LOW POWER AUDIO DETECTION

• US 20130223635A1
• Filed: 02/26/2013
• Published: 08/29/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm technologies international, ltd. (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cambridge Silicon Radio Limited (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Inventors: Singer, Steven Mark, Haboubi, Harith, Williams, Peter
• Granted Patent: US 9,838,810 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/56
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1041 Mechanical or electronic switches, or control elements switches in general H01H
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1083 Reduction of ambient noise active noise reduction per se G10K11/175; protective devices for the ear, e.g. providing acoustic protection A61F11/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2460/03 Aspects of the reduction of energy consumption in hearing devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2499/11 Transducers incorporated or for use in hand-held devices, e.g. mobile phones, PDA's, camera's
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2499/13 Acoustic transducers and sound field adaptation in vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2499/15 Transducers incorporated in visual displaying devices, e.g. televisions, computer displays, laptops
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 29/00 Monitoring arrangements; Testing arrangements for hearing aids H04R25/30; detection of loudspeaker connection H04R5/04; sound-field adaptation dependent on speaker detection H04S7/308

Abstract

Devices and methods of detecting a predetermined audio signal in audio signals are provided. A device includes a processor coupled to a clock signal generator, a power controller and an audio detector. The power controller controls a clock rate provided to the processor by the clock signal generator, to control the device to operate in a low power mode having a relatively low power consumption or in a normal power mode having a relatively high power consumption. The audio detector receives audio signals and detects, in the low power mode, probable presence of a predetermined audio signal in the audio signals. The power controller controls the device to switch from the low power mode to the normal power mode responsive to the detected presence of the predetermined audio signal by the audio detector.

Claims

1. A method of detecting a predetermined audio signal in audio signals of a device, the device including a processor, the method comprising the steps of:

controlling a clock rate provided to the processor, to operate the device in a low power mode having a relatively low power consumption;

detecting, in the low power mode, probable presence of the predetermined audio signal in the audio signals; and

switching the device from the low power mode to a normal power mode responsive to the detected presence of the predetermined audio signal, by adjusting the clock rate provided to the processor, the normal power mode having a relatively high power consumption.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined audio signal includes a voice signal or a predetermined non-voice audio signal.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the clock rate includes a first clock rate corresponding to the low power mode and a second clock rate corresponding to the normal power mode, the second clock rate having a higher accuracy than the first clock rate.

4. The method of claim 1, the method further including storing at least a portion of the audio signals responsive to the detecting of the probable presence of the predetermined audio signal.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting of the probable presence of the predetermined audio signal is performed with a first detection accuracy, the method further including, responsive to the detected presence of the predetermined audio signal:

further detecting the probable presence of the predetermined audio signal with a second detection accuracy higher than the first detection accuracy, the device being switched responsive to the further detected presence of the predetermined audio signal.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the further detecting of the probable presence of the predetermined audio signal is performed in the low power mode.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the further detecting of the probable presence of the predetermined audio signal is performed with a higher clock rate than the clock rate of the low power mode.

8. The method of claim 1, the method further including, prior to the detecting of the probable presence of the predetermined audio signal, applying at least one filter having a predetermined filter characteristic to the audio signals.

9. The method of claim 1, the method further including, prior to the detecting of the probable presence of the predetermined audio signal:

determining a level of the audio signals;

comparing the level of the audio signals to a predetermined threshold; and

when the level of the audio signals is greater than the predetermined threshold, performing the detecting of the probable presence of the predetermined audio signal.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting of the probable presence of the predetermined audio signal includes:

detecting a pattern in the audio signals; and

comparing the detected pattern to the predetermined audio signal.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the detecting of the pattern in the audio signals includes monitoring a variation in at least one predetermined frequency of the audio signals over time, the at least one predetermined frequency associated with the predetermined audio signal.

12. The method of claim 1, the method further including:

determining a detection accuracy of a detection result of the detecting of the probable presence of the predetermined audio signal; and

adjusting at least one parameter for performing the detecting of the probable presence of the predetermined audio signal responsive to the detection accuracy.

13. A device comprising:

a processor coupled to a clock signal generator;

a power controller configured to control a clock rate provided to the processor by the clock signal generator, to control the device to operate in a low power mode having a relatively low power consumption or in a normal power mode having a relatively high power consumption; and

an audio detector coupled to the power controller, the audio detector configured to receive audio signals and to detect, in the low power mode, probable presence of a predetermined audio signal in the audio signals,

wherein the power controller controls the device to switch from the low power mode to the normal power mode responsive to the detected presence of the predetermined audio signal by the audio detector.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the predetermined audio signal includes a voice signal or a predetermined non-voice audio signal.

15. The device of claim 13, wherein the clock rate includes a first clock rate corresponding to the low power mode and a second clock rate corresponding to the normal power mode, the second clock rate having a higher accuracy than the first clock rate.

16. The device of claim 13, further including a storage device for storing at least a portion of the audio signals.

17. The device of claim 13, wherein the audio detector is configured to detect the probable presence of the predetermined audio signal with two or more different detection accuracies.

18. The device of claim 13, wherein the audio detector is included in the processor.

19. The device of claim 13, wherein the audio detector is separate from the processor.

20. The device of claim 13, further comprising a digital signal processor (DSP) coupled to the clock signal generator, the DSP configured to further detect the probable presence of the predetermined audio signal with a higher detection accuracy than the audio detector.

21. The device of claim 13, wherein the audio detector includes at least one filter having a predetermined filter characteristic, to filter the audio signals.

22. The device of claim 13, wherein the audio detector includes a level trigger to compare a level of the audio signals to a predetermined threshold.

23. The device of claim 13, wherein the audio detector includes a comparator configured to detect a pattern in the audio signals and to compare the detected pattern to the predetermined audio signal.

24. The device of claim 23, wherein the comparator is configured to monitor a variation in at least one predetermined frequency of the audio signals over time, the at least one predetermined frequency associated with the predetermined audio signal.

25. The device of claim 13, further comprising a microphone configured to capture the audio signals.

26. The device of claim 13, wherein the device is configured to adjust at least one parameter of the audio detector.

27. The device of claim 26, wherein the at least one parameter is adjusted responsive to at least one of a detection accuracy of a detection result of the audio detector, a noise condition or a new predetermined audio signal.