EP1128360A2 - Method for optimizing the acoustic quality of an acoustic signal on the basis of psyscho-acoustic parameters - Google Patents
Method for optimizing the acoustic quality of an acoustic signal on the basis of psyscho-acoustic parameters Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP1128360A2 EP1128360A2 EP01830129A EP01830129A EP1128360A2 EP 1128360 A2 EP1128360 A2 EP 1128360A2 EP 01830129 A EP01830129 A EP 01830129A EP 01830129 A EP01830129 A EP 01830129A EP 1128360 A2 EP1128360 A2 EP 1128360A2
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- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- sound
- acoustic
- psycho
- perceived
- roughness
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
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- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 title claims abstract description 15
- 238000011156 evaluation Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 6
- 238000012545 processing Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 5
- 230000000694 effects Effects 0.000 description 5
- 238000001914 filtration Methods 0.000 description 4
- 230000008447 perception Effects 0.000 description 4
- 230000015572 biosynthetic process Effects 0.000 description 3
- 238000003786 synthesis reaction Methods 0.000 description 3
- 238000013461 design Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000011161 development Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000000605 extraction Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000003993 interaction Effects 0.000 description 2
- 230000001766 physiological effect Effects 0.000 description 2
- 230000004800 psychological effect Effects 0.000 description 2
- 230000035807 sensation Effects 0.000 description 2
- 235000019615 sensations Nutrition 0.000 description 2
- 230000003321 amplification Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000004458 analytical method Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000003542 behavioural effect Effects 0.000 description 1
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- 238000012937 correction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000003247 decreasing effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 210000005069 ears Anatomy 0.000 description 1
- 238000011835 investigation Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000005259 measurement Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000012986 modification Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000004048 modification Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000003199 nucleic acid amplification method Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000000704 physical effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000011002 quantification Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000005070 sampling Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000005236 sound signal Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000001228 spectrum Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000001308 synthesis method Methods 0.000 description 1
- 235000019640 taste Nutrition 0.000 description 1
- 238000012360 testing method Methods 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G10—MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS; ACOUSTICS
- G10L—SPEECH ANALYSIS TECHNIQUES OR SPEECH SYNTHESIS; SPEECH RECOGNITION; SPEECH OR VOICE PROCESSING TECHNIQUES; SPEECH OR AUDIO CODING OR DECODING
- G10L25/00—Speech or voice analysis techniques not restricted to a single one of groups G10L15/00 - G10L21/00
- G10L25/48—Speech or voice analysis techniques not restricted to a single one of groups G10L15/00 - G10L21/00 specially adapted for particular use
- G10L25/69—Speech or voice analysis techniques not restricted to a single one of groups G10L15/00 - G10L21/00 specially adapted for particular use for evaluating synthetic or decoded voice signals
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G10—MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS; ACOUSTICS
- G10K—SOUND-PRODUCING DEVICES; METHODS OR DEVICES FOR PROTECTING AGAINST, OR FOR DAMPING, NOISE OR OTHER ACOUSTIC WAVES IN GENERAL; ACOUSTICS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- G10K15/00—Acoustics not otherwise provided for
- G10K15/02—Synthesis of acoustic waves
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04S—STEREOPHONIC SYSTEMS
- H04S1/00—Two-channel systems
Definitions
- This invention relates to a procedure for optimising the acoustic quality of an acoustic signal.
- the procedure is particularly suitable for being applied to the optimisation of the sound perceived inside the passenger compartment of a moving motor vehicle, also if naturally other applications are not excluded.
- Purpose of this invention is to permit a substantial progress in the design and optimisation of the acoustic quality of an acoustic signal.
- the fundamental concept underlying this invention consists in comprehending that a development is required from the traditional sound synthesis method, based on controlling the physical properties of sound, to a procedure based on directly controlling the psycho-acoustic characteristics of sound.
- additional interventions according to this invention include psycho-acoustic parameters such as loudness, roughness, sharpness, impulsiveness and any other psycho-acoustic variables.
- a form of embodiment according to this invention focuses on the "roughness” parameter.
- This parameter is discussed and defined in literature as a "sensation of dissonance” (R. Plomp, Aspects of tone sensation, Academic Press, 1976).
- the applicant identified a set of physical characteristics on which to intervene to control the output roughness.
- algorithms have been selected for operating on amplitude modulations.
- the fundamental principle of roughness synthesis is based on a particular filtering operation which separates the area of the frequencies concerned from the residual part of the spectrum. This "isolated” area is manipulated by means of active or passive roughness component filtering, on the basis of the so-called “roughness curve” defined by Plomp (see above).
- the portion with increased or decreased roughness is then combined again with its completion to obtain the complete sample with the new overall value of roughness.
- the necessary filtering algorithms can be optimised in terms of computation and in terms of filtering quality, to obtain a practically "perfect” signal after manipulation without any form of phase distortion nor filter output "contour effects”.
- the procedure according to this invention employs a roughness synthesis module which is based on the following logical steps:
- the procedure according to this invention may be firstly applied in laboratory. Its use in this case requires interfacing with systems for playing recorded sounds or systems for the synthesis of artificial sounds (inputs) and with other systems for playing sounds for the administration of sounds obtained after manipulation to the ears of a listener (output).
- FIG. 1 schematically illustrates the system used.
- number 1 indicates the input acoustic signal to a processor 2 by means of which the required psycho-acoustic characteristics (3) are introduced (controlled), according to the criteria illustrated above, as an example, in the case of the roughness parameter.
- the acoustic signal 4 thus manipulated, output from the processor 2, is submitted to the subjective judgement of a plurality of panels formed by statistically representative experimental individuals 5.
- very high fidelity stereophonic headphones can be used with suitable amplification and sound signal conditioning systems.
- the method of use of this system is based on subjective listening test and sound evaluation methods. In essence, these methods consist in interviewing the panel members by means of specific questionnaires or other subjective evaluation sampling instruments, on the experimental physiological/psychological effects during listening to acoustic specimens played employing the selected instruments. Such data are the base for subsequent statistic processing which form a description of the mean behaviour, the deviations and the predictive models of the subjective reactions of the chosen population. The results of such investigations provide the information required to defined "acoustic design" specifications of the product, aimed at improving the perceived quality.
- a suitably programmed and interfaced digital signal processor is employed to introduce in the sound perceived inside the passenger compartment the required psycho-acoustic characteristics.
- DSP digital signal processor
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- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Acoustics & Sound (AREA)
- Multimedia (AREA)
- Audiology, Speech & Language Pathology (AREA)
- Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
- Signal Processing (AREA)
- General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
- Computational Linguistics (AREA)
- Human Computer Interaction (AREA)
- Measurement Of Mechanical Vibrations Or Ultrasonic Waves (AREA)
- Fittings On The Vehicle Exterior For Carrying Loads, And Devices For Holding Or Mounting Articles (AREA)
- Tone Control, Compression And Expansion, Limiting Amplitude (AREA)
Abstract
Procedure for the optimisation of the acoustic quality,
comprising the steps of arranging media (1) for playing
a recorded sound or for synthesising an artificial
sound, manipulating (2, 3) the sound thus generated so
to confer a predefined value of at least one psycho-acoustic
parameter, such as, for example, roughness,
loudness, sharpness or impulsiveness, subjecting the
sound thus manipulated to the subjective judgement of a
plurality of panels of statistically representative
experimental individuals, processing the subjective
evaluations of the panels, in association to the
psycho-acoustic parameters conferred to the sounds
which are the object of the evaluation, in such a way
to identify optimisation values of the perceived sound
quality. In the case of application to the sound
perceived inside the passenger compartment of a moving
motor vehicle, sound processing media are arranged
inside the motor vehicle for conferring optimal values
of one or more previously defined psycho-acoustic
parameters to the perceived sound.
Description
This invention relates to a procedure for optimising
the acoustic quality of an acoustic signal. The
procedure is particularly suitable for being applied to
the optimisation of the sound perceived inside the
passenger compartment of a moving motor vehicle, also
if naturally other applications are not excluded.
The optimisation of acoustic quality in the passenger
compartment of a motor vehicle has been demonstrated as
being determining both from an "aesthetic" point of
view, consequently influencing the purchasing decision
of the potential customer, and in terms of comfort and
safety, considering that it contributes towards
reducing the stressing components in the interaction
between humans and motor vehicles.
Purpose of this invention is to permit a substantial
progress in the design and optimisation of the acoustic
quality of an acoustic signal.
The main characteristic of the procedure according to
this invention is illustrated in the accompanying claim
1. The specific application of optimisation to the
sound perceived inside the passenger compartment of a
motor vehicle, on the other hand, is illustrated in
accompanying claim 2.
