Detection of a microphone

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9699581-B2
Application number	US-201214423350-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 10, 2012
Priority date	Sep 10, 2012
Publication date	Jul 4, 2017
Grant date	Jul 4, 2017

Abstract

An apparatus comprising: a detector configured to determine at least one microphone is impaired by analyzing at least one audio signal from the at least one microphone; and an controller configured to determine an indicator based on the determination of the impairment of the at least one microphone; and configured to apply the indicator based on the determination of the impairment of the at least one microphone, such that the at least one audio signal is processed based on the indicator.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
determining at least one microphone is impaired by analysing at least one audio signal from the at least one microphone, wherein analysing the at least one audio signal from the at least one microphone comprises:
generating a histogram comparing a power level for the at least one audio signal from the at least one microphone over time;
determining whether the generated histogram has collected valid data to reflect the power level for the at least one audio signal;
detecting at least one histogram peak and a value greater than a defined threshold based on the collected valid data; and
determining a position of the detected at least one histogram peak occurs outside a defined normal operational range for the microphone, the defined normal operational range indicating when the at least one microphone is operating correctly or as expected;

determining an indicator based on the determination of the impairment of the at least one microphone; and
applying the indicator based on the determination of the impairment of the at least one microphone, such that the at least one audio signal is processed based on the indicator.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein analysing at least one audio signal from the at least one microphone comprises determining a signal level of the at least one audio signal from the at least one microphone differs in more than an expected range of variation compared to a defined threshold value.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the defined threshold value is a historical signal level for the at least one microphone.

4. The method as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the signal level comprises a signal level ratio between at least two frequency band signal levels and wherein the defined threshold value is a frequency band ratio value.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the at least one microphone is a first microphone and a second microphone from at least two microphones and analysing at least one audio signal from the at least one microphone comprises determining a signal level difference between the at least one audio signal from the first microphone of the at least two microphones and at least one further audio signal from the second microphone of the at least two microphones is greater than or equal to a defined threshold value.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5 , wherein determining the signal level difference comprises determining the signal level difference greater than or equal to the defined threshold value over a defined period of time.

7. The method as claimed in claim 5 , wherein determining the signal level difference comprises:
generating at least one signal level difference between the at least one audio signal from the first microphone of the at least two microphones and at least one further audio signal from the second microphone of the at least two microphones for at least one frequency band;
comparing the at least one frequency band at the at least one signal level difference against an associated frequency band threshold value; and
determining the first microphone of the at least two microphones is impaired based on the comparison of the at least one frequency band at the at least one signal level difference being greater than the associated frequency band threshold value.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the at least one microphone comprises a first microphone and a second microphone from at least two microphones, and determining the at least one microphone is impaired comprises:
generating a histogram comparing a spectral power level difference between the at least one audio signal from the first microphone of the at least two microphones and at least one further audio signal from the second microphone of the at least two microphones over time;
detecting at least one histogram peak with a value greater than a defined threshold; and
determining the position of the detected at least one histogram peak occurs outside a defined normal operational range for the first microphone and the second microphone, the defined normal operational range indicating when the at least one audio signal from the first microphone and at least one further audio signal from the second microphone have a similar spectral power level.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the position of the detected at least one histogram peak is a frequency range bin for a spectral power level difference between the at least one audio signal from the first microphone and the at least one further audio signal from the second microphone.

10. The method as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the position of the detected at least one histogram peak is a time period range for a spectral power level difference between the at least one audio signal from the first microphone and the at least one further audio signal from the second microphone.

11. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein determining the at least one microphone is impaired further comprises:
determining an object in proximity to at least one microphone port associated with the at least one microphone; and
determining the at least one microphone is the impaired based on the determined object.

12. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein determining the indicator based on the determination of the impairment of the at least one microphone comprises:
determining at least one control parameter for the at least one microphone; and
determining at least one display parameter for the at least one microphone.

13. The method as claimed in claim 12 , wherein determining the at least one control parameter for the at least one microphone comprises at least one:
determining a first switch control parameter for a first switch configured to receive the audio signal from the at least one microphone;
determining a first mixer control parameter for a first mixer configured to receive the audio signal from the at least one microphone;
determining a first amplifier control parameter for a first amplifier configured to receive the audio signal from the at least one microphone; and
determining a first filter control parameter for a first filter configured to receive the audio signal from the at least one microphone.

14. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein applying the indicator comprises processing the at least one audio signal based on at least one of:
applying a first switch control parameter for a first switch configured to receive the audio signal from the at least one microphone;
applying a first mixer control parameter for a first mixer configured to receive the audio signal from the at least one microphone;
applying a first amplifier control parameter for a first amplifier configured to receive the audio signal from the at least one microphone; and
applying a first filter control parameter for a first filter configured to receive the audio signal from the at least one microphone.

15. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein determining the indicator based on the determination of the impairment of the at least one microphone comprises generating a display message indicating the at least one microphone is impaired and wherein applying the indicator comprises generating on a display the display message.

16. The method as claimed in claim 15 , wherein applying the indicator comprises at least one of:
an indicator that at least one further microphone signal is selected; and
an indicator that the at least one audio signal from the at least one microphone is impaired; and wherein the audio signal from the at least one microphone signal i

Assignees

• Partio Mari Pauliina
• Yliaho Marko Tapani
• Koski Ari Juhani
• Backman Juha Reinhold
• Nokia Technologies Oy

Inventors

• Partio Mari Pauliina
• Yliaho Marko Tapani
• Koski Ari Juhani
• Backman Juha Reinhold

Classifications

• H04R29/005

  Microphone arrays · CPC title

• H04R25/305

  Self-monitoring or self-testing · CPC title

• H04R3/04

  for correcting frequency response · CPC title

• H04R2460/05

  Electronic compensation of the occlusion effect · CPC title

• H04R29/004 Primary

  for microphones (H04R29/007 takes precedence) · CPC title