Audio signal processing device and audio signal processing method

• US 8,761,406 B2
• Filed: 06/16/2009
• Issued: 06/24/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Ohkuri, Kazunobu, Asada, Kohei, Suzuki, Shiro, Itabashi, Tetsunori, Kawanishi, Hiroki
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Vivian
• Assistant Examiner(s): TON, DAVID L
• Application Number:
  US12/485,191
• Publication Number:
  US 20090310793A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,834 Days
• Field of Search: 381/74, 381/71.1, 381/74.2, 381/71.6, 381/71.8, 381/57, 381/71.14, 381/98, 381/101, 381/102, 381/104, 381/106, 381/107
• US Class Current: 381/57
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/0208 Noise filtering
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 3/32 the control being dependent upon ambient noise level or sound level
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 9/005 of digital or coded signals
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 9/10 for tone control and volume expansion or compression

Abstract

An audio signal processing device includes: a microphone configured to collect noise; an analyzing unit configured to analyze an audio signal collected by the microphone to detect the level and frequency property of the collected audio signal; and a signal processing unit configured to subject an audio signal to be reproduced to signal processing based on the analysis results of the analyzing unit.

Claims

1. An audio signal processing device comprising:

a microphone configured to collect noise;

analyzing means configured to analyze a first audio signal collected by said microphone and to identify a particular frequency band in which noise is distributed and determine a level of the noise in the first audio signal within the particular frequency band;

signal processing means configured to perform signal processing, based on analysis results of said analyzing means, on a second audio signal to be reproduced, and further configured to employ at least one parameter for said signal processing that is determined based at least in part upon a classification of the noise into one of a plurality of defined categories;

noise-canceling signal forming means configured to form a noise-canceling signal from the first audio signal collected by said microphone; and

adding means configured to add the noise-canceling signal from said noise-canceling signal forming means to an output signal from said signal processing means.

2. The audio signal processing device according to claim 1, wherein said signal processing means perform one or more of

dynamic range control,

frequency property control, and

gain control.

3. The audio signal processing device according to claim 1, further comprising:

storage means configured to store one or more audio signals to be reproduced to which metadata, including genre, tempo, tonality, mean level, and beat, is added;

selecting means configured to select, based on the analysis results from said analyzing means and said metadata of the second audio signal, a third audio signal stored in said storage means; and

playing processing means configured to read out the third audio signal selected by said selecting means from said storage means to form the second audio signal to be supplied to said signal processing means.

4. The audio signal processing device according to claim 1, wherein said signal processing means performs signal processing, based at least in part on a property of said noise-canceling signal forming means, on said second audio signal to be reproduced.

5. The audio signal processing device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of defined categories comprises categories corresponding to types of features the noise might contain.

6. The audio signal processing device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of defined categories comprises types of noise categories to which the noise might belong.

8. The audio signal processing device according to claim 5, further comprising:

noise-canceling signal forming means configured to form a noise-canceling signal from the first audio signal collected by said microphone; and

adding means configured to add the noise-canceling signal from said noise cancel signal forming means to an output signal from said playing processing means.

7. An audio signal processing device comprising:

a microphone configured to collect noise;

analyzing means configured to analyze a first audio signal collected by said microphone to detect a level and a frequency property of the first audio signal, wherein the level and the frequency property indicate a frequency distribution of the noise;

storage means configured to store at least one audio signal to be reproduced, to which metadata, including genre, tempo, tonality, mean level, and beat, is added;

selecting means configured to select, based on analysis results from said analyzing means and said metadata of the at least one audio signal, a third audio signal stored in said storage; and

playing processing means configured to read out the third audio signal selected by said selecting means from said storage means to form a second audio signal for reproduction.

9. The audio signal processing device according to claim 7, further comprising:

signal processing means configured to perform signal processing, based on analysis results of said analyzing means, on said second audio signal to be reproduced.

10. The audio signal processing device according to claim 7, wherein the storage means is configured to store a file comprising music data of the at least one audio signal, and the metadata is added to the at least one audio signal by appending the metadata to the file.

11. An audio signal processing method comprising:

analyzing a first audio signal collected through a noise-collecting microphone to identify a particular frequency band in which noise is distributed and determine a level of the noise in the first audio signal within the particular frequency band;

classifying the noise into one of a plurality of defined categories;

signal processing, based on analysis results of said analyzing and employing at least one parameter for said processing that is determined based upon the one of the plurality of defined categories in which the noise is classified, a second audio signal to be reproduced;

forming a noise-canceling signal from the audio signal collected by said noise-collecting microphone; and

adding said formed noise-canceling signal to an output audio signal of said signal processing.

