Noise reduction on wireless headset input via dual channel calibration within mobile phone

• US 7,983,428 B2
• Filed: 05/09/2007
• Issued: 07/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola Mobility, Inc. (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Liu, Chen, Ma, Changxue
• Primary Examiner(s): Faulk; Devona E
• Assistant Examiner(s): Paul; Disler
• Application Number:
  US11/746,455
• Publication Number:
  US 20080280653A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,532 Days
• Field of Search: 381 941- 943, 381/94.7, 381/71.6, 381/390, 381/381, 381/74, 381/317, 381/389, 381/86, 4555691-5692, 455/570, 455/41.2, 379/406.01, 379/406.08
• US Class Current: 381/94.7
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6066 including a wireless connection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 9/082 using echo cancellers echo cancellers per se H04B3/23

Abstract

A communication device includes: (1) a wireless adapter at which a wireless headset is communicatively connected to the communication device and at which is received a first acoustic input that includes a speech input and a first ambient noise input; (2) a microphone that receives a second acoustic input, which includes a second ambient noise input; and (3) a dual-channel adaptive noise canceller that utilizes the second ambient noise input to filter the first ambient noise input out of the first acoustic input to generate an acoustic output that primarily comprises the speech input.

Claims

1. A communication device comprising:

a wireless adapter at which a wireless headset communicatively connects to the communication device and at which is received a first acoustic input that includes a speech input and a first ambient noise input;

a microphone that receives a second acoustic input, which includes a second ambient noise input;

a dual-channel adaptive noise canceller that utilizes the second ambient noise input to filter the first ambient noise input out of the first acoustic input to generate an acoustic output that primarily comprises the speech input;

logic for evaluating when a distance between the wireless headset and the communication device is less than a preset threshold distance, which distance enables the dual-channel adaptive noise canceller to provide a measurable improvement in a quality of a speech signal within the acoustic output relative to the speech signal within the first acoustic input due to filtering out of ambient noise from the first acoustic input; and

logic for activating the dual-channel adaptive noise canceller only when the distance is not less than the preset threshold distance;

wherein no ambient noise cancellation is provided via the dual-channel adaptive noise canceller when the wireless headset is less than the preset threshold distance from the communications device.

2. The communication device of claim 1 further comprising:

logic that detects pairing of the wireless headset with the wireless adapter of the communication device; and

logic that responds to a detection of the pairing of the wireless headset to the wireless adapter by (a) automatically activating the dual-channel adaptive noise canceller, (b) forwarding detected first acoustic input from the wireless headset to a first input channel of the dual channel adaptive noise canceller and (c) forwarding detected second acoustic input from the microphone to a second input channel of the dual-channel adaptive noise canceller.

3. The communication device of claim 2 wherein the dual-channel adaptive noise canceller comprises:

logic for calibrating the second ambient noise input to balance an amplitude and phase of said second ambient noise input with those of the first ambient noise input, in response to the forwarding of the detected second acoustic input on the second input channel, wherein said calibrating yields a calibrated second ambient noise input; and

logic for filtering the first ambient noise input from the first acoustic input utilizing the calibrated second ambient noise input.

4. The communication device of claim 2 further comprising logic for initiating calibration of the second ambient noise input prior to enabling speech communication via the wireless headset.

5. The communication device of claim 1 further comprising:

logic for generating a signal indicating that the wireless headset is too close to the communication device to perform adaptive noise cancellation using the dual-channel adaptive noise canceller;

logic for monitoring for a change in a current distance between the wireless headset and the communication device; and

logic for dynamically turning the adaptive noise canceller off when the current distance falls below the preset threshold distance.

6. The communication device of claim 5 further comprising:

logic for storing measured parameters of the first input channel and the second input channel during a first connection of the wireless headset to the communication device;

logic for initially defaulting to the stored measured parameters when the wireless headset is subsequently re-connected to the communication device during a later connection;

logic for re-evaluating the measured parameters during each subsequent connection; and

logic for storing an updated value of the measured parameters following said re-evaluating of the measured parameters.

7. The communication device of claim 1 wherein the wireless headset is a Bluetooth headset that is communicatively-connected to the wireless device via Bluetooth protocol, wherein a higher quality speech input is provided as the acoustic output when utilizing the Bluetooth headset to communicate speech input that is filtered via the dual-channel adaptive noise canceller of the communication device.

