Conference device and method for multi-point communication

• US 20050018039A1
• Filed: 07/07/2004
• Published: 01/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Unify Patente GmbH & Co. KG (Atos Se)
• Original Assignee: Unify Patente GmbH & Co. KG (Atos Se)
• Inventors: Lucioni, Gonzalo
• Granted Patent: US 8,699,716 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/14.10
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/56 Arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities video conference systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/568 audio processing specific to telephonic conferencing, e.g. spatial distribution, mixing of participants echo suppression in two-way loud-speaking telephone systems H04M9/02; sound field processing per se H04S7/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 27/00 Public address systems circuits for preventing acoustic reaction H04R3/02; circuits for distributing signals to loudspeakers H04R3/12; monitoring or testing arrangements for public address systems H04R29/007; amplifiers H03F
• 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]

Abstract

The conference device (EMCU) according to the invention has several monaural HRTF filters (HRTF1, . . . , HRTFN), each of which is to be allocated to a conference participant. The abbreviation HRTF stands for “Head Related Transfer Function”. A corresponding HRTF filter (HRTF1, . . . , HRTFN) is used for filtering a monaural audio signal coming from the conference participant to whom it is allocated. An individual, monaural HRTF filter coefficient set is responsible in this case for defining the filter characteristics of a particular HRTF filter. The conference device (EMCU) also has a conference mixing device (MP) coupled to the HRTF filters (HRTF1, . . . , HRTFN), for mixing the individually filtered audio signals from various conference participants and for transferring the mixed audio signals to conference participants.

Claims

1-10. -10. (cancelled)

11. A conference device, comprising:

a plurality of monaural HRTF filters each to be allocated to a conference participant, each filter being used for filtering a monaural audio signal coming from the particular allocated conference participant, wherein an individual, monaural HRTF filter coefficient set is allocated to each HRTF filter for defining the filter characteristics of that filter; and

a conference mixing device coupled to the HRTF filters for mixing the individually filtered audio signals of different conference participants and for transferring the mixed audio signals to conference participants.

12. A conference device according to claim 11, wherein the individual HRTF filter coefficient sets are selected such that the conference participants are virtually positioned in different directions of a median plane in terms of an auditory impression of the filtered audio signals.

13. A conference device according to claim 11, further comprising:

a filter control for allocating an individual HRTF filter coefficient set to an HRTF filter and/or for allocating an HRTF filter to a conference participant.

14. A conference device according to claim 12, further comprising:

a filter control for allocating an individual HRTF filter coefficient set to an HRTF filter and/or for allocating an HRTF filter to a conference participant.

15. A conference device according to claim 13, wherein the filter control comprises an audio analysis device for analyzing audio signals of conference participants, which is set up such that the allocation takes place depending on the result of the analysis.

16. A conference device according to claim 11, wherein the HRTF filter coefficient sets are matched to a transmission bandwidth of the conference device and/or to a transmission bandwidth of terminals to be involved in a conference.

17. A conference device according to claim 12, wherein the HRTF filter coefficient sets are matched to a transmission bandwidth of the conference device and/or to a transmission bandwidth of terminals to be involved in a conference.

18. A conference device according to claim 13, wherein the HRTF filter coefficient sets are matched to a transmission bandwidth of the conference device and/or to a transmission bandwidth of terminals to be involved in a conference.

19. A conference device according to claim 11, wherein different HRTF filter coefficient sets are provided for specific participants, terminals, connections, networks and/or conference statuses.

20. A conference device according to claim 12, wherein different HRTF filter coefficient sets are provided for specific participants, terminals, connections, networks and/or conference statuses.

21. A conference device according to claim 13, wherein different HRTF filter coefficient sets are provided for specific participants, terminals, connections, networks and/or conference statuses.

22. A conference device according to claim 16, wherein different HRTF filter coefficient sets are provided for specific participants, terminals, connections, networks and/or conference statuses.

23. A conference device according to claim 11, further comprising:

a converter for converting a binaural audio signal coming from a binaural conference participant into a monaural audio signal to be filtered by one of the monaural HRTF filters.

24. A conference device according to claim 12, further comprising:

a converter for converting a binaural audio signal coming from a binaural conference participant into a monaural audio signal to be filtered by one of the monaural HRTF filters.

25. A conference device according to claim 23, wherein the converter is configured such that a virtual position of the binaural conference participant, which is defined by an auditory impression of the binaural audio signal, is converted into a monaural HRTF filter coefficient set for the corresponding HRTF filter, and such that, as a result of this filtering, the binaural conference participant is virtually positioned in a median plane.

26. A conference device, comprising:

several monaural HRTF filters each to be assigned to a conference participant, each filter being used for filtering a monaural audio signal coming from the particular assigned conference participant, whereby an, monaural HRTF filter coefficient set is allocated to each HRTF filter for defining the filter characteristics of that filter; and

a conference mixing device operatively connected to the HRTF filters for mixing the filtered audio signals of different conference participants and for transferring the mixed audio signals to conference participants.

27. A method for multi-point communication, comprising:

allocating a monaural HRTF filter with an individual HRTF filter coefficient set that defines the filter characteristics of the HRTF filter to several conference participants;

filtering a monaural audio signal coming from a conference participant by the monaural HRTF filter allocated to that conference participant;

mixing the individually filtered audio signals of different conference participants; and

transferring the mixed audio signals to conference participants.

28. A method according to claim 27, wherein

a conference participant is identified as a chairperson, wherein

the identified conference participant is allocated a monaural HRTF filter and/or a monaural HRTF filter coefficient set, and wherein

the identified conference participant is virtually separated from other conference participants with regard to an auditory impression of the filtered audio signals.