12. The audio signal processing method according to claim 11, wherein, in said signal processing, one or more of

dynamic range control,

frequency property control, and

gain control,

are performed.

13. The audio signal processing method according to claim 11, further comprising:

selecting, based on said analysis results of the analyzing and said metadata of the selected audio signal, a third audio signal stored in storage means; and

reading out of the third audio signal from said storage means to form the second audio signal for reproduction;

wherein one or more audio signals to be reproduced have been stored in said storage means, and to which the metadata, including genre, tempo, tonality, mean level, and beat, is added.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein, in said signal processing, said second audio signal to be reproduced is subjected to signal processing while taking said forming into consideration.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the plurality of defined categories comprises categories corresponding to types of features the noise might contain.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the plurality of defined categories comprises types of noise categories to which the noise might belong.

17. An audio signal processing method comprising:

analyzing a first audio signal collected through a noise-collecting microphone to detect a level and a frequency property of the first audio signal, wherein the level and the frequency property indicate a frequency distribution of the noise;

selecting, based on analysis results in said analyzing and metadata of one or more audio signals to be reproduced, a third audio signal stored in a predetermined recording medium and to which the metadata, including genre, tempo, tonality, mean level, and beat, is added; and

reading out the third audio signal from said recording medium to form a second audio signal for reproduction.

18. The audio signal processing method according to claim 17, further comprising:

forming a noise-canceling signal from the first audio signal collected by said noise-collecting microphone; and

adding the formed noise-canceling signal to the second audio signal.

19. The audio signal processing method of claim 17, wherein adding the metadata to the third audio signal stored in the predetermined recording medium comprises appending the metadata to a file stored in the predetermined recording medium, the file comprising music data of the third audio signal.

20. An audio signal processing device comprising:

a microphone configured to collect noise;

an ambient noise analyzer configured to analyze a first audio signal collected by said microphone to identify a particular frequency band in which noise is distributed and determine a level of the noise in the first audio signal within the particular frequency band;

a signal processor configured to perform signal processing, based on analysis results of said analyzing unit, on a second audio signal to be reproduced, and further configured to employ at least one parameter for said signal processing that is determined based at least in part upon a classification of the ambient noise into one of a plurality of defined categories;

a noise-canceling signal forming unit configured to form a noise-canceling signal from the first audio signal collected by said microphone; and

an adding unit configured to add the noise-canceling signal from said noise-canceling signal forming unit to an output signal from said signal processor.

21. The audio signal processing device according to claim 20, wherein said signal processor performs signal processing, based at least in part on a property of said noise-canceling signal forming unit, on said second audio signal to be reproduced.

22. The audio signal processing device according to claim 20, wherein the plurality of defined categories comprises categories corresponding to types of features the noise might contain.

23. The audio signal processing device according to claim 20, wherein the plurality of defined categories comprises types of noise categories to which the noise might belong.

24. An audio signal processing device comprising:

a microphone configured to collect noise;

an analyzing unit configured to analyze a first audio signal collected by said microphone to detect a level and a frequency property of the first audio signal, wherein the level and the frequency property indicate a frequency distribution of the noise;

a storage unit configured to store at least one audio signal to be reproduced and to which metadata, including genre, tempo, tonality, mean level, and beat, is added;

a selecting unit configured to select a third audio signal stored in said storage unit, based on analysis results from said analyzing unit and said metadata of the at least one audio signal stored in the storage unit; and

a playing processing unit configured to read out the third audio signal selected by said selecting unit from said storage unit to form a second audio signal for reproduction.

25. The audio signal processing device of claim 24, wherein the storage unit is configured to store a file comprising music data of the at least one audio signal, and the metadata is added to the at least one audio signal by appending the metadata to the file.

26. An audio signal processing device, comprising:

a microphone configured to collect noise;

analyzing means configured to analyze a first audio signal collected by said microphone and to identify a particular frequency band in which noise is distributed and determine a level of the noise in the first audio signal within the particular frequency band;

signal processing means configured to perform signal processing, based on analysis results of said analyzing means, on a second audio signal to be reproduced;

noise-canceling signal forming means configured to form a noise-canceling signal from the first audio signal collected by said microphone; and

adding means configured to add the noise-canceling signal from said noise-canceling signal forming means to an output signal from said signal processing means;

wherein said signal processing means performs signal processing, based at least in part on a property of said noise-canceling signal forming means, on said second audio signal to be reproduced, and is further configured to select, based on analysis results of said analyzing means, one of a plurality of noise categories that corresponds to the frequency distribution of the noise.