USER VOICE LOCATION ESTIMATION FOR ADJUSTING PORTABLE DEVICE BEAMFORMING SETTINGS

摘要

An audio device may use the audio detected at two opposite facing, front and rear omnidirectional microphones to determine the angular directional location of a user's voice while the device in speaker mode or audio command input mode. The angular directional location may be determined to be at front, side and rear locations of the device during the period of time by calculating an energy ratio of audio signals output by the front and rear microphones during the period. Comparing the ratio to experimental data for sound received from different directions around the device may provide the location of the user's voice. Based on the determination, audio beamforming input settings may be adjusted for user voice beamforming. As a result, the device can perform better beamforming to combine the signals captured by the microphones and generate a single output that isolates the user's voice from background noise.

主权项

1. A method comprising:
generating a front microphone signal from detection of a user's voice at a front microphone located at a front face of a handheld portable electronic device during a period of time; generating a rear microphone signal from detection of the user's voice at a rear microphone located at a rear face of the portable electronic device during the period of time; and comparing the front microphone signal to the rear microphone signal to determine an angular directional location of a source of the user's voice being one of a front, side and rear locations, wherein the side location may be in any of a left side, a right side, a bottom and a top location of the device.