KR100916726B1 - The hearing level formaly as hearing loss measure system and method and the audio signal output controller using the same and method - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a hearing threshold measuring apparatus and method, and an audio signal output apparatus and method using the same. In measuring the hearing threshold for each frequency band of an individual, the frequency and output of a desired stimulus sound using a digital signal processing technique. It is an object of the present invention to provide a hearing threshold measuring apparatus and method for reducing the internal memory usage of an audio device by determining a level and generating a desired stimulus sound.

To this end, the present invention provides a hearing threshold measurement apparatus, comprising: stimulus sound generating means for generating a stimulus sound by determining a frequency and a magnitude of a stimulus sound to be output; Audio control means for outputting and controlling the generated stimulus sound; Output means for outputting the stimulus sound under the control of the audio control means; User response input means for receiving a user's cognitive response to the output stimulus sound; User input / output control means for determining whether the user's acknowledgment or not; And threshold calculation means for determining a hearing threshold of the user in a corresponding frequency band in response to the user's recognition of the output stimulus sound according to the determination result.

Hearing threshold, pure tone, pulse tone, audio codec, audio signal output

Description

Hearing threshold measurement device and method and audio signal output device using same and method therefor {The hearing level formaly as hearing loss measure system and method and the audio signal output controller using the same and method}

The present invention relates to a hearing threshold measuring apparatus and method, and an audio signal output apparatus and method using the same. More particularly, the hearing threshold is measured for each frequency band of an individual and based on the measured hearing threshold. By adjusting, it is possible to provide the best sound and the best hearing protection.

Statistically, about 0.1% to 0.2% of the population is profound hearing loss at all, 1 to 2% is moderate and severe hearing loss, and 10 to 15% is mild hearing loss. mild hearing loss). Here, mild hearing loss is a person who has a difficulty in hearing the sound of about 20 ~ 40dB is a person who does not have a big problem in talking with the person nearby. However, most cases of mild hearing loss do not recognize the severity of the hearing loss. However, many people with mild hearing loss may have moderate hearing loss if they continue to use the sound reproducing device at excessive volume. Increasingly, they can develop into high or deep hearing loss.

In the modern world, many people come across a number of sound playback devices, such as TVs, AM-FM radios, CD players, MP3 players, audio, PCs, and language players.

However, such a sound reproducing apparatus has a sufficient volume amplification function to cause a hearing loss of the user, most of the users to increase the volume to listen to music, so that the hearing damage of users using the sound reproducing device becomes more severe, mild hearing loss In many cases, the more people who prefer music, the more they tend to play the music at the maximum volume. Therefore, the hearing loss problem is more severe in these users, and moderate to deep hearing loss occurs. It is getting bigger. The reason why the hearing loss is caused more seriously is that the conventional sound reproducing apparatus reproduces music uniformly, ignoring the individual auditory threshold.

Therefore, in order to prevent the loss of auditory cells, equalization (Equalization) that can be independently adjusted for each frequency band can be performed, the equalizer (Equalizer) generally allows the user to listen to the music in their desired tone For example, a person who prefers a transparent and elegant high frequency band can make the sound he wants by increasing the high frequency band of the equalizer, and a low frequency band when he wants a grand and powerful sound. In addition, the equalizer is used not only to produce a tone desired by the user, but also for medical purposes such as hearing aids and cochlear implants.

However, in the case of providing a sound reproducing apparatus based on the user's hearing using the equalizer, the conventional scheme has the following problems.

First, a lot of memory is required because the stimulus sound is stored as data. This raises the cost of the product. That is, in the related art, when stimulus sounds are stored in the internal memory of an audio device and the user threshold is to be measured, the stimulus sounds are presented to the user by reading data from the internal memory. This requires additional memory of the audio device, which raises the cost of the product, which is reflected in the product cost of the consumer to create a relatively high priced audio device.

Second, in the case of an audio device that several people listen to at the same time, it is impossible to respond. In other words, while mobile audio devices such as MP3 are mainly used by one person, one person may enjoy TV or home theater, which is an audio device mainly used indoors. to be. In this case, since the conventional technology is based on the hearing degree of one person, when an audio device is applied to a large number of users, even if an equalizer according to the individual hearing ability is applied, it does not help each individual. In other words, older adults can hear audio properly at a loud volume due to hearing loss due to senile hearing loss, and relatively young families can listen to audio at a low volume. Applying an equalizer, it is impossible to obtain the volume output of an audio device suitable for multiple users to listen at the same time.

