherein the voice training device is configured to identify a majority of frequencies likely to be produced by the user, and wherein identifying the speech pattern of the user facilitates attenuation of the input sound wave,

wherein the noise cancellation device is operatively associated with the phone such that the input sound wave input to the phone is attenuated by the noise cancellation device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the phone and the noise cancellation device are substantially integral.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the voice training device and the phone are substantially integral.