AUTOMATED AUDIO VOLUME STABILIZER

• US 20160254795A1
• Filed: 02/27/2015
• Published: 09/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Charter Communications Operating LLC (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Charter Communications Operating LLC (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Inventors: BALLARD, JUSTIN EARL
• Granted Patent: US 10,824,385 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 3/04 in untuned amplifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 7/002 in untuned or low-frequency amplifiers, e.g. audio amplifiers H03G7/007, H03G7/001, H03G7/008, H03G7/02, H03G7/06 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4392 involving audio buffer management
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4394 involving operations for analysing the audio stream, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in audio streams arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of audio in broadcast systems H04H60/58
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4398 involving reformatting operations of audio signals details of audio signal transcoding G10L19/173
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4852 for modifying audio parameters, e.g. switching between mono and stereo

Abstract

The specification and drawings present a new method, apparatus and software related product (e.g., a computer readable memory or a storage device) for automatically stabilizing a volume of different audio streams/contents to predefined boundary levels which may be requested by a user. According to an embodiment, an automated volume control feature may allow a user to set the highest level of volume for any audio stream played on a user'"'"'s device for automatically adjusting the incoming audio content volume of audio streams not to exceed at least the highest level of volume set as the maximum threshold volume.

Claims

1. A method, performed by an electronic device, the method comprising:

setting minimum and maximum threshold volumes defining respective minimum and maximum acceptable volumes for audio signals;

buffering an audio signal for a predefined time interval from an audio stream;

determining whether the buffered audio signal has volume peaks exceeding the maximum threshold volume and has volume valleys falling below the minimum threshold volume;

calculating a volume adjustment for the buffered audio signal using a predefined algorithm for modifying a volume corresponding to the buffered audio signal, so that by applying the calculated volume adjustment, the volume corresponding to the buffered audio signal including the determined one or more of volume peaks and valleys is limited by the maximum and minimum threshold volumes during the predefined time interval; and

providing the buffered audio signal modified according to the calculated volume adjustment to a play-out device for playing out the audio stream.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said minimum and maximum threshold volumes are set based on a user input through a user interface of the electronic device or the play-out device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the maximum threshold volume is set based on a user input through a user interface of the electronic device or the play-out device, and wherein the minimum threshold volume is a system parameter

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the play-out device is a television set.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said electronic device is a set-top box (STB).

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the predefined time duration is between one and three seconds.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the audio stream is a part of a video stream and the adjusted audio stream is synchronized with a corresponding video signal in the electronic device or in a play-out device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic device comprises said play-out device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said volume adjustment comprises attenuating the determined volume peaks exceeding the maximum threshold volume to fall below the maximum threshold volume when no volume valleys being determined, and the calculating comprises:

calculating a downscale volume coefficient as a ratio of a volume distance between the maximum and minimum threshold volumes and a further volume distance between the largest volume peak among the determined volume peaks and the minimum threshold volume; and

multiplying the volume corresponding to the buffered audio signal in the predefined time interval by the calculated downscale volume coefficient to bring the determined volume peaks below the maximum threshold volume, the volume of the buffered audio signal being measured from the minimum threshold volume.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said volume adjustment comprises amplifying the determined volume valleys falling below the minimum threshold volume to rise above the minimum threshold volume when no volume peaks being determined, and the calculating comprises:

calculating an up-scale volume coefficient as a ratio of a volume distance between the maximum and minimum threshold volumes and a further volume distance between the largest volume valley and the maximum threshold volume; and

multiplying the volume corresponding to the buffered audio signal in the predefined time interval by the calculated up-scale volume coefficient to bring the determined volume valleys above the minimum threshold volume, the volume of the buffered audio signal being measured from the maximum threshold volume.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein said volume adjustment comprises attenuating the determined volume peaks exceeding the maximum threshold volume to fall below the maximum threshold volume, and amplifying the determined volume valleys falling below the minimum threshold volume to rise above the minimum threshold volume, and the calculating comprises:

calculating a downscale volume coefficient as a ratio of a volume distance between the maximum threshold volume and a largest volume valley among the determined volume valleys, and a further volume distance between a largest volume peak among the determined volume peaks and the largest volume valley;

