Sound processing system for configuration of audio signals in a vehicle

• US 20050018860A1
• Filed: 08/17/2004
• Published: 01/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Harman International Industries Incorporated (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Harman International Industries Incorporated (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Furge, Kenneth Carl, Shively, Roger E., Eid, Bradley F.
• Granted Patent: US 7,447,321 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/86
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2205/024 Positioning of loudspeaker enclosures for spatial sound reproduction
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2499/13 Acoustic transducers and sound field adaptation in vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 3/02 of the matrix type, i.e. in which input signals are combined algebraically, e.g. after having been phase shifted with respect to each other
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 5/005 of the pseudo five- or more-channel type, e.g. virtual surround
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/00 Indicating arrangements; Control arrangements, e.g. balance control
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/307 Frequency adjustment, e.g. tone control H04S7/301 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/40 Visual indication of stereophonic sound image

Abstract

A sound processing system for a vehicle includes a sound processor that is configured to mix at least one real audio input signal to form at least one virtual output signal. At least one audio signal that is available to drive at least one loudspeaker may be formed using the combination of the virtual output signal and the real audio input signal. The virtual output signal may be post processed to form a predetermined frequency range of the audio signal prior to being combined with the real audio input signal. The audio signal may be created by mixing the real audio input signal with the post processed virtual output signal. Alternatively, the audio signal may be formed by mixing the real audio input signal to form a real audio output signal, and then summing the real audio output signal with the post processed virtual output signal. Mixing may be performed with a crossbar mixer included in the sound processor.

Claims

1. A sound processor for use in a vehicle audio sound processing system, the sound processor comprising:

a mixing block configured to filter a first real audio signal to obtain a predetermined frequency range of the first real audio signal,

where the mixing block is configured to combine the predetermined frequency range of the first real audio signal with a second real audio signal to produce an audio signal available to drive a loudspeaker, and

where the predetermined frequency range of the first real audio signal is a subset of a frequency range of the second real audio signal.

2. The sound processor of claim 1, where the mixing block comprises a crossbar mixer configured to mix the predetermined frequency range of the first real audio signal with the second real audio signal.

3. The sound processor of claim 2, where the first and second real audio signals are a plurality of real audio input signals and the crossbar mixer is configured to mix at least one of the real audio input signals with a predetermined frequency range of at least one of real audio input signals to produce the audio signal.

4. The sound processor of claim 1, where the first real audio signal is at least one real audio input signal, the mixing block comprising a crossbar mixer and a summer, the crossbar mixer configured to mix the second real audio signal, the summer configured to combine the second real audio signal with the predetermined frequency range of the first real audio signal to produce the audio signal.

5. The sound processor of claim 1, further comprising a zone control configured to provide signal attenuation adjustment so that the audio signal can be adjusted to include only the predetermined frequency range of the first real audio signal.

6. The sound processor of claim 1, further comprising a zone control configured to allow attenuation of the second real audio signal portion of the audio signal so that the audio signal will include only the predetermined frequency range of the first real audio signal.

7. The sound processor of claim 1, further comprising a zone control configured to allow adjustment of the audio signal so that the audio signal will include only the predetermined frequency range of the first real audio signal when the second real audio signal is attenuated.

8. The sound processor of claim 1, where the first real audio signal is a plurality of real audio input signals that are summed and filtered by the mixing block to obtain a summed predetermined frequency range.

9. The sound processor of claim 8, where the summed predetermined frequency range is less than about 100 Hertz.

10. A sound processor for use in a vehicle audio sound processing system, the sound processor comprising:

a mixing block configured to separate a real audio input signal into a first predetermined frequency range and a second predetermined frequency range,

where the mixing block is configured to filter the first predetermined frequency range independent of the second predetermined frequency range; and

where the mixing block is configured to re-combine the first and second predetermined frequency ranges to produce an audio signal available to drive a loudspeaker.

11. The sound processor of claim 10, where the first predetermined frequency range is a different range of frequency than the second predetermined frequency range.

12. The sound processor of claim 10, where the first predetermined frequency range is a portion of the frequency range of the audio signal and the second predetermined frequency range is the rest of the frequency range of the audio signal.

13. The sound processor of claim 10, where the audio signal is a single audio signal and the loudspeaker is a single loudspeaker.

14. The sound processor of claim 10, where the first predetermined frequency range is a real audio output signal and the second predetermined frequency range is a virtual audio output signal.

