Automatic audio source detection for capture devices

• US 7,472,058 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2004
• Issued: 12/30/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cyberlink Corporation
• Original Assignee: Cyberlink Corporation
• Inventors: Tseng, Wei-Hsin, Lee, Wen-Hsiang, Peng, Huan-Yuan
• Primary Examiner(s): Abebe; Daniel D
• Application Number:
  US10/905,335
• Publication Number:
  US 20060142998A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,463 Days
• Field of Search: 381/2, 381/12, 348/729, 379/202.1, 704/215
• US Class Current: 704/215
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/16 Sound input; Sound output speech processing G10L

Abstract

A method for selecting an audio source when capturing audio data with at least one capture device includes connecting an audio source to an audio input port of the capture device, turning off the output of the audio source, calculating first signal strengths of the audio signals detected through the audio input ports of the capture device, turning on the output of the audio source, calculating second signal strengths of the audio signals detected through the audio input ports of the capture device, calculating a signal change between the first signal strength and the second signal strength of each audio input port, and selecting the audio input port with the largest signal change.

Claims

1. A method for selecting an audio source when capturing audio data with at least one capture device, the method comprising:

connecting an audio source to an audio input port of the capture device;

calculating first signal strengths of the audio signals detected through the audio input ports of the capture device while turning off the output of the audio source;

calculating second signal strengths of the audio signals detected through the audio input ports of the capture device while turning on the output of the audio source;

disregarding the audio signals generated by software sound sources when calculating the first and second signal strengths of the audio signals detected through the audio input ports of the capture device;

calculating a signal change between the first signal strength and the second signal strength of each audio input port; and

selecting the audio input port with the largest signal change.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the audio signals detected through the audio input ports of the capture device include audio signals detected through all physical audio input ports of the capture device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second signal strengths of the audio signals detected through the audio input ports are calculated based on the amplitudes of the audio signals measured during sampled time periods.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the audio input port with the largest signal change comprises selecting the audio input port with the largest increase in signal strength between the first and second signal strengths.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the capture device is a built-in capture device of a sound processing device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the capture device is an audio capture card connected to a sound processing device.

7. An audio source detection system, comprising:

at least one capture device with a plurality of audio input ports for receiving audio signals;

a strength calculation unit for calculating first and second signal strengths of the audio signals detected through the audio input ports of the capture device, wherein when calculating the first and second signal strengths of the audio signals detected through the audio input ports of the capture device, the strength calculation unit disregards audio signals generated by software sound sources;

a first memory space for storing the first signal strengths of the audio signals detected through the capture device calculated while the output of the audio source is turned off;

a second memory space for storing the second signal strengths of the audio signals detected through the capture device calculated while the output of the audio source is turned on;

a signal change calculation unit for calculating a signal change between the first signal strength and the second signal strength of each audio input port; and

a selection unit for selecting the audio input port with the largest signal change.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the strength calculation unit calculates the first and second signal strengths of the audio signals detected through all physical audio input ports of the capture device.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the strength calculation unit calculates the first and second signal strengths of the audio signals based on the amplitudes of the audio signals measured during sampled time periods.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the selection unit selects the audio input port with the largest increase in signal strength between the first and second signal strengths.

11. A method for selecting an audio source when capturing audio data with at least one capture device, the method comprising:

connecting an audio source to an audio input port of the capture device;

calculating signal strengths greater than a threshold of the audio signals detected through the audio input ports of the capture device while turning off the output of the audio source;

recording the detected audio input ports;

turning on the output of the audio source;

determining if at least one audio input port each with the signal strength greater than the threshold other than the recorded audio input ports is newly detected; and

selecting the newly detected audio input port.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising disregarding the audio signals generated by software sound sources when calculating the first and second signal strengths of the audio signals detected through the audio input ports of the capture device.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the audio signals detected through the audio input ports of the capture device include audio signals detected through all physical audio input ports of the capture device.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the signal strengths of the audio signals detected through the audio input ports are calculated based on the amplitudes of the audio signals measured during sampled time periods.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the capture device is a built-in capture device of a sound processing device.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the capture device is an audio capture card connected to a sound processing device.