User adjustable volume control that accommodates hearing

• US 8,284,960 B2
• Filed: 08/18/2008
• Issued: 10/09/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Mind Fusion, LLC (Ascend Innovation Management, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Akiba Electronics Institute LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Vaudrey, Michael A., Saunders, William R., Blum, Ronald D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Ping
• Application Number:
  US12/193,581
• Publication Number:
  US 20090245539A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,513 Days
• Field of Search: 381/27, 381/56, 381/61, 381/98, 381/101, 381/102, 381/104, 381/106, 381/109
• US Class Current: 381/109
• 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: H04R 2205/041 Adaptation of stereophonic signal reproduction for the hearing impaired
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2430/01 Aspects of volume control, not necessarily automatic, in sound systems
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 2420/03 Application of parametric coding in stereophonic audio systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 3/00 Systems employing more than two channels, e.g. quadraphonic H04S5/00, H04S7/00 take precedence

Abstract

A method for processing audio signals optimizes the listening experience for hearing impaired listeners, as well as non-hearing impaired listeners, without forcing hearing impaired individuals to feel stigmatized by requiring them to employ special hearing-impaired equipment. A user actuated controller controls a mixture of a preferred audio signal and a remaining audio signal across a range sufficiently wide enough to encompass all individuals. The preferred audio is recorded and maintained separate from all remaining audio and delivered to the listener in a manner that maintains the separateness of the preferred audio and the remaining audio. The user actuated controller includes the capability of automatically maintaining the listener established ratio in the face of changes in the audio signal. The user actuated controller enables the user to specify a range about the ratio in which the audio may vary, which permits the listener to expand the audio across a continuous range to whatever dynamic range his hearing can accommodate. The controller automatically adjusts to changes in incoming audio. The controller can react to relatively slowly moving changes or prevent short bursts of sound in the remaining audio from modifying the signal levels. The combination of the above aspects provides a heretofore not possible listening experience that can accommodate the listening desires of all listeners. The combination of the ability to control the ratio of preferred audio to remaining audio and to specify the dynamic range about the ratio in which the audio may vary, coupled with the ability of the controller to automatically adjust the signal levels in response to sudden changes in incoming audio, provides a powerful user capability that truly optimizes the listening experience for any listener.

Claims

1. An audio system for optimizing playing of an audio program, which includes a preferred audio signal and a remaining audio signal, for end users, which includes both hearing impaired and non-hearing impaired listeners, comprising:

a first end user adjustable amplifier configured to receive and amplify the preferred audio signal to a level specified by a user;

a second end user adjustable amplifier configured to receive and amplify the remaining audio signal to a level specified by the user;

a first soft clipping circuit configured to receive as an input the preferred audio signal, having an output coupled to an input of the first end user adjustable amplifier, wherein the first soft clipping circuit is configured to limit an overall magnitude of the preferred audio signal in response to a level of the preferred audio signal exceeding a first predetermined value, and further configured to maintain the preferred audio signal within a first user adjustable dynamic amplitude range; and

a second soft clipping circuit configured to receive as an input the remaining audio signal, having an output coupled to an input of the second end user adjustable amplifier, wherein the second soft clipping circuit is configured to limit an overall magnitude of the remaining audio signal in response to a level of the remaining audio signal exceeding a second predetermined value, and further configured to maintain the remaining audio signal within a second user adjustable dynamic amplitude range,

wherein the combination of the first and second soft clipping circuits and the first and second end user adjustable amplifiers are configured to automatically maintain a user selected ratio of the preferred audio signal to the remaining audio signal, even in the presence of transient changes in either the preferred audio signal or the remaining audio signal.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the first and second predetermined values in the first and second soft clipping circuits, respectively, are user definable values.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the preferred audio signal comprises a voice signal.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the preferred audio signal comprises a non-voice signal.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the remaining audio signal comprises a background signal.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the first and second soft clipping circuits are configured to output normalized versions of their inputs based on a preset parameter.

7. An audio system for optimizing playing of an audio program, which includes a preferred audio signal and a remaining audio signal, for end users, which includes both hearing impaired and non-hearing impaired listeners, comprising:

a first adjustable amplifier configured to receive and amplify the preferred audio signal to a first level specified by a user;

a second adjustable amplifier configured to receive and amplify the remaining audio signal to a second level specified by the user;

a first companding circuit configured to receive as an input the preferred audio signal, having an output coupled to an input of the first adjustable amplifier, wherein the first companding circuit is configured to maintain an overall magnitude of the preferred audio signal in response to a level of the preferred audio signal exceeding a first predetermined value, and further configured to maintain the preferred audio signal within a first user adjustable dynamic amplitude range; and

a second companding circuit configured to receive as an input the remaining audio signal, having an output coupled to an input of the second adjustable amplifier, wherein the second companding circuit is configured to limit an overall magnitude of the remaining audio signal in response to a level of the remaining audio signal exceeding a second predetermined value, and further configured to maintain the remaining audio signal within a second user adjustable dynamic amplitude range,

wherein the combination of the first and second companding circuits and the first and second adjustable amplifiers is configured to automatically maintain a user selected ratio of the preferred audio signal to the remaining audio signal, even in the presence of transient changes in either the preferred audio signal or the remaining audio signal.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein:

the second companding circuit includes a user adjustable offset; and

the user adjustable offset allows the user to increase a maximum amplitude of the remaining audio signal while maintaining the remaining audio signal within the second user adjustable dynamic amplitude range.