Systems and methods of frequency response correction for consumer electronic devices

• US 9,307,322 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2013
• Issued: 04/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DTS, Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: DTS, Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Tracey, James, Morton, Doug, Schoepel, Alexandra
• Primary Examiner(s): Saunders, Jr., Joseph
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mooney, James
• Application Number:
  US13/781,018
• Publication Number:
  US 20140177854A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,132 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 29/008 Visual indication of individual signal levels visual indication of stereophonic sound image H04S7/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/04 for correcting frequency response

Abstract

Frequency response correction systems and methods for consumer electronic (CE) devices are disclosed. Applying one or more of disclosed techniques can improve a consumer'"'"'s listening experience. The frequency response of a CE device can be corrected to remove or attenuate salient, undesirable features of with minimal user interaction. Audio quality can be tuned for optimal or near optimal performance even at maximum or near maximum volume levels substantially without fluctuations, clipping, or any other distortions. In some embodiments, audio response of the CE device can be captured, smoothed, and corrected. Correction parameters can be stored on the CE device.

Claims

1. A method of correcting a frequency response of an electronic device, the method comprising:

by a first electronic device comprising one or more processors;

outputting a user interface for presentation to a user, the user interface configured to provide functionality for the user to generate a frequency response adjustment for a second electronic device;

providing user interface controls in the user interface, the user interface controls providing functionality for specifying bias curve parameters to design a bias curve, the parameters comprising an equalization filter parameter, a high pass filter parameter, and a low pass filter parameter;

receiving, through the user interface, a selection from the user of a target smoothing level;

receiving, through the user interface, a specification from the user of selected values of the bias curve parameters, the selected values of the bias curve parameters comprising a first equalization filter value, a first high pass filter value, and a first low pass filter value;

generating a first bias curve from the selected values of the bias curve parameters;

applying the first bias curve to a test audio signal to produce a biased audio signal;

smoothing, in accordance with the target smoothing level, the biased audio signal to attenuate one or more signal distortions and thereby produce a smoothed audio signal;

displaying in the user interface two or more of a graph of the test audio signal, a graph of the first bias curve, and the smoothed audio signal;

determining, based at least in part on the smoothed audio signal, one or more frequency response correction parameters; and

electronically transmitting the one or more frequency response correction parameters to the second electronic device to enable the second electronic device to apply the one or more frequency response correction parameters to a subsequent audio signal.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the target smoothing level is selected from a group consisting of a normal smoothing, heavy smoothing, and no smoothing.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the normal smoothing level corresponds to a default smoothing level.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein smoothing the biased audio signal in accordance with the heavy smoothing level attenuates a greater number of signal distortions than smoothing the biased audio signal in accordance with the normal smoothing level.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, through the user interface, a selection from the user of two or more signal correction parameters selected from the group consisting of;

a highest corrected test audio signal frequency, maximum correction gain, and minimum correction gain,

wherein determining the one or more frequency response correction parameters comprises determining based at least in part on the one or more signal correction parameters and the smoothed test audio signal.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, through the user interface, a selection from the user of an ambient noise treatment; and

if the ambient noise treatment indicates removal of an ambient noise, removing the ambient noise from the smoothed audio signal.

7. Non-transitory physical computer storage comprising executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to implement operations for determining a frequency response correction for an electronic device, the operations comprising:

outputting a user interface for presentation to a user, the user interface configured to provide functionality for the user to correct a frequency response of an electronic device;

providing user interface controls in the user interface, the user interface controls providing functionality for specifying bias curve parameters to design a bias curve, the parameters comprising an equalization filter parameter, a high pass filter parameter, and a low pass filter parameter;

receiving, through the user interface, a selection from the user of a desired smoothing characteristic;

receiving, through the user interface, a specification from the user of selected values of the bias curve parameters, the selected values of the bias curve parameters comprising a first equalization filter value, a first high pass filter value, and a first low pass filter value;

generating a first bias curve from the selected values of the bias curve parameters;

applying the first bias curve to a test audio signal to produce a biased audio signal;

smoothing, in accordance with the desired smoothing characteristic, the biased audio signal to attenuate one or more signal distortions and thereby produce a smoothed audio signal;

displaying in the user interface two or more of a graph of the test audio signal, a graph of the first bias curve, and the smoothed audio signal; and

determining, based at least in part on the smoothed audio signal, one or more frequency response correction parameters to be applied by the electronic device.

8. Non-transitory physical computer storage of claim 7, wherein the desired smoothing characteristic is selected from a group consisting of a normal smoothing, heavy smoothing, and no smoothing.

9. Non-transitory physical computer storage of claim 8, wherein smoothing the biased audio signal in accordance with the heavy smoothing characteristic attenuates a greater number of signal distortions than smoothing the biased audio signal in accordance with the normal smoothing characteristic.

10. Non-transitory physical computer storage of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving, through the user interface, a selection from the user of two or more signal correction parameters selected from the group consisting of;

a highest corrected input audio signal frequency, maximum correction gain, and minimum correction gain,

wherein determining the one or more frequency response correction parameters comprises determining based at least in part on the one or more signal correction parameters and the smoothed audio signal.

11. Non-transitory physical computer storage of claim 7, in combination with the one or more processors.

12. An apparatus for correcting a frequency response of an electronic device, the apparatus comprising:

one or more processors configured to;

electronically generate a user interface for presentation to a user, the user interface comprising one or more user interface controls configured to enable the user to adjust a frequency response of an electronic device and to specify bias curve parameters to design a bias curve, the parameters comprising an equalization filter parameter, a high pass filter parameter, and a low pass filter parameter;

receive, through the user interface, a selection from the user of a smoothing parameter;

receive, through the user interface, a specification from the user of selected values of the bias curve parameters, the selected values of the bias curve parameters comprising a first equalization filter value, a first high pass filter value, and a first low pass filter value;

generate a first bias curve from the selected values of the bias curve parameters;

apply the first bias curve to a test audio signal to produce a biased audio signal;

smooth, in accordance with the smoothing parameter, the biased audio signal to attenuate one or more signal distortions and thereby produce a smoothed audio signal;

display in the user interface two or more of a graph of the test audio signal, a graph of the first bias curve, and the smoothed audio signal; and

determine, based at least in part on the smoothed audio signal, a frequency response correction parameter to be applied by the electronic device.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the smoothing parameter is selected from a group consisting of a normal smoothing, heavy smoothing, and no smoothing.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

determine a corrected audio signal by applying the frequency response correction parameter to the smoothed audio signal.