Third, it is impossible to respond to the ambient noise. In other words, the prior art does not respond to ambient noise. In the case of portable audio devices such as MP3s, they listen in a quiet room, but they also listen a lot in noisy outdoor areas and subways, so even if an equalizer is applied according to the personal hearing ability, it does not work properly. When the ambient noise rises in a specific frequency band, the music corresponding to the band is relatively small, and the user increases the volume to compensate for the small sound.

Looking at the problem of the third case in more detail, MP3, the representative of the mobile audio device is an audio device that users use regardless of the place, such as subway or outside or indoors. The audio device outputs the volume of the audio device at a predetermined volume regardless of ambient noise. However, in areas where the noise level is high, the user may turn up the volume because the music is hard to hear. Sometimes, when listening to music in a noisy place and entering a quiet room, the user continues to listen to loud volume music without changing the volume. In this case, if the user is exposed to high volume for a long time and the number of times increases, the result of hearing loss is obtained.

Accordingly, the present invention reduces the internal memory usage of an audio device by generating a desired stimulus sound by determining a frequency and output level of a desired stimulus sound using a digital signal processing technique in measuring a hearing threshold for each individual frequency band. It is an object of the present invention to provide a hearing threshold measuring apparatus and a method thereof.

In addition, the present invention provides an audio signal output apparatus and method for providing a volume output of an audio device suitable for a plurality of users to listen at the same time in adjusting an equalizer based on the measured hearing threshold. There is another purpose.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an audio signal output device and a method for providing a volume output of an audio device in consideration of ambient noise conditions in adjusting an equalizer based on the measured hearing threshold. There is this.

The objects of the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned objects, and other objects which are not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a hearing threshold measuring apparatus, comprising: stimulus sound generating means for generating a stimulus sound by determining a frequency and a magnitude of a stimulus sound to be output; Audio control means for outputting and controlling the generated stimulus sound; Output means for outputting the stimulus sound under the control of the audio control means; User response input means for receiving a user's cognitive response to the output stimulus sound; User input / output control means for determining whether the user's acknowledgment or not; And threshold calculation means for determining a hearing threshold of the user in a corresponding frequency band when the user's cognitive response or no response to the output stimulus sound is determined according to the determination result. However, the non-response of the user here means that the user does not input a result recognized for a certain time.

In addition, the present invention, in the hearing threshold measurement method, determining the frequency and magnitude of the stimulus sound to be output, generating a stimulus sound; Outputting the generated stimulus sound; Receiving a user's cognitive response to the output stimulus sound; And determining a hearing threshold of the user in a corresponding frequency band when the user's cognitive response / no response to the output stimulus sound is generated.

On the other hand, the present invention provides an audio signal output device, comprising: threshold storage means for storing a hearing threshold of at least one user; Audio control means for adjusting a frequency band gain of the equalizer based on the hearing threshold value of the at least one user; And audio output means for outputting a volume considering the hearing threshold of the at least one user under the control of the audio control means.

The invention also provides means for collecting device ambient noise; And noise analysis means for analyzing the collected ambient noise for each frequency band.

On the other hand, the present invention provides a method for outputting an audio signal, the method comprising: storing hearing thresholds of at least two users; Adjusting the frequency band gain of the equalizer based on the average or maximum value of the hearing thresholds of the at least two users; And outputting an audio volume in consideration of an average or maximum hearing threshold of at least two users by reflecting a frequency band gain of the adjusted equalizer.

The present invention provides a method of outputting an audio signal, the method comprising: storing a hearing threshold of at least one user; Collecting ambient noise from the device and analyzing the frequency noise according to frequency bands; Adjusting a frequency band gain of the equalizer in consideration of the hearing threshold value of the at least one user and ambient noise; And outputting an audio volume in consideration of a hearing threshold value and ambient noise of the at least one user by reflecting a frequency band gain of the adjusted equalizer.

The present invention as described above, by using the digital signal processing technology to generate the stimulus sound can reduce the memory use of the audio device has the advantage of lowering the product cost.

In addition, the present invention, by adjusting the output of the audio device in consideration of the hearing threshold of the user has the advantage that can not only minimize the hearing damage of the user, but also provide the optimum sound.