15. The sound processor of claim 10, where the loudspeaker includes a first transducer and a second transducer, the first predetermined frequency range is configured to drive the first transducer, and the second predetermined frequency range is configured to drive the second transducer.

16. The sound processor of claim 10, where the mixing block comprises a crossbar mixer, a post processor and a summer, the crossbar mixer configured to separate the real audio input signal, the post processor configured to delay the first and second predetermined frequency ranges differently and the summer configured to re-combine the first and second predetermined frequency ranges.

17. A sound processor for use in a vehicle audio sound processing system, the sound processor comprising:

a pre-processing block configured to receive and process a real audio input signal;

a crossbar mixer configured to receive and mix the real audio input signal that has been pre-processed to generate a real audio output signal and a virtual output signal; and

a post processing block configured to receive and process the real audio output signal and the virtual output signal,

where the post processing block is configured to filter the virtual output signal to obtain a predetermined frequency range of the virtual output signal,

and where the post processed virtual output signal is combined with one of the real audio input signal or the post processed real audio output signal to form an audio signal to drive a loudspeaker.

18. The sound processor of claim 17, where the post processing block is configured to filter the real audio output signal to obtain a predetermined frequency range of the real audio output signal.

19. The sound processor of claim 18, where the loudspeaker includes a first transducer and a second transducer, and the post processed virtual output signal portion of the audio signal is configured to drive the first transducer and the post processed audio output signal portion of the audio signal is configured to drive the second transducer.

20. The sound processor of claim 17, where the real audio input signal comprises right and left real audio input signals.

21. The sound processor of claim 17, where the crossbar mixer is configured to receive the post processed virtual output signal as a feedback input signal, and further configured to mix the post processed virtual output signal with the real audio input signal.

22. The sound processor of claim 17, further comprising a summer coupled with the post processor block, where the summer is configured to combine the post processed virtual output signal with the post processed audio output signal.

23. The sound processor of claim 17, further comprising a signal magnitude control block, where the real audio input signal or the post processed real audio output signal can be attenuated by the signal magnitude control block so that only the post processed virtual output signal is used to form the audio signal to drive the loudspeaker.

24. The sound processor of claim 23, where the real audio input signal is a plurality of fixed level real audio input signals and the signal magnitude control block is configured to provide volume, fade and balance control of the post processed real audio output signal and only volume control of the post processed virtual output signal.

25. The sound processor of claim 23, where the real audio input signal is a plurality of fixed level real audio input signals and the signal magnitude control block is configured to provide volume, fade and balance control of the post processed real audio output signal and the post processed virtual output signal.

26. The sound processor of claim 23, where the real audio input signal is a plurality of fixed level real audio input signals, the signal magnitude control block is configured to control the fade and balance of only the real audio input signals as part of the pre-processing, and configured to control the volume of the post processed real audio output signals.

27. The sound processor of claim 17, further comprising a signal magnitude control block having volume and zone control, where the post processed real audio output signal and the post processed virtual output signal are controllable separately by the signal magnitude control block.

28. The sound processor of claim 17, further comprising a signal magnitude control block, where the audio output comprises a front audio output available to drive a front loudspeaker and a rear audio output available to drive a rear loudspeaker, and the signal magnitude control block is configured to be adjustable to fade the rear audio output so that only the post processed virtual output signal is available to drive the rear loudspeaker.

29. The sound processor of claim 17, further comprising a signal magnitude control block, where the audio output comprises a front audio output available to drive a front loudspeaker and a rear audio output available to drive a rear loudspeaker, and the signal magnitude control block is configured to be adjustable to fade the front audio output to the rear audio output so that only the post processed virtual output signal is available to drive the front loudspeaker.

30. A sound processor for use in a vehicle audio sound processing system, the sound processor comprising:

a crossbar mixer configured to form a first real audio output signal that is useable to produce sound in a first sound zone,

the crossbar mixer also configured to form a second real audio output signal that is useable to produce sound in a second sound zone; and

a zone control that is adjustable to control the signal strength of each of the first and second real audio output signals in the respective sound zones;

where the crossbar mixer is configured to include a predetermined frequency range of the first real audio output signal with the second real audio output signal so that when the zone control is adjusted to minimize the signal strength of only the second real audio output signal, the predetermined frequency range of the first real audio output signal is available to produce sound in the second sound zone.

