SIGNAL PROCESSING APPARATUS, SIGNAL PROCESSING METHOD, AND PROGRAM

• US 20120250900A1
• Filed: 03/22/2012
• Published: 10/04/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: SAKAI, Juri
• Granted Patent: US 9,277,318 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/122
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1083 Reduction of ambient noise active noise reduction per se G10K11/175; protective devices for the ear, e.g. providing acoustic protection A61F11/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2201/107 Monophonic and stereophonic headphones with microphone for two-way hands free communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2410/05 Noise reduction with a separate noise microphone
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2410/07 Mechanical or electrical reduction of wind noise generated by wind passing a microphone
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2460/01 Hearing devices using active noise cancellation
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2499/11 Transducers incorporated or for use in hand-held devices, e.g. mobile phones, PDA's, camera's
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2499/15 Transducers incorporated in visual displaying devices, e.g. televisions, computer displays, laptops
• 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

A signal processing apparatus includes a filter that performs filtering of a correction filter characteristic including a reverse characteristic of an output characteristic of a microphone on a signal acquired by the microphone.

Claims

1. A signal processing apparatus comprising a filter that performs filtering of a correction filter characteristic including a reverse characteristic of an output characteristic of a microphone on a signal acquired by the microphone.

2. The signal processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the filter is a filter having a constant group delay characteristic.

3. The signal processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the correction filter characteristic is the reverse characteristic of the output characteristic of the microphone.

4. The signal processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the correction filter characteristic is a characteristic obtained by combining the reverse characteristic of the output characteristic of the microphone and a reverse characteristic of a sound characteristic based on a structure surrounding the microphone.

5. The signal processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the correction filter characteristic is a characteristic obtained by combining the reverse characteristic of the output characteristic of the microphone and a predetermined sound characteristic.

6. The signal processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the predetermined sound characteristic is a sound characteristic of another microphone different from the microphone.

7. The signal processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a signal switching unit that selectively outputs a signal acquired by the microphone or an output signal of the filter.

8. The signal processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a filter characteristic switching unit that changes the correction filter characteristic of the filter, wherein a plurality of characteristics are provided as the correction filter characteristic of the filter.

9. A signal processing method comprising performing filtering of a correction filter characteristic including a reverse characteristic of an output characteristic of a microphone on a signal acquired by the microphone.

10. A program for causing a computer to function as a filter unit that performs filtering of a correction filter characteristic including a reverse characteristic of an output characteristic of a microphone on a signal acquired by the microphone.

11. A signal processing apparatus comprising a plurality of signal processing units that process signals acquired by a plurality of microphones,

wherein at least one of the plurality of signal processing units has a filter that performs filtering of a correction filter characteristic including a reverse characteristic of an output characteristic of a microphone on a signal acquired by the corresponding microphone.

12. The signal processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the filter is a filter having a constant group delay characteristic.

13. The signal processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the correction filter characteristic is the reverse characteristic of the output characteristic of the microphone.

14. The signal processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the correction filter characteristic is a characteristic obtained by combining the reverse characteristic of the output characteristic of the microphone and a predetermined sound characteristic.

15. The signal processing apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the predetermined sound characteristic is a sound characteristic of the other microphone different from the microphone.

16. The signal processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the signal processing unit having the filter further includes a signal switching unit that selectively outputs a signal acquired by the microphone or an output signal of the filter.

17. A signal processing apparatus comprising a signal processing unit that receives an input signal acquired by a microphone and outputs a result of filtering of a correction filter characteristic including a reverse characteristic of an output characteristic of a microphone on the signal,

wherein the signal processing unit has a communication unit that performs communication for the filtering between the signal processing unit and an external device connected to a network.

18. The signal processing apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the communication unit transmits the signal acquired by the microphone to the external device, and receives a result of the filtering from the external device.

19. The signal processing apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the communication unit receives a coefficient of the correction filter characteristic from the external device.