System and method for microphone gain adjust based on speaker orientation

• US 20060133623A1
• Filed: 02/06/2006
• Published: 06/22/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Gal Ashour, Xiaoyong Fu
• Original Assignee: Gal Ashour, Xiaoyong Fu
• Inventors: Amir, Arnon, Ashour, Gal
• Application Number:
  US11/349,413
• Publication Number:
  US 20060133623A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/92
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 29/004 for microphones H04R29/007 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/00 Circuits for transducers , loudspeakers or microphones

Abstract

A system and method for automatically adjusting the gain of an audio system as a speaker'"'"'s head moves relative to a microphone includes using a video of the speaker to determine an orientation of the speaker'"'"'s head relative to the microphone and, hence, a gain adjust signal. The gain adjust signal is then applied to the audio system that is associated with the microphone to dynamically and continuously adjust the gain the audio system.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for generating a gain adjust signal to establish an audio output level, comprising:

receiving at least one person-microphone position signal representative of a position of a person relative to a microphone;

determining a gain adjust signal based at least in part on the person-microphone position signal; and

using the gain adjust signal to establish the audio output level, wherein the gain adjust signal is determined based at least partially on at least one of;

an orientation of a person'"'"'s head relative to the microphone, or a head location relative to a direction of sensitivity of a microphone.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the person-microphone position signal is derived from a video system.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

recording at least one calibration person-microphone position signal;

recording at least one calibration audio level; and

using the calibration signal and calibration level, generating at least one mapping.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising using the mapping to generate at least one gain adjust signal based on at least one person-microphone position signal.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the gain adjust signal is determined contemporaneously with a recording of the person.

28. The method of claim 1, wherein the gain adjust signal is determined by selecting one of several microphone outputs based on head position.

3. (canceled)

6. A computer-implemented method for generating a gain adjust signal to establish an audio output level, comprising:

receiving at least one person-microphone position signal representative of a position of a person relative to a microphone;

determining a gain adjust signal based at least in part on the person-microphone position signal; and

using the gain adjust signal to establish the audio output level, wherein the person-microphone position signal is derived from a motion sensing system or an orientation sensing system.

7. A computer-implemented method for generating a gain adjust signal to establish an audio output level, comprising:

receiving at least one person-microphone position signal representative of a position of a person relative to a microphone;

determining a gain adjust signal based at least in part on the person-microphone position signal; and

using the rain adjust signal to establish the audio output level, wherein the person-microphone position signal is derived from a laser system.

9-16. -16. (canceled)

17. A computer program product including:

computer readable code means for receiving light reflection signals representative of light reflected from a person and light reflected from a microphone;

computer readable code means for, based on the light reflection signals, determining an orientation signal; and

computer readable code means for generating an audio gain adjust signal based on the orientation signal.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, further comprising:

.

computer readable code means for recording at least one calibration person-microphone position signal;

computer readable code means for recording at least calibration one audio level; and

computer readable code means for, using the calibration signal and calibration level, generating at least one mapping.

19. The computer program-product of claim 18, further comprising computer readable code means for using the mapping to generate at least one gain adjust signal based on at least one person-microphone position signal.

20-23. -23. (canceled)

24. An audio system, comprising:

at least one microphone electrically connected to at least one audio amplifier having at least one audio gain;

at least one source of person-microphone position signals representative of at least one of;

the angle between the head of a person and the microphone, or a head location relative to a direction of sensitivity of the microphone; and

at least one processor receiving signals from the source and establishing the audio gain in response thereto.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the source is a video camera.

26. The system of claim 24, wherein the source is a motion sensing system of a laser system or a position sensing system or an orientation sensing system or a distance sensing system.

27. The system of claim 24, further comprising a slow adjust filter using an audio stream to generate a slow gain adjust signal.

29. The system of claim 24, wherein the source is an illumination-based pupil detector or a face detector.