31. The sound processor of claim 30, where the crossbar mixer is configured receive as inputs a plurality of real audio input signals, the real audio input signals to be mixed by the crossbar mixer with predetermined gains to form the first real audio output signal and the predetermined frequency range of the first real audio output signal.

32. The sound processor of claim 31, where the predetermined frequency range of the first real audio output signal is mixed with at least one of the real audio input signals by the crossbar mixer to produce the second real audio output signal.

33. The sound processor of claim 30, further comprising a post processing block coupled with the crossbar mixer, where the post processing block is configured to extract and provide the predetermined frequency range of the first real audio output signal to the crossbar mixer as an input signal.

34. The sound processor of claim 30, where the predetermined frequency range of the first real audio output signal is a feedback input signal provided to the crossbar mixer.

35. The sound processor of claim 30, where the zone control is configured to perform balance and fade control of the first and second real audio output signals.

36. The sound processor of claim 30, where the predetermined frequency range of the first real audio output signal is a portion of the frequency range of the second real audio output signal.

37. A sound processor for use in a vehicle audio sound processing system, the sound processor comprising:

a crossbar mixer configured to mix a first audio signal and a second audio signal, where the first audio signal is useable to drive a first loudspeaker and the second audio signal is useable to drive a second loudspeaker;

a post processing block operable with the crossbar mixer to form a predetermined frequency range of at least one of the first audio signal or the second audio signal, or combinations thereof;

a summer configured to combine the predetermined frequency range with at least one of the first audio signal and the second audio signal; and

a signal magnitude control block that is adjustable to control the signal strength of each of the first and second audio signals, where the signal magnitude control block is configured to attenuate the signal magnitude of at least one of the first audio signal or the second audio signal without attenuation of the predetermined frequency range included therewith.

38. The sound processor of claim 37, where the crossbar mixer is configured to receive as inputs a plurality of real audio input signals, the real audio input signals to be mixed by the crossbar mixer with predetermined gains to produce the first audio signal, the second audio signal and the predetermined frequency range.

39. The sound processor of claim 37, where the summer is coupled with the signal magnitude control block to receive the first and second audio signals and the predetermined frequency range.

40. The sound procession of claim 37, where the post processor comprises a real post processor configured to post process the first audio signal and the second audio signal.

41. The sound processor of claim 37, where the crossbar mixer is configured to mix a virtual output signal, the virtual output signal processed by the post processing block to form the predetermined frequency range.

42. The sound processor of claim 41, where the crossbar matrix is configured to receive as inputs a plurality of real audio input signals, at least one of the real audio input signals mixed by the crossbar mixer to form the virtual output signal.

43. The sound processor of claim 37, where the signal magnitude control block comprises a volume control, a fade control and a balance control.

44. A sound processor for use in a vehicle audio sound processing system, the sound processor comprising:

a mixing means for mixing a first audio signal and a second audio signal, where the first audio signal is available to drive a first loudspeaker and the second audio signal is available to drive a second loudspeaker; and

a control means for adjusting the signal strength of each of the first and second audio signals;

where the mixing means comprises a combining means for combining a predetermined frequency range of the first audio signal with the second audio signal so that when the control means is adjusted to minimize the signal magnitude of the second audio signal, the predetermined frequency range of the first audio signal is available to drive the second loudspeaker.

45. The sound processor of claim 44, where the predetermined frequency range of the first audio signal and the frequency range of the second audio signal are unequal.

46. The sound processor of claim 44, where the predetermined frequency range of the first audio signal is less than the frequency range of the second audio signal.

47. The sound processor of claim 44, where the mixing means comprises a crossbar mixer, the crossbar mixer configured to combine the predetermined frequency range of the first audio signal with the second audio signal.

48. The sound processor of claim 47, where the mixing means comprises a post processing block, the crossbar mixer configured to receive and mix a plurality of real audio input signals to form the first and second audio signals and a virtual output signal, the virtual output signal processed by the post processing block to create the predetermined frequency range of the first audio signal.

49. The sound processor of claim 48, where the predetermined frequency range of the first audio signal is provided as a feedback input signal to the crossbar mixer, the crossbar mixer is configured to mix the feedback input signal with at least one of the real audio input signals to form the combination of the predetermined frequency range of the first audio signal and the second audio signal.

50. The sound processor of claim 44, where the combining means is a summer, the summer configured to combine the predetermined frequency range of the first audio signal with the second audio signal.

