An automatic volume control for preserving intelligibility

Abstract: A new method has been developed to adjust volume automatically on all audio devices equipped with at least one microphone, including mobile phones, personal media players, headsets, and car radios, that might be used in noisy environments, such as crowds, cars, and outdoors. The method uses a patented set of algorithms, implemented on the chips in such devices, to preserve constant intelligibility of speech in noisy environments, rather than constant signal-to-noise ratio. The algorithms analyze the noise background in real time and compensate only for fluctuating noise in the frequency domain and the time domain that interferes with intelligibility of speech. Advantages of this method of controlling volume include: Controlling volume without sacrificing clarity; adjusting only for persistent speech-interference noise; smoothing volume fluctuations; and eliminating static-like bursts caused by noise spikes. Practical human-factors approaches to implementing these algorithms in mobile phones are discussed.