Multi-resolution audio signals

• US 10,516,940 B2
• Filed: 11/26/2018
• Issued: 12/24/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Yliaho, Marko T., Koski, Ari J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Yogeshkumar
• Application Number:
  US16/199,747
• Publication Number:
  US 20190098398A1
• Time in Patent Office: 393 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/10546 specifically adapted for audio data
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2227/005 Audio distribution systems for home, i.e. multi-room use
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2410/03 Reduction of intrinsic noise in microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2499/11 Transducers incorporated or for use in hand-held devices, e.g. mobile phones, PDA's, camera's
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/00 Circuits for transducers , loudspeakers or microphones

Abstract

An apparatus including at least one microphone; audio circuitry connected to the at least one microphone; and a memory connected to the audio circuitry. The audio circuitry is configured to output a first audio track and at least one second audio track. The audio circuitry is configured to form the first audio track from an output signal, provided by the at least one microphone, by processing the output signal with a first audio configuring, and where the audio circuitry is configured to form the at least one second audio track from the output signal, provided by the at least one microphone, without the first audio configuring. The memory is configured to store the first audio track and the at least one second audio track together.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

at least one microphone;

audio circuitry configured to output a first audio track and at least one second audio track, where the audio circuitry is configured to form the first audio track from at least one output signal, provided by the at least one microphone, with a first audio resolution, and where the audio circuitry is configured to form the at least one second audio track from the same at least one output signal, with at least one second different audio resolution;

a memory connected to the audio circuitry which is configured to store the first audio track and the at least one second audio track; and

a controller, connected to the memory, configured to allow the apparatus to transmit at least one of the first audio track and the at least one second audio track to a incapability of the apparatus to play one or more of the at least one second different audio resolution.

2. An apparatus as in claim 1 where the apparatus comprises an audio resolution playing capability of the apparatus to play the first audio track having the first audio resolution.

3. An apparatus as in claim 1 where the apparatus further comprises a wireless transmitter configured to transmit the first audio track and the at least one second audio track to the device.

4. An apparatus as in claim 1 where the audio circuitry is configured to process the at least one output signal with a first audio configuring comprising the at least one output signal being dynamic range lowered with a first range lowering to a dynamic range of about 20 bits or 16 bits.

5. An apparatus as in claim 1 where the audio circuitry is configured to process the at least one output signal with a first audio configuring comprising at least one of:

the at least one output signal being expanded to a higher dynamic range, and/or

the at least one output signal being upsampled to a higher sample rate.

6. An apparatus as in claim 1 where the at least one output signal from the at least one microphone is processed by the apparatus with a microphone driver and hardware specific microphone signal processing.

7. An apparatus as in claim 1 where the audio circuitry is configured to perform at least one of:

processing the at least one output signal to form the first audio track comprising noise reduction, upmixing, audio zooming, and/or audio encoding, and/or

processing the at least one output signal to form the at least one second audio track comprising noise reduction, upmixing, audio zooming, and/or audio encoding.

8. An apparatus as in claim 1 where the audio circuitry is configured to form at least one of the second audio track(s) without any resampling and/or dynamic range changing.

9. A method comprising:

recording a first audio track on a memory of an apparatus, where the first audio track is formed from an output signal provided by at least one microphone, of sound received at the at least one microphone, which has been processed with a first audio configuring and forms the first audio track with a first audio resolution;

recording at least one second audio track on the memory, where the at least one second audio track is formed from the same output signal which has been processed with a different second audio configuring and forms the at least one second audio track with at least one second different audio resolution; and

transmitting at least one of the first audio track and the at least one second audio track from the apparatus to a device for rendering by the device, where the apparatus is configured with an incapability of the apparatus to play one or more of the at least one second different audio resolution.

10. A method as in claim 9 where the apparatus comprises an audio resolution playing capability of the apparatus to play the first audio track having the first audio resolution, and the method further comprises the apparatus playing the first audio track without being coupled to the device.

11. A method as in claim 9 where the apparatus further comprises a wireless transmitter configured to transmit the first audio track and the at least one second audio track to the device, where the transmitting comprises wirelessly transmitting the first audio track and/or one or more of the at least one second audio track to the device.

12. A method as in claim 9 further comprising the audio circuitry processing the at least one output signal with the first audio configuring comprising the at least one output signal being dynamic range lowered with a first range lowering to a dynamic range of about 20 bits or 16 bits.

13. A method as in claim 9 further comprising the audio circuitry processing the at least one output signal with the first audio configuring comprising at least one of:

the at least one output signal being expanded to a higher dynamic range, and/or

the at least one output signal being upsampled to a higher sample rate.

14. A method as in claim 9 where the at least one output signal from the at least one microphone is processed by the apparatus with a microphone driver and hardware specific microphone signal processing.

15. A method as in claim 9 where the audio circuitry performs at least one of:

processing the at least one output signal to form the first audio track comprising noise reduction, upmixing, audio zooming, and/or audio encoding, and/or

processing the at least one output signal to form the at least one second audio track comprising noise reduction, upmixing, audio zooming, and/or audio encoding.

16. A method as in claim 9 where the audio circuitry forms at least one of the second audio track(s) without any resampling and/or dynamic range changing.

17. A non-transitory program storage device readable by an apparatus, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the apparatus for performing operations, the operations comprising:

recording a first audio track on a memory of the apparatus, where the first audio track is formed from an output signal provided by at least one microphone, of sound received at the at least one microphone, which has been processed with a first audio configuring and forms the first audio track with a first audio resolution;

recording at least one second audio track on the memory, where the at least one second audio track is formed from the same output signal which has been processed with a different second audio configuring and forms the at least one second audio track with at least one second different audio resolution; and

transmitting at least one of the first audio track and the at least one second audio track from the apparatus to a device for rendering by the device, where the apparatus is configured with an incapability of the apparatus to play one or more of the at least one second different audio resolution.