EP3477641A1 - Dispositif électronique grand public et procédé de fonctionnement - Google Patents

Dispositif électronique grand public et procédé de fonctionnement Download PDF

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Publication number
EP3477641A1
EP3477641A1 EP17198600.3A EP17198600A EP3477641A1 EP 3477641 A1 EP3477641 A1 EP 3477641A1 EP 17198600 A EP17198600 A EP 17198600A EP 3477641 A1 EP3477641 A1 EP 3477641A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
consumer electronics
electronics device
audio signal
gain
volume level
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.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP17198600.3A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
Inventor
Çaglar ÍSLEK
Özkan AYYILDIZ
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Vestel Elektronik Sanayi ve Ticaret AS
Original Assignee
Vestel Elektronik Sanayi ve Ticaret AS
Priority date (The priority date 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 date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Vestel Elektronik Sanayi ve Ticaret AS filed Critical Vestel Elektronik Sanayi ve Ticaret AS
Priority to EP17198600.3A priority Critical patent/EP3477641A1/fr
Priority to TR2017/16876A priority patent/TR201716876A2/tr
Publication of EP3477641A1 publication Critical patent/EP3477641A1/fr
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

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    • 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
    • G10L21/00—Speech or voice signal processing techniques to produce another audible or non-audible signal, e.g. visual or tactile, in order to modify its quality or its intelligibility
    • G10L21/02—Speech enhancement, e.g. noise reduction or echo cancellation