In addition, the present invention has an advantage of outputting an audio signal satisfying a plurality of users through an audio device output according to the average hearing threshold or the maximum hearing threshold of the plurality of users.

In addition, the present invention has the advantage of protecting the user's hearing through the audio device output in consideration of the ambient noise while continuously monitoring the ambient noise.

Specific details of other embodiments are included in the detailed description and the drawings.

Advantages and features of the present invention and methods for achieving them will be apparent with reference to the embodiments described below in detail with the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below, but may be embodied in various forms, and the present embodiments are merely provided to make the disclosure of the present invention complete and the general knowledge in the art to which the present invention belongs. It is provided to fully inform the person having the scope of the invention, the invention is defined only by the scope of the claims. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The present invention can be broadly divided into a configuration (see FIG. 1) for measuring a hearing threshold for each individual frequency band and a configuration (see FIG. 3) for adjusting an equalizer based on the measured hearing threshold.

First, the configuration of measuring the hearing threshold for each individual frequency band will be described.

1 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a hearing threshold measuring apparatus according to the present invention.

The hearing threshold measuring apparatus includes a control unit 10 for controlling all functions of the hearing threshold measurement, an audio codec 20 for input / output control of an audio signal, a speaker / earphone 30 for outputting an actual audio signal, and It is provided with a user response input unit 40 that is responsible for whether the user.

Here, the hearing threshold measurement control unit 10 includes a stimulus sound generation unit 11, an audio control unit 12, a threshold calculation unit 13, and a user input / output control unit 14.

In hardware, the controller 10 corresponds to a CPU, a memory, and the like, and the audio codec 20 is an audio component used in a PC or a mobile device such as AC97, and takes charge of input and output of audio.

In particular, referring to the configuration of the hearing threshold measuring apparatus according to the present invention, the stimulus sound generating unit 11 for generating the stimulus sound by determining the frequency and magnitude of the stimulus sound to be output, and the generated stimulus sound is output and controlled. The audio codec 20 and the speaker / earphone 30 for outputting the stimulus sound, and the user's cognitive response to the output stimulus sound. In response to the user response input unit 40 for receiving an input, the user input / output control unit 14 for determining whether the user's cognitive response is determined, and the user's cognitive response / no response to the output stimulus sound, the corresponding frequency band And a threshold calculator 13 for determining a user's hearing threshold at.

The audio controller 12 includes a codec controller 121 for controlling an external audio codec 20 such as an AC97 codec, and a volume controller 122 for determining an output volume of the audio codec 20.

Here, the codec control unit 121 determines the input and output of the codec and controls the functions of the additional functions of the codec. Additional functions of the codec are functions provided by a hardware vendor in addition to the codec-specific functions, and control functions such as AGC control or GPIO connected to the codec.

In addition, the volume controller 122 receives the value of the volume determined by the threshold calculator 13 to determine and control the volume of the audio codec 20. This part serves to accurately reflect the result of the threshold calculation unit 13 when calculating the hearing threshold of the user.

The stimulus sound generator 11 is responsible for generating a stimulus sound for calculating a hearing threshold of the user. In the present invention, the stimulus sound can be selected from the pure tone and the pulse tone used in the general hearing threshold measurement. It can be used selectively depending on the application or user's condition.

Here, the 'pure sound' refers to a signal including only a signal of a single frequency used in the conventional hearing threshold measurement, and is generated in the pure sound generator 111. This can be created with a simple math function.

In addition, the "Pulstone" is not a constant sound is output is constant, but refers to a signal that sounds like a telephone ring because there is a silent section of the period during the generation of the pure sound, it is generated in the pulse tone generator 112. For example, if the silent section output is repeated for 50 ms after the pure tone is output for 50 ms, it sounds like a telephone ring (for example, "dududu").

Accordingly, the stimulus sound generating unit 11 determines the frequency of the stimulus sound to be output through the pure tone generating unit 111 or the pulse tone generating unit 112, and the magnitude of the stimulus sound through the level control unit 113 (that is, Level), the stimulus sound is generated and transmitted to the audio controller 12 with the frequency and level determined as described above.

As described above, when the stimulus sound is stored in the internal memory of the audio device and the user threshold is to be measured, the stimulus sound is presented to the user by reading data from the internal memory. This requires additional memory of the audio device, which raises the cost of the product, and the increased cost is reflected in the product price of the consumer to create a relatively high priced audio device.

