Apparatus and method for generating a multichannel signal

• US 20100119072A1
• Filed: 11/10/2008
• Published: 05/13/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Ojanpera, Juha P.
• Granted Patent: US 8,861,739 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/17
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 19/008 Multichannel audio signal coding or decoding using interchannel correlation to reduce redundancy, e.g. joint-stereo, intensity-coding or matrixing
• 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 2400/15 Aspects of sound capture and related signal processing for recording or reproduction
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/302 Electronic adaptation of stereophonic sound system to listener position or orientation H04S7/301 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/305 Electronic adaptation of stereophonic audio signals to reverberation of the listening space H04S7/301 takes precedence

Abstract

An apparatus comprises a processor configured to receive a first audio signal and first location data, the first location data relating to a location of a source of the first audio signal; receive a second audio signal and second location data, the second location data relating to a location of a source of the second audio signal; receive selected location data relating to a selected location; and generate a multichannel signal in dependence on the first and second audio signals, the first and second location data and the selected location data.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising a processor configured to:

receive a first audio signal and first location data, the first location data relating to a location of a source of the first audio signal;

receive a second audio signal and second location data, the second location data relating to a location of a source of the second audio signal;

receive selected location data relating to a selected location; and

generate a multichannel signal in dependence on the first and second audio signals, the first and second location data and the selected location data.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to receive orientation data relating to a selected orientation;

and wherein the multichannel signal is generated in dependence on the first and second audio signals, the first and second location data, the selected location data and the orientation data.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to generate the multichannel signal by being configured to:

determine first and second direction vectors in dependence on the first and second audio signals, the first and second location data and the selected location data;

generate front left and left center signals in dependence on the first direction vector;

generate front right and right center signals in dependence on the second direction vector;

generate first and second ambience signals in dependence on the left and right center signals;

combine the first ambience signal with the front left signal to provide a first combined signal;

combine the second ambience signal with the front right signal to provide a second combined signal;

generate a signal for a first channel of the multichannel signal in dependence on the first combined signal;

generate a signal for a second channel of the multichannel signal in dependence on the second combined signal.

4. An apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the processor is further configured to add first and second reverberation components to the signals for the first and second channels of the multichannel signal respectively, wherein:

the first reverberation component comprises a delayed signal determined in dependence on the first ambience signal; and

the second reverberation component comprises a delayed signal determined in dependence on the second ambience signal.

5. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

provide a first scaled audio signal by scaling the first audio signal in dependence on a distance between the location of the source of the first audio signal and the selected location;

provide a second scaled audio signal by scaling the second audio signal in dependence on a distance between the location of the source of the second audio signal and the selected location;

generate the multichannel signal in dependence on the first and second scaled audio signals, the first and second location data and the selected location data.

6. An apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the processor is configured to:

scale the first audio signal in generally linear dependence on said distance between the source of the first audio signal and the selected location; and

scale the second audio signal in generally linear dependence on said distance between the source of the second audio signal and the selected location.

7. An apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the processor is configured to:

scale the first audio signal by attenuating the first audio signal;

scale the second audio signal by attenuating the second audio signal.

8. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus is a server or cooperating servers.

9. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the multichannel signal is a stereo signal.

10. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the multichannel signal has five channels.

11. A method comprising:

receiving a first audio signal and first location data, the first location data relating to a location of a source of the first audio signal;

receiving a second audio signal and second location data, the second location data relating to a location of a source of the second audio signal;

receiving selected location data relating to a selected location; and

generating a multichannel signal in dependence on the first and second audio signals, the first and second location data and the selected location data.

12. A method according to claim 11, further comprising receiving orientation data relating to a selected orientation;

wherein the multichannel signal is generated in dependence on the first and second audio signals, the first and second location data, the selected location data and the orientation data.

13. A method according to claim 11, further comprising:

determining first and second direction vectors in dependence on the first and second audio signals, the first and second location data and the selected location data;

determining front left and left center signals in dependence on the first direction vector;

determining front right and right center signals in dependence on the second direction vector;

determining first and second ambience signals in dependence on the left and right center signals;

combining the first ambience signal with the front left signal to provide a first combined signal;

combining the second ambience signal with front right signal to provide a second combined signal;

generating a signal for a first channel of the multichannel signal in dependence on the first combined signal; and

generating a signal for a second channel of the multichannel signal in dependence on the second combined signal.

