AUDIO SIGNAL PROCESSING DEVICE, AUDIO SIGNAL PROCESSING SYSTEM, AND AUDIO SIGNAL PROCESSING METHOD

• US 20110033061A1
• Filed: 07/29/2009
• Published: 02/10/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Inventors: Suzuki, Takashi, Iwase, Hiroyuki, Fukui, Mitsuru, Sone, Takuro, Nakayama, Kei, Sakurada, Shinya
• Granted Patent: US 8,737,638 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/81
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/0058 Transmission between separate instruments or between individual components of a musical system G10H1/0083 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/366 with means for modifying or correcting the external signal, e.g. pitch correction, reverberation, changing a singer's voice
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/46 Volume control
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/041 File watermark, i.e. embedding a hidden code in an electrophonic musical instrument file or stream for identification or authentification purposes audio watermarking G10L19/018
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/115 Instrument identification, i.e. recognizing an electrophonic musical instrument, e.g. on a network, by means of a code, e.g. IMEI, serial number, or a profile describing its capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 3/186 Means for processing the signal picked up from the strings filtering G10H1/12
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 19/018 Audio watermarking, i.e. embedding inaudible data in the audio signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2227/003 Digital PA systems using, e.g. LAN or internet
• 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: H04R 3/005 for combining the signals of two or more microphones specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/04 for correcting frequency response

Abstract

An audio signal processing device includes multiple input reception units to which analog audio signals, on which watermark information indicating identification information is superimposed, are input, an extraction unit that is adapted to extract the identification information from each of the analog audio signals input to the multiple input reception units, and a display unit for performing display depending on the identification information extracted by the extraction unit in correspondence with the input reception unit to which the analog audio signal, from which the identification information is extracted, is input, or signal processing unit for performing signal processing depending on the identification information extracted by the extraction unit for the analog audio signal, from which the relevant identification information is extracted, and outputting the processed analog audio signal.

Claims

1. A display device comprising:

multiple input reception units to which respective analog audio signals, on which watermark information indicating its own identification information is superimposed, are input from respective audio devices;

an extraction unit that is adapted to extract the identification information from the respective analog audio signals input to the multiple input reception units; and

a display unit that is adapted to perform display depending on the identification information extracted by the extraction unit in correspondence with the input reception unit to which the analog audio signal, from which the identification information is extracted, is input.

2. An audio signal processing device comprising:

the display device defined in claim 1; and

a signal processing unit that is adapted to perform signal processing set in advance for the analog audio signal input to the input reception unit and output the processed analog audio signal.

3. The audio signal processing device according to claim 2,

wherein the signal processing unit performs signal processing depending on the identification information extracted by the extraction unit for the analog audio signal from which the identification information is extracted.

5. The audio signal processing device according to claim 2,

wherein the signal processing unit mixes the analog audio signals subjected to the signal processing each other and outputs the mixed analog audio signal.

6. The audio signal processing device according to claim 2, further comprising

a removal unit that is adapted to remove the watermark information superimposed on the respective analog audio signals.

7. The audio signal processing device according to claim 6, further comprising

a re-superimposition unit that is adapted to superimpose, on the analog audio signal from which the watermark information is removed by the removal unit, the watermark information.

8. The audio signal processing device according to claim 7,

wherein the signal processing unit performs signal processing for the analog audio signal from which the watermark information is removed by the removal unit, and

the re-superimposition unit superimposes, on the analog audio signal which has been subjected to signal processing by the signal processing unit, the watermark information.

9. An audio signal processing system comprising:

the audio signal processing device according to claim 2;

an identification information superimposition device including an identification information superimposition unit that is adapted to superimpose watermark information indicating identification information on analog audio signals to be supplied and output the resultant analog audio signals; and

a transmission unit that is adapted to transmit the analog audio signals output from the identification information superimposition unit and input the analog audio signals to the input reception unit.

10. The audio signal processing system according to claim 9,

wherein the identification information superimposition device further includes multiple input terminals to which the respective analog audio signals to be supplied are input and which are provided in correspondence with the input reception unit, and

when the analog audio signals which are input to the respective input terminals and output with the watermark information superimposed thereon are mixed, the identification information superimposition unit superimposes the watermark information on the respective analog audio signals input to the respective input terminals such that the watermark information superimposed on one analog audio signal does not interfere with the watermark information superimposed on another audio signal.

11. The audio signal processing system according to claim 9, wherein

the identification information superimposition device further includes:

multiple input terminals to which the analog audio signals to be supplied are input and which are provided in correspondence with the respective input reception units; and

a setting unit that is adapted to set identification information in correspondence with the respective input terminals, and

for each of the analog audio signals to be supplied, the watermark information superimposed by the identification information superimposition unit indicates the identification information which is set in correspondence with the input terminal to which the analog audio signal is supplied.

14. The display device according to claim 1, comprising:

a manipulation unit for inputting specific identification information different from the identification information;

a mixing unit that is adapted to mix the analog audio signals input from the input reception unit each other;

a superimposition unit that is adapted to superimpose the specific identification information input from the manipulation unit on the analog audio signals mixed by the mixing unit; and

an output unit that outputs the analog audio signals superimposed by the superimposition unit.

4. An audio signal processing device comprising:

multiple input reception units to which respective analog audio signals, on which watermark information indicating its own identification information is superimposed, are input from respective audio devices;

an extraction unit that is adapted to extract the identification information from the respective analog audio signals input to the multiple input reception units; and

a signal processing unit that is adapted to perform signal processing depending on the identification information extracted by the extraction unit for the analog audio signal, from which the identification information is extracted, and output the processed analog audio signal.

15. The audio signal processing device according to claim 4, comprising:

a manipulation unit for inputting specific identification information different from the identification information;

a mixing unit that is adapted to mix the analog audio signals input from the input reception unit each other;

a superimposition unit that is adapted to superimpose the specific identification information input from the manipulation unit on the analog audio signal mixed by the mixing unit; and

an output unit that outputs the analog audio signals superimposed by the superimposition unit.

16. The audio signal processing device according to claim 15, further comprising

a removal unit that is adapted to remove the identification information from the analog audio signals input from the input reception unit, wherein

the mixing unit mixes the analog audio signals each other after the removal unit has removed the identification information.

17. The audio signal processing device according to claim 15, further comprising

a demodulation unit that is adapted to demodulate the analog audio signals input from the input reception unit to acquire the identification information, wherein

the superimposition unit superimposes the specific identification information input from the manipulation unit and the identification information acquired by the demodulation unit on the analog audio signals mixed by the mixing unit.

18. The audio signal processing device according to claim 15, further comprising

a display unit for displaying the identification information input from the input reception unit.

19. The audio signal processing device according to claim 4,

wherein the signal processing unit includes multiple signal processing units, each of which process the respective analog audio signals, and

the audio signal processing device includes:

a scene memory in which scene data including association information between the multiple signal processing units and the respective audio devices are stored;

an identification information detection unit that is adapted to detect the audio device connected to each of the input reception units on the basis of the identification information extracted by the extraction unit; and

a connection control unit that is adapted to respectively connect the input reception units to the signal processing units on the basis of the detection result of the identification information detection unit such that each of the audio devices connected to the multiple input reception unit is connected to the signal processing unit according to the association information.

20. The audio signal processing device according to claim 4,

wherein the signal processing unit includes multiple signal processing units that are respectively connected to the multiple input reception units and each perform audio signal processing based on signal processing parameters, and

the audio signal processing device includes:

a scene memory in which signal processing parameters for audio signals of the respective audio devices are stored;

an identification information detection unit that is adapted to detect the audio device connected to the respective input reception units on the basis of the identification information extracted by the extraction unit; and

a control unit that sets signal processing parameters corresponding to the signal processing units on the basis of the detection result of the identification information detection unit such that signal processing corresponding to the audio signal of each of the audio devices is performed.

21. The audio signal processing device according to claim 19,

wherein, when the identification information extracted from the input analog audio signal does not completely coincide with the identification information stored in the storage unit, the connection control unit retrieves an alternative signal processing unit on the basis of the extracted identification information and connects the retrieved alternative signal processing unit and the relevant input terminal.

22. The audio signal processing device according to claim 21,

wherein the identification information includes a unique number of the relevant audio device, and

the connection control unit retrieves identification information in which at least a part of information other than the unique number coincides with the extracted identification information, and retrieves the alternative signal processing unit.

