Apparatus for and method of wind detection

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11252504-B2
Application number	US-202016993577-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 14, 2020
Priority date	Jun 19, 2019
Publication date	Feb 15, 2022
Grant date	Feb 15, 2022

Abstract

A method, comprising: obtaining one or more accelerometer signals derived from an accelerometer; and determining one or more parameters of wind at the accelerometer based on the one or more accelerometer signals.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
receiving a first microphone signal from a first microphone;
receiving one or more accelerometer signals derived from an accelerometer proximate to the first microphone;
detecting a presence of wind at the first microphone, or determining a probability of wind at the first microphone, based on the first microphone signal;
in response to detecting the presence of wind at the first microphone or determining a probability of wind at the first microphone, determining one or more parameters of wind at the accelerometer based on the one or more accelerometer signals; and
providing the one or more parameters of wind to a wind noise reduction module.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more parameters of wind at the accelerometer comprises a speed of wind at the accelerometer and/or an angle of incidence of wind at the accelerometer.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the one or more accelerometer signals comprises two or more accelerometer signals representing different axes of acceleration and wherein determining the angle of incidence of wind at the accelerometer comprises comparing the two or more accelerometer signals.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more parameters of wind at the accelerometer comprises an indication of the presence of wind at the accelerometer and/or a probability of the presence of wind at the accelerometer.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising filtering one or more of the one or more accelerometer signals to remove non-wind noise and wherein the one or more parameters of wind are determined based on the filtered one or more accelerometer signals.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising detecting a presence of non-wind noise in one or more of the one or more accelerometer signals, and wherein determining one or more parameters of wind at the accelerometer is performed only when non-wind noise is not detected.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
reducing wind noise in the first microphone signal based on the determined one or more parameters of wind at the accelerometer.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving a second microphone signal from a second microphone proximate the accelerometer; and
reducing wind noise in the second microphone signal based on the determined one or more parameters of wind at the accelerometer.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein detecting the presence of wind at the first microphone, or determining a probability of wind at the first microphone, is further based on the one or more accelerometer signals.

10. The method of claim 7 , wherein determining one or more wind parameters at the accelerometer comprises:
determining a subband power in one or more of the accelerometer signals; and
estimating a cut-off frequency of noise in the first microphone signal based on the determined subband power in the one or more accelerometer signals,
and wherein wind noise is reduced in the first microphone signal using the estimated cut-off frequency.

11. The method of claim 10 , comprising reducing wind noise in the first microphone signal using a compressor and wherein a knee point of the compressor is determined in dependence on the estimated cut-off frequency.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein determining one or more wind parameters at the accelerometer further comprises determining wind speed, and wherein the knee point of the compressor is further determined in dependence on the determined wind speed.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein estimating the cut-off frequency comprises translating the subband power into the cut-off frequency using a look up table.

14. An apparatus, comprising:
memory; and
a processor coupled to the memory and configured to:
receive a first microphone signal from a first microphone;
receive one or more accelerometer signals derived from an accelerometer proximate the first microphone;
detect the presence of wind at the first microphone, or determine a probability of wind at the first microphone, based on the first microphone signal;
in response to detecting the presence of wind at the first microphone, determine one or more parameters of wind at the accelerometer based on the one or more accelerometer signals; and
provide the one or more parameters of wind to a wind noise reduction module.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the one or more parameters of wind at the accelerometer comprises a speed of wind at the accelerometer and/or an angle of incidence of wind at the accelerometer.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the one or more accelerometer signals comprises two or more accelerometer signals representing different axes of acceleration and wherein determining the angle of incidence of wind at the accelerometer comprises comparing the two or more accelerometer signals.

17. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the one or more parameters of wind at the accelerometer comprises an indication of the presence of wind at the accelerometer and/or a probability of the presence of wind at the accelerometer.

18. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
reduce wind noise in the first microphone signal based on the determined one or more parameters of wind at the accelerometer.

19. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
receive a second microphone signal from a second microphone proximate the accelerometer; and
reduce wind noise in the second microphone signal based on the determined one or more parameters of wind at the accelerometer.

20. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
detect the presence of wind at the first microphone, or determine a probability of wind at the first microphone, based on the one or more accelerometer signals.

Assignees

• Cirrus Logic Int Semiconductor Ltd
• Cirrus Logic Inc

Inventors

• Sapozhnykov Vitaliy
• Harvey Thomas I
• Lim Hock
• Watts David

Classifications

• H04R3/005

  for combining the signals of two or more microphones (specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407) · CPC title

• H04R2410/07

  Mechanical or electrical reduction of wind noise generated by wind passing a microphone · CPC title

• H04R1/1083 Primary

  Reduction of ambient noise (active noise reduction per se G10K11/175; protective devices for the ear, e.g. providing acoustic protection A61F11/06) · CPC title

• G01P15/02

  by making use of inertia forces {using solid seismic masses}(G01P15/14 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G01P13/02

  Indicating direction only, e.g. by weather vane · CPC title