US 9,190,043 B2 · Assisting conversation in noisy environments

Abstract

A portable system for enhancing communication between at least two users in proximity to each other includes first and second noise-reducing headsets, each headset including an electroacoustic transducer for providing sound to a respective user's ear and a voice microphone for detecting sound of the respective user's voice and providing a microphone input signal. A first electronic device integral to the first headset and in communication with the second headset generates a first side-tone signal based on the microphone input signal from the first headset, generates a first voice output signal based on the microphone input signal from the first headset, combines the first side-tone signal with a first far-end voice signal associated with the second headset to generate a first combined output signal, and provides the first combined output signal to the first headset for output by the first headset's electroacoustic transducer.

Claims21

Dependent claims

A portable system for enhancing communication between at least two users in proximity to each other, comprising:

first and second noise-reducing headsets, each headset comprising:
an electroacoustic transducer for providing sound to a respective user's ear, and
a voice microphone for detecting sound of the respective user's voice and providing a microphone input signal;
and
a first electronic device integral to the first headset and in communication with the second headset, configured to:
generate a first side-tone signal based on the microphone input signal from the first headset,
generate a first voice output signal based on the microphone input signal from the first headset,
receive a first far-end voice signal from the second headset,
combine the first side-tone signal with the first far-end voice signal to generate a first combined output signal, and
provide the first combined output signal to the first headset for output by the first headset's electroacoustic transducer,
wherein the first and second headsets each include a noise cancellation circuit including a noise cancellation microphone for providing anti-noise signals to the respective electroacoustic transducer based on the noise cancellation microphone's output, and
the first electronic device is configured to provide the first combined output signal to the first headset for output by the first headset's electroacoustic transducer in combination with the anti-noise signals provided by the first headset's noise cancellation circuit.

9 more elements

A portable system for enhancing communication between at least two users in proximity to each other, comprising:

first and second noise-reducing headsets, each headset comprising:
an electroacoustic transducer for providing sound to a respective user's ear, and
a voice microphone for detecting sound of the respective user's voice and providing a microphone input signal;
a first electronic device integral to the first headset and in communication with the second headset, configured to:
generate a first side-tone signal based on the microphone input signal from the first headset,
generate a first voice output signal based on the microphone input signal from the first headset,
receive a first far-end voice signal from the second headset,
combine the first side-tone signal with the first far-end voice signal to generate a first combined output signal, and
provide the first combined output signal to the first headset for output by the first headset's electroacoustic transducer;
a third noise-reducing headset, the third headset comprising:
an electroacoustic transducer for providing sound to a respective user's ear, and
a voice microphone for detecting sound of the respective user's voice and providing a microphone input signal;
a second electronic device integral to the second headset;
and
a third electronic device integral to the third headset;
wherein the first electronic device is in communication with the second and third headsets through the respective second and third electronic device,
the far-end voice signal received by the first electronic device includes voice output signals from both the second and third headsets, and
the first far-end voice signal received by the first electronic device further includes the first voice output signal, and the first device is further configured to remove the first voice output signal from the first far-end voice signal before combining the first far-end voice signal with the first side-tone signal to generate the first combined output signal.

15 more elements

A portable system for enhancing communication between at least two users in proximity to each other, comprising:

first and second noise-reducing headsets, each headset comprising:
an electroacoustic transducer for providing sound to a respective user's ear, and
a voice microphone for detecting sound of the respective user's voice and providing a microphone input signal;
a first electronic device integral to the first headset and in communication with the second headset, configured to:
generate a first side-tone signal based on the microphone input signal from the first headset,
generate a first voice output signal based on the microphone input signal from the first headset,
receive a first far-end voice signal from the second headset,
combine the first side-tone signal with the first far-end voice signal to generate a first combined output signal, and
provide the first combined output signal to the first headset for output by the first headset's electroacoustic transducer;
a second electronic device integral to the second headset,
wherein the first electronic device is in communication with the second headset through the second electronic device, and
the second electronic device is configured to:
generate a second side-tone signal based on the microphone input signal from the second headset,
generate a second voice output signal based on the microphone input signal from the second headset,
provide the second voice output signal to the first electronic device as the first far-end voice signal,
receive the first voice output signal from the first electronic device as a second far-end voice signal,
combine the second side-tone signal with the second far-end voice signal to generate a second combined output signal, and
provide the second combined output signal to the second headset for output by the second headset's electroacoustic transducer;
and
a third noise-reducing headset, the third headset comprising:
an electroacoustic transducer for providing sound to a respective user's ear, and
a voice microphone for detecting sound of the respective user's voice and providing a microphone input signal;
and
a third electronic device integral to the third headset,
wherein the first electronic device is in communication with the third headset through the third electronic device, and
the third electronic device is configured to:
generate a third side-tone signal based on the microphone input signal from the third headset,
generate a third voice output signal based on the microphone input signal from the third headset,
transmit the third voice output signal to the first and second electronic devices for use as the first and second far-end voice signals,
receive the first voice output signal from the first electronic device and the second voice output signal from the second electronic device,
combine the third side-tone signal with the first and second voice output signals as far-end voice signals to generate a third combined output signal, and
provide the third combined output signal to the third headset for output by the third headset's electroacoustic transducer.

29 more elements

A method of enhancing communication between at least two users of a portable communication system in proximity to each other,

the portable communications systems comprising first and second noise-reducing headsets, each headset comprising:
an electroacoustic transducer for providing sound to a respective user's ear, and
a voice microphone for detecting sound of the respective user's voice and providing a microphone input signal;
a first electronic device integral to the first headset and in communication with the second headset;
and
a second electronic device integral to the second headset, wherein the first electronic device is in communication with the second headset through the second electronic device, the method comprising:
within the first electronic device,
generating a first side-tone signal based on the microphone input signal from the first headset,
generating a first voice output signal based on the microphone input signal from the first headset,
combining the first side-tone signal with a first far-end voice signal associated with the second headset to generate a first combined output signal, and
providing the first combined output signal to the first headset for output by the first headset's electroacoustic transducer;
within the first headset, transducing the first combined output signal into sound;
within the second electronic device,
generating a second side-tone signal based on the microphone input signal from the second headset,
generating a second voice output signal based on the microphone input signal from the second headset,
providing the second voice output signal to the first electronic device as the first far-end voice signal,
receiving the first voice output signal from the first electronic device as a second far-end voice signal,
combining the second side-tone signal with the second far-end voice signal to generate a second combined output signal, and
providing the second combined output signal to the second headset for output by the second headset's electroacoustic transducer;
and
within the second headset, transducing the second combined output signal into sound.

18 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Assisting conversation in noisy environments

Life of this patent

Assisting conversation in noisy environments

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims21