Method for determining a processed audio signal and a handheld device

• US 8,831,761 B2
• Filed: 05/11/2011
• Issued: 09/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kemp, Thomas, Dilly, Altfried
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): MAUNG, THOMAS H
• Application Number:
  US13/105,263
• Publication Number:
  US 20110301730A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,217 Days
• US Class Current: 700/94
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 19/008 Multichannel audio signal coding or decoding using interchannel correlation to reduce redundancy, e.g. joint-stereo, intensity-coding or matrixing
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2021/02166 Microphone arrays; Beamforming
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/60 including speech amplifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72478 for hearing-impaired users
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A method for determining a processed audio signal, comprising: establishing an ad-hoc network between a plurality of handheld devices, each handheld device having a microphone; picking up a plurality of audio signals with each microphone of the plurality of handheld devices; distributing the plurality of audio signals within the ad-hoc network such that in at least one handheld device at least two of the plurality of audio signals are available; combining, in said at least one handheld device, the at least two of the plurality of audio signals to obtain said processed audio signal.

Claims

1. A method for determining a processed audio signal, the method comprising:

establishing an ad-hoc network between a plurality of handheld devices, each handheld device including a microphone;

determining position information for each of the plurality of handheld devices;

displaying on a display a location of each of the plurality of handheld devices based on the position information of each of the plurality of handheld devices;

picking up a plurality of audio signals with each microphone of the plurality of handheld devices;

displaying on the display a location of at least one source of the plurality of audio signals;

selecting a target location from the displayed location of the at least one source;

distributing the plurality of audio signals within the ad-hoc network such that at least two audio signals of the plurality of audio signals are available in at least one handheld device; and

combining, in said at least one handheld device, the at least two of the plurality of audio signals by;

beamforming the at least two of the plurality of audio signals to focus on the target location;

aligning the at least two of the plurality of audio signals to a common reference point based on the position information of the plurality of handheld devices; and

adding the at least two of the plurality of audio signals to obtain said processed audio signal.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the position information is determined based on a noise event picked up by all of the plurality of handheld devices.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the noise event is a noise emitted by one of the handheld devices.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein

the at least one handheld device of the plurality of handheld devices includes a gyrosensor, and

the gyrosensor regularly updates the position information of the at least one handheld device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the combining further includes signal processing such that the processed audio signal corresponds to a stereo audio signal based on the at least two of the plurality of audio signals.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said processed audio signal corresponds to a surround sound signal.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the handheld devices are cellular phones, and each runs an application configured to perform the method for determining a processed audio signal.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the display is a component of the at least one handheld device.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein a user selects the target location via a touch interface.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining position information of the source of the at least one of the plurality of audio signals, wherein

the displayed location of the source of the at least one of the plurality of audio signals is based on the determined position information of the source of the at least one of the plurality of audio signals.

8. A handheld device comprising:

a microphone configured to pick up an audio signal;

a wireless interface configured to communicate with at least one other handheld device via an ad-hoc network and receive at least one other audio signal having been picked up by said at least one other handheld device;

a display configured to display a location of the handheld device and the at least one other handheld device and to display a location of at least one source of the audio signal and the at least one other audio signal;

a user interface configured to receive a target location from a user, the target location selected by the user from the displayed location of the at least one source; and

a microprocessor configured to;

determine position information of the handheld device and the at least one other handheld device; and

combine the audio signal and the at least one other audio signal by;

beamforming the audio signal and the at least one other audio signal to focus on the target location;

aligning the audio signal and the at least one other audio signal to a common reference point based on the position information of the handheld device and the at least one other handheld device; and

adding the plurality of audio signals to obtain a processed audio signal,

wherein the displayed location of the handheld device and the at least one other handheld device are based on the position information of the handheld device and the at least one other handheld device determined by the microprocessor.

14. The handheld device of claim 8, wherein the user interface is a touch interface.

15. The handheld device of claim 8, wherein the microprocessor is further configured to determine position information of the at least one source of the audio signal and the at least one other audio signal, wherein

the displayed location of the at least one source of the audio signal and the at least one other audio signal is based on the position information of the at least one source of the audio signal and the at least one other audio signal determined by the microprocessor.

9. A system configured to determine a processed audio signal, the system comprising:

a plurality of handheld devices including;

a microphone configured to pick up an audio signal; and

a wireless interface configured to communicate with at least one other handheld device via an ad-hoc network and receive at least one other audio signal having been picked up by said at least one other handheld device,

wherein at least one handheld device of the plurality of handheld devices further includes;

a display configured to display a location of each of the plurality of handheld devices and to display a location of at least one source of the audio signal and the at least one other audio signal;

a user interface configured to receive a target location from a user, the target location selected by the user from the displayed location of the at least one source; and

a microprocessor configured to;

determine position information of each of the plurality of handheld devices; and

combine the audio signal and the at least one other audio signal by;

beamforming the audio signal and the at least one other audio signal to focus on the target location;

aligning the audio signal and the at least one other audio signal to a common reference point based on the position information of each of the plurality of handheld devices; and

adding the plurality of audio signals to obtain a processed audio signal,

wherein the displayed locations of each of the plurality of handheld devices are based on the position information of each of the handheld devices determined by the microprocessor.

10. A method for determining a processed audio signal, the method comprising:

establishing an ad-hoc network between a plurality of handheld devices, each handheld device including a microphone;

determining position information for each of the plurality of handheld devices;

displaying on a display a location of each of the plurality of handheld devices based on the position information of each of the plurality of handheld devices;

picking up a plurality of audio signals with each microphone of the plurality of handheld devices;

displaying on the display a location of at least one source of the plurality of audio signals;

selecting a target location from the displayed locations of the at least one source;

receiving, in at least one handheld device, the audio signals of all other handheld devices via said ad-hoc network, the other handheld devices comprising the plurality of handheld devices excluding said at least one handheld device; and

determining, in said at least one handheld device, a processed audio signal by;

beamforming the plurality of audio signals to focus on the target location;

aligning the plurality of audio signals to a common reference point based on the position information of the plurality of handheld devices; and

adding the plurality of audio signals.