Circuit and program for processing multichannel audio signals and apparatus for reproducing same

• US 8,160,260 B2
• Filed: 10/22/2008
• Issued: 04/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Onkyo Technology Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Pioneer Corporation
• Inventors: Sakagami, Kei, Hosoi, Shintaro, Kawamura, Ikuko
• Primary Examiner(s): Faulk, Devona
• Assistant Examiner(s): Paul, Disler
• Application Number:
  US12/256,345
• Publication Number:
  US 20090060210A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,273 Days
• Field of Search: 381/1, 381 17- 18, 381/310, 381/27, 381/22, 381/98, 381/103
• US Class Current: 381/17
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 2420/01 Enhancing the perception of the sound image or of the spatial distribution using head related transfer functions [HRTF's] or equivalents thereof, e.g. interaural time difference [ITD] or interaural level difference [ILD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 3/002 Non-adaptive circuits, e.g. manually adjustable or static, for enhancing the sound image or the spatial distribution control circuits for electronic adaptation of the sound field H04S7/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 3/008 in which the audio signals are in digital form, i.e. employing more than two discrete digital channels data reduction aspects thereof based on psychoacoustics G10L19/02

Abstract

A circuit for processing multichannel audio signals, comprises a frequency characteristics correction device and an output device. The frequency characteristics correction device corrects frequency characteristics of an audio signal of a channel including an audio signal component having a predetermined frequency band, of audio signals of a multichannel comprising at least a right channel and a left channel, in accordance with correction characteristics determined based on a head related transfer function. The output device mixes the audio signal component having the frequency characteristics corrected with an audio signal of the right channel and an audio signal of the left channel to generate mixed output audio signals, and outputting the mixed output audio signals as a right channel output audio signal and a left channel output audio signal.

Claims

1. A circuit for processing two-channel stereo audio signals, comprising:

a first addition device that adds stereo audio signals of two channels comprising a right channel and a left channel to generate an added signal;

a frequency characteristics correction device that corrects frequency characteristics of the added signal generated by the addition device in accordance with correction characteristics determined based on a head related transfer function to generate a corrected audio signal;

a second addition device that adds the corrected audio signal generated by the frequency characteristic correction device to each of the audio signal of the right channel and the audio signal of the left channel to generate output signals as a right channel output audio signal and a left channel output audio signal;

an output device that outputs the output audio signals as the right channel output audio signal and the left channel output audio signal; and

reversing devices that reverse the audio signals of the right channel and the left channel to generate a reversed audio signal of the right channel and a reversed audio signal of the left channel; and

wherein;

the second addition device adds (1-1) the audio signal of the left channel, (1-2) the corrected audio signal generated by the frequency characteristic correction device and (1-3) the reversed audio signal of the right channel to generate an output audio signal for the left channel, and adds (2-1) the audio signal of the right channel, (2-2) the corrected audio signal from the characteristic correction device and (2-3) the reversed audio signal of the left channel to generate an output audio signal for the right channel; and

the output device outputs the output audio signal for the right channel and the output audio signal for the left channel as the right channel output audio signal and the left channel output audio signal, respectively.

2. The circuit as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

said correction characteristics are determined based on a ratio of the head related transfer function for a sound, which is propagated in a straight direction to a front side of an audience, to the head related transfer function for a sound, which is propagated to the audience in a direction deviating rightward or leftward from said straight direction by a predetermined angle.

3. An apparatus for reproducing two-channel audio signals, comprising:

a decoder that decodes input audio stream data to generate audio signals of two channels;

a circuit that processes the two-channel audio signals, said circuit comprising (i) a first addition device that adds stereo audio signals of two channels comprising a right channel and a left channel to generate an added signal;

(ii) a frequency characteristics correction device that corrects frequency characteristics of the added signal generated by the addition device, in accordance with correction characteristics determined based on a head related transfer function to generate a corrected audio signal;

(iii) a second addition device that adds the corrected audio signal generated by the frequency characteristic correction device to each of the audio signal of the right channel and the audio signal of the left channel to generate output signals as a right channel output audio signal and a left channel output audio signal;

(iv) an output device that outputs the output audio signals as the right channel output audio signal and the left channel output audio signal; and

reversing devices that reverse the audio signals of the right channel and the left channel to generate a reversed audio signal of the right channel and a reversed audio signal of the left channel;

wherein;

the second addition device adds (1-1) the audio signal of the left channel, (1-2) the corrected audio signal generated by the frequency characteristic correction device and (1-3) the reversed audio signal of the right channel to generate an output audio signal for the left channel, and adds (2-1) the audio signal of the right channel, (2-2) the corrected audio signal from the characteristic correction device, and (2-3) the reversed audio signal of the left channel to generate an output audio signal for the right channel; and

the output device outputs the output audio signal for the corrected audio signal right channel, and the output audio signal for the left channel as the right channel output audio signal and the left channel output audio signal, respectively.

4. At least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, encoded with a plurality of computer executable instruction that when executed perform a method for reproducing two-channel stereo audio signals, the method comprising:

adding stereo audio signals of two channels comprising a right channel and a left channel, to generate an added signal;

correcting the added signal in accordance with correction characteristics determined based on a head related transfer function to generate a corrected audio signal;

adding the corrected audio signal generated by the frequency characteristic correction device to each of the audio signal of the right channel and the audio signal of the left channel to generate output signals as a right channel output audio signal and a left channel output audio signal;

outputting the output audio signals as the right channel output audio signal and the left channel output audio signal; and

reversing the audio signals of the right channel and the left channel to generate a reversed audio signal of the right channel and a reversed audio signal of the left channel wherein adding the corrected audio signal further comprises adding (1-1) the audio signal of the left channel, (1-2) the corrected audio signal generated by the frequency characteristic correction device and (1-3) the reversed audio signal of the right channel to generate an output audio signal for the left channel, and adding (2-1) the audio signal of the right channel, (2-2) the corrected audio signal corrected audio signal generated by the frequency characteristic correction device and (2-3) the reversed audio signal of the left channel to generate an output audio signal for the right channel; and

outputting the audio signal for the right channel and the output audio signal for the left channel as the right channel output audio signal and the left channel output audio signal, respectively.

5. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 4, wherein said correction characteristics are determined based on a ratio of the head related transfer function for a sound, which is propagated in a straight direction to a front side of an audience, to the head related transfer function for a sound, which is propagated to the audience in a direction deviating rightward or leftward from said straight direction by a predetermined angle.