Definitions

  • the present disclosure relates to a consumer electronics device and a method of operating a consumer electronics device to enhance an audio signal output by the consumer electronics device.
  • Consumer electronics devices such as television sets, home audio systems, etc., typically output audio signals at a volume level set by a user of the device. If the consumer electronics device is playing out audio signals that contain human speech (for example, the audio signals of a television programme), the human speech will be output by the consumer electronics device at the same volume as any other sounds contained in the audio signal, e.g. background sounds and music. This can make it difficult for a user of the consumer electronics device to distinguish between the human speech and the other sounds played out by the consumer electronics device. This typically results in the user increasing the volume level of played out audio signals, which may result in distortion of the audio signal, making distinguishing the human speech even more difficult.
  • human speech for example, the audio signals of a television programme
  • a method of operating a consumer electronics device to enhance an audio signal output by the consumer electronics device comprising: the consumer electronics device determining a volume level of an audio signal output by the consumer electronics device; and the consumer electronics device applying a gain to at least one frequency band of the audio signal so as to enhance a speech portion of the audio signal, wherein the applied gain is a function of the determined volume level.
  • the function of the determined volume level is such that: if the determined volume level is within a first volume band, a first gain is applied to the at least one frequency band of the audio signal; and if the determined volume level is within a second, different volume band, a second, different gain is applied to the at least one frequency band of the audio signal.
  • the method comprises repeating the determining and applying in response to detecting a change in the volume level.
  • the gain applied to the at least one frequency band decreases as the volume level of the audio signal increases.
  • the gain applied to the at least one frequency band only changes when the volume changes from one volume band to another.
  • the volume level is set by a user by setting a volume control of the consumer electronics device.
  • the frequency band is between 300 hertz and 3 kilohertz.
  • a consumer electronics device configured to enhance an audio signal output by the consumer electronics device, the consumer electronics device being configured to: determine a volume level of an audio signal output by the consumer electronics device; and apply a gain to at least one frequency band of the audio signal so as to enhance a speech portion of the audio signal, wherein the applied gain is a function of the determined volume level.
  • the consumer electronic device is configured to: apply a first gain to the at least one frequency band of the audio signal if the determined volume level is within a first volume band; and apply a second, different gain to the at least one frequency band of the audio signal if the determined volume level is within a second, different volume band.
  • the consumer electronic device is configured to repeat the determining and applying in response to detecting a change in the volume level.
  • the consumer electronic device is configured such that the gain applied to the at least one frequency band of the audio signal decreases as the volume level of the audio signal increases.
  • the consumer electronics device is configured such that the gain is applied to a frequency band between 300 hertz and 3000 hertz.
  • a computer program comprising instructions such that when the computer program is executed on a computing device, the computing device is arranged to carry out a method according to any of the method steps disclosed herein.
  • a consumer electronics device is able to output audio signals that contain various different components depending on the contents of the media associated with the audio signals.
  • a television programme output from a television set may contain human speech and the sounds of road traffic, weather, animals, backing music, sound effects and so on.
  • a music recording output by a home audio system may contain human speech and instrument sounds.
  • the volume level of each component of the audio signal (e.g. speech, music, etc.) output from a consumer electronics device will depend on the volumes in the recorded or live content.
  • the speech component and a background component such as a sound effect
  • the sound effect may be louder than the speech component. This may make it difficult for a user of the consumer electronics device to hear and understand the speech component.
  • users often find it difficult to hear speech in content that is output by a consumer electronics device, especially in television programmes, films (movies), etc.
  • the human speech is usually considered to be the most important component of the audio signal. That is, the user would most like to be able to hear the human speech above the other components of the audio signal.
  • the user may increase or decrease the volume level of the consumer electronics device in an attempt to make the speech component more accessible.
  • increasing the volume level results in the volume of each component of the audio signal increasing.
  • decreasing the volume level results in the volume of each component of the audio signal decreasing.
  • Changing the volume level does not result in a relative change in volume between the speech component and the other components of the audio signal. Indeed, increasing the overall volume may lead to distortion of the whole sound which is played back, resulting in the speech component becoming even more difficult to discern for the user.
  • simply increasing the overall volume may not be acceptable or appropriate in the environment in which the consumer electronics device is being used.
  • a consumer electronics device is configured to enhance an audio signal output by the consumer electronics device to boost the speech portion of the audio signal. That is, a gain is applied to at least one frequency band of an audio signal, e.g. a frequency band corresponding to human speech.
  • the applied gain is a function of a determined volume level of the audio signal output by the consumer electronics device. For example, the applied gain may decrease monotonically with an increase in the volume level of the audio signal output by the consumer electronics device. As a specific example, the applied gain may be inversely proportional to the determined volume level, or at least generally inversely proportional to the determined volume level.
  • Enhancing the speech portion of the audio signal advantageously allows the user of the consumer electronics device to more easily distinguish between the speech portion and other portions or components of the audio signal and therefore hear the speech portion more clearly.
  • FIG. 1 shows schematically an example consumer electronics device 100.
  • the consumer electronics device 100 may be for example a media device such as a television set, a set top box, a DVD player, an audio amplifier, an audio processor, including for example a surround sound audio processor/amplifier, a personal computing device such as a laptop or desktop or tablet computer, a video game console, a cellular phone (including a so-called "smart phone”), etc.
  • the consumer electronics device 100 has at least one loudspeaker 102 for outputting an audio signal into an environment as sound.
  • the at least one speaker 102 may be built-in to the consumer electronics device 100 or the speaker(s) 102 may be connected to the consumer electronics device 100 by a wired or wireless connection.
  • Figure 2 shows schematically an example control system 200 of a consumer electronics device 100 configured to enhance an audio signal output by the consumer electronics device 100.
  • control system 200 and its components as shown in Figure 2 are represented as a schematic block diagram for the purposes of explaining the functionality of the control system only. Hence, it is understood that each component of the control system is a functional block for performing the functionality ascribed to it herein. Each component may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof. Additionally, although described as separate components of the control system, some or all of the functionality may be performed by a single piece of hardware, software, or firmware.
  • the control system has a controller 202 or processor operatively coupled to a user interface 204 and at least one loudspeaker 208.
  • the user interface 204 for example may be a display in the form of a screen for receiving inputs from the user.
  • the user interface 204 may comprise a touch screen, or a point-and-click user interface 204 comprising a mouse, track pad, or tracker ball or the like.
  • the user interface 204 may comprise a dedicated actuator or control panel for controlling the consumer electronics device 100.
  • the user interface 204 may comprise one or more buttons, sliders, switches and/or dials.
  • the user interface 204 is configured to receive inputs from a user of the consumer electronics device 100. For example, a user may provide a command to change the volume level of the audio signals output by the consumer electronics device 100.
