Volume control for individual sound zones

• US 10,499,177 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2018
• Issued: 12/03/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Harman International Industries Incorporated (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Harman International Industries Incorporated (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Choi, Jason, Trestain, Christopher Michael, Ludwig, Chris
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Hemant S
• Application Number:
  US15/941,485
• Publication Number:
  US 20180302734A1
• Time in Patent Office: 613 Days
• Field of Search: 700 94
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/22 for obtaining desired frequency characteristic only circuit for combining transducers having different responses H04R3/00; for hearing aids H04R25/407
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2430/01 Aspects of volume control, not necessarily automatic, in sound systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2499/13 Acoustic transducers and sound field adaptation in vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/12 for distributing signals to two or more loudspeakers specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/02 Spatial or constructional arrangements of loudspeakers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/04 Circuit arrangements, e.g. for selective connection of amplifier inputs/outputs to loudspeakers, for loudspeaker detection, or for adaptation of settings to personal preferences or hearing impairments combinations of amplifiers H03F3/68; stereophonic systems H04S
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 2400/13 Aspects of volume control, not necessarily automatic, in stereophonic sound systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 2420/01 Enhancing the perception of the sound image or of the spatial distribution using head related transfer functions [HRTF's] or equivalents thereof, e.g. interaural time difference [ITD] or interaural level difference [ILD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 2420/07 Synergistic effects of band splitting and sub-band processing
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/30 Control circuits for electronic adaptation of the sound field

Abstract

A system and method for applying an individual volume control setting to individual sound zones as set by a user. When the individual volume control setting differs from a master volume control setting, the individual volume control setting is applied to the low frequency component of the audio signal. Headrest and optional height speakers for each individual sound zone'"'"'s independent volume setting are applied to the mid and high frequency components of the audio signal.

Claims

1. A system for independent volume adjustment of an audio signal for a sound zone in a plurality of sound zones, the system comprising:

a plurality of loudspeakers associated with each sound zone in the plurality of sound zones;

a tuning system having an equalizer applied to each loudspeaker in the plurality of loudspeakers for each sound zone;

a master volume control setting for the tuning system;

a gain modification setting for each sound zone that is set independently for each sound zone and differs from the master volume control setting, the gain modification setting having a headrest gain setting for a stereo component of the audio signal and a bass gain setting for a mono component of the audio signal;

a high pass filter applied to the audio signal to separate a stereo component for distribution to the plurality of loudspeakers in each sound zone in the plurality of sound zones and applying the headrest gain setting to the stereo component;

a low pass filter applied to the audio signal to separate a low frequency mono component for distribution to the plurality of loudspeakers in each sound zone and applying the bass gain setting to the low frequency mono component, the low frequency mono component having an individual sound zone algorithm applied thereto for distribution to all of the loudspeakers in the plurality of loudspeakers so that each individual zone uses the bass gain settin; and

routing the modified stereo component of the audio signal and the modified mono component of the audio signal to predetermined loudspeakers thereby defining a tunable field for each sound zone in the plurality of sound zones.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the gain modification for each sound zone setting further comprises a height speaker gain setting applied to the low frequency mono component for distribution to the plurality of loudspeakers.

3. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising a program for an audio signal to be played at a plurality of speakers in a vehicle audio system, the program is executed by at least one processor to perform the steps of:

applying a master volume control setting to the audio signal;

separating the audio signal into low, mid-range, and high frequency components;

passing the low frequency component to a mono configuration;

passing the mid-range and high-frequency components to a stereo configuration;

applying an individual volume control setting to each individual sound zone in a plurality of individual sound zones for any volume control setting that differs from the master volume control setting, the individual volume control setting is applied to the low frequency component of the audio signal;

applying the headrest gain to the mid-range and high frequency components of the audio signal;

applying the bass gain to the low frequency components of the audio signal; and

routing the frequency components to predetermined sneakers of the plurality of speakers.

4. The program non-transitory computer readable medium as claimed in claim 3 wherein the individual volume control setting further comprises a height speaker gain and further comprising the step of applying the height speaker gain to the mid-range and high frequency components of the audio signal.

5. A method for controlling an individual volume control setting for playing an audio signal in a vehicle audio system having a plurality of loudspeakers, the vehicle audio system has an audio signal processing system and an individual sound zone processing system for a plurality of sound zones in the vehicle, the method comprising the steps of:

applying a master volume control setting to the audio signal;

applying an individual volume control setting independently defined at each sound zone in the plurality of sound zones, the individual volume control setting has a headrest gain and a bass gain, the individual volume control setting differs from the master volume control setting;

applying the head rest gain to a stereo component of the audio signal; and

applying the bass gain to a mono component of the audio signal for playback at less than all of the loudspeakers in the vehicle audio system.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5 wherein the individual volume control setting further comprises a height speaker gain and the step of applying a user defined individual volume control setting further comprises the step of applying the height speaker gain to a mono component of the audio signal.

7. The method as claimed in claim 5 wherein the bass gain setting is applied to fewer than all loudspeakers in the plurality of loudspeakers.