However, in the present invention, the desired stimulus sound can be generated by receiving the frequency and output level of the desired stimulus sound using digital signal processing technology. Stimulus sounds proposed in the present invention include a method of making and presenting a traditional pure sound and a method of making and presenting a pulsed tone.

The 'pure note' can be obtained by inputting the frequency and multiplying the magnitude of the output level in the sin, cos function, which is a general trigonometric function.

On the other hand, there are two cases of 'Pulstone'. The first method is to repeat "MUTE" and "UNMUTE" periodically at the amplifier outside the codec, creating and presenting a pure tone at that frequency. In this case, pop noise may be generated in the speaker or the headphone, but it may be removed by hardware. The second is to multiply the window function, which produces a pure tone output of a certain length and a pulse tone of that length. This window function has a value of '1' while pure sound is presented, and a value of '0' while silence is presented.

By generating the stimulus sound using the signal processing, it is possible to reduce the use of the internal memory of the audio device, thereby reducing the cost increase.

The threshold calculator 13 determines an output magnitude to be generated by the stimulus sound generating unit 11, determines a user's response to the output stimulus sound, and calculates a hearing threshold of the user at a corresponding frequency. The frequency of the stimulus sound to be presented in step is transmitted to the stimulus sound generating unit (11).

Referring to FIG. 2, referring to the user hearing threshold determination process of the threshold calculator 13, when the hearing threshold measurement starts, the initial frequency and level are determined (201, 202) and presented to the user as a stimulus sound (203).

If the user recognizes the proposed stimulus sound (204), the user inputs the data on the threshold determination at the corresponding frequency (205), and determines the stimulus sound for generating a new stimulus sound (207). The frequency and level are again determined (201, 202) and the stimulus sound is presented to the user (203).

However, if the user does not recognize the presented stimulus (204), the next stimulus is determined (207) to determine the frequency and level (201, 202) and the stimulus is presented to the user (203).

Through this process, the hearing threshold of the user is calculated, and when the hearing threshold is determined in all desired bands, the terminal is terminated and stored in the internal memory.

Meanwhile, the user input / output controller 14 determines whether there is a user's cognitive response to the stimulus sound. If there is a user's input to the stimulus sound currently presented from the user response input unit 40, the threshold value is transmitted to the threshold calculator 13, and the threshold calculator 13 determines a threshold value for the corresponding frequency of the stimulus sound. Next, the stimulus frequency is determined and transmitted to the stimulus sound generating unit 11. However, if the user response does not exist for a certain time, the user input / output controller 14 transmits the information that the user does not recognize the stimulus sound to the stimulus sound generating unit 11, and applies it to generate the next stimulus sound. .

The audio codec 20 converts and outputs audio data transmitted from the control unit 10 to digital-analog conversion, or converts audio data input from a microphone into analog-digital conversion and controls the control unit 10. It serves as a). In addition, the volume information transmitted from the controller 10 is reflected to be applied to the output of the speaker / earphone 30.

The user response input unit 40 is a device that receives an cognitive response from the user when the user recognizes the stimulus sound with respect to the presented stimulus sound. The device may be a button, a touch panel, a remote control or a special button depending on the audio device. For example, since an audio device such as an MP3 includes a button or a touch panel, when a stimulus sound outputted through the earphone 30 is recognized, the user inputs a situation recognized by the button or the touch panel. As another example, when the audio device is a product such as a TV or a home theater rather than a mobile product, an input device that a user can easily access is a remote controller. In this case, when a specific button of the remote controller is pressed, the user receives the stimulus sound recognition, and transmits information (stimulus sound recognition response signal) to the user input / output control unit 14 of the controller 10.

Now, a configuration of outputting an audio signal using the measured hearing threshold of the user will be described.

3 is a configuration diagram of an audio signal output apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The audio signal output device according to the present invention is similar to an audio device having a general equalizer except for the threshold storage unit 51 and the noise analyzer 53.

The threshold storage unit 51 stores the hearing threshold of the user measured by the hearing threshold measuring device (see FIG. 1) (at this time, the user hearing threshold may have one or more stored therein).

Based on the user hearing threshold value, the controller 50 automatically adjusts the frequency band gain of the equalizer. For example, if the user has a high threshold at high treble, it will increase the frequency gain of the equalizer in the high band. Since the user has a high hearing threshold at the high end, it means that the high sound is relatively poor. Therefore, only the sound corresponding to the high frequency is amplified and output. If the user has a low hearing threshold, the user does not need to increase the volume. This means that you can hear the frequency well. In this case, the user can hear the sound evenly over the entire frequency band, so that the user can enjoy high quality audio.