  • the controller 202 is also operatively coupled to a gain circuit 206 configured to apply a gain to at least one frequency band of an audio signal output by the consumer electronics device 100.
  • the gain circuit 206 may comprise one or more amplifiers.
  • the consumer electronics device 100 determines a volume level of an audio signal output by the consumer electronics device 100.
  • the volume level of the audio signal may be any value between a minimum volume level (e.g. 0) and a maximum volume level (e.g. 100).
  • the volume level may be representative of the power or amplitude of the sound emitted by the speaker(s) 102. That is, the volume level is a setting of the consumer electronics device 100 rather than a physical quantity.
  • a lower volume level is representative of quieter sounds, whereas a higher volume level is representative of louder sounds.
  • the consumer electronics device 100 is configured to apply a gain to at least one frequency band of the audio signal so as to enhance a speech portion of the audio signal.
  • the at least one frequency band may contain audio of frequencies corresponding to those of human speech.
  • the audio signal may also contain frequencies that do not correspond to those of human speech.
  • the gain is only applied to the at least one frequency band and is not applied to other frequency bands.
  • the consumer electronics device 100 may be configured to apply a gain to a single frequency band which contains audio of frequencies corresponding to those of human speech.
  • the applied gain is a function of the determined volume level.
  • the applied gain may decrease monotonically with an increase in the volume level of the audio signal output by the consumer electronics device. That is, at higher volume levels of the audio signal, the gain that is applied is less and vice versa.
  • the applied gain may be inversely proportional to the volume level. Other examples are described below.
  • the function may be continuous such that as the volume changes the gain applied to the at least one frequency continuously changes.
  • the function may be discrete such that the gain applied to the at least one frequency band changes only as the volume level changes to certain discrete levels or changes by a specific amount.
  • the function of the determined volume level is such that: if the determined volume level is within a first volume band, a first gain is applied to the at least one frequency band of the audio signal; and if the determined volume level is within a second, different volume band, a second, different gain is applied to the at least one frequency band of the audio signal. That is, the function may be discontinuous such that a different gain is only applied if the volume level changes such that the volume level enters into a different volume band.
  • the range of volume levels between the minimum volume level and the maximum volume level may consist of more than two volume bands.
  • the volume range may consist of ten volume bands with ten volume levels in each band.
  • the bands may be 0-10, 11-20, 21-30, 31-40, 41-50, 51-60, 61-70, 71-80, 81-90 and 91-100.
  • the volume range may consist of a different number of volume bands with different numbers of volume levels in each band.
  • the volume bands may be set by a user of the consumer electronics device 100.
  • the gain that is applied may differ between some or all of the volume bands. Again, in an example, the gain that is applied for volumes falling within a volume band is less as the volume of the audio is greater.
  • the consumer electronics device 100 is configured to detect a change in the volume level.
  • the volume level may be set by a user setting a volume control of the consumer electronics device 100.
  • a user may operate a user interface 204 of the consumer electronics device 100 to trigger a change in the volume level.
  • the user may operate a control device, such as a remote control, that is configured to change the volume level of the audio signal output by the consumer electronics device 100.
  • the consumer electronics device 100 is configured to determine the volume level of the audio signal and apply a gain to the at least one frequency response in response to detecting a change in the volume level. That is, the gain may be applied dynamically to the at least one frequency band of the audio signal.
  • the gain applied to the at least one frequency band decreases monotonically as the volume level of the audio signal increases.
  • Table 1 shows example gains applied to the at least one frequency band for different example volume bands.
  • dBr is a relative difference in signal strength between the volume of the speech portion before the gain is applied and the volume of the speech portion after the gain is applied. That is, it is the relative difference between the volume of the at least one frequency band of the audio signal before and after the gain is applied to the at least one frequency band.
  • the volume bands and applied gains given here are merely examples.
  • the applied gains are selected according to the type of consumer electronics device 100. That is, the applied gains used for a television set may be different from the applied gains used for a laptop computer for example.
  • the volume bands and associated applied gain values are stored as data at the consumer electronics device 100 on data storage.
  • the data may be stored remotely across one or more servers.
  • the amount of gain to be applied changes dynamically according to the volume level, with the applied gains of the lower volume levels being greater than the applied gains of the higher volume levels. That is, at lower volume levels, a larger gain may be needed to ensure the user can sufficiently hear the speech portion of the audio signal.
  • no gain is applied to the frequency bands other than the at least one frequency band. That is, no gain is applied to the portions of the audio signal not corresponding to human speech. In this way, the background noise/sounds are all held at a constant volume whilst the speech portion in the played out audio signals is boosted (i.e. amplified). That is, the user can hear the speech portion more clearly whilst still being able to hear the background sounds.
  • no gain is applied to the largest volume band because applying a gain in this range may cause distortion of the audio signal output by the consumer electronics device 100 (because of for example distortion caused by the amplifier circuit in the consumer device 100 and/or in the speaker(s) 102, etc).
  • the at least one frequency band may be between 300 hertz (Hz) and 3000 Hz. In alternative examples, the at least one frequency band may be between 300 Hz and 3400 Hz.
  • the at least one frequency band may span a user or manufacturer defined range of frequencies.
  • the consumer device 100 may be provided with functionality that allows the user to set the frequencies for the one or more frequency bands for which a gain is selectively applied.
  • the processor 202 or processing system or circuitry referred to herein may in practice be provided by a single chip or integrated circuit or plural chips or integrated circuits, optionally provided as a chipset, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), field-programmable gate array (FPGA), digital signal processor (DSP), graphics processing units (GPUs), etc.
  • the chip or chips may comprise circuitry (as well as possibly firmware) for embodying at least one or more of a data processor or processors, a digital signal processor or processors, baseband circuitry and radio frequency circuitry, which are configurable so as to operate in accordance with the exemplary embodiments.
  • the exemplary embodiments may be implemented at least in part by computer software stored in (non-transitory) memory and executable by the processor, or by hardware, or by a combination of tangibly stored software and hardware (and tangibly stored firmware).
  • the invention also extends to computer programs, particularly computer programs on or in a carrier, adapted for putting the invention into practice.
  • the program may be in the form of non-transitory source code, object code, a code intermediate source and object code such as in partially compiled form, or in any other non-transitory form suitable for use in the implementation of processes according to the invention.
  • the carrier may be any entity or device capable of carrying the program.
  • the carrier may comprise a storage medium, such as a solid-state drive (SSD) or other semiconductor-based RAM; a ROM, for example a CD ROM or a semiconductor ROM; a magnetic recording medium, for example a floppy disk or hard disk; optical memory devices in general; etc.
  • SSD solid-state drive
  • ROM read-only memory
  • magnetic recording medium for example a floppy disk or hard disk
  • optical memory devices in general etc.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Computational Linguistics (AREA)
  • Quality & Reliability (AREA)
  • Signal Processing (AREA)
  • Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • Audiology, Speech & Language Pathology (AREA)
  • Human Computer Interaction (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Acoustics & Sound (AREA)
  • Multimedia (AREA)
  • Signal Processing Not Specific To The Method Of Recording And Reproducing (AREA)
  • Circuit For Audible Band Transducer (AREA)
EP17198600.3A 2017-10-26 2017-10-26 Dispositif électronique grand public et procédé de fonctionnement Withdrawn EP3477641A1 (fr)