14. A method according to claim 13, further comprising adding first and second reverberation components to the signals for the first and second channels of the multichannel signal respectively, wherein:

the first reverberation component comprises a delayed signal determined in dependence on the first ambience signal; and

the second reverberation component comprises a delayed signal determined in dependence on the second ambience signal.

15. A method according to claim 11, further comprising:

providing a first scaled audio signal by scaling the first audio signal in dependence on a distance between the location of the source of the first audio signal and the selected location;

providing a second scaled audio signal by scaling the second audio signal in dependence on the distance between the location of the source of the second audio signal and the selected location; and

generating the multichannel signal in dependence on the first and second scaled audio signals, the first and second location data and the selected location data.

16. A method according to claim 15, wherein:

the first audio signal is scaled in generally linear dependence on said distance between the source of the first audio signal and the selected location;

the second audio signal is scaled in generally linear dependence on said distance between the source of the second audio signal and the selected location;

17. A method according to claim 15, further comprising:

scaling the first audio signal by attenuating the first audio signal;

scaling the second audio signal by attenuating the second audio signal.

18. A method according to claim 11, wherein the multichannel signal is a stereo signal.

19. A method according to claim 11, wherein the multichannel signal has five channels.

20. A system comprising:

a server; and

a terminal;

wherein the terminal is configured to transmit selected location data relating to a selected location to said server; and

wherein the server comprises a processor configured to;

receive a first audio signal and first location data, the first location data relating to a location of a source of the first audio signal;

receive a second audio signal and second location data, the second location data relating to a location of a source of the second audio signal;

receive the selected location data from the terminal;

generate a multichannel signal in dependence on the first and second audio signals, the first and second location data and the selected location data; and

transmit the generated multichannel signal to the terminal.

21. A method comprising:

transmitting from a terminal to a server selected location data relating to a selected location; and

at the server, receiving a first audio signal and first location data, the first location data relating to a location of a source of the first audio signal;

at the server, receiving a second audio signal and second location data, the second location data relating to a location of a source of the second audio signal;

at the server, receiving the selected location data from the terminal;

at the server, generating a multichannel signal in dependence on the first and second audio signals, the first and second location data and the selected location data; and

transmitting the generated multichannel signal from the server to the terminal.

22. An apparatus comprising:

means for receiving a first audio signal and first location data, the first location data relating to a location of a source of the first audio signal;

means for receiving a second audio signal and second location data, the second location data relating to a location of a source of the second audio signal;

means for receiving selected location data relating to a selected location; and

means for generating a multichannel signal in dependence on the first and second audio signals, the first and second location data and the selected location data.

23. An apparatus according to claim 22, further comprising means for receiving orientation data relating to a selected orientation;

and wherein the multichannel signal is generated in dependence on the first and second audio signals, the first and second location data, the selected location data and the orientation data.

24. An apparatus according to claim 22, further comprising:

means for determining first and second direction vectors in dependence on the first and second audio signals, the first and second location data and the selected location data;

means for generating front left and left center signals in dependence on the first direction vector;

means for generating front right and right center signals in dependence on the second direction vector;

means for generating first and second ambience signals in dependence on the left and right center signals;

means for combining the first ambience signal with the front left signal to provide a first combined signal;

means for combining the second ambience signal with the front right signal to provide a second combined signal;

means for generating a signal for a first channel of the multichannel signal in dependence on the first combined signal;

means for generating a signal for a second channel of the multichannel signal in dependence on the second combined signal.

25. An apparatus according to claim 24, further comprising means for adding first and second reverberation components to the signals for the first and second channels of the multichannel signal respectively, wherein:

the first reverberation component comprises a delayed signal determined in dependence on the first ambience signal; and

the second reverberation component comprises a delayed signal determined in dependence on the second ambience signal.

26. An apparatus according to claim 22, further comprising:

means for providing a first scaled audio signal by scaling the first audio signal in dependence on a distance between the location of the source of the first audio signal and the selected location;

means for providing a second scaled audio signal by scaling the second audio signal in dependence on a distance between the location of the source of the second audio signal and the selected location;

means for generating the multichannel signal in dependence on the first and second scaled audio signals, the first and second location data and the selected location data.