51. The sound processor of claim 50, where the mixing means comprises a crossbar mixer and a post processing block, the crossbar mixer is configured to form the first audio signal and the second audio signal, and the post processing block is configured to post process the first audio signal to form the predetermined frequency range of the first audio signal.

52. The sound processor of claim 44, where the mixing means comprises a first filter and a second filter configured to produce the predetermined frequency range of the first audio signal, the first filter is a high-pass filter with a center frequency of about 20 Hertz that is cooperatively operable with the second filter that is a low pass filter with a center frequency at about 100 Hertz.

53. A sound processor for use in a vehicle audio sound processing system, the sound processor comprising:

a crossbar mixer configured to generate a virtual output signal and a real audio output signal from a real audio input signal suppliable to the crossbar mixer;

a real post processing block configurable to process the real audio output signal;

a virtual post processing block configurable to process the virtual output signal; and

a summer configured to sum the virtual output signal and the real audio output signal to form an audio output capable of driving a loudspeaker, where the virtual output signal and the real audio output signal are summed after being processing by the post processing block.

54. The sound processor of claim 53, where the real and the virtual post processing blocks are configurable to filter the real audio and the virtual output signals, respectively.

55. The sound processor of claim 54, where the virtual post processing block is configured to filter the virtual output signal to obtain a predetermined frequency range of the virtual output signal that is a subset of the frequency range of the real audio output signal.

56. The sound processor of claim 53, where the virtual post processing block is configured to filter the virtual output signal to obtain a predetermined frequency range of the virtual output signal and the real post processing block is configured to filter the real audio output signal to obtain a predetermined frequency range of the real audio output signal.

57. The sound processor of claim 56, where the predetermined frequency range of the virtual output signal is a frequency response of a first transducer included in the loudspeaker and the predetermined frequency range of the real audio output signal is a frequency response of a second transducer included in the loudspeaker.

58. The sound processor of claim 53, where the virtual post processing block is configured to delay the virtual output signal by a first predetermined time period and the real post processing block is configured to delay the real audio output signal by a second predetermined time delay that is different than the first predetermined time delay.

59. The sound processor of claim 53, further comprising a signal magnitude control block coupled between the post processors and the summer, where the signal magnitude control block is configured to be adjustable to attenuate the real audio output signal without attenuation of the virtual output signal.

60. The sound processor of claim 53, further comprising a signal magnitude control block, where the volume, fade and balance of the real audio output signal and only the volume of the virtual output signal are controllable with the signal magnitude control block.

61. The sound processor of claim 53, further comprising a signal magnitude control block, where the volume, fade and balance of the real audio output signal and the virtual output signal are controllable with the signal magnitude control block.

62. The sound processor of claim 53, where the real audio input signal is a plurality of real audio input signals and the audio output capable of driving a loudspeaker is an equal number of audio outputs each capable of driving a respective loudspeaker.

63. The sound processor of claim 53, where the real audio input signal comprises a first fixed level input and a second fix level input and the audio output capable of driving a loudspeaker comprises more than two audio outputs capable of driving respective loudspeakers.

64. The sound processor of claim 53, where the loudspeaker comprises a first transducer and a second transducer, the virtual output signal is processed to obtain a predetermined frequency range to drive the first transducer and the real audio output signal is processed to obtain a predetermined frequency range to drive the second transducer.

65. A sound processor for use in a vehicle audio sound processing system, the sound processor comprising:

a memory device;

instructions stored in the memory device to divide a real audio input signal into a first real audio output signal and a virtual output signal;

instructions stored in the memory device to filter the real audio output signal to obtain a predetermined frequency range of the real audio output signal representative of a range of frequency response of a first transducer included in a loudspeaker;

instructions stored in the memory device to filter the virtual output signal to obtain a predetermined frequency range of the virtual output signal representative of a range of frequency response of a second transducer included in the loudspeaker;

instructions stored in memory device to combine the filtered real audio output signal and the filtered virtual output signal; and

instructions stored in the memory device to make available the combination of the filtered real audio output signal and the filtered virtual output signal to drive the loudspeaker.

66. The sound processor of claim 65, further comprising instructions stored in the memory device that provide for independent assignment of separate phase delay for each of the real audio output signal and the virtual output signal.

67. The sound processor of claim 65, where the combination of the filtered real audio output signal and the filtered virtual output signal form an audio signal provided on a single audio channel.

