Audio input system

• US 7,613,310 B2
• Filed: 08/27/2003
• Issued: 11/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Mao, Xiadong
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Vivian
• Assistant Examiner(s): KURR, JASON RICHARD
• Application Number:
  US10/650,409
• Publication Number:
  US 20050047611A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,260 Days
• Field of Search: 381/92, 381/94.7, 381/94.1, 381/94.2, 381/94.3, 381/122, 704/226, 704/233, 463 36- 38, 463/47, 367/118, 367/119
• US Class Current: 381/94.7
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2021/02166 Microphone arrays; Beamforming
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/0208 Noise filtering
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/005 for combining the signals of two or more microphones specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407

Abstract

A method for reducing noise associated with an audio signal received through a microphone sensor array is provided. The method initiates with enhancing a target signal component of the audio signal through a first filter. Simultaneously, the target signal component is blocked by a second filter. Then, the output of the first filter and the output of the second filter are combined in a manner to reduce noise without distorting the target signal. Next, an acoustic set-up associated with the audio signal is periodically monitored. Then, a value of the first filter and a value of the second filter are both calibrated based upon the acoustic set-up. A system capable of isolating a target audio signal from multiple noise sources, a video game controller, and an integrated circuit configured to isolate a target audio signal are included.

Claims

1. A method for reducing noise associated with an audio signal received through a microphone sensor array of a game controller during game play, comprising:

detecting a target signal component and a noise signal component from at least two microphones integrated with the game controller;

enhancing the target signal component of the audio signal by executing a beam-forming operation performed through a first filter;

blocking the target signal component by executing a reverse beam-forming operation through a second filter;

aligning an output of the second filter through an adaptive filter;

combining an output of the first filter and an output of the adaptive filter so that noise signal component is reduced without distorting the target signal;

monitoring an acoustic set-up associated with the audio signal as a background process using the beam-forming operation of the first filter and the reverse beam-forming operation of the second filter to track the target signal component; and

periodically setting a calibration of both a value of the first filter and a value of the second filter based upon the monitored acoustic set-up, the calibration of the values of the first filter and the second filter implements blind source separation that uses second order statistics to separate the target signal component from the noise signal component based on a frequency basis, to actively steer the first filter and the second filter toward the target signal component during game play, wherein the calibration remains fixed between the periodic setting;

wherein the target signal component is able to freely move around in 3-dimensional space with six degrees of freedom relative to the microphone array of the game controller.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein blind source separation enables separating the target signal component and the noise signal component;

and further comprising,

determining a time delay associated with each microphone sensor of the microphone senor array.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the acoustic set-up refers to relative position of the target signal component of a user and the microphone sensor array.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the method operation of periodically setting the calibrating occurs about every 100 milliseconds.

5. A system capable of isolating a target audio signal from multiple noise sources during active use, comprising:

a portable consumer device configured to move in positions that are independent from positions of a user during active use;

a computing device, the computing device including logic configured to enhance the target audio signal without constraining movement of the portable consumer device, the logic for enhancing the target audio signal using a beam-forming operation executed through a first filter, logic for blocking the target audio signal using a reverse beam-forming operation executed through a second filter, logic for aligning an output of the second filter through an adaptive filter, logic for monitoring an acoustic set-up as a background process using the beam-forming operation of the first filter and the reverse beam-forming operation of the second filter to track a position of the target audio signal, and logic for periodically setting a calibration of both the first filter and the second filter based upon the monitored acoustic set-up, the calibration of the first filter and the second filter implements blind source separation that uses second order statistics to separate the target audio signal from a noise signal based on a frequency basis, to actively steer the first and the second filter toward the position of the target audio signal during game play; and

a microphone array affixed to the portable consumer device, the microphone array configured to capture audio signals, wherein a listening direction associated with the microphone away is actively adjusted only after each periodic setting of the calibration of both the first and second filters, during active use through the logic configured to enhance the target audio signal.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the computing device is in communication within the portable consumer device.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the computing device includes,

logic for combining the output of the first filter and the output of the second filter in a manner to reduce noise without distorting the target signal.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein the microphone away is configured in one of a convex geometry and a straight line geometry.

9. The system of claim 5, wherein a distance between microphones of the microphone array is about 2.5 centimeters.

10. The system of claim 5, wherein the portable consumer device is a video game controller and the computing device is a video game console.

11. A system for enhancing a target audio signal, comprising:

a microphone array affixed to a video game controller, the microphone array configured to detect an audio signal that includes the target audio signal and noise;

a computing system including circuitry configured to process the audio signal when received by the microphone array of the game controller, the computing system including filtering and enhancing logic to filter the noise using a reverse beam-forming operation and enhance the target audio signal using a beam-forming operation, monitoring logic using the beam-forming operation and the reverse beam-forming operation as a background process to monitor a change in position of the video game controller relative to a position of a source of the target audio signal during game play, wherein the filtering of the noise and enhancing the target audio signal includes periodically setting a calibration of the logic to filter the noise to actively steer the filtering and enhancing logic toward the position of the source of the target audio signal, wherein the calibration implements blind source separation and second order statistics to separate the target audio signal from the noise based on a frequency basis, and wherein the calibration remains fixed between the periodic setting.

12. The video game controller of claim 11, further comprising:

adaptive array calibration logic to perform the periodic monitoring and calibration, the adaptive array calibration logic configured to calculate a separation filter value, the separation filter value capable of adjusting a listening direction associated with the microphone array.