As shown in FIG. 3, an audio signal output apparatus based on a user hearing threshold may include an equalizer based on a threshold storing unit 51 storing at least one user's hearing threshold and at least one user's hearing threshold. An audio codec 20 and a speaker / earphone 30 for outputting a volume in consideration of a hearing threshold of at least one user, under the control of the audio controller 52, for controlling the frequency band gain of the It includes.

Here, when a plurality of users use the audio device, the audio signal output apparatus (first embodiment) according to the user hearing threshold may output the audio signal using the average hearing threshold or the maximum hearing threshold. In this case, the audio controller 52 determines the audio output level by using an average value of the hearing thresholds of at least two users who are listening, or determines the audio output level by using a maximum value of the hearing thresholds of at least two users who are listening. do.

In addition, the audio signal output apparatus (second embodiment) according to the user hearing threshold may output the audio signal in consideration of ambient noise. In this case, the apparatus further includes a microphone 60 for collecting the ambient noise of the device and a noise analyzer 53 for analyzing the collected ambient noise for each frequency band. Accordingly, the audio controller 52 adjusts the frequency band gain of the equalizer in consideration of the hearing threshold value of the at least one user and the ambient noise.

The audio signal output apparatus according to the first embodiment stores the hearing thresholds of at least two users, adjusts the frequency band gain of the equalizer 54 based on the average value or the maximum value of the hearing thresholds of the at least two users. The audio volume is output by considering the average or maximum hearing threshold of at least two users by reflecting the frequency band gain of the adjusted equalizer. In addition, the audio signal output apparatus of the first embodiment collects ambient noise of the device, analyzes the frequency band, and then analyzes the equalizer in consideration of the average noise or the maximum value of the hearing thresholds of at least two users and the ambient noise. By adjusting the frequency band gain and reflecting the frequency band gain of the adjusted equalizer, the audio volume may be output in consideration of an average or maximum hearing threshold of at least two users and ambient noise.

Meanwhile, the audio output apparatus according to the second embodiment stores the hearing threshold of at least one user, collects ambient noise of the device, analyzes the frequency band, and then analyzes the hearing threshold value and the ambient noise of at least one user. In consideration of this, the frequency band gain of the equalizer is adjusted, and the frequency band gain of the adjusted equalizer is reflected, and the audio volume considering the hearing threshold value and ambient noise of at least one user is output. In this case, the user may be two or more, and in this case, the hearing threshold value may be any one of an average value and a maximum value of the hearing threshold values of at least two users.

4 shows the hearing ischemic curve for a normal person. It was adopted as the IOS 226 (Acoustics-Normal equal-loudness level contours) standard in 1987 and was newly revised in 2003 (the same hearing loudness curve for normal people).

Table 1 below shows the threshold sound pressure level of each frequency with respect to the hearing threshold value in FIG. 4 (lowest curve indicated by the dotted line in FIG. 4).

[Table 1] (the threshold sound pressure of the pure tone for each band frequency) is an ideal case, that is, a threshold when all of the user's hearing cells are normal, so the actual hearing threshold has values larger than those of Table 1 above. .

First, an audio device output process considering the hearing threshold of one user will be described.

Assume that the signal output example of the audio device considering the user hearing threshold is as shown in Table 2 below.

In Table 2, the user threshold shows an example of the user's hearing threshold measured above. This is stored in the threshold storage unit 51. And, it is assumed that the volume output that the user wants to output is 50 dB as shown in Table 3 above. This is the same case as the Normal equalizer. In this case, the user may not feel well, but the volume level actually heard is different for each frequency. Hearing thresholds are heard at 25 dB at 250 Hz and users at 45 dB at 2000 Hz as shown in Table 2 above. At this time, if the gain of the frequency band of each equalizer is adjusted in consideration of the user hearing threshold, a volume output value as shown in No. 4 of [Table 2] can be obtained. At this time, the user can listen to the volume of 50dB in all frequency bands so that the user can enjoy the music that can feel the delicate part.

Based on the above [Table 2], the audio device output result in consideration of the user hearing threshold is shown in FIG.

