×

Beam rejection in multi-beam microphone systems

  • US 9,689,960 B1
  • Filed: 04/04/2013
  • Issued: 06/27/2017
  • Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2013
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
Patent Images

1. A computing device comprising:

  • memory;

    one or more processors;

    an audio player module stored in the memory and executable by the one or more processors to cause a speaker to generate a reference sound based on a reference signal;

    a plurality of microphones that receive the reference sound and generate a plurality of audio signals;

    a beamforming module stored in the memory and executable by the one or more processors to receive the audio signals and to generate a plurality of beamformed signals;

    an acoustic echo cancellation module stored in the memory and executable by the one or more processors to use the reference signal to perform echo cancellation on each beamformed signal of the plurality of beamformed signals, wherein the acoustic echo cancellation module outputs filter coefficients for each beamformed signal; and

    a beam rejection module stored in the memory and executable by the one or more processors to;

    determine, using the filter coefficients, that a first beamformed signal of the plurality of beamformed signals comprises a reflection of the reference sound, wherein the reflection is associated with a first time delay;

    determine that the computing device is proximate to a reflective surface in a direction of the first beamformed signal when the first time delay is less than or equal to a threshold; and

    exclude from further processing, at least temporarily, a beamformed signal having a direction that is at least substantially the same as the direction of the first beamformed signal.

View all claims
  • 2 Assignments
Timeline View
Assignment View
    ×
    ×