Active noise cancellation

• US 8,750,531 B2
• Filed: 10/28/2010
• Issued: 06/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Semiconductor Components Industries LLC (ON Semiconductor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fairchild Semiconductor Corporation (ON Semiconductor Corporation)
• Inventors: Delano, Cary L., Waldstein, Steven M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jamal, Alexander
• Application Number:
  US12/913,897
• Publication Number:
  US 20110129098A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,321 Days
• Field of Search: 381/71.2, 381/71.7, 381/71.8, 379/392.01
• US Class Current: 381/71.2
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/17854 the filter being an adaptive filter
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/17855 for improving speed or power requirements
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/17881 the reference signal being an acoustic signal, e.g. recorded with a microphone
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 2210/108 Communication systems, e.g. where useful sound is kept and noise is cancelled
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 2210/111 Directivity control or beam pattern
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2021/02161 Number of inputs available containing the signal or the noise to be suppressed
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/0216 characterised by the method used for estimating noise

Abstract

This document discusses, among other things, systems and methods for active noise cancellation. One example system includes a digital ANC circuit configured to receive first audio information from a first microphone and to produce an a digital anti-noise signal configured to attenuate noise sensed by the first microphone; an analog ANC circuit configured to receive second audio information from a second microphone and to produce an analog anti-noise signal configured to attenuate noise sensed by the second microphone; and wherein the system is configured to receive an intended audio signal and to provide an output signal for a speaker using the intended audio signal, the analog anti-noise signal, and the digital anti-noise signal.

Claims

1. A system for providing active noise cancellation (ANC), comprising:

a digital ANC circuit configured to receive first audio information from a first microphone, to receive an intended audio signal, and to attenuate noise in the intended audio signal using the first audio information and provide a composite audio signal;

an analog ANC circuit configured to receive second audio information from a second microphone, to receive the composite audio signal from the digital ANC circuit, and to attenuate noise in the composite audio signal using the second audio information; and

wherein the system is configured provide an output signal for a speaker using the digital ANC circuit and the analog ANC circuit.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first microphone includes a far-field microphone configured to sense ambient noise;

wherein the second microphone includes a near-field microphone configured to sense output from the speaker;

wherein the digital ANC circuit includes a digital feedforward ANC circuit; and

wherein the analog ANC circuit includes an analog feedback ANC circuit.

3. The system of claim 1, including:

a first integrated circuit (IC) including the digital ANC circuit;

a second IC including; and

wherein the first and second ICs combine to form a high-end product, in contrast to low-end product formed using only the second IC and not the first IC.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the first IC is configured to be coupled to an analog to digital convert (ADC) to convert the first audio information to a digital signal for the digital ANC circuit.

5. The system of claim 1,

wherein the system includes a digital to analog converter (DAC) configured to convert the composite audio signal into an analog signal for the analog ANC circuit;

and

wherein the analog ANC circuit includes an amplifier configured to receive the second audio information and the analog composite audio signal and to provide the output signal for the speaker.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the digital ANC circuit and the DAC are implemented with a field programmable gate array (FPGA).

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the digital ANC circuit is configured to receive first audio information from a plurality of microphones, and wherein the digital ANC circuit includes a first filter coupled to a first subset of the plurality of microphones and a second filter coupled to a second subset of the plurality of microphones.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein each of the plurality of microphones has a separate filter associated therewith.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the first filter and the second filter include an adaptive filter.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the digital ANC uses the second audio information to update a response of the first and second filters.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the digital ANC circuit is configured to adjust the first filter and the second filter to provide dynamic beamsteering for a sensing pattern of the first and second microphone.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the speaker includes a piezoelectric speaker.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the speaker includes a first piezoelectric speaker and a second dynamic speaker.

14. A method for providing active noise cancellation (ANC), comprising:

receiving first audio information from a first microphone and an intended audio signal attenuating noise in the intended audio signal, and providing a composite audio signal using a digital ANC circuit;

receiving second audio information from a second microphone and attenuating noise in the composite audio signal using an analog ANC circuit; and

providing and output signal for a speaker using the digital ANC circuit and the analog ANC circuit.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the first audio information is sensed by a first microphone configured to sense output from the speaker;

and wherein the second audio information is sensed by a second microphone configured to sense ambient noise.

16. The method of claim 14, including adaptively filtering the second audio information.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the adaptively filtering includes updating a filter response based on the first audio information.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the receiving second audio information includes receiving second audio information from a plurality of microphones, wherein the method includes:

filtering a first signal from a third microphone of the plurality of microphones using a first filter; and

filtering a second signal from a fourth microphone of the plurality of microphones using a second filter.

19. The method of claim 18, including adjusting the first filter and the second filter to provide dynamic beamsteering for a sensing pattern of the third and fourth microphone.

20. A system for providing active noise cancellation (ANC), comprising:

a digital ANC circuit configured to receive first audio information from a first microphone and to produce an anti-noise signal configured to attenuate noise sensed by the first audio information, wherein the digital ANC circuit includes;

a summation circuit configured to combine the anti-noise signal from the digital ANC circuit with an intended audio signal to form a composite audio signal; and

an analog ANC circuit including an amplifier configured to receive second audio information from a second microphone and the composite audio signal, to attenuate noise in the second audio information, and to produce an output signal for a speaker based on the second audio information and the composite audio signal.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the digital ANC circuit is configured to:

receive third audio information from a third microphone, the first and third microphones configured to sense ambient noise;

adaptively filter the first audio information with a first filter; and

adaptively filter the third audio information with a second filter; and

wherein the anti-noise signal is configured to attenuate noise in the third audio information.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the digital ANC circuit is configured to dynamically adjust the first filter and the second filter to provide dynamic beamsteering for a sensing pattern of the first and second microphones.