In FIG. 5, "5d" is the ideal hearing threshold equal to the hearing threshold of FIG. 4, and "5c" is the user's hearing threshold. In addition, "5b" is the volume output level desired by the user, and "5a" shows the audio device output level in consideration of the user hearing threshold.

Instead of setting a uniform volume for all frequencies, such as the volume of "5b", the volume of the inaudible frequency band is made bigger and the sensitive part is smaller. do. At this time, if the user adjusts the output volume, the volume of the graph of "5a" is moved up and down, and thus the volume of the graph "5a" is maintained for all the volumes.

Since most audio devices such as MP3 are audio devices that only one person listens, only one hearing threshold needs to be stored and reflected. However, hearing thresholds are personal and may sound different to others if someone borrows the MP3. In this case, the hearing threshold information of several people is stored in the MP3, and when the user changes, the user inputs the changed user so that the new threshold for the new user can enjoy the same audio quality as other users.

According to the audio device output process according to the user's hearing threshold, by adjusting the output of the audio device in consideration of the user's hearing threshold, not only the hearing damage of the user can be minimized, but also the fine parts of the music can be felt. In other words, long-term use of a device such as MP3 can cause moderate or high hearing loss, so that the user can protect the user's hearing to some extent because it can reduce the volume at a frequency without hearing damage.

Now let's take a look at the process of outputting an audio device that takes into account multiple user hearing thresholds.

Audio devices such as TVs and home theaters that are used by several people are different from mobile devices used by one person. In this case, the audio device is inputted in advance of who is currently enjoying the audio, and the user's hearing thresholds are all measured and stored in the audio device.

In the case of actually playing the audio device, if the user who is listening to the audio device is specifically input, the output of the audio device that satisfies all of the users can be determined. At this time, since the audio device knows which users are listening to the audio device, the gain of the equalizer is adjusted by using the average of the hearing thresholds of the users or calculating the maximum threshold as the new hearing threshold. In this case, not all users can enjoy the audio device with the same feeling, but the output of the audio device can be determined considering all users.

As an example, a case of using the average hearing threshold will be described with reference to FIG. 6.

In Fig. 6, " 6f " is an ideal hearing threshold and User 1's hearing threshold is " 6c. &Quot; User 1 has a higher hearing threshold than other frequency bands at 4000 Hz. User 2's hearing threshold is "6e". User 2 shows a high hearing threshold in the low frequency band of 500 Hz. The average of User 1 and User 2 is shown as "6d". At this time, the output of the audio device is set to 50dB of "6b" by the user. The audio device output considering the average hearing threshold is output as "6a". At this time, the users may feel a slight decrease in volume. You can compensate for this automatically or you can compensate by increasing the volume slightly. This can't satisfy the hearing of both users, but it will yield audio device output that can satisfy on average.

As another example, a case of using the maximum hearing threshold will be described with reference to FIG. 7.

In FIG. 6, the average of the hearing thresholds of users is determined to determine the output level of the audio device. In FIG. 7, the maximum value of the hearing thresholds of the users is determined in each frequency band that is not the average.

7 is different from FIG. 6 as "7c". This reflects the maximum values of the two user hearing thresholds. In this case, all the users can enjoy the music without feeling the volume decrease as in the previous case. Users may notice a slight slight increase in sound.

Mobile audio devices such as MP3s are used by one person, but audio devices such as TVs and home theaters are used by family members at the same time. Older seniors can hear audio properly at high volume due to hearing loss due to senile hearing loss, and relatively younger families can hear audio at lower volume. In this case, by adjusting the equalizer gain of the audio device by considering the average or maximum value of the user threshold as the hearing threshold, the volume output of the audio device suitable for a plurality of users can be obtained simultaneously. Those with hearing loss can increase the equalizer gain in the frequencies of any hearing loss to ensure sufficient volume, and allow hearing-impaired people to enjoy audio equipment without hearing damage.

Finally, the audio signal output process considering the user's threshold and the surrounding noise conditions will be described.

Mobile devices such as MP3 are devices that the user always carries and listens to music. Indoors, as with TVs and other audio equipment, you can enjoy high-quality audio with an audio signal output that takes the user threshold into account. However, because it is a portable device, users can enjoy music not only indoors but also outdoors or in places with high ambient noise. In this case, if the surrounding noise is large, the user wants to listen to the music at a desired volume by increasing the volume because the music that he / she wants to listen to is hard to hear. Conversely, if you move to a quiet room without noise while listening to music on a mobile audio device such as an MP3 in a noisy place, the volume is lowered again because the volume is previous.