68. A sound processor for use in a vehicle audio sound processing system, the sound processor comprising:

a memory device;

instructions stored in the memory device to process a first audio signal to drive a first loudspeaker and process a second audio signal to drive a second loudspeaker;

instructions stored in the memory device to filter the first audio signal to obtain a predetermined frequency range of the first audio signal; and

instructions stored in the memory device to process the predetermined frequency range to also drive the second loudspeaker so that the second loudspeaker will be driven by the predetermined frequency range when the second audio signal is attenuated.

69. The sound processor of claim 68, further comprising instructions stored in the memory device to mix the predetermined frequency range with a real audio input signal with a crossbar matrix mixer to form the second audio signal.

70. The sound processor of claim 68, further comprising instructions stored in the memory device to sum the predetermined frequency range with the second audio signal with a summer.

71. A method of sound processing in a vehicle audio sound processing system, the method comprising:

processing a first audio signal to drive a first loudspeaker and a second audio signal to drive a second loudspeaker;

filtering the first audio signal to obtain a predetermined frequency range of the first audio signal; and

processing the predetermined frequency range to drive the second loudspeaker so that the second loudspeaker will be driven by the predetermined frequency range when the second audio signal is attenuated.

72. The method of claim 71, where processing the first and second audio signals comprises mixing at least one of the first and second audio signals at a predetermined gain to form an audio signal available to drive the respective first and second loudspeakers.

73. The method of claim 71, where filtering the first audio signal comprises applying at least one of a low pass filter or a high pass filter or combinations thereof to the first audio signal.

74. The method of claim 71, where processing the predetermined frequency range comprises summing the predetermined frequency range with the second audio signal with a summer.

75. The method of claim 71, where processing the predetermined frequency range comprises mixing the predetermined frequency range with the second audio signal with a crossbar mixer.

76. The method of claim 71, where processing the predetermined frequency range comprises mixing the at least one real audio signal with the predetermined frequency range to form the second audio signal.

77. A method of sound processing in a vehicle audio sound processing system, the method comprising:

driving a first loudspeaker with a first audio signal and a second loudspeaker with a second audio signal;

removing the first audio signal from driving the first loudspeaker; and

continuing to drive the first loudspeaker with a bass component of the second audio signal.

78. The method of claim 77, where the first audio signal comprises a right front audio signal and a left front audio signal and the second audio signal comprises a right rear audio signal and a left rear audio signal, and the bass component comprises a predetermined frequency range of the combination of the right and left rear audio signals.

79. The method of claim 77, where the first audio signal comprises a right rear audio signal and a left rear audio signal and the second audio signal comprises a right front audio signal and a left front audio signal, and the bass component comprises a predetermined frequency range of the combination of the right and left front audio signals.

80. The method of claim 77, where the first audio signal comprises a right audio signal and a left audio signal configured to drive a respective right first loudspeaker and left first loudspeaker and the bass component comprises a right bass summing component and a left bass summing component each of a predetermined range of frequency driving the respective right and left loudspeakers.

81. The method of claim 77, where the first loudspeaker is a front loudspeaker and the second loudspeaker is a rear loudspeaker.

82. The method of claim 77, where the first loudspeaker is a rear loudspeaker and the second loudspeaker is a front loudspeaker.

83. A method of sound processing in a vehicle audio sound processing system, the method comprising:

dividing a real audio input signal into a first real audio output signal and a virtual output signal;

filtering the real audio output signal to obtain a predetermined frequency range of the real audio output signal representative of a range of frequency response of a first transducer included in a loudspeaker;

filtering the virtual output signal to obtain a predetermined frequency range of the virtual output signal representative of a range of frequency response of a second transducer included in the loudspeaker;

combining the filtered real audio output signal and the filtered virtual output signal; and

making available the combination of the filtered real audio output signal and the filtered virtual output signal to drive the loudspeaker.

84. The method of claim 83, where filtering the real audio output signal and the virtual output signal comprises delaying the real audio output signal with a real post processing block and independently delaying the virtual output signal with a virtual post processing block to separately control phasing therebetween.

85. The method of claim 83, where filtering the real audio output signal and the virtual output signal comprises adjusting the phase delay between the real audio output signal and the virtual output signal.

86. The method of claim 83, where making available the combination comprises forming a single audio signal.

87. The method of claim 86, where forming a single audio signal comprises supplying the single audio signal on a single audio channel.