SELECTIVE ADAPTIVE AUDIO CANCELLATION ALGORITHM CONFIGURATION

• US 20130243213A1
• Filed: 03/15/2012
• Published: 09/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: MOQUIN, Philippe Gilbert Jacques Joseph
• Granted Patent: US 9,184,791 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/71.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/20 Reducing echo effects or singing; Opening or closing transmitting path; Conditioning for transmission in one direction or the other
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/03 Constructional features of telephone transmitters or receivers, e.g. telephone hand-sets
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 9/082 using echo cancellers echo cancellers per se H04B3/23

Abstract

Audio processing devices and methods. An ambient microphone picks up ambient sound and a voice microphone picks up a speaker'"'"'s voice. The voice microphone is located farther from the speaker'"'"'s mouth when a device is held to one side of the speaker'"'"'s face than when held to the other side. A signal indicates whether an expected position of the handheld body is a position on a left side or right side of a speaker'"'"'s face. Ambient sound in the voice signal is reduced by applying a first algorithm configuration selected to process voice signals with lower signal-to-noise ratio when the expected position in on one side of the speaker'"'"'s face, and by applying a second sound cancellation algorithm configuration selected to process higher signal-to-noise ratios when the expected position is on the other side of the speaker'"'"'s face.

Claims

1. An audio processing device, comprising:

a handheld body configured to be selectively held in either one of a first position and a second position that is different than the first position, the first position and the second position each respectively comprising one of the handheld body being held to a left side of a speaker'"'"'s face, and the handheld body being held to a right side of the speaker'"'"'s face;

an ambient sound microphone positioned on the handheld body to detect ambient sound and configured to produce an ambient sound signal based upon detected ambient sound;

a voice microphone positioned on the handheld body so as to be located at a farther distance from a speaker'"'"'s mouth when the handheld body is in the first position than when in the second position, the voice microphone configured to produce a voice signal; and

an adaptive sound cancellation processor, communicatively coupled to the ambient sound microphone and the voice microphone, the adaptive sound cancellation processor configured to;

receive an orientation indication indicating that an expected position of the handheld body is in one of the first position and the second position; and

adaptively reduce ambient sound from the voice signal by applying, when the orientation indication indicates the expected position is the first position, a first sound cancellation algorithm configuration selected to process voice signals with first signal-to-noise ratio, and applying, when the orientation indication indicates the expected position is the second position, a second sound cancellation algorithm configuration selected to process voice signals with a second signal-to-noise ratio, where the first signal-to-noise ratio is lower than the second signal-to-noise ratio.

2. The audio processing device of claim 1, wherein the orientation indication comprises an indication of an orientation of the handheld body relative to a horizontal reference.

3. The audio processing device of claim 1, wherein the first sound cancellation algorithm configuration adaptively performs less ambient sound reduction than the second sound cancellation algorithm configuration.

4. The audio processing device of claim 1, wherein the ambient sound signal comprises ambient noise sound information and wherein the first sound cancelation algorithm configuration and the second sound cancellation algorithm configuration comprise respective noise cancelling algorithms.

5. The audio processing device of claim 1, wherein the first sound cancellation algorithm configuration differs from the second sound cancellation algorithm configuration by at least anticipating the farther distance.

6. The audio processing device of claim 1, wherein the first sound cancelation algorithm configuration comprises a selected processing algorithm operating with a first set of parameters, and wherein the second sound cancellation algorithm configuration comprises the selected processing algorithm operating with a second set of parameters, the second set of parameters being different than the first set of parameters.

7. The audio processing device of claim 1, wherein the ambient sound signal comprises echo sound information and wherein the first sound cancelation algorithm configuration and the second sound cancellation algorithm configuration comprise respective echo cancelling algorithms.

8. The audio processing device of claim 7, wherein the first sound cancellation algorithm configuration comprises a first echo cancelling algorithm configuration, and the second sound cancellation algorithm configuration comprises a second echo cancelling algorithm configuration that differs from the first echo cancelling algorithm configuration by anticipating the farther distance.

9. A method for processing audio signals, the method comprising:

receiving an orientation indication having a first state indicating that an expected position of a handheld body is a first position and having a second state indicating that the expected position of the handheld body is a second position, the second position being different from the first position, the first position corresponding to one of a left position and a right position, and the second position corresponding to another of the left position and the right position,

wherein the handheld body is configured to be selectively held to either one of the left position and the right position, the left position corresponding to the handheld body being held to a left side of a speaker'"'"'s face and the right position corresponding to being held to a right side of the speaker'"'"'s face;

receiving an ambient sound signal based upon detected ambient sound;

receiving a voice signal with a voice microphone positioned on the handheld body such that the voice microphone is located at a farther distance from a speaker'"'"'s mouth when the handheld body is in the first position than when in the second position; and