In the method proposed in the present invention, while the ambient sound is continuously received by the microphone 60 in the figure, the noise analyzer 53 analyzes the ambient noise for each band, so that the gain of the equalizer 54 for the band where the noise is relatively high. By automatically adjusting, the user can continue to enjoy the music of the previous volume. In addition, when the ambient noise is reduced, the gain of the equalizer 54 may be reduced to obtain an effect of reducing the volume.

That is, the noise analyzer 53 analyzes the noise for each frequency band of the audio signal around the user input to the microphone 60 to determine whether to adjust the equalizer 54 or the volume. When the user selects the volume level determination mode considering the ambient noise, the audio device continuously receives the surrounding audio signal and analyzes the ambient noise by the noise analyzer 53. Since this does not require real-time performance, it may be more effective to analyze the results once a second or several seconds and reflect the results. Audio device users can also set and use a period of noise analysis.

An example of audio output of an audio device considering ambient noise is shown in Table 3 below.

In Table 3, No. 3 is the volume output level considering the proposed hearing threshold. This is the case when the ambient noise intensity is weak as in a room as shown in FIG. 8 (audio output level when the ambient noise is low). That is, since the ambient noise level is lower than the volume level at which the user listens to the music, it does not affect the user's music listening.

In addition, No. 4 of Table 3 shows an example of analyzing the ambient noise. This causes noise in a particular band to exceed the level of music as shown in FIG. 9 (when the ambient noise level is high). In this case, the noise level is high at 2000 Hz. That is, the user wants to enjoy the desired music by increasing the volume of the audio device because the music is hard to hear due to the ambient noise.

In addition, No. 5 of Table 3 shows an example of the volume output in consideration of the ambient noise level. Considering the relative magnitude of the noise, the gain of an equalizer in a frequency band with a high noise level is increased and the gain of an equalizer in a frequency band with a relatively low noise level can be reduced to compensate for the relative frequency gain. In this case, since the volume of all frequency bands is higher than the noise level as shown in FIG. 10 (audio device sound output level considering the ambient noise), the user may feel similar to the music heard in a quiet place even if the user does not adjust the volume directly. You can enjoy even where you are.

MP3, a representative of mobile audio devices, is an audio device that users use regardless of places such as subway, outside or indoors. The audio device outputs the volume of the audio device at a predetermined volume regardless of ambient noise. However, in areas where the noise level is high, the user may turn up the volume because the music is hard to hear. Occasionally, when listening to music in a noisy place and entering a quiet room, the user continues to listen to loud volume music without changing the volume. In this case, if the user is exposed to a high volume for a long time and the number of times increases, the result is that hearing loss occurs.

In this case, the method proposed by the present invention continuously monitors the ambient noise while increasing the volume when the noise level is increased, and automatically lowers the volume when the ambient noise level is lowered, thereby protecting the user's hearing without the user's awareness. do.

Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains may implement the present invention in other specific forms without changing the technical spirit or essential features thereof. I can understand that. Therefore, the embodiments described above are to be understood in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive.

1 is a configuration diagram of an embodiment of a hearing threshold measuring device according to the present invention;

2 is a flowchart illustrating a hearing threshold determination process in the threshold calculator of FIG. 1;

3 is a configuration diagram of an audio signal output apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;

4 is an explanatory diagram showing a hearing equalization curve for a normal person;

5 is an explanatory diagram showing an audio device output result in consideration of a user hearing threshold according to an embodiment of the present invention;

6 is an explanatory diagram showing an audio device output result in consideration of an average hearing threshold according to an embodiment of the present invention;

7 is an explanatory diagram showing an audio device output result in consideration of a maximum hearing threshold according to an embodiment of the present invention;

8 is an explanatory diagram showing an audio device output result when the ambient noise level is low according to an embodiment of the present invention;

9 is an explanatory diagram showing an audio device output result when the ambient noise level is high according to an embodiment of the present invention;

10 is an explanatory diagram showing an audio device output result in consideration of ambient noise according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

* Explanation of symbols for the main parts of the drawings

10: hearing threshold measurement control unit 11: stimulation sound generating unit

