/Patent Tracker
SonyGranted patentAudio & voiceInterest 8/10

Sony patents headphones that pause noise cancelling when someone talks to you

Sony describes a system for audio devices that uses sensors to detect when another person is speaking directly to the user. When this happens, the device lowers the noise-cancellation level for that specific voice while keeping other background noise blocked.

Why it mattersThis could make wearing headphones in public feel less isolating by automatically letting in the voices of people trying to talk to you.

In the filing’s own words

In one aspect, an apparatus includes a processor system and storage accessible to the processor system. The storage includes instructions executable by the processor system to present, at a device, audio as well as noise cancellation signals and ambient sound. The instructions are also executable to receive input from one or more sensors and, based on the input, reduce the amplitude of the noise cancellation signals (and even boost ambient sound). Different triggers may cause reduction of the noise cancellation signals based on the sensor input. For example, the trigger may be a source of sound other than the user and other than the user's audio output device being within a threshold distance to the device. The trigger may also be the source of sound being a whitelisted source of sound. As other examples, the trigger may be the source of sound indicating a name of the user and/or directing speech toward the user.

What exactly they claim (claim 1)

1. An apparatus, comprising: a processor system; and storage accessible to the processor system and comprising instructions executable by the processor system to cause the processor system to: concurrently present, at a device, audio, first noise cancellation signals different from the audio, and second noise cancellation signals different from the audio and different from the first noise cancellation signals, the first noise cancellation signals associated with a source of sound; receive input from one or more sensors; based on the input, determine that the source of sound is within a threshold distance to the device; identify, based on execution of beamforming, the source of sound as directing speech toward a user of the device; and based on the determination and the identification, reduce the amplitude of the first noise cancellation signals but not the amplitude of the second noise cancellation signals.

Facts

Company
Sony (Sony Group Corporation)
Official title
Reduction of noise cancellation signals based on sensor input
Patent number
US12731569B2
Application number
18745960
Filed
Jun 17, 2024
Granted
Sep 8, 2026
Inventors
1
Claims
20

Classified under

G10K 11/16 Physics & computingG06F 3/165 Physics & computing
Read the full filing (official PDF) ↗ Open in the Patent Tracker

More from Sony in Audio & voice

Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.