AUDIO ADJUSTMENT SYSTEM

• US 20130097510A1
• Filed: 08/22/2012
• Published: 04/18/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DTS, Inc. (Xperi Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dts Lls
• Inventors: Maling, Robert C. III, Tracey, James, Noh, Daekyoung
• Granted Patent: US 9,823,892 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/727
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• 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: H04L 12/282 based on user interaction within the home receiver circuitry for displaying additional information being controlled by a remote control apparatus H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4852 for modifying audio parameters, e.g. switching between mono and stereo
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/602 for digital sound signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2227/003 Digital PA systems using, e.g. LAN or internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2227/005 Audio distribution systems for home, i.e. multi-room use
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/09 Applications of special connectors, e.g. USB, XLR, in loudspeakers, microphones or headphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2430/01 Aspects of volume control, not necessarily automatic, in sound systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2499/13 Acoustic transducers and sound field adaptation in vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2499/15 Transducers incorporated in visual displaying devices, e.g. televisions, computer displays, laptops
• 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 29/008 Visual indication of individual signal levels visual indication of stereophonic sound image H04S7/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/04 for correcting frequency response
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/04 Circuit arrangements, e.g. for selective connection of amplifier inputs/outputs to loudspeakers, for loudspeaker detection, or for adaptation of settings to personal preferences or hearing impairments combinations of amplifiers H03F3/68; stereophonic systems H04S

Abstract

An audio adjustment system is provided that can output a user interface customized by the provider of the audio system instead of the electronic device manufacturer. Such an arrangement can save both field engineers and manufacturers a significant amount of time. Advantageously, in certain embodiments, such an audio adjustment system can be provided without knowledge of the electronic device'"'"'s firmware. Instead, the audio adjustment system can communicate with the electronic device through an existing audio interface in the electronic device to enable a user to control audio enhancement parameters in the electronic device. For instance, the audio adjustment system can control the electronic device via an audio input jack on the electronic device.

Claims

1. A method of communicating audio enhancement settings to an audio device, the method comprising:

by a first device comprising one or more processors;

outputting an adjustment user interface for presentation to a user, the adjustment user interface configured to provide functionality for a user to adjust audio enhancement parameters of one or more audio enhancements installed in a second device;

receiving, through the adjustment user interface, a selection from the user of an adjusted value of a selected one of the audio enhancement parameters;

encoding the adjusted value of the selected audio enhancement parameter in an audio signal; and

communicating the audio signal to the second device, thereby enabling the second device to set the selected audio enhancement parameter to the adjusted value.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said communicating the audio signal to the second device comprises communicating the audio signal through an audio output port of the first device to an audio input port of the second device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said communicating the audio signal to the second device comprises communicating the audio signal over a network to the second device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said communicating the audio signal to the second device comprises communicating the audio signal from a speaker of the first device to a microphone of the second device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said encoding the adjusted value comprises including a trigger signal in the audio signal, the trigger signal configured to cause the second device to decode the audio signal.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said encoding comprises modulating the adjusted value with audio frequency shift keying (AFSK).

7. A system for communicating audio enhancement settings to an audio device, the system comprising:

an adjustment module configured to provide functionality for a user to adjust audio enhancement parameters of one or more audio enhancements installed in an audio device and to receive a selection from the user of an adjusted value of a selected one of the audio enhancement parameters; and

a communications module comprising one or more processors, the communications module configured to encode the adjusted value of the selected audio enhancement parameter in an audio signal and communicate the audio signal to the audio device, thereby enabling the audio device to set the selected audio enhancement parameter to the adjusted value.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the adjustment module is further configured to provide functionality for the user to access values of the audio enhancement parameters currently set in the audio device.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the communications module is further configured to output the audio signal via one or more of the following:

an audio output port, a speaker, and a network connection.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the output port is selected from the group consisting of:

a speaker jack, an RCA audio interface, an HDMI interface, a DVI interface, a coaxial cable interface, a USB interface, and a SCART interface.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the communications module is further configured to encode the adjusted value using an error correction coder.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the adjusted value comprises one or more of the following:

a gain value, a filter coefficient, a parametric equalization coefficient, an equalizer band level, a left-right channel balance, a surround sound balance, a decoder setting, an encoder setting, and a speaker-specific setting.

13. The system of claim 7, wherein the communications module is further configured to encode the adjusted value with a trigger signal in the audio signal, the trigger signal configured to cause the audio device to decode the audio signal.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the trigger signal represents a passcode.

15. Non-transitory physical electronic storage comprising instructions stored thereon that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to implement a system for communicating audio enhancement settings to an audio device, the system comprising:

an adjustment module in a first device comprising one or more processors, the adjustment module configured to specify an adjustment for an audio enhancement installed in a second device in communication with the first device; and

a communications module in the first device, the communications module configured to encode the adjustment in an audio signal and communicate the audio signal to the second device, thereby enabling the second device to implement the adjustment;

wherein said communicating the audio signal to the second device comprises communicating the audio signal through an audio output port of the first device to an audio input port of the second device.

16. The non-transitory physical electronic storage of claim 15, wherein the adjustment module is further configured to output a user interface configured to provide functionality for the user to input the adjustment.

17. The non-transitory physical electronic storage of claim 16, wherein the adjustment comprises a value of a parameter of the audio enhancement.

18. The non-transitory physical electronic storage of claim 16, wherein the adjustment comprises an instruction to disable the audio enhancement.

19. The non-transitory physical electronic storage of claim 18,

wherein the first device is further configured to enhance an audio signal using a second audio enhancement to produce an enhanced audio signal and to provide the enhanced audio signal to the second device, and

wherein the adjustment module specifies the adjustment to disable the audio enhancement installed in the second device due to the second audio enhancement already being applied to the audio signal.

20. The non-transitory physical electronic storage of claim 19, wherein the first device is an audiovisual receiver, and wherein the second device is a television.

21. A system for communicating audio-visual settings to an electronic device, the system comprising:

an adjustment module configured to provide functionality for a user to adjust one or both of audio parameters or video parameters in an electronic device and to receive a selection from the user of an adjusted value of a selected one of the audio or video parameters; and

a communications module comprising one or more processors, the communications module configured to encode a command for adjusting the adjusted value of the selected audio or video parameter in an audio signal and to communicate the audio signal to the electronic device, thereby enabling the electronic device to set the selected audio or visual parameter to the adjusted value.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the communications module is further configured to provide a trigger signal in the audio signal.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the trigger signal is configured to enable detection of the command for adjusting the adjusted value in the audio signal.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein the trigger signal is configured to enable communications synchronization in the electronic device.

25. The system of claim 22, wherein a level of the trigger signal is configured to be used to interpret amplitude of the audio signal.