Priority Applications (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP17198600.3A EP3477641A1 (fr) 2017-10-26 2017-10-26 Dispositif électronique grand public et procédé de fonctionnement
TR2017/16876A TR201716876A2 (tr) 2017-10-26 2017-10-31 Tüketi̇ci̇ elektroni̇k ci̇hazi ve çaliştirma yöntemi̇

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP17198600.3A EP3477641A1 (fr) 2017-10-26 2017-10-26 Dispositif électronique grand public et procédé de fonctionnement

Publications (1)

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EP3477641A1 true EP3477641A1 (fr) 2019-05-01

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EP17198600.3A Withdrawn EP3477641A1 (fr) 2017-10-26 2017-10-26 Dispositif électronique grand public et procédé de fonctionnement

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EP (1) EP3477641A1 (fr)
TR (1) TR201716876A2 (fr)

Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US6993480B1 (en) * 1998-11-03 2006-01-31 Srs Labs, Inc. Voice intelligibility enhancement system
US20080013751A1 (en) * 2006-07-17 2008-01-17 Per Hiselius Volume dependent audio frequency gain profile
WO2008106036A2 (fr) * 2007-02-26 2008-09-04 Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation Enrichissement vocal en audio de loisir
WO2011040729A2 (fr) * 2009-09-30 2011-04-07 (주)줄라이세미컨덕터 Appareil de commande de signal audio pour dispositif de communication câblé/sans fil
EP2453438A1 (fr) * 2010-11-12 2012-05-16 Apple Inc. Contrôle d'intelligibilité utilisant la détection du bruit ambiant
EP2538408A1 (fr) * 2011-06-24 2012-12-26 Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba Appareil de contrôle audio, appareil de correction audio et procédé de correction d'audio

Patent Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US6993480B1 (en) * 1998-11-03 2006-01-31 Srs Labs, Inc. Voice intelligibility enhancement system
US20080013751A1 (en) * 2006-07-17 2008-01-17 Per Hiselius Volume dependent audio frequency gain profile
WO2008106036A2 (fr) * 2007-02-26 2008-09-04 Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation Enrichissement vocal en audio de loisir
WO2011040729A2 (fr) * 2009-09-30 2011-04-07 (주)줄라이세미컨덕터 Appareil de commande de signal audio pour dispositif de communication câblé/sans fil
EP2453438A1 (fr) * 2010-11-12 2012-05-16 Apple Inc. Contrôle d'intelligibilité utilisant la détection du bruit ambiant
EP2538408A1 (fr) * 2011-06-24 2012-12-26 Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba Appareil de contrôle audio, appareil de correction audio et procédé de correction d'audio

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
TR201716876A2 (tr) 2019-05-21

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