IP Library Granted Patent US 12666198
Granted Patent B2
US 12666198 · App. 18/495,555 · Granted Jun 23, 2026

Bone conduction microphone with resonance control based on determined audio context information

Inventors: Chun Kun Kim (Cambridge, GB); Ramji Srinivasan (Cambridge, GB); Shuwan Xue (Lexington, MA); Robert John Littrell (Belmont, MA)
Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
H04R1/2869G10L25/84H04R2460/13
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12666198
App. No.
18/495,555
Granted
Jun 23, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

Systems and techniques are provided for processing audio data. For example, a process can include determining audio context information corresponding to a multi-band bone conduction microphone (BCM), wherein the audio context information is indicative of at least one of noise information or voice information. A process can include generating a control signal indicative of a resonance configuration for one or more resonators of a plurality of resonators included in the multi-band BCM, wherein the resonance configuration is based on the audio context information and corresponds to one or more frequency response adjustments. A process can include transmitting the control signal to the multi-band BCM, wherein the control signal is configured to cause the multi-band BCM to generate a BCM output signal using the resonance configuration.

Claims (68)

1 . A method for processing audio, the method comprising:

determining audio context information corresponding to a multi-band bone conduction microphone (BCM), wherein the audio context information is determined based on an air-conducted audio signal obtained from an audio sensor different from the multi-band BCM, and wherein the audio context information is indicative of at least one of noise information or voice information;

generating a control signal indicative of a resonance configuration for one or more resonators of a plurality of resonators included in the multi-band BCM, wherein the resonance configuration is generated based on the audio context information and corresponds to one or more frequency response adjustments for the one or more resonators; and

transmitting the control signal to the multi-band BCM, wherein the control signal is configured to cause the multi-band BCM to generate a BCM output signal using a multi-band processing configuration corresponding to the resonance configuration.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the control signal is configured to cause the multi-band BCM to implement the one or more frequency response adjustments to generate the BCM output signal.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the audio context information comprises:

obtaining the air-conducted audio signal from an acoustic microphone associated with the multi-band BCM, wherein the acoustic microphone is different from the multi-band BCM, and wherein the plurality of resonators does not include the acoustic microphone.

4 . The method of claim 3 , further comprising:

determining the noise information based on a first subset of frequencies included in the air-conducted audio signal and associated with background noise; and

determining the voice information based on a second subset of frequencies included in the air-conducted audio signal and associated with voice or speech of a user.

5 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the acoustic microphone is an external acoustic microphone separate from the multi-band BCM.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:

the noise information is indicative of one or more frequencies associated with background noise within an environment of the multi-band BCM; and

the voice information is indicative of one or more voice or speech characteristics corresponding to a user of the multi-band BCM.

7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the noise information comprises at least one of:

a low-frequency dominant indication;

a high-frequency dominant indication;

a broadband indication; or

magnitude or sound level information.

8 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the voice information comprises at least one of:

a male or female indication;

a voice strength indication; or

an indication of a frequency band with low voice clarity.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the audio context information is indicative of use case information corresponding to the multi-band BCM.

10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the use case information comprises at least one of a voice activity detection indication or a noise suppression indication.

11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the resonance configuration comprises resonance control information for boosting or suppressing one or more frequency bands associated with the plurality of resonators included in the multi-band BCM.

12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:

the resonance configuration is indicative of a respective weight value for each resonator of the plurality of resonators included in the multi-band BCM; and

the BCM output signal comprises a combination of a respective weighted output signal associated with each resonator of the plurality of resonators.

13 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the control signal is indicative of a particular resonance configuration selected from a plurality of pre-determined resonance configurations for the multi-band BCM.

14 . The method of claim 13 , wherein:

each resonance configuration of the plurality of pre-determined resonance configurations is indicative of a respective subset of activated resonators of the plurality of resonators; and

each activated resonator of the respective subset of activated resonators is associated with a corresponding output weight value greater than zero.

15 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the multi-band BCM is configured to implement a plurality of resonance bands, each resonance band of the plurality of resonance bands associated with a different subset of the plurality of resonators.

16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the resonance configuration is indicative of a respective output weight value for each resonance band of the plurality of resonance bands, and wherein the one or more frequency response adjustments are based on increasing or decreasing the respective output weight value for one or more resonance bands.

17 . The method of claim 1 , wherein determining audio context information is based on analyzing one or more control signals to generate the noise information or the voice information.

18 . The method of claim 17 , wherein the one or more control signals include:

an air-conducted audio signal obtained from an acoustic microphone external to the multi-band BCM; and

a BCM audio signal obtained from the multi-band BCM.

19 . The method of claim 18 , wherein the BCM audio signal and the BCM output signal are the same, and wherein the audio context information is determined based on using the BCM output signal in a feedback loop from the multi-band BCM.

20 . An apparatus for processing audio, the apparatus comprising:

a memory; and

a processor coupled to the memory, wherein the processor is configured to:

determine audio context information corresponding to a multi-band bone conduction microphone (BCM), wherein the audio context information is determined based on an air-conducted audio signal obtained from an audio sensor different from the multi-band BCM, and wherein the audio context information is indicative of at least one of noise information or voice information;

generate a control signal indicative of a resonance configuration for one or more resonators of a plurality of resonators included in the multi-band BCM, wherein the resonance configuration is generated based on the audio context information and corresponds to one or more frequency response adjustments for the one or more resonators; and

transmit the control signal to the multi-band BCM, wherein the control signal is configured to cause the multi-band BCM to generate a BCM output signal using a multi-band processing configuration corresponding to the resonance configuration.

21 . The apparatus of claim 20 , wherein the control signal is configured to cause the multi-band BCM to implement the one or more frequency response adjustments to generate the BCM output signal.

22 . The apparatus of claim 20 , wherein, to determine the audio context information, the processor is configured to:

obtain the air-conducted audio signal from an acoustic microphone associated with the multi-band BCM, wherein the acoustic microphone is different from the multi-band BCM, and wherein the plurality of resonators does not include the acoustic microphone.

23 . The apparatus of claim 22 , wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine the noise information based on a first subset of frequencies included in the air-conducted audio signal and associated with background noise; and

determine the voice information based on a second subset of frequencies included in the air-conducted audio signal and associated with voice or speech of a user.

24 . The apparatus of claim 22 , wherein the audio sensor is an external acoustic microphone separate from the multi-band BCM.

25 . The apparatus of claim 20 , wherein:

the noise information is indicative of one or more frequencies associated with background noise within an environment of the multi-band BCM; and

the voice information is indicative of one or more voice or speech characteristics corresponding to a user of the multi-band BCM.

26 . The apparatus of claim 25 , wherein the noise information comprises at least one of:

a low-frequency dominant indication;

a high-frequency dominant indication;

a broadband indication; or

magnitude or sound level information.

27 . The apparatus of claim 25 , wherein the voice information comprises at least one of:

a male or female indication;

a voice strength indication; or

an indication of a frequency band with low voice clarity.

28 . The apparatus of claim 20 , wherein the audio context information is indicative of use case information corresponding to the multi-band BCM.

29 . The apparatus of claim 28 , wherein the use case information comprises at least one of a voice activity detection indication or a noise suppression indication.

30 . The apparatus of claim 20 , wherein the resonance configuration comprises resonance control information configured to cause the processor to boost or suppress one or more frequency bands associated with the plurality of resonators included in the multi-band BCM.