Digital voice processing method and system for headset computer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10070211-B2
Application number	US-201414318235-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 27, 2014
Priority date	Jun 28, 2013
Publication date	Sep 4, 2018
Grant date	Sep 4, 2018

Abstract

The invention is a multi-microphone voice processing SoC primarily for head worn applications. It bypasses the use of conventional pre-amp voice CODEC (ADC/DAC) chips all together by replacing their functionality with digital MEMS microphone(s) and digital speaker driver (DSD). Functionality necessary for speech recognition such as noise/echo cancellation, speech compression, speech feature extraction and lossless speech transmission are also integrated into the SoC. One embodiment is a noise cancellation chip for wired, battery powered headsets and earphones, as smart-phone accessory. Another embodiment is as a wireless Bluetooth noise cancellation companion chip. The invention can be used in headwear, eyewear glass, mobile wearable computing, heavy duty military, aviation and industrial headsets and other speech recognition applications in noisy environments.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A voice processing apparatus, comprising:
at least two digital MEMS microphones configured to produce at least two digital audio signals, the at least two digital microphones implemented on an integrated circuit substrate;
an interface configured to receive the at least two digital audio signals, the interface being implemented on the integrated circuit substrate;
a processor configured to contribute to the implementation of an audio processing function, the processor being implemented on the integrated circuit substrate, the audio processing function being configured to transform the at least two digital audio signals to produce a processed digital audio signal, the audio processing function comprising noise cancellation, echo cancellation, and multiple-microphone beam-forming; and
a digital speaker driver configured to provide a driven digital audio signal to at least one audio speaker device, the driven digital audio signal being a direct digital audio signal and the digital speaker driver being implemented on the integrated circuit substrate, the digital speaker driver comprising (i) a digital anti-aliasing filter configured to transform a frequency characteristic of the processed digital audio signal prior to a sample and hold block of the digital speaker driver, and (ii) a wave shaper configured to convert the processed digital audio signal into a shaped audio signal, through the use of a lookup table, by converting samples of the processed digital audio signal from a first digital format to a second digital format.

2. The voice processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least two digital audio signals includes a signal from the at least two digital microphones.

3. The voice processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the audio processing function includes at least one of: voice pre-processing, noise cancellation, echo cancellation, multiple-microphone beam-forming, voice compression, speech feature extraction and lossless transmission of speech data.

4. The voice processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the audio processing function includes a combination of at least two of: voice pre-processing, noise cancellation, echo cancellation, multiple-microphone beam-forming, voice compression, speech feature extraction and lossless transmission of speech data.

5. The voice processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the driven digital audio signal is a pulse width modulation signal.

6. The voice processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the digital speaker driver includes a wave shaper for transforming an audio signal into a shaped audio signal, and a pulse width modulator for producing a pulse width modulated signal based on the shaped audio signal.

7. The voice processing apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the wave shaper includes a programmable look-up table configured to produce the shaped audio signal based on the audio signal.

8. The voice processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the digital speaker driver further includes a sampling circuit configured to sample and hold a digital audio signal, and a driver to convey the modulated signal to a termination external to the voice processing apparatus.

9. The voice processing apparatus of claim 1 , further including a digital to analog converter configured to receive a digital audio signal generated on the integrated circuit substrate and to generate an analog audio signal therefrom.

10. The voice processing apparatus of claim 1 , further including a wireless transceiver being implemented on the integrated circuit substrate.

11. The voice processing apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the wireless transceiver includes at least one of a Bluetooth transceiver and a WiFi transceiver.

12. The voice processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the digital speaker driver is further configured to receive a fourth digital audio signal to be used to generate the driven digital audio signal.

13. The voice processing apparatus of claim 1 , further including a mobile wearable computing device configured to communicate with the processor, wherein the mobile wearable computing device is configured to receive user input through sensing voice commands, head movements and hand gestures or any combination thereof.

14. The voice processing apparatus of claim 1 , further including a digital anti-aliasing filter configured to provide a filtered audio signal to the digital speaker driver.

15. A tangible, non-transitory, computer readable medium for storing computer executable instructions processing voice signals, with the computer executable instructions for:
receiving, on an integrated circuit substrate, at least two digital audio signals produced by at least two digital MEMS microphones implemented on the integrated circuit substrate;
implementing, on an integrated circuit substrate, an audio processing function configured to transform the at least two audio signals to produce a processed digital audio signal, the audio processing function comprising noise cancellation, echo cancellation, and multiple-microphone beam-forming; and
providing, by a digital speaker driver on an integrated circuit substrate, a driven digital audio signal to at least one audio speaker device, the driven digital audio signal being a direct digital audio signal, the digital speaker driver comprising (i) a digital anti-aliasing filter configured to transform a frequency characteristic of the processed digital audio signal prior to a sample and hold block of the digital speaker driver, and (ii) a wave shaper configured to convert the processed digital audio signal into a shaped audio signal, through the use of a lookup table, by converting samples of the processed digital audio signal from a first digital format to a second digital format.

16. The tangible, non-transitory, computer readable medium according to claim 15 , wherein the audio processing function includes at least one of: voice pre-processing, noise cancellation, echo cancellation, multiple-microphone beam-forming, voice compression, speech feature extraction and lossless transmission of speech data.

17. The tangible, non-transitory, computer readable medium according to claim 15 , wherein the audio processing function includes a combination of at least two of: voice pre-processing, noise cancellation, echo cancellation, multiple-microphone beam-forming, voice compression, speech feature extraction and lossless transmission of speech data.

18. The tangible, non-transitory, computer readable medium according to claim 15 , further including computer executable instructions for implementing a digital anti-aliasing filter configured to provide a filtered audio signal to the digital speaker driver.

19. The tangible, non-transitory, computer readable medium according to claim 15 , wherein the driven digital audio signal is a pulse width modulation signal.

20. The tangible, non-transitory, computer readable medium according to claim 15 , wherein the digital speaker driver includes a wave shaper for transforming an audio signal into a shaped audio signal, and a pulse width modulator for producing a pulse width modulated signal based on the shaped audio signal.

Assignees

• Kopin Corp

Inventors

• Fan Dashen
• Kim Jang Ho
• Seo Yong Seok
• Fan John C C

Classifications

• H04R2201/003

  Mems transducers or their use · CPC title

• G10L99/00

  Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass · CPC title

• H04R1/005 Primary

  using digitally weighted transducing elements · CPC title

• H04R1/08 Primary

  Mouthpieces; {Microphones;} Attachments therefor · CPC title