US-20260128030-A1 - AUDIO CANCELLATION SYSTEM AND METHOD

US20260128030A1US 20260128030 A1US20260128030 A1US 20260128030A1US-20260128030-A1

Abstract

A noise cancellation system comprising an audio identification unit configured to identify audio to which a noise cancellation process is to be applied, an output generation unit configured to generate one or more noise cancellation signals in dependence upon the identified audio, and two or more audio output units each configured to reproduce a respective subset of the generated one or more noise cancellation signals, such that the two or more audio output units are configured to produce different outputs.

Inventors

Calum Armstrong
Alan Murphy

Assignees

SONY INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT INC.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260507
Application Date: 20260105
Priority Date: 20221019

Claims (20)

1 . A system comprising: a device including one or more input elements; a microphone communicatively coupled to the device; one or more processors communicatively coupled to the device; a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising: detecting an input associated with operation of the one or more input elements; determining an audio effect associated with the input; capturing an audio signal; processing the audio signal to result in a processed audio signal, wherein the audio signal is processed based on the audio effect and by performing a noise cancelling function on the audio signal; and providing the processed audio signal as a response to the input.
2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the processed audio signal comprises at least a first cancellation signal that is an inverse of the audio effect.
3 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the input comprises a button press, and wherein the operations further comprise: accessing a look-up table comprising a plurality of predefined sounds; and determining the audio effect by extracting a predefined sound associated with the button press from the look-up table.
4 . The system of claim 1 , wherein operation of the one or more input elements causes a haptic feedback signal of the device, and wherein the audio effect is associated with the haptic feedback signal.
5 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the audio signal is captured by the microphone, and wherein the operations further comprise: determining a propagation path defining a distance between the one or more input elements and the microphone; and determining the audio effect of the input based at least in part on the distance.
6 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising a speaker communicatively coupled to the device, wherein the operations further comprise emitting the processed audio signal using the speaker, wherein the processed audio signal is detected by the microphone at a substantially same time as receipt, by the microphone, of an audio signal associated with the input.
7 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the audio signal is captured by the microphone, wherein the one or more input elements comprise a button and the input comprises a button press of the button, and wherein the operations further comprise: determining a spatial location of the button on the device with respect to the microphone; and determining the audio effect of the button press based at least in part on the spatial location.
8 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more input elements comprise a button, wherein the input comprises a button press of the button, and wherein the operations further comprise: detecting that the button press is a partial button press; and determining the audio effect based at least in part on detecting the partial button press.
9 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the input comprises a first input and a second input, wherein the audio effect is a first audio effect, wherein the operations further comprise: determining a second audio effect associated with the second input; and processing the audio signal to result in the processed audio signal, wherein the audio signal is processed based on the first audio effect and the second audio effect, wherein the processed audio signal comprises: a first cancellation signal that is inverse of the first audio effect; and a second cancellation signal that is inverse of the second audio effect, wherein the first cancellation signal and the second cancellation signal comprise different frequency components.
10 . The system of claim 9 , further comprising a first speaker and a second speaker communicatively coupled to the device, wherein the operations further comprise: emitting, using the first speaker, the first cancellation signal; and emitting, using the second speaker, the second cancellation signal.
11 . The system of claim 9 , wherein the first input is associated with a button press, and wherein the second input is associated with a haptic feedback signal or a sound from an environment where the device is located.
12 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise: determining one or more operational parameters of the device, wherein the one or more operational parameters comprise at least a positioning of the microphone with respect to a spatial location of the one or more input elements; deriving one or more characteristics of audio transmission between the one or more input elements and the microphone, wherein the one or more characteristics of audio transmission include an attenuation, a resonance, a change in frequency profile, or any combination thereof; determining a transfer function using the one or more operational parameters of the device and the one or more characteristics of audio transmission; and processing the audio signal to perform the noise cancelling function based upon the transfer function.
13 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions that are executable by a device having one or more input elements and a microphone communicatively coupled to the device, wherein the instructions cause the device to perform operations comprising: detecting an input associated with operation of the one or more input elements; determining an audio effect associated with the input; capturing an audio signal; processing the audio signal to result in a processed audio signal, wherein the audio signal is processed based on the audio effect and by performing a noise cancelling function on the audio signal; and providing the processed audio signal as a response to the input.
14 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the input comprises a button press, and wherein the operations further comprise: accessing a look-up table comprising a plurality of predefined sounds; and determining the audio effect by extracting a predefined sound associated with the button press from the look-up table.
15 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13 , wherein operation of the one or more input elements causes a haptic feedback signal of the device, and wherein the audio effect is associated with the haptic feedback signal.
16 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the audio signal is captured by the microphone, and wherein the operations further comprise: determining a propagation path defining a distance between the one or more input elements and the microphone; and determining the audio effect of the input based at least in part on the distance.
