Adapted audio response
First Claim
1. A method for processing an audio signal comprising:
- receiving the audio signal;
monitoring an acoustic signal that includes components of an interfering signal and the audio signal;
generating a processed audio signal including compressing the audio signal at a first compression ratio when the audio signal is at a first level determined from the monitored acoustic signal and compressing the audio signal at a second compression ratio when the audio signal is above a second level determined from the monitored acoustic signal, the first level being lower than the second level and the first compression ratio being at least three times greater than the second compression ratio.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Adapting an audio response addresses perceptual effects of an interfering signal, such as of a residual ambient noise or other interference in an earpiece of a headphone. In one aspect, an input audio signal is presented substantially unmodified when it is at levels substantially above the interfering signal and is compressed when at or below the level of the interfering signal. The approach can make use of a measured level of an acoustic signal, for example, within an earpiece of a headset, and use the measured level in conjunction with the level of an input audio signal to determine compression characteristics without requiring separation of an interfering signal present in the monitored acoustic signal from a component related to the input audio signal. In another aspect, presentation characteristics of an input audio signal are determined to reduce distraction from an interfering signal, such as from a background conversation.
172 Citations
63 Claims
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1. A method for processing an audio signal comprising:
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receiving the audio signal;
monitoring an acoustic signal that includes components of an interfering signal and the audio signal;
generating a processed audio signal including compressing the audio signal at a first compression ratio when the audio signal is at a first level determined from the monitored acoustic signal and compressing the audio signal at a second compression ratio when the audio signal is above a second level determined from the monitored acoustic signal, the first level being lower than the second level and the first compression ratio being at least three times greater than the second compression ratio. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. An audio processing system comprising:
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an input for receiving an audio signal;
a microphone for monitoring an acoustic signal, the acoustic signal including components of an interfering signal and the audio signal;
a compressor circuit for compressing the audio signal at a first compression ratio when the audio signal is at a first level determined from the monitored acoustic signal and compressing the audio signal at a second compression ratio when the audio signal is above a second level determined from the monitored acoustic signal, the first level being lower than the second level and the first compression ratio being at least three times greater than the second compression ratio. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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32. A method for audio processing comprising:
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receiving an audio signal;
monitoring an acoustic signal that is related to the audio signal;
determining a threshold level according to a relationship between a level of the audio signal and a level of the acoustic signal; and
processing the audio signal by compressing the audio signal when the threshold level is below a first level and maintaining the audio signal substantially unmodified when the threshold level is above a second level. - View Dependent Claims (33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44)
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45. A method for audio processing comprising:
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receiving an audio signal;
monitoring an acoustic signal that includes components related to the audio signal and an interfering signal;
determining a relationship between a level of the audio signal and a level of the acoustic signal without separating the components related to the audio signal and the interfering signal; and
generating a processed audio signal by processing the audio signal according to the relationship to reduce a masking effect of the interfering signal. - View Dependent Claims (46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58)
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59. A masking module comprising:
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a first input for receiving an audio signal;
a second input for receiving a microphone signal that includes components related to the audio signal and an interfering signal; and
a correlator for processing the audio signal according to a level of the microphone signal and a level of a modified audio signal, a level of the modified audio signal being controlled to reduce a masking effect of the interfering signal. - View Dependent Claims (60, 61, 62, 63)
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Specification