A constrained multi-channel hear-through filter design approach using active control formulations

In many daily communication environments, especially during a pandemic era, partitioning structures are placed between people for security or virus concerns, for example, partitions in classrooms, banks, and retail stores. Distortion occurs when sound propagates through these partitions, which can cause distractions in communication and degrade the service quality. In the current work, a constrained multi-channel active hear-through system is proposed to provide a solution to provide more natural sound communication environments and prevent sound distortions due to partitioning structures. The proposed method can preserve both the spectrum and the spatial distribution of the original sound field (the sound field when the partition is absent). This research opens the potential for future development of multi-channel two-way communication systems and improvement in existing augmented reality techniques. Experimental results show that, compared with the traditional direct inverse filter design method, the proposed method can reduce the comb-filtering effect effectively. The constraints applied to the filter design procedure can also prevent instability caused by the acoustic feedback loop.