12: audio control unit 13: threshold calculation unit

14: user input and output unit 20: audio codec

30: speaker / earphone 40: user response input unit

50: audio signal output control unit 51: threshold storage unit

52: audio control unit 53: noise analysis unit

54: equalizer 60: microphone

Claims (16)

In the hearing threshold measurement device, Stimulus sound generating means for determining the frequency and magnitude of the stimulus sound to be output, to generate stimulus sound; Audio control means for outputting and controlling the generated stimulus sound; Output means for outputting the stimulus sound under the control of the audio control means; User response input means for receiving a user's cognitive response to the output stimulus sound; User input / output control means for determining whether the user's acknowledgment or not; And And a threshold calculation means for determining a user's hearing threshold in a corresponding frequency band when the user's cognitive response / no response to the output stimulus sound is determined according to the determination result. The method of claim 1, The stimulus sound generating means, Hearing threshold measurement device, characterized in that to generate a pure sound by multiplying the magnitude of the output level as a frequency in a general trigonometric function. The method of claim 1, The stimulus sound generating means, Hearing threshold measurement device characterized in that to generate a pulse tone by periodically repeating "MUTE" and "UNMUTE" in the amplifier outside the codec while generating and presenting the pure sound at the frequency. The method of claim 1, The stimulus sound generating means, A hearing threshold measuring device, characterized in that for generating a pulse tone by generating a pure tone output of a predetermined length and multiplying a window function capable of producing a pulse tone of a corresponding length. In the hearing threshold measurement method, Determining a frequency and a magnitude of a stimulus sound to be output, to generate a stimulus sound; Outputting the generated stimulus sound; Receiving a user's cognitive response to the output stimulus sound; And And determining a hearing threshold of the user in a corresponding frequency band when the user's cognitive response / no response to the output stimulus sound is output. The method of claim 5, The stimulus sound is, 'Generous sound generated by inputting frequency and multiplying output level in general trigonometric function', or 'Generatively generating and presenting pure sound at the corresponding frequency, and repeatedly generating "MUTE" and "UNMUTE" in the amplifier outside the codec or And a pulse tone generated by generating a pure tone output of a predetermined length and multiplying the window function. In the audio signal output device, Threshold storage means for storing a hearing threshold of at least one user; Audio control means for adjusting a frequency band gain of the equalizer based on the hearing threshold value of the at least one user; And And audio output means for outputting a volume considering the hearing threshold of the at least one user under the control of the audio control means. The method of claim 7, wherein The audio control means, And an audio output level is determined using an average value of hearing thresholds of at least two users who are listening. The method of claim 7, wherein The audio control means, And an audio output level is determined using a maximum value of a hearing threshold of at least two users who are listening. The method according to claim 7, wherein Means for collecting device ambient noise; And And an noise analyzing means for analyzing the collected ambient noise for each frequency band. The method of claim 10, The audio control means, And adjusting a frequency band gain of the equalizer in consideration of the hearing threshold value of the at least one user and ambient noise. The method of claim 11, The audio control means, An audio signal output device, characterized in that the gain of an equalizer in a frequency band with a high ambient noise level is increased and the gain of an equalizer in a frequency band with a low ambient noise level is reduced, thereby compensating for a relative frequency gain. In the audio signal output method, Storing hearing thresholds of at least two users; Adjusting the frequency band gain of the equalizer based on the average or maximum value of the hearing thresholds of the at least two users; And And outputting an audio volume in consideration of an average or maximum hearing threshold of at least two users by reflecting a frequency band gain of the adjusted equalizer. The method of claim 13, Collecting ambient noise from the device and analyzing the frequency noise according to frequency bands; Adjusting a frequency band gain of an equalizer in consideration of one of an average value or a maximum value of the hearing thresholds of the at least two users and ambient noise; And And outputting an audio volume considering one of the average or maximum hearing thresholds of the at least two users and ambient noise in consideration of the frequency band gain of the adjusted equalizer. In the audio signal output method, Storing a hearing threshold of at least one user; Collecting ambient noise from the device and analyzing the frequency noise according to frequency bands; Adjusting a frequency band gain of the equalizer in consideration of the hearing threshold value of the at least one user and ambient noise; And And outputting an audio volume in consideration of a hearing threshold value and ambient noise of the at least one user by reflecting a frequency band gain of the adjusted equalizer. The method of claim 15, The user is two or more, The hearing threshold value is an audio signal output method, characterized in that any one of the average value or the maximum value of the hearing threshold of at least two users.

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