A DEVICE FOR AND A METHOD OF PROCESSING DATA

• US 20100226499A1
• Filed: 03/22/2007
• Published: 09/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Shenzhen TCL Creative Cloud Technology Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Streng, Johannes Hermannus, Aarts, Ronaldus Maria, Schobben, Daniel Willem Elisabeth, De Bruijn, Werner Paulus Josephus, Hoogenstraaten, Willem Franciscus Johannes
• Granted Patent: US 8,675,880 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/17
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/403 loud-speakers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2203/12 Beamforming aspects for stereophonic sound reproduction with loudspeaker arrays
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2430/20 Processing of the output signals of the acoustic transducers of an array for obtaining a desired directivity characteristic H04R2203/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/12 for distributing signals to two or more loudspeakers specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407
• 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 7/303 Tracking of listener position or orientation

Abstract

A device (100) for processing data, the device (100) comprising a detection unit (110) adapted for detecting individual reproduction modes indicative of a manner of reproducing the data separately for each of a plurality of human users, and a processing unit (120) adapted for processing the data to thereby generate reproducible data separately for each of the plurality of human users in accordance with the detected individual reproduction modes.

Claims

1. A device (100) for processing data, the device (100) comprising

a detection unit (110) adapted for detecting individual reproduction modes indicative of a manner of reproducing the data separately for each of a plurality of human users;

a processing unit (120) adapted for processing the data to thereby generate reproducible data separately for each of the plurality of human users in accordance with the detected individual reproduction modes.

2. The device (100) according to claim 1, comprising a reproduction unit (130 to 132) adapted for reproducing the generated reproducible data in a separate manner for each of the plurality of human users.

3. The device (100) according to claim 2, wherein the reproduction unit (130 to 132) is adapted for reproducing the generated reproducible data in at least one of the group consisting of a spatially selective manner, a spatially differentiated manner, and a spatially directive manner.

4. The device (100) according to claim 2, wherein the reproduction unit (130 to 132) comprises a spatial arrangement of a plurality of loudspeakers for reproducing audible data as the reproducible data.

5. The device (100) according to claim 1, adapted for processing data comprising at least one of the group consisting of audio data, video data, image data, and media data.

6. The device (100) according to claim 1, wherein the detection unit (110) comprises a plurality of remote control units, each of the plurality of remote control units being assigned to a respective one of the plurality of human users and being adapted for detecting a respective one of the individual reproduction modes.

7. The device (100) according to claim 2, wherein the detection unit (110) comprises a distance measuring unit adapted for measuring the distance between the reproduction unit (130 to 132) and each of the plurality of human users.

8. The device (100) according to claim 2, wherein the detection unit (110) comprises a direction measuring unit adapted for measuring a direction between the reproduction unit (130 to 132) and each of the plurality of human users.

9. The device (100) according to claim 1, wherein the detection unit (110) comprises an image recognition unit adapted for acquiring an image of each of the plurality of human users and adapted for recognizing each of the plurality of human users, thereby providing information for detecting the individual reproduction modes.

10. The device (100) according to claim 1, wherein the detection unit (110) comprises a plurality of, particularly wirelessly operating, identification units, each of the plurality of identification units being assigned to a respective one of the plurality of human users and being adapted for providing information for detecting a respective one of the individual reproduction modes.

11. The device (100) according to claim 1, wherein each of the individual reproduction modes is indicative of at least one of the group consisting of a data reproduction intensity, an audio data reproduction loudness, an audio data reproduction equalization, an image data reproduction brightness, an image data reproduction contrast, an image data reproduction color, and a data reproduction trick-play mode.

12. The device (100) according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit (120) is adapted to generate the reproducible data in accordance with at least one of the group consisting of a detected position, a detected direction, a detected activity, and a detected personal property of a respective one of the plurality of human users.

13. The device (100) according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit (120) is adapted to generate the reproducible data in accordance with an audio data level-versus-human user direction characteristic derived from the detected individual reproduction modes.

14. The device (100) according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit (903) is adapted to generate reproducible data separately for each of the plurality of human users with regard to data (901, 902) which differs for different ones of the plurality of human users.

15. The device (900) according to claim 13, wherein the processing unit (903) is adapted to generate the reproducible data implementing an Automatic Level Control for controlling a level difference with regard to the data (901, 902) which differs for different ones of the plurality of human users.

16. The device (900) according to claim 15, wherein the Automatic Level Control is adapted for controlling the level difference in two stages with different time parameters.

17. The device (900) according to claim 15, wherein the Automatic Level Control is adapted for controlling the level difference in dependence of an automatic content classification of the data (901, 902) which differs for different ones of the plurality of human users.

18. The device (900) according to claim 14, wherein the processing unit (903) is adapted to generate the reproducible data implementing an Automatic Level Control in such a manner to guarantee an intensity separation for different ones of the plurality of human users of at least a predetermined threshold value.

19. The device (900) according to claim 18, wherein the data (901, 902) is audio data, and wherein the predetermined threshold value is essentially 11 dB.

20. The device (900) according to claim 18, wherein the predetermined threshold value is user-controllable.

21. The device (100) according to claim 15, wherein the processing unit (903) is adapted to generate the reproducible data implementing a frequency-dependent Automatic Level Control.

22. The device (100) according to claim 1, realized as at least one of the group consisting of a television device, a video recorder, a monitor, a gaming device, a laptop, an audio player, a DVD player, a CD player, a hard disk-based media player, an internet radio device, a public entertainment device, an MP3 player, a hi-fi system, a vehicle entertainment device, a car entertainment device, a medical communication system, a body-worn device, a speech communication device, a home cinema system, and a music hall system.

23. A method of processing data, the method comprising:

detecting individual reproduction modes indicative of a manner of reproducing the data separately for each of a plurality of human users;

processing the data to thereby generate reproducible data separately for each of the plurality of human users in accordance with the detected individual reproduction modes.

24. A program element, which, when being executed by a processor (120), is adapted to control or carry out a method of processing data, the method comprising:

detecting individual reproduction modes indicative of a manner of reproducing the data separately for each of a plurality of human users;

processing the data to thereby generate reproducible data separately for each of the plurality of human users in accordance with the detected individual reproduction modes.

25. A computer-readable medium, in which a computer program is stored which, when being executed by a processor (120), is adapted to control or carry out a method of processing data, the method comprising:

detecting individual reproduction modes indicative of a manner of reproducing the data separately for each of a plurality of human users;

processing the data to thereby generate reproducible data separately for each of the plurality of human users in accordance with the detected individual reproduction modes.