23. A signal processing system comprising:

the audio signal processing device according to claim 21; and

an external server which is connected to the audio signal processing device, wherein

the identification information superimposed on the analog audio unit input to the input reception signal is the unique number of the relevant audio device,

the external server includes a database in which the unique numbers of multiple audio devices and identification information of the audio devices associated with the unique numbers are stored,

when the unique number extracted from the input analog audio signal does not coincide with the identification information stored in the scene memory, the connection control unit of the audio signal processing device references the database using the extracted unique number and references the scene memory using the identification information acquired from the database to retrieve the alternative signal processing unit, and

the retrieved alternative signal processing unit and the relevant input terminal are connected to each other.

27. An acoustic system comprising:

multiple audio devices which form a closed loop; and

the audio signal processing device according to claim 4, wherein

each of the multiple audio devices superimposes characteristic information indicating the gain characteristic of output with respect to input of the audio device as the identification information on the analog audio signal and outputs the resultant analog audio signal.

28. The acoustic system according to claim 27,

wherein the signal processing unit of the audio signal processing device demodulates the characteristic information of the audio devices from the input analog audio signals to estimate the gain characteristic of the closed loop, and corrects the analog audio signals with the inverse characteristic of the estimated gain characteristic.

29. The acoustic system according to claim 27, wherein

the audio devices include multiple microphones, and

for each of the analog audio signals output from the microphones, the signal processing unit corrects the relevant analog audio signal.

30. The acoustic system according to claim 28, wherein

the multiple audio devices superimpose information for identifying the audio devices as the identification information on the analog audio signals and output the resultant analog audio signals, and

the signal processing unit stores the identification information and the characteristic information in association with each other for the respective audio devices in advance, and demodulates the identification information of the audio devices from the input analog audio signals and acquires the characteristic information corresponding to the identification information of the audio devices to estimate the gain characteristic of the closed loop.

12. A display method comprising:

an input reception step in which analog audio signals, on which watermark information indicating its own identification information is superimposed, are input from respective audio devices to multiple input reception units;

an extraction step of extracting the identification information from each of the analog audio signals input to the multiple input reception units; and

a display step of performing display depending on the identification information extracted in the extraction step in correspondence with the input reception unit to which the analog audio signal, from which the identification information is extracted, is input.

13. An audio signal processing method comprising:

an input reception step in which analog audio signals, on which watermark information indicating its own identification information is superimposed, are input from respective audio devices to multiple input reception units;

an extraction step of extracting the identification information from each of the analog audio signals input to the multiple input reception units; and

a signal processing step of performing signal processing depending on the identification information extracted in the extraction step for the analog audio signal from which the identification information is extracted and outputting the processed analog audio signal.

24. An audio signal processing system, comprising:

an audio signal output device;

an audio signal processing device; and

a server device, wherein

the audio signal output device includes identification information storage unit for storing identification information, and identification information superimposition unit for superimposing the identification information read from the identification information storage unit on analog audio signals and outputting the resultant analog audio signals,

the audio signal processing device includes an extraction unit for extracting the identification information from the analog audio signals output from the audio signal output device, and a first communication unit for transmitting the identification information to the server device,

the server device includes a setting information storage unit in which setting information, that corresponds to the identification information of the audio signal processing device for setting adjustment parameters from the analog audio signals, are stored in advance, and a second communication unit for, if the identification information is received from the audio signal processing device, transmitting the setting information corresponding to the identification information to the audio signal processing device, and

the audio signal processing device further includes a signal processing unit for, if the first communication unit receives the setting information corresponding to the identification information transmitted to the server device from the server device, setting the adjustment parameters of the analog audio signal in accordance with the setting information.

25. The audio signal processing system according to claim 24,

wherein, in the server device, default setting information is stored in the setting information storage unit, and when the setting information corresponding to the identification information is not stored in the setting information storage unit, the second communication unit transmits the default setting information to the audio signal processing device.

26. The audio signal processing system according to claim 24,

wherein the audio signal processing device includes a manipulation unit for setting or changing the adjustment parameters of the audio signals, and if the adjustment parameters of the audio signals are set or changed by the manipulation unit, the first communication unit transmits the setting information of the adjustment parameters and the identification information to the server device, and

if the second communication unit receives the setting information of the adjustment parameters and the identification information from the audio signal processing device, the server device causes the setting information storage unit to store the setting information and the identification information in association with each other.