Method and apparatus for processing audio signals

• US 9,888,335 B2
• Filed: 06/23/2009
• Issued: 02/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Eronen, Antti, Ojala, Pasi
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Duc
• Assistant Examiner(s): PATEL, YOGESHKUMAR G
• Application Number:
  US13/378,338
• Publication Number:
  US 20120163606A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,150 Days
• Field of Search: 381 91, 381 92, 381122, 381 17, 381107, 381 22, 348 43, 348 1409, 348 1408, 348 1413, 348 46
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/568 audio processing specific to telephonic conferencing, e.g. spatial distribution, mixing of participants echo suppression in two-way loud-speaking telephone systems H04M9/02; sound field processing per se H04S7/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/406 microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2227/003 Digital PA systems using, e.g. LAN or internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 27/00 Public address systems circuits for preventing acoustic reaction H04R3/02; circuits for distributing signals to loudspeakers H04R3/12; monitoring or testing arrangements for public address systems H04R29/007; amplifiers H03F
• 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 5/027 Spatial or constructional arrangements of microphones, e.g. in dummy heads
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 2420/03 Application of parametric coding in stereophonic audio systems
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/302 Electronic adaptation of stereophonic sound system to listener position or orientation H04S7/301 takes precedence

Abstract

An apparatus (300) comprises—one or more inputs (IN₁, IN₂) to receive two or more different audio signals (S₁, S₂),—an input (IN_—VDI1) to receive a direction signal (S_VDI1) and—a signal processing unit (100) arranged to generate a processed audio signal (S_AUDIOI) from said two or more different audio signals (S₁, S₂), said processed audio signal (S_AUDIO1) comprising an enhanced audio signal (S_ENC1) corresponding to a sound (SND₂) originating from a location (x₂y₂) indicated by said direction signal (S_VDI1).

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to:

receive two or more different audio signals from two or more microphones;

receive a direction signal based at least in part on a gaze location time satisfying a predetermined time period, wherein the direction signal is updated in response to the gaze location time satisfying the predetermined time period;

generate a processed audio signal from said two or more different audio signals, said processed audio signal comprising an enhanced audio signal corresponding to a sound originating from a location indicated by said direction signal;

determine one or more spatial parameters;

provide said one or more spatial parameters for controlling audio source locations;

modify the values of said one or more spatial parameters based on said direction signal wherein said spatial parameters comprise at least one of interchannel time difference parameters or interchannel level difference parameters;

provide the modified values of said spatial parameters in subsequent decoding of said processed audio signal; and

allocate a first bit rate audio transmission for said two or more different audio signals originating from the location indicated by said direction signal;

otherwise allocate a second bit rate audio transmission for said two or more different audio signals originating from locations other than the location indicated by said direction signal,

wherein the first bit rate audio transmission is greater than the second bit rate audio transmission.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said direction selecting unit further comprises an electronic compass, an accelerometer, or a gyroscope.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 comprising an interface for receiving said direction signal sent via a transmission path.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1 comprising a damping unit to reduce fluctuations in said direction information.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1 comprising two or more microphones arranged to operate as a directional microphone array, wherein the direction of maximum sensitivity of said directional microphone array is arranged to be adjusted based on said direction signal.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1 comprising a position detecting unit to determine the location of said direction selecting unit.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6 wherein said position detecting unit is based on a satellite navigation system.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said processed audio signal is binaural cue coded.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said spatial parameters comprise parameters describing a direction of arrival of a sound.

15. The apparatus according to claim 1 further causing the apparatus to receive a command by a user interface to enhance the processed audio signal relating to said gaze location.

10. A method, comprising:

receiving, at a signal processing unit, two or more audio signals from two or more microphones;

receiving a direction signal based at least in part on a gaze location time satisfying a predetermined time period, wherein the direction signal is updated in response to the gaze location time satisfying the predetermined time period;

generating a processed audio signal from said two or more different audio signals, said processed audio signal comprising an enhanced audio signal corresponding to a sound originating from a location indicated by said direction signal,

determine one or more spatial parameters;

providing said one or more spatial parameters for controlling audio source locations;

modifying the values of said one or more spatial parameters based on said direction signal wherein said spatial parameters comprise at least one of interchannel time difference parameters or interchannel level difference parameters;

providing the modified values of said spatial parameters in subsequent decoding of said processed audio signal; and

allocating a first bit rate audio transmission for said two or more different audio signals originating from the location indicated by said direction signal;

otherwise allocating a second bit rate audio transmission for said two or more different audio signals originating from locations other than the location indicated by said direction signal, wherein the first bit rate audio transmission is greater than the second bit rate audio transmission.

11. The method according to claim 10 wherein said direction selecting unit further comprises an electronic compass, an accelerometer, or a gyroscope.

12. The method according to claim 10 comprising receiving said direction signal sent via said transmission path.

16. The method according to claim 10 further comprising receiving a command by a user interface to enhance the processed audio signal relating to said gaze location.

13. A computer program product comprising at least one computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable program code instructions stored therein, the computer-executable program code instructions including program code instructions for:

receiving two or more audio signals from two or more microphones;

receiving a direction signal based at least in part on a gaze location time satisfying a predetermined time period, wherein the direction signal is updated in response to the gaze location time satisfying the predetermined time period;

generating a processed audio signal from said two or more different audio signals, said processed audio signal comprising an enhanced audio signal corresponding to a sound originating from a location indicated by said direction signal,

determine one or more spatial parameters;

providing said one or more spatial parameters for controlling audio source locations;

modifying the values of said one or more spatial parameters based on said direction signal wherein said spatial parameters comprise at least one of interchannel time difference parameters or interchannel level difference parameters;

providing the modified values of said spatial parameters in subsequent decoding of said processed audio signal; and

allocating a first bit rate audio transmission for said two or more different audio signals originating from the location indicated by said direction signal;

otherwise allocating a second bit rate audio transmission for said two or more different audio signals originating from locations other than the location indicated by said direction signal, wherein the first bit rate audio transmission is greater than the second bit rate audio transmission.

14. The computer program product according to claim 13, including program code instructions for:

receiving said direction signal sent via said transmission path.

17. The computer program product according to claim 13, including program code instructions for receiving a command by a user interface to enhance the processed audio signal relating to said gaze location.