multiplying the volume corresponding to the buffered audio signal measured from the largest volume valley in the predefined time interval by the calculated downscale volume coefficient to bring the determined volume peaks below the maximum threshold volume, the volume of the buffered audio signal being measured from the largest volume valley;

further calculating an up-scale volume coefficient as a ratio of a volume distance between the maximum and minimum threshold volumes and a further volume distance between the largest volume valley and the maximum threshold volume; and

multiplying the volume corresponding to the downscaled buffered audio signal in the predefined time interval by the up-scale volume coefficient to bring the resultant volume valleys above the minimum threshold volume, the volume of the downscaled buffered audio signal being measured from the maximum threshold volume.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein said volume adjustment comprises amplifying the determined volume valleys falling below the minimum threshold volume to rise above the minimum threshold volume, and attenuating the determined volume peaks exceeding the maximum threshold volume to fall below the maximum threshold volume, and the calculating comprises:

calculating an up-scale volume coefficient as a ratio of a volume distance between the minimum threshold volume and the largest volume peak among the determined volume peaks, and a further volume distance between a largest volume valley among the determined volume valleys and the largest volume peak;

multiplying the volume corresponding to the buffered audio signal measured from the maximum volume peak in the predefined time interval by the calculated up-scale volume coefficient to bring the determined volume valleys above the minimum threshold volume, the volume of the buffered audio signal being measured from the largest volume peak;

further calculating a downscale volume coefficient as a ratio of a volume distance between the maximum and minimum threshold volumes and a further volume distance between the largest volume peak among resultant volume peaks and the minimum threshold volume; and

multiplying the volume corresponding to the up-scaled buffered audio signal in the predefined time interval by the downscale volume coefficient to bring the resultant volume peaks below the maximum threshold volume, the volume of the up-scaled buffered audio signal being measured from the minimum threshold volume.

13. An apparatus comprising:

a processor;

a storage medium for tangibly storing thereon program logic for execution by the processor, the program logic comprising;

logic to set minimum and maximum threshold volumes defining respective minimum and maximum acceptable volumes for audio signals;

logic to buffer an audio signal for a predefined time interval from an audio stream;

logic to determine whether the buffered audio signal has volume peaks exceeding the maximum threshold volume and has volume valleys falling below the minimum threshold volume;

logic to calculate a volume adjustment for the buffered audio signal using a predefined algorithm for modifying a volume corresponding to the buffered audio signal, so that by applying the calculated volume adjustment, the volume corresponding to the buffered audio signal including the determined one or more of volume peaks and valleys is limited by the maximum and minimum threshold volumes during the predefined time interval; and

logic to provide the buffered audio signal modified according to the calculated volume adjustment to a play-out device for playing out the audio stream.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said minimum and maximum threshold volumes are set based on a user input through a user interface of the electronic device or the play-out device.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the maximum threshold volume is set based on a user input through a user interface of the electronic device or the play-out device, and wherein the minimum threshold volume is a system parameter.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the predefined time duration is between one and three seconds.

17. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium tangibly storing computer program instructions capable of being executed by a computer processor, the computer program instructions defining code for:

setting minimum and maximum threshold volumes defining respective minimum and maximum acceptable volumes for audio signals;

buffering an audio signal for a predefined time interval from an audio stream;

determining whether the buffered audio signal has volume peaks exceeding the maximum threshold volume and has volume valleys falling below the minimum threshold volume;

calculating a volume adjustment for the buffered audio signal using a predefined algorithm for modifying a volume corresponding to the buffered audio signal, so that by applying the calculated volume adjustment, the volume corresponding to the buffered audio signal including the determined one or more of volume peaks and valleys is limited by the maximum and minimum threshold volumes during the predefined time interval; and

providing the buffered audio signal modified according to the calculated volume adjustment to a play-out device for playing out the audio stream.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein said minimum and maximum threshold volumes are set based on a user input through a user interface of the electronic device or the play-out device.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the maximum threshold volume is set based on a user input through a user interface of the electronic device or the play-out device, and wherein the minimum threshold volume is a system parameter.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the predefined time duration is between one and three seconds.