Touchscreen tapping noise suppression

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10283135-B2
Application number	US-201615389352-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 22, 2016
Priority date	Dec 22, 2016
Publication date	May 7, 2019
Grant date	May 7, 2019

Abstract

Suppression of tapping noise caused by tapping an acoustically coupled touchscreen. When a tapping event is detected on the touchscreen, a tapping noise suppressor is alerted of the event, and responds by at least temporarily mitigating the tapping noise in the audio stream. The suppression occurs temporarily for at least part of the duration of surge in audio levels that occurs as a result of the tapping event, and in a manner that reduces the psychoacoustic impact on the conversation. Suppression may be performed by first placing the tapping noise suppressors in an alert mode when a tapping event occurs. The tapping noise suppressor then monitors the audio stream generated by the microphone for the beginning of the tapping event—which will be represented in the form of a surge in volume. The tapping noise suppressor then temporarily applies the suppression window.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A method, implemented at a computer system including one or more processors, for suppressing tapping noise associated with an audio stream, the method comprising:
detecting a tapping event on a touchscreen, the tapping event causing a tapping noise; and
in response to detecting the tapping event,
applying a delay to the audio stream, such that a delayed version of the audio stream is created;
detecting an event type of the tapping event;
determining a suppression window in which to mitigate the tapping noise within the delayed version of the audio stream, the suppression window having a particular profile based on the event type of the tapping event that includes a flat and increased audio suppression level at least during a duration of highest tapping noise, and having trailing suppression for at least a majority of the suppression window that occurs after the duration of highest tapping noise;
detecting a beginning of the tapping noise within the delayed version of the audio stream; and
mitigating the tapping noise in the delayed version of the audio stream during the determined suppression window using the particular profile for the detected event type of the tapping event, the suppression window beginning upon detection of the beginning of the tapping noise.

2. The method in accordance with claim 1 , the mitigation of the tapping noise occurring by a tapping noise suppressor first listening for a beginning of the tapping noise in the audio stream and then applying tapping noise suppression to the tapping noise after the beginning of the tapping noise in the audio stream.

3. The method in accordance with claim 1 , the suppression window comprising a temporal suppression window and the particular profile being a particular temporal profile.

4. The method in accordance with claim 3 , further comprising the following for the tapping event:
determining at least one feature of the tapping event; and
formulating the temporal suppression window based on one or more of the at least one of the determined features of the tapping event.

5. The method in accordance with claim 1 , the suppression window comprising a frequency-based suppression window having a particular frequency profile.

6. The method in accordance with claim 5 , further comprising the following for the tapping event:
determining at least one feature of the tapping event; and
formulating the frequency profile based on one or more of the at least one of the determined features of the tapping event.

7. The method in accordance with claim 1 , further comprising:
in response to applying the delay to the audio stream, performing at least the following:
monitoring for success in suppressing the tapping noise;
determining a success rate associated with suppressing tapping noise based on the monitoring; and
adjusting the delay to the audio stream in response to the determined success rate associated with suppressing tapping noise.

8. The method in accordance with claim 1 , further comprising determining a particular size of groups of events to be processed prior to processing any detected tapping events.

9. The method in accordance with claim 8 , further comprising:
monitoring for success in suppressing tapping noise;
determining a success rate associated with suppressing tapping noise based on the monitoring; and
adjusting the size of groups of events in response to the determined success rate associated with suppressing tapping noise.

10. The method in accordance with claim 1 , the detection of the tapping event occurring on a same device as the touchscreen by monitoring touchscreen events.

11. The method in accordance with claim 1 , the detection of the tapping event occurring by monitoring one or more features of the audio stream for features indicative of a touchscreen event.

12. The method in accordance with claim 1 , the detection of the tapping event occurring by monitoring an event stream provided by an operating system or touchscreen driver stack.

13. The method in accordance with claim 1 , the event type of the tapping event being a tapping object event type by a particular detected type of tapping object, the particular profile of the suppression window being configured with the flat and increased audio suppression level at least during the duration of highest tapping noise caused by the particular detected type of tapping object, and configured with the trailing suppression for at least a majority of the suppression window that occurs after the duration of highest tapping noise for the particular detected type of tapping object.

14. The method in accordance with claim 1 , the event type of the tapping event being a tapping pressure event type with a particular detected tapping pressure, the particular profile of the suppression window being configured with the flat and increased audio suppression level at least during the duration of highest tapping noise caused by the particular detected tapping pressure, and configured with the trailing suppression for at least a majority of the suppression window that occurs after the duration of highest tapping noise for the particular detected tapping pressure.

15. The method in accordance with claim 1 , the event type of the tapping event being a tapping duration event type with a particular detected tapping duration, the particular profile of the suppression window being configured with the flat and increased audio suppression level at least during the duration of highest tapping noise caused by the particular detected tapping duration, and configured with the trailing suppression for at least a majority of the suppression window that occurs after the duration of highest tapping noise for the particular detected tapping duration.

16. A computing system, comprising:
one or more processors; and
one or more hardware storage devices having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that are executable by the one or more processors to cause the computing system to suppress tapping noise associated with an audio stream, the computer-executable instructions including instructions that are executable to cause the computing system to perform at least the following:
detect a tapping event on a touchscreen, the tapping event causing a tapping noise; and
in response to detecting the tapping event,
apply a delay to the audio stream, such that a delayed version of the audio stream is created;
detect an event type of the tapping event;
determine a suppression window in which to mitigate the tapping noise within the delayed version of the audio stream, the suppression window having a particular profile based on the event type of the tapping event that includes a flat and increased audio suppression level at least during a duration of highest tapping noise, and having trailing suppression for at least a majority of the suppression window that occurs after the duration of highest tapping noise;
detect a beginning of the tapping noise within the delayed version of the audio stream; and
mitigate the tapping noise in the delayed version of the audio stream during the determined suppression window using the particular profile for the detected event type of the tapping event, the suppression window beginning upon detection of the beginning of the tapping noise.

17. The computing system in accordance with claim 16 , the suppression window comprising a temporal suppression window and the particular profile being a particular temporal profile.

18. The computing system in accordance with claim 17 , the computer-executable

Assignees

• Microsoft Technology Licensing Llc

Inventors

• Venalainen Kevin Juho
• Angrignon Sylvain

Classifications

• G06F3/03547

  Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface · CPC title

• H04M1/19

  Arrangements of transmitters, receivers, or complete sets to prevent eavesdropping, to attenuate local noise or to prevent undesired transmission; Mouthpieces or receivers specially adapted therefor (circuit arrangements for preventing eavesdropping H04M1/68; telephone cabinets E04H1/14) · CPC title

• G10L2021/02085

  Periodic noise · CPC title

• G10L21/0208 Primary

  Noise filtering · CPC title

• G06F3/04883

  for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text · CPC title