Device comprising a plurality of audio sensors and a method of operating the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9538301-B2
Application number	US-201113988050-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 21, 2011
Priority date	Nov 24, 2010
Publication date	Jan 3, 2017
Grant date	Jan 3, 2017

Abstract

There is provided a method of operating a device, the device comprising a plurality of audio sensors and being configured such that when a first audio sensor of the plurality of audio sensors is in contact with a user of the device, a second audio sensor of the plurality of audio sensors is in contact with the air, the method comprising obtaining respective audio signals representing the speech of a user from the plurality of audio sensors; and analyzing the respective audio signals to determine which, if any of the plurality of audio sensors is in contact with the user of the device.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of operating a device, the device comprising a plurality of audio sensors and being configured such that when a first audio sensor of the plurality of audio sensors is in contact with a user of the device, a second audio sensor of the plurality of audio sensors is in contact with the air, the method comprising:
obtaining respective audio signals representing the speech of a user from the plurality of audio sensors;
analyzing the respective audio signals to determine which, if any of the plurality of audio sensors is in contact with the user of the device, and
providing the audio signals to circuitry that processes the audio signals to produce an output audio signal representing the speech of the user according to the result of the step of analyzing.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the step of analyzing comprises analyzing the spectral properties of each of the audio signals.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the step of analyzing comprises analyzing the power of the respective audio signals above a threshold frequency.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3 , wherein it is determined that an audio sensor is in contact with the user of the device if the power of its respective audio signal above the threshold frequency is less than the power of an audio signal above the threshold frequency from another audio sensor by more than a predetermined amount.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the step of analyzing comprises:
applying an N-point Fourier transform to each audio signal;
determining information on the power spectrum below a threshold frequency for each of the Fourier-transformed audio signals;
normalizing the Fourier-transformed audio signals from the two sensors with respect to each other according to the determined information; and
comparing the power spectrum above the threshold frequency of the normalized Fourier-transformed audio signals to determine which, if any, of the plurality of audio sensors is in contact with the user of the device.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the step of determining information comprises determining the value of a maximum peak in the power spectrum below the threshold frequency for each of the Fourier-transformed audio signals.

7. The method as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the step of determining information comprises summing the power spectrum below the threshold frequency for each of the Fourier-transformed audio signals.

8. The method as claimed in claim 5 , wherein it is determined that an audio sensor is in contact with the user of the device if the power spectrum above the threshold frequency for its respective Fourier-transformed audio signal is less than the power spectrum above the threshold frequency for a Fourier-transformed audio signal from another audio sensor by more than a predetermined amount.

9. The method as claimed in claim 5 , wherein it is determined that no audio sensor is in contact with the user of the device if the power spectrums above the threshold frequency for the Fourier-transformed audio signals differ by less than a predetermined amount.

10. A device, comprising:
a plurality of audio sensors arranged in the device such that when a first audio sensor of the plurality of audio sensors is in contact with a user of the device, a second audio sensor of the plurality of audio sensors is in contact with the air;
circuitry that is configured to:
obtain respective audio signals representing the speech of a user from the plurality of audio sensors;
analyze the respective audio signals to determine which, if any, of the plurality of audio sensors is in contact with the user of the device; and

processing circuitry for processing the audio signals to produce an output audio signal representing the speech of the user.

11. The device as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the circuitry is configured to analyze the power of the respective audio signals above a threshold frequency.

12. The device as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the circuitry is configured to analyze the respective audio signals by:
applying an N-point Fourier transform to each audio signal;
determining information on the power spectrum below a threshold frequency for each of the Fourier-transformed audio signals;
normalizing the Fourier-transformed audio signals from the two sensors with respect to each other according to the determined information; and
comparing the power spectrum above the threshold frequency of the normalized Fourier-transformed audio signals to determine which, if any, of the plurality of audio sensors is in contact with the user of the device.

13. A non-transitory computer program product comprising computer readable code that is configured such that, on execution of the computer readable code by a processor, the code causes the processor to perform the method as claimed in claim 1 .

Assignees

• Kechichian Patrick
• Van Den Dungen Wilhelmus Andreas Martinus Arnoldus Maria
• Koninklijke Philips Nv

Inventors

• Kechichian Patrick
• Van Den Dungen Wilhelmus Andreas Martinus Arnoldus Maria

Classifications

• H04R29/00 Primary

  Monitoring arrangements; Testing arrangements {(for hearing aids H04R25/30; detection of loudspeaker connection H04R5/04; sound-field adaptation dependent on speaker detection H04S7/308)} · CPC title

• H04R3/005 Primary

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

• H04R2460/13

  Hearing devices using bone conduction transducers · CPC title

• H04R29/005 Primary

  Microphone arrays · CPC title