Audio downmix apparatus with dynamic-range control and method for the same

• US 20050117759A1
• Filed: 01/22/2004
• Published: 06/02/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ali SPA (Bessemer Group Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Ali SPA (Bessemer Group Incorporated)
• Inventors: Wu, Gin-Der
• Granted Patent: US 7,403,627 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/119
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 7/007 of digital or coded signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 1/002 Non-adaptive circuits, e.g. manually adjustable or static, for enhancing the sound image or the spatial distribution control circuits for electronic adaptation of the sound field H04S7/30

Abstract

A method for audio downmix apparatus with dynamic-range control includes steps as follows. The procedure first calculates the power of a surround audio channel and a central audio channel and then estimates whether a gain of the surround audio channel and the central audio channel saturate or not. When the gain is saturated, the procedure enters a step for adjusting a gain of dynamic range control; while the gain is not saturated, the procedure enters a saturation process. After the step of adjusting a gain of dynamic range control, then processes a gain calculation; and then changes the gain and estimates whether the gain reaches a default value or not. When the gain reaches the default value, then the gain will be outputted. When the gain does not reach the default value, continues to process the gain calculation and change the gain.

Claims

1. An audio mixing apparatus with dynamic-range control and used to transform an input signal to an output signal, comprising:

a gain attenuation unit used to attenuate a first input signal with a predetermined ratio;

a downmix unit used to mix an output signal of the gain attenuation unit;

a rectification unit used to inversely rectify a second input signal and produces an absolute value for the second input signal;

a power gain computing unit used to calculate the power gain of an output signal of the rectification unit; and

a gain adjusting unit used to adjust an output audio signal of the gain adjustment unit by the absolute value of the downmix unit and an output of the power gain compute unit;

whereby the first input signal is inputted into the gain attenuation unit and the downmix unit for producing an output signal to the gain adjustment unit;

the second input signal is processed by the rectification unit and the power gain compute unit to produce a gain value, then the gain value is inputted the gain value to the gain adjustment unit;

the gain adjusting unit adjusts and outputs an output gain based on the gain value.

2. The audio apparatus for downmix as in claim 1, wherein the rectification unit rectifies the input signal with inversing a plurality of negative parts of the input signal and produces an absolute value.

3. A method for audio downmix with dynamic-range control transforming, an audio input signal to an output signal, comprising steps as follows:

calculating power values of a plurality of surround audio channels and a central audio channel;

adjusting a gain of dynamic range control;

processing a calculation of the gain; and

obtaining a gain which is a correct gain value.

4. The method for audio downmix with dynamic-range control as in claim 3, wherein the surround audio channels comprise a left surround audio channel and a right surround audio channel.

5. The method for downmix as in claim 3, further comprising a step for estimating saturation state of the surround audio channel in the calculating step.

6. The method for downmix as in claim 5, wherein the step of processing a calculation of the gain is to estimate whether the left surround audio channel, the right surround audio channel and the central surround audio channel are saturated or not;

when saturated, a saturation procedure is executed.

7. The method for downmix as in claim 3, wherein the adjusting step inverses a plurality of negative parts of the input signal and then produce an absolute value.

8. The method for downmix as in claim 3, wherein the processing step further comprising:

changing the gain in the processing step and outputting an output gain; and

estimating whether the output gain in the changing step reaches a default value or not.

9. The method for downmix as in claim 8, wherein in the estimating step, when the output gain reaches the default value, then process the obtaining step as in claim 3;

when the output gain reaches the default value, then return to the processing step as in claim 3.

10. A method for downmix as in claim 8, wherein the default value is between one and two.

11. A method for downmix as in claim 8, wherein the gain is changed in a fade-in or fade-out manner in the changing step.