Method for cancelling echo and an electronic device thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10615816-B2
Application number	US-201615160629-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 20, 2016
Priority date	Aug 25, 2015
Publication date	Apr 7, 2020
Grant date	Apr 7, 2020

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to an apparatus and a method for cancelling echo by an electronic device. Here, a method of operating an electronic device includes converting a first digital signal related to a sound to be output through a plurality of speakers into a first analog signal; outputting the converted first analog signal as a sound using at least a part of the plurality of speakers; filtering at least a part of the converted first analog signal and/or the output sound and then generating a second analog signal; and outputting the second analog signal as another sound using at least another part of the plurality of speakers.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic device comprising:
a housing;
at least one microphone;
a plurality of speakers; and
a circuit included in the housing and electrically connected to the at least one microphone and the plurality of speakers,
wherein the circuit is configured to:
convert a first digital signal related to a sound into a first analog signal,
output the first analog signal as a first sound using at least a part of the plurality of speakers,
invert a phase of at least a part of the first analog signal,
identify an external noise signal included in a signal received via the at least one microphone, wherein the signal includes the first analog signal and the external noise signal,
filter the inverted at least a part of the first analog signal based on the external noise signal, to generate a second analog signal, and
output the second analog signal as a second sound using at least another part of the plurality of speakers, and
wherein the at least another part of the plurality of speakers is arranged adjacent to the at least one microphone, and is configured to output the second analog signal at a volume smaller than a reference volume so that the second sound does not affect the first sound.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a processor in the housing; and
a memory electrically connected to the processor,
wherein the memory stores instructions which, when executed, direct the processor to:
obtain an external sound using the at least one microphone, and
perform voice recognition based on the external sound.

3. The electronic device of claim 2 , wherein the instructions comprise instructions directing the processor to determine whether a voice recognition mode is activated while a communication service is provided, and control the circuit to output the second analog signal in response to activation of the voice recognition mode.

4. A method of operating an electronic device, the method comprising:
converting a first digital signal related to a sound into a first analog signal;
outputting the first analog signal as a first sound using at least a part of the plurality of speakers;
inverting a phase of at least a part of the first analog signal;
identifying an external noise signal included in a signal received via the at least one microphone, wherein the signal includes the first analog signal and the external noise signal;
filtering the inverted at least a part of the first analog signal based on the external noise signal, to generate a second analog signal; and
outputting the second analog signal as a second sound using at least another part of the plurality of speakers, and
wherein the at least another part of the plurality of speakers is arranged adjacent to the at least one microphone, and is configured to output the second analog signal at a volume smaller than a reference volume so that the second sound does not affect the first sound.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:
filtering at least a part of the first digital signal to generate a second digital signal;
obtaining at least a part of the output first sound using at least one microphone;
converting the obtained at least a part of the output first sound into a third analog signal;
converting at least a first part of the third analog signal into a third digital signal; and
cancelling the at least the first part of the third digital signal using the second digital signal.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the at least the first part of the third analog signal comprises an echo component by the output first sound.

7. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:
obtaining an external sound using the at least one microphone; and
recognizing a voice based on the external sound.

8. The method of claim 4 , wherein outputting the second analog signal comprises:
determining whether a voice recognition mode is activated while a communication service is provided; and
outputting the second analog signal in response to activation of the voice recognition mode.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Jang Sung-Woon
• Shin Sang-Wook

Classifications

• H04R3/12

  for distributing signals to two or more loudspeakers {(specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407)} · CPC title

• H04R1/08

  Mouthpieces; {Microphones;} Attachments therefor · CPC title

• H04R3/04

  for correcting frequency response · CPC title

• H04R2499/11

  Transducers incorporated or for use in hand-held devices, e.g. mobile phones, PDA's, camera's · CPC title

• G10K2210/108

  Communication systems, e.g. where useful sound is kept and noise is cancelled · CPC title