The fundamental concept underlying this invention
consists in comprehending that a development is
required from the traditional sound synthesis method,
based on controlling the physical properties of sound,
to a procedure based on directly controlling the
psycho-acoustic characteristics of sound. In practice,
in addition to the usual interventions on frequency,
amplitude, development in time, additional
interventions according to this invention include
psycho-acoustic parameters such as loudness, roughness,
sharpness, impulsiveness and any other psycho-acoustic
variables.
A form of embodiment according to this invention
focuses on the "roughness" parameter. This parameter is
discussed and defined in literature as a "sensation of
dissonance" (R. Plomp, Aspects of tone sensation,
Academic Press, 1976). On the basis of experimental
results, the applicant identified a set of physical
characteristics on which to intervene to control the
output roughness. Particularly, algorithms have been
selected for operating on amplitude modulations. The
fundamental principle of roughness synthesis is based
on a particular filtering operation which separates the
area of the frequencies concerned from the residual
part of the spectrum. This "isolated" area is
manipulated by means of active or passive roughness
component filtering, on the basis of the so-called
"roughness curve" defined by Plomp (see above).
The portion with increased or decreased roughness is
then combined again with its completion to obtain the
complete sample with the new overall value of
roughness. The necessary filtering algorithms can be
optimised in terms of computation and in terms of
filtering quality, to obtain a practically "perfect"
signal after manipulation without any form of phase
distortion nor filter output "contour effects".
The following details on the theoretical bases of the
procedure according to this invention for better
understanding.
The classic definition of "roughness" (considered as an
extension of the musical concept of "dissonance") is
based on the presence of beats (amplitude modulations)
overlaying a sinusoidal background sound (fundamental),
with a modulation frequency which is smaller than the
width of the critical band to which the fundamental
belongs (see publication mentioned above). According to
Plomp, the maximum roughness curve which can be
obtained by the interference between two pure sounds is
reached when the relationship of their frequencies is
0.23 times the width of the critical band of the
fundamental (in musical terms: one semitone).
In a recent work (D. Pressnitzer, S. McAdams, Influence
of phase effects of roughness modelling, Proceedings
I.C.M.C. 97, Toessaloniki, Greece, September 1997),
some effects of the phase relationships on the
perception of roughness, by overlaying three pure
sounds (pseudo amplitude modulation), at least under 8
kHz.
Currently, no satisfying perceptive model of roughness
of complex sounds (narrow band sounds and quasi
harmonic sounds) is currently described in literature.
The procedure according to this invention employs a
roughness synthesis module which is based on the
following logical steps:
The procedure according to this invention may be
firstly applied in laboratory. Its use in this case
requires interfacing with systems for playing recorded
sounds or systems for the synthesis of artificial
sounds (inputs) and with other systems for playing
sounds for the administration of sounds obtained after
manipulation to the ears of a listener (output).
The accompanying figure schematically illustrates the
system used. In the figure, number 1 indicates the
input acoustic signal to a processor 2 by means of
which the required psycho-acoustic characteristics (3)
are introduced (controlled), according to the criteria
illustrated above, as an example, in the case of the
roughness parameter. The acoustic signal 4 thus
manipulated, output from the processor 2, is submitted
to the subjective judgement of a plurality of panels
formed by statistically representative experimental
individuals 5. For this purpose, very high fidelity
stereophonic headphones can be used with suitable
amplification and sound signal conditioning systems.
The method of use of this system is based on subjective
listening test and sound evaluation methods. In
essence, these methods consist in interviewing the
panel members by means of specific questionnaires or
other subjective evaluation sampling instruments, on
the experimental physiological/psychological effects
during listening to acoustic specimens played employing
the selected instruments. Such data are the base for
subsequent statistic processing which form a
description of the mean behaviour, the deviations and
the predictive models of the subjective reactions of
the chosen population. The results of such
investigations provide the information required to
defined "acoustic design" specifications of the
product, aimed at improving the perceived quality. In
this context, dominated by subjective behavioural
variables, the use of instruments such as the one
described above, capable of manipulating the acoustic
signal (by a laboratory operator or by the experimental
individual) directly on the parameters conceived for
quantifying characteristics of subjective acoustic
perception, is crucial.
When applying the procedure according to this invention
to the optimisation of the acoustic quality perceived
inside the passenger compartment of a motor vehicle, a
suitably programmed and interfaced digital signal
processor (DSP) is employed to introduce in the sound
perceived inside the passenger compartment the required
psycho-acoustic characteristics. In this way, the
parameteric management of the qualitative
characteristics of the sound means that the user can
modify the sound, at least in part, according to
personal tastes and requirements, obtaining a direct
access to the physiological and psychological effects
of the acoustic environment in driving conditions.
