Control parameter dependent audio signal processing

• US 9,538,289 B2
• Filed: 09/24/2015
• Issued: 01/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Karkkainen, Asta M., Virolainen, Jussi
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsang, Fan
• Assistant Examiner(s): McKinney, Angelica M
• Application Number:
  US14/863,745
• Publication Number:
  US 20160014517A1
• Time in Patent Office: 467 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2021/02166 Microphone arrays; Beamforming
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/0216 characterised by the method used for estimating noise
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 25/78 Detection of presence or absence of voice signals switching of direction of transmission by voice frequency in two-way loud-speaking telephone systems H04M9/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1016 Earpieces of the intra-aural type
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/406 microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2201/107 Monophonic and stereophonic headphones with microphone for two-way hands free communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2201/403 Linear arrays of transducers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2203/12 Beamforming aspects for stereophonic sound reproduction with loudspeaker arrays
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2410/01 Noise reduction using microphones having different directional characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2460/01 Hearing devices using active noise cancellation
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/005 for combining the signals of two or more microphones specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/033 Headphones for stereophonic communication details thereof, e.g. relating to batteries, cables or control elements H04R1/10
• 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 1/007 in which the audio signals are in digital form data reduction aspects thereof based on psychoacoustics G10L19/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 2400/13 Aspects of volume control, not necessarily automatic, in stereophonic sound systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 2400/15 Aspects of sound capture and related signal processing for recording or reproduction

Abstract

An apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to perform processing at least one control parameter dependent on at least one sensor input parameter, processing at least one audio signal dependent on the processed at least one control parameter, and outputting the processed at least one audio signal.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

generating at least one control parameter by one or more processors, where the generating of the at least one control parameter is based, at least partially, upon at least one first input parameter;

selecting a mode by one or more processors from a plurality of modes, where at least one of the modes is configured to modify the at least one control parameter, where the selecting of the mode is based, at least partially, upon at least one second input parameter, where at least one of the first and second input parameters are from at least one sensor;

processing at least one sensory information signal based, at least partially, upon the generated at least one control parameter and the selected mode; and

outputting the processed at least one sensory information signal.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 where the at least one sensory information signal comprises an audio signal.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 where the at least one control parameter comprises at least one of:

a gain and delay value;

a beamforming beam gain function;

a beamforming beam width function;

a beamforming beam orientation function;

a perceived orientation beamforming gain; and

a beam width parameter.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1 where the generating of the at least one control parameter is based, at least partially, upon at least two first input parameters from at least two of the sensors.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein processing of the at least one sensory information signal comprises beamforming.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1 where the at least one first input parameter comprises a signal from at least one of the sensors, and where the at least one second input parameter comprises a signal from at least one different one of the sensors.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1 where at least one of the modes is configured to not modify the at least one control parameter.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1 where the sensory information signal comprises a signal from a sensor, where the signal from the sensor is processed based, at least partially, upon the generated at least one control parameter and the selected mode.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1 where the sensory information signal comprises a sensor signal retrieved from a non-transitory memory and/or received in a wireless transmission, where the sensor signal is processed based, at least partially, upon the generated at least one control parameter and the selected mode.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1 where the generating of the at least one control parameter by the one or more processors and the selecting of the mode by the one or more processors are done, at least partially, with a common processor.

11. The method as claimed in claim 6 where the at least one first input parameter and the at least one second input parameter are at least partially different.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11 where the at least one first input parameter comprises location information from a location sensor.

13. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one non-transitory memory including computer program code,

the at least one non-transitory memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, causes the apparatus at least to;

generate at least one control parameter, where the at least one control parameter is based, at least partially, upon at least one first input parameter;

select a mode from a plurality of modes, where at least one of the modes is configured to modify the at least one control parameter, where the selecting of the mode is based, at least partially, upon at least one second input parameter, where at least one of the first and second input parameters are from at least one sensor;

processing at least one sensory information signal based, at least partially, upon the generated at least one control parameter and the selected mode; and

outputting the processed at least one sensory information signal.

14. The apparatus as claimed in claim 13 where the at least one sensory information signal comprises an audio signal.

15. The apparatus as claimed in claim 13 where the at least one control parameter comprises at least one of:

a gain and delay value;

a beamforming beam gain function;

a beamforming beam width function;

a beamforming beam orientation function;

a perceived orientation beamforming gain; and

a beam width parameter.

16. The apparatus as claimed in claim 13 where the generating of the at least one control parameter is based, at least partially, upon at least two first input parameters from at least two of the sensors.

17. The apparatus as claimed in claim 13 where the processing of the at least one sensory information signal comprises beamforming.

18. The apparatus as claimed in claim 13 where the at least one first input parameter comprises a signal from at least one of the sensors, and where the at least one second input parameter comprises a signal from at least one different one of the sensors.

19. The apparatus as claimed in claim 13 where the at least one first input parameter comprises location information from a location sensor.

20. The apparatus as claimed in claim 13 where at least one of the modes is configured to not modify the at least one control parameter.

21. The apparatus as claimed in claim 13 where the sensory information signal comprises a signal from a sensor, where the signal from the sensor is processed based, at least partially, upon the generated at least one control parameter and the selected mode.

22. The apparatus as claimed in claim 18 where the at least one first input parameter and the at least one second input parameter are at least partially different.

23. A non-transitory program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine for performing operations, the operations comprising:

generating at least one control parameter by one or more processors, where the generating of the at least one control parameter is based, at least partially, upon at least one first input parameter;

selecting a mode by one or more processors from a plurality of modes, where at least one of the modes is configured to modify the at least one control parameter, where the selecting of the mode is based, at least partially, upon at least one second input parameter, where at least one of the first and second input parameters are from at least one sensor;

processing at least one sensory information signal based, at least partially, upon the generated at least one control parameter and the selected mode; and

outputting the processed at least one sensory information signal.