8. In a communication device having a microphone and mechanisms for communicatively coupling to a wireless headset, a method comprising:

receiving from the wireless headset a first acoustic input that includes a speech input and a first ambient noise input;

receiving from the microphone a second acoustic input, which includes a second ambient noise input;

activating a dual-channel adaptive noise canceller only when a distance between the wireless headset and the communication device is not less than a preset threshold distance, which distance enables the dual-channel adaptive noise canceller to provide a measurable improvement in a quality of a speech signal within the acoustic output relative to the speech signal within the first acoustic input due to filtering out of ambient noise from the first acoustic input;

filtering the first ambient noise input out of the first acoustic input to generate an acoustic output that comprises the speech input, wherein said filtering utilizes the second ambient noise input within a dual channel adaptive noise canceller;

generating a signal indicating that the wireless headset is too close to the communication device to perform adaptive noise cancellation via the dual-channel adaptive noise canceller;

monitoring for a change in a current distance between the wireless headset and the communication device; and

dynamically turning the adaptive noise canceller off when the current distance falls below the preset threshold distance.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

detecting a pairing of the wireless headset with the communication device; and

responding to a detection of the pairing of the wireless headset to the communication device by (a) automatically activating the dual-channel adaptive noise canceller, (b) forwarding detected first acoustic input from the wireless headset to a first input channel of the dual channel adaptive noise canceller and (c) forwarding detected second acoustic input from the microphone to a second input channel of the dual-channel adaptive noise canceller.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

calibrating the second ambient noise input to balance an amplitude and phase of said second ambient noise input with those of the first ambient noise input, wherein said calibrating yields a calibrated second ambient noise input; and

filtering the first ambient noise input from the first acoustic input utilizing the calibrated second ambient noise input.

11. The method of claim 9 further comprising initiating calibration of the second input channel prior to enabling speech communication via the wireless headset.

12. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

storing measured parameters of the first input channel and the second input channel during a first connection of the wireless headset to the communication device;

defaulting to the stored measured parameters when the wireless headset is initially re-connected to the communication device during a later connection;

re-evaluating the measured parameters during each subsequent connection; and

storing an updated value of the measured parameters following said re-evaluating of the measured parameters.

13. The method of claim 8 wherein the wireless headset is a Bluetooth headset that is communicatively-connected to the wireless device via Bluetooth protocol, wherein a higher quality speech input is provided as the acoustic output when utilizing the Bluetooth headset to communicate speech input that is filtered via the dual-channel adaptive noise canceller of the communication device.

14. A system comprising:

a processor and a memory;

a microphone;

a mechanism for communicatively coupling to a wireless headset; and

a dual-channel adaptive noise cancellation utility having logic that when executed by the processor provides the functions of;

detecting a pairing of the wireless headset with the mechanism for communicatively coupling the wireless headset;

receiving from the wireless headset a first acoustic input that includes a speech input and a first ambient noise input;

receiving from the microphone a second acoustic input, which includes a second ambient noise input;

evaluating when a distance between the wireless headset and the mechanism is less than a preset threshold distance;

activating the adaptive noise canceller only when the distance is not less than the preset threshold distance;

wherein no ambient noise cancellation is provided via the dual-channel adaptive noise canceller when the wireless headset is less than the preset threshold distance from the mechanism;

calibrating the second ambient noise input to balance an amplitude and phase of said second ambient noise input with those of the first ambient noise input, wherein said calibrating yields a calibrated second ambient noise input; and

filtering the first ambient noise input from the first acoustic input to generate an acoustic output that comprises the speech input, wherein said filtering utilizes the calibrated second ambient noise input within a dual-channel adaptive noise canceller.

15. The system of claim 14 said utility further comprising:

logic for generating a signal indicating that the wireless headset is too close to the communication device to perform adaptive noise cancellation using the dual channel adaptive noise canceller;

logic for monitoring for a change in a current distance between the wireless headset and the mechanism; and

logic for dynamically turning the adaptive noise canceller off when the current distance falls below the preset threshold distance.

16. The system of claim 15 said utility further comprising:

logic for storing measured parameters of the first input channel and the second input channel during a first connection of the wireless headset to the mechanism;

logic for defaulting an initial calibration to the stored measured parameters when the wireless headset is initially re-connected to the mechanism during a later connection;

logic for re-evaluating the measured parameters during each subsequent connection; and

logic for storing an updated value of the measured parameters following said re-evaluating of the measured parameters.