adaptively reducing ambient sound from the voice signal by applying, when the orientation indication is in a first state, a first sound cancellation algorithm configuration selected to process voice signals with first signal-to-noise ratio, and applying, when the orientation indication is in the second state, a second sound cancellation algorithm configuration selected to process voice signals with a second signal-to-noise ratio, where the first signal-to-noise ratio is lower than the second signal-to-noise ratio.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein receiving the orientation indication comprises receiving an indication of an orientation of the handheld body relative to a horizontal reference.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the first sound cancellation algorithm configuration adaptively performs less ambient sound reduction than the second sound cancellation algorithm configuration.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the ambient sound signal comprises ambient noise sound information and wherein the first sound cancelation algorithm configuration and the second sound cancellation algorithm configuration comprise respective noise cancelling algorithms.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the first sound cancellation algorithm configuration differs from the second sound cancellation algorithm configuration by at least anticipating the farther distance.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the first sound cancelation algorithm configuration comprises a selected processing algorithm operating with a first set of parameters, and wherein the second sound cancellation algorithm configuration comprises the selected processing algorithm operating with a second set of parameters, the second set of parameters being different than the first set of parameters.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the ambient sound signal comprises echo sound information and wherein the first sound cancelation algorithm configuration and the second sound cancellation algorithm configuration comprise respective echo cancelling algorithms.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the first sound cancellation algorithm configuration comprises a first echo cancelling algorithm configuration, and the second sound cancellation algorithm configuration comprises a second echo cancelling algorithm configuration that differs from the first echo cancelling algorithm configuration by anticipating the farther distance.

17. A computer program product for processing audio signals, the computer program product comprising:

a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable program code comprising instructions for;

receiving an orientation indication having a first state indicating that an expected position of a handheld body is a first position and having a second state indicating that the expected position of the handheld body is a second position that is different from the first position, the first position corresponding to one of a left position and a right position, and the second position corresponding to another of the left position and the right position,

wherein the handheld body is configured to be selectively held to either one of the left position and the right position, the left position corresponding to the handheld body being held to a left side of a speaker'"'"'s face and the right position corresponding to being held to a right side of the speaker'"'"'s face;

receiving an ambient sound signal based upon detected ambient sound;

receiving a voice signal with a voice microphone positioned on the handheld body such that the voice microphone is located at a farther distance from a speaker'"'"'s mouth when the handheld body is in the first position than when in the second position; and

adaptively reducing ambient sound from the voice signal by applying, when the orientation indication is in a first state, a first sound cancellation algorithm configuration selected to process voice signals with first signal-to-noise ratio, and applying, when the orientation indication is in the second state, a second sound cancellation algorithm configuration selected to process voice signals with a second signal-to-noise ratio, where the first signal-to-noise ratio is lower than the second signal-to-noise ratio.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the first sound cancellation algorithm configuration adaptively performs less ambient sound reduction than the second sound cancellation algorithm configuration.

19. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the ambient sound signal comprises ambient noise sound information and wherein the first sound cancelation algorithm configuration and the second sound cancellation algorithm configuration comprise respective noise cancelling algorithms.

20. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the first sound cancellation algorithm configuration differs from the second sound cancellation algorithm configuration by at least anticipating the farther distance.

21. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the first sound cancelation algorithm configuration comprises a selected processing algorithm operating with a first set of parameters, and wherein the second sound cancellation algorithm configuration comprises the selected processing algorithm operating with a second set of parameters, the second set of parameters being different than the first set of parameters.

22. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the ambient sound signal comprises echo sound information and wherein the first sound cancelation algorithm configuration and the second sound cancellation algorithm configuration comprise respective echo cancelling algorithms.

23. The computer program product of claim 22, wherein the first sound cancellation algorithm configuration comprises a first echo cancelling algorithm configuration, and the second sound cancellation algorithm configuration comprises a second echo cancelling algorithm configuration that differs from the first echo cancelling algorithm configuration by anticipating the farther distance.

24. A wireless communications device, comprising:

a handheld body configured to be selectively held in either one of a first position and a second position that is different than the first position, the first position and the second position each respectively comprising one of the handheld body being held to a left side of a speaker'"'"'s face, and the handheld body being held to a right side of the speaker'"'"'s face;

a processor contained within the handheld body;

a memory, communicatively coupled to the processor, configured to store information operated upon by the processor;

a wireless communications component contained within the handheld body, the wireless communications component configured to provide wireless communications between the processor and a wireless network;

an ambient sound microphone positioned on the handheld body to detect ambient sound and configured to produce an ambient sound signal based upon detected ambient sound;

a voice microphone positioned on the handheld body so as to be located at a farther distance from a speaker'"'"'s mouth when the handheld body is in the first position than when in the second position, the voice microphone configured to produce a voice signal; and

an adaptive sound cancellation processor, communicatively coupled to the ambient sound microphone and the voice microphone, the adaptive sound cancellation processor configured to;

receive an orientation indication indicating that an expected position of the handheld body is in one of the first position and the second position; and

adaptively reduce ambient sound from the voice signal by applying, when the orientation indication indicates the expected position is the first position, a first sound cancellation algorithm configuration selected to process voice signals with first signal-to-noise ratio, and applying, when the orientation indication indicates the expected position is the second position, a second sound cancellation algorithm configuration selected to process voice signals with a second signal-to-noise ratio, where the first signal-to-noise ratio is lower than the second signal-to-noise ratio.

25. The wireless communications device of claim 24, further comprising an orientation sensor configured to produce an indication of an orientation of the handheld body relative to a horizontal reference, wherein the orientation indication comprises the indication of an orientation of the handheld body relative to the horizontal reference.