IP Library Granted Patent US 8,712,