Apparatus including microphone arrangements

• US 9,131,294 B2
• Filed: 08/26/2013
• Issued: 09/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Bright, Andrew P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Weiss, Howard
• Assistant Examiner(s): SKYLES, TIFNEY L
• Application Number:
  US13/975,761
• Publication Number:
  US 20130343556A1
• Time in Patent Office: 743 Days
• Field of Search: 381/92, 381/65, 381/365
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0264 for a camera module assembly
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/03 Constructional features of telephone transmitters or receivers, e.g. telephone hand-sets
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10
• 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 1/406 microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2410/01 Noise reduction using microphones having different directional characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2430/21 Direction finding using differential microphone array [DMA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/002 Damping circuit arrangements for transducers, e.g. motional feedback circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/005 for combining the signals of two or more microphones specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407

Abstract

An apparatus includes first and second microphone arrangements, arranged to output first and second signals respectively and is operable in a first mode and a second mode. In the first mode, an output signal is generated based on the second signal and a third signal, where the second signal and, optionally, the first signal, can be used to compensate for ambient noise, for example, for noise cancellation when a telephone call is relayed through a speaker. In the second mode, an output signal is generated based on the first and second signals. In this manner, the combination of the first and second microphone arrangements provides a directional sensitivity that can pick up sound from a remote source, for example, in an audio or video recording session. The apparatus may include a sensor to allow automatic switching between one or more of modes, directional sensitivity patterns and types of recording session.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

first and second microphone arrangements provided on different surfaces of the apparatus;

wherein the first and the second microphone arrangements are configured to compensate for ambient noise in an environment of the apparatus when the apparatus is operating in a first mode; and

wherein the first and the second microphone arrangements are configured to provide a sensitivity pattern when the apparatus is operating in a second mode.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a controller configured to:

in the first mode, generate an anti-noise signal having the ambient noise compensated for based on a first signal and a second signal received respectively from the first microphone arrangement and the second microphone arrangement; and

in the second mode, generate, from the first and the second signals, a third signal including sound amplified according to the sensitivity pattern which depends on a direction the sound is received by the first and the second microphone arrangements.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the first and the second microphone arrangements and the controller are configured to, in the first mode, generate the anti-noise signal by cancelling the ambient noise, which is received on the second signal, based on an estimate of residual noise measured from the first signal, and generate an output signal by combining the anti-noise signal with a fourth signal that includes audio.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the first and the second microphone arrangements and the controller are configured to, in the second mode, generate the third signal by combining the first and the second signals, with the first and the second signals being weighted and delayed differently in the third signal to achieve directional dependent sensitivity.

5. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the first and the second microphone arrangements and the controller are configured to generate an output signal based on the third signal in the second mode or the anti-noise signal in the first mode, the output signal adapted to drive a speaker in the first mode and be stored in a memory in the second mode.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured to, in the first mode, cancel the ambient noise in a third signal that includes recorded sound, sound from the environment of the apparatus, or sound from a far-end signal, and wherein the apparatus is configured to, in the second mode, operate the first and second microphone arrangements as a directional array that receives sound in a particular direction in the environment of the apparatus.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first microphone arrangement includes at least one omni-directional microphone and the second microphone arrangement includes at least one other omni-directional microphone.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus includes a mobile device, an earpiece speaker, and a camera aperture;

wherein the earpiece speaker and the first microphone arrangement reside on a first surface of the different surfaces of the apparatus; and

wherein the camera aperture and the second microphone arrangement reside on a second surface of the different surfaces of the apparatus.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the mobile device is a mobile telephone device further comprising a third microphone arrangement positioned to pick up speech of a user of the mobile telephone device.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a controller configured to receive one or more sensor outputs and select operation of the apparatus between the first and the second modes based on the one or more sensor outputs.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the controller is configured to receive the one or more sensor outputs from at least one of one or more photodetectors, one or more orientation sensors, one or more accelerometers, and a camera.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the one or more sensor outputs indicate an orientation or a position of the apparatus.

13. An apparatus comprising a processor configured to:

receive first and second input signals from respective first and second microphones;

generate one or more audio output signals with ambient noise being compensated for based on the first and the second input signals when the apparatus is operated in a first mode; and

generate the one or more audio output signals having a sensitivity pattern based on the first and the second input signals when the apparatus is operated in a second mode.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the processor is configured to receive one or more sensor signals and select operation of the apparatus between the first and the second modes based on the one or more sensor signals.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the processor is configured to receive the one or more sensor signals from at least one of one or more photodetectors, one or more orientation sensors, one or more accelerometers, and a camera.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the one or more sensor signals indicate an orientation of the apparatus.

17. An apparatus comprising a processor configured to:

receive one or more sensor signals indicating an orientation or position of the apparatus;

generate one or more audio signals; and

select, dependent upon the orientation or position of the apparatus, between the one or more audio signals having a sensitivity pattern or having ambient noise compensated for.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the processor is configured to receive the one or more sensor signals from at least one of:

one or more photodetectors, one or more orientation sensors, one or more accelerometers, and a camera.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the one or more sensor signals indicate the orientation of the apparatus.

20. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the processor is configured to cause the apparatus to drive one or more speakers based on the one or more audio signals when the one or more audio signals are generated with the ambient noise being compensated for, and wherein the processor is configured to cause the apparatus to record the one or more audio signals to a memory when the one or more audio signals are generated with the sensitivity pattern.