The results thus obtained, in addition to having an
"aesthetic" value which can effect the purchasing
choice of the potential buyer, also invest the context
of comfort and safety, since the results would allow
reduction of the stressing components in the
interaction between humans and motor vehicles.
Naturally, numerous changes can be implemented to the
forms of embodiment of the invention herein envisaged,
all comprised within the context of the concept
characterising this invention, as defined by the
following claims.
Claims (2)
- Procedure for the optimisation of the acoustic quality of an acoustic signal characterised in that it comprises the steps of:arranging media (1) for playing a recorded sound or for synthesising an artificial sound,manipulating the sound thus generated (2, 3) so to confer a predefined value of at least one psycho-acoustic parameter, such as roughness, loudness, sharpness or impulsiveness,subjecting the sound thus manipulated to the subjective judgement of a plurality of panels of statistically representative experimental individuals,processing the subjective evaluations of the panels, in association to the psycho-acoustic parameters conferred to the sounds which are the object of the evaluation, in such a way to identify optimisation values of the perceived sound quality.
- Procedure according to claim 1 characterised in that it is applied to the sound perceived inside the passenger compartment of a moving motor vehicle and by the fact that sound processing media are arranged inside the motor vehicle for conferring optimal values of one or more psycho-acoustic parameters to the perceived sound previously defined according to the procedure described in claim 1.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| IT2000TO000180A IT1319914B1 (en) | 2000-02-24 | 2000-02-24 | PROCEDURE FOR THE OPTIMIZATION OF THE SOUND QUALITY OF A SOUND SIGNAL ON THE BASIS OF PSYCHO-ACOUSTIC PARAMETERS. |
| ITTO000180 | 2000-02-24 |
Publications (2)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| EP1128360A2 true EP1128360A2 (en) | 2001-08-29 |
| EP1128360A3 EP1128360A3 (en) | 2004-12-08 |
Family
ID=11457483
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| EP01830129A Withdrawn EP1128360A3 (en) | 2000-02-24 | 2001-02-23 | Method for optimizing the acoustic quality of an acoustic signal on the basis of psyscho-acoustic parameters |
Country Status (2)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| EP (1) | EP1128360A3 (en) |
| IT (1) | IT1319914B1 (en) |
Cited By (2)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CN102857851A (en) * | 2012-09-12 | 2013-01-02 | 清华大学 | Sound and image synchronizing system for sound quality evaluation |
| DE102024125650A1 (en) | 2024-09-06 | 2026-03-12 | Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V. | Methods for optimizing the technical design and operation of an aircraft/vehicle with regard to target parameters of noise development |
Family Cites Families (4)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US5434922A (en) * | 1993-04-08 | 1995-07-18 | Miller; Thomas E. | Method and apparatus for dynamic sound optimization |
| US5715372A (en) * | 1995-01-10 | 1998-02-03 | Lucent Technologies Inc. | Method and apparatus for characterizing an input signal |
| US5907622A (en) * | 1995-09-21 | 1999-05-25 | Dougherty; A. Michael | Automatic noise compensation system for audio reproduction equipment |
| CA2230188A1 (en) * | 1998-03-27 | 1999-09-27 | William C. Treurniet | Objective audio quality measurement |
-
2000
- 2000-02-24 IT IT2000TO000180A patent/IT1319914B1/en active
-
2001
- 2001-02-23 EP EP01830129A patent/EP1128360A3/en not_active Withdrawn
Cited By (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CN102857851A (en) * | 2012-09-12 | 2013-01-02 | 清华大学 | Sound and image synchronizing system for sound quality evaluation |
| CN102857851B (en) * | 2012-09-12 | 2015-04-15 | 清华大学 | Sound and image synchronizing system for sound quality evaluation |
| DE102024125650A1 (en) | 2024-09-06 | 2026-03-12 | Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V. | Methods for optimizing the technical design and operation of an aircraft/vehicle with regard to target parameters of noise development |
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| ITTO20000180A0 (en) | 2000-02-24 |
| IT1319914B1 (en) | 2003-11-12 |
| ITTO20000180A1 (en) | 2001-08-24 |
| EP1128360A3 (en) | 2004-12-08 |
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