IP Library › Granted Patent US 12664968

Granted Patent B2

US 12664968 · App. 18/404,790 · Granted Jun 23, 2026

Selective disablement of noise cancelation for conversations

Inventors: Brant L. Candelore (Poway, CA); James R. Milne (Ramona, CA); Justin Kenefick (San Diego, CA); William Clay (San Diego, CA)

Assignee: SONY GROUP CORPORATION

G10K11/17837 G10K11/17827 G10K11/17885 G10L17/02 G10L17/06 G10K2210/1081 G10K2210/3016 G10K2210/3036

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Quick Facts

Patent No.: US 12664968
App. No.: 18/404,790
Granted: Jun 23, 2026
Kind: B2

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Abstract

A noise canceling disablement system is provided to enables a user to hear select conversational speech directed at the user while wearing a noise cancelling hearable device. The disablement system automatically at least partial disables the noise canceling feature of the hearable device in response to recognizing conversational speech of a speaking person within a detected conversation zone of the user. In some cases, triggering of the noise canceling disablement further requires the speaking person to be identified by the system as significant person of the user.

Claims (61)

1 . A method for adjusting a noise canceling feature of a hearable device of a user, the method performed, comprising:

providing a first noise canceling feature of a first hearing unit of the hearable device and a second noise canceling feature of a second hearing unit of the hearable device;

during an interaction period, receiving by one or more microphones of the hearable device, sound signals for at least one sound detected from an environment of the user,

determining that the at least one sound includes first speech by a first person;

defining a conversation zone of the user based, at least in part, on a volume level of ambient noise detected in the environment;

determining that the first person is within a first side area of the conversation zone;

in response, at least in part, to determining the first person is within the first side area of the conversation zone, at least partially disabling the first noise canceling feature of the first hearing unit of the hearable device that correlates with the first side area and maintaining the second noise canceling feature of the second hearing unit;

tracking that the first person moves to a second side area of the conversation zone during the interaction period; and

in response to detecting the first person speaks at the second side area, disabling the second noise canceling feature of the second hearing unit that correlates with the second side area and resuming the first noise canceling feature of the first hearing unit.

2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

identifying that the first person is a significant person based on analyzing the first speech,

wherein at least partially disabling of the first noise canceling feature is further in response to identifying the first person as a significant person.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein identifying the first person as a significant person includes using speaker recognition of the first speech to compare the first speech to stored speech of one or more significant persons.

4 . The method of claim 3 , further comprising:

prior to determining the first person is within a conversation zone, recording sample speech of the significant person, during the interaction period with the significant person; and

storing the sample speech to use as the stored speech in comparing the first speech.

5 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

subsequent to detecting the first person speaking at the second side area and resuming the first noise canceling feature, detecting that the at least one sound includes a second speech of a second person speaking at the first side area of the conversation zone; and

disabling the first noise canceling feature of the first hearing unit that correlates with the first side area.

6 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

detecting that the first person leaves the second side area of the conversation zone to end the interaction period; and

in response to detecting the first person leaving, resuming the second noise canceling feature of the hearable device.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein defining the conversation zone includes varying a distance from the user, size, and/or shape of a predefined conversation zone.

8 . An apparatus of a noise canceling disablement system, the apparatus comprising:

a hearable device of a user having a first hearing unit with a first noise canceling feature and having a second hearing unit with a second noise canceling feature, the hearable device further comprising:

one or more processors; and

logic encoded in one or more non-transitory media for execution by the one or more processors and when executed operable to perform operations comprising:

during an interaction period, receiving by one or more microphones of the hearable device, sound signals for at least one sound detected from an environment of the user,

determining that the at least one sound includes a first speech by a first person;

defining a conversation zone based, at least in part, on a volume level of ambient noise detected in the environment;

determining that the first person is within a first side area of the conversation zone;

in response, at least in part, to determining that the first person is within the first side area of the conversation zone, at least partially disabling the first noise canceling feature of the first hearing unit of the hearable device that correlates with the first side area and maintaining the second noise canceling feature of the second hearing unit; and

in response, at least in part, to determining that the first person is within the first side area of the conversation zone, at least partially disabling the noise canceling feature of the first hearing unit of the hearable device that correlates with the first side area and maintaining the second noise canceling feature of the second hearing unit;

subsequent to detecting the first person in the first side area, detecting that the at least one sound includes a second speech of a second person speaking at a second side area of the conversation zone; and

disabling the second noise canceling feature of the second hearing unit that correlates with the second side area.

9 . The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the operations further comprise:

detecting that the first person leaves the conversation zone to end the interaction period; and

in response to detecting the first person leaving, resuming the first noise canceling feature of the first hearing unit of the hearable device.

10 . The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the operations further comprise:

identifying that the first person is a significant person based on analyzing the first speech,

wherein at least partially disabling of the first noise canceling feature is further in response to identifying the first person as a significant person.

11 . The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein defining the conversation zone includes varying a distance from the user, size, and/or shape of a predefined conversation zone.

12 . A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium carrying program instructions thereon for adjusting a first noise canceling feature of a first hearing unit of a hearable device and a second noise canceling feature of a second hearing unit of the hearable device used by a user, the instructions when executed by one or more processors cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

during an interaction period, receiving by one or more microphones of the hearable device, sound signals for at least one sound detected from an environment of the user,

determining that the at least one sound includes a first speech by a first person;

defining a conversation zone based, at least in part, on a volume level of ambient noise detected in the environment;

determining that the first person is within a first side area of the conversation zone;

tracking that the first person moves to a second side area of the conversation zone during the interaction period; and

13 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12 , wherein the operations further comprise:

detecting that the first person leaves the second side area of the conversation zone to end the interaction period; and

in response to detecting the first person leaving, resuming the second noise canceling feature of the second hearing unit of the hearable device.

14 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12 ,

wherein the operations further comprise:

disabling the first noise canceling feature of the first hearing unit that correlates with the first side area.

15 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12 , wherein the operations further comprise:

identifying that the first person is a significant person based on analyzing the first speech,

wherein at least partially disabling of the first noise canceling feature is further in response to identifying the first person as a significant.

16 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12 , wherein defining the conversation zone includes varying a distance from the user, size, and/or shape of a predefined conversation zone.