17 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the input comprises a first input and a second input, wherein the audio effect is a first audio effect, wherein the operations further comprise: determining a second audio effect associated with the second input; and processing the audio signal to result in the processed audio signal, wherein the audio signal is processed based on the first audio effect and the second audio effect, wherein the processed audio signal comprises: a first cancellation signal that is inverse of the first audio effect; and a second cancellation signal that is inverse of the second audio effect, wherein the first cancellation signal and the second cancellation signal comprise different frequency components.
18 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the operations further comprise: determining one or more operational parameters of the device, wherein the one or more operational parameters comprise at least a positioning of the microphone with respect to a spatial location of the one or more input elements; deriving one or more characteristics of audio transmission between the one or more input elements and the microphone, wherein the one or more characteristics of audio transmission include an attenuation, a resonance, a change in frequency profile, or any combination thereof; determining a transfer function using the one or more operational parameters of the device and the one or more characteristics of audio transmission; and processing the audio signal to perform the noise cancelling function based upon the transfer function.
19 . A computer-implemented method executed by a device having one or more input elements and a microphone communicatively coupled to the device, wherein the computer-implemented method comprises: detecting an input associated with operation of the one or more input elements; determining an audio effect associated with the input; capturing an audio signal; processing the audio signal to result in a processed audio signal, wherein the audio signal is processed based on the audio effect and by performing a noise cancelling function on the audio signal; and providing the processed audio signal as a response to the input.
20 . The computer-implemented method of claim 19 , further comprising: determining one or more operational parameters of the device, wherein the one or more operational parameters comprise at least a positioning of the microphone with respect to a spatial location of the one or more input elements; deriving one or more characteristics of audio transmission between the one or more input elements and the microphone, wherein the one or more characteristics of audio transmission include an attenuation, a resonance, a change in frequency profile, or any combination thereof; determining a transfer function using the one or more operational parameters of the device and the one or more characteristics of audio transmission; and processing the audio signal to perform the noise cancelling function based upon the transfer function.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is a continuation application of U.S. application Ser. No. 18/484,636, filed Oct. 11, 2023, which claims the benefit of and priority to GB Application 2215435.5, filed Oct. 19, 2022, the entire disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties and for all purposes. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention This disclosure relates to an audio cancellation system and method. Description of the Prior Art The “background” description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description which may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly or impliedly admitted as prior art against the present invention. With the increase in the availability of high-speed internet connections, online voice communication has become a much more widespread feature. The increased usage of online voice communication has accelerated further in recent years due to both social factors (such as the Covid-19 pandemic which has led to a reduction in people meeting in person) and technological factors. Increasing numbers of devices are now provided with high-quality microphones that are useful for capturing audio for transmission - examples include laptops, mobile phones, and games consoles (and/or their associated controllers). While online voice communication is used for many purposes, such as social calls and work meetings, they have found particular relevance within the gaming community. This can include both multiplayer gaming contexts (so as to enable competitors and/or team mates to communicate) and video game streaming contexts (in which a single player provides video of their gameplay, and optionally themselves with an audio commentary, to a number of viewers who are not playing the game). However, with this increasing use of microphones for voice communication there are a number of issues. One such issue is issue is that of environmental sounds that are also picked up by a microphone—these can be distracting and/or annoying for listeners, as well as possibly making it difficult to hear the speaker. Existing arrangements address this by providing a push-to-talk (or similar) functions, thereby reducing the amount of time that a microphone is transmitting, or through software-based noise suppression techniques that isolate the user's voice in captured audio. Such techniques can be inconvenient for a user when requiring inputs to control the audio quality, or can place a significant processing burden upon a system to perform noise suppression. This can lead to audio content to be of reduced quality (for example, by distracting a user or introducing a significant latency) in order to preserve the quality of the audio itself. It is in the context of the above discussion that the present disclosure arises. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This disclosure is defined by claim 1. Further respective aspects and features of the disclosure are defined in the appended claims. It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description of the invention and the following detailed description are exemplary, but are not restrictive, of the invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS A more complete appreciation of the disclosure and many of the attendant advantages thereof will be readily obtained as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein: FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a handheld controller; FIG. 2 schematically illustrates a processing system; FIG. 3 schematically illustrates an audio mitigation method; FIG. 4 schematically illustrates a method for generating a response to a detected input by a user; FIG. 5 schematically illustrates a method for generating a response to a detected input by a processing device; FIG. 6 schematically illustrates a system for implementing one or more embodiments of the present disclosure; FIG. 7 schematically illustrates a system for implementing one or more embodiments of the present disclosure; FIG. 8 schematically illustrates an input device according to one or more embodiments of this disclosure; FIG. 9 schematically illustrates a method for generating a transfer function; FIG. 10 schematically illustrates a system for generating a transfer function; FIG. 11 schematically illustrates a noise cancellation method; FIG. 12 schematically illustrates an entertainment system; FIG. 13 schematically illustrates a noise cancellation system. DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate identical or corresponding parts throughout the several views, embodiments of the present disclosure are described. FIG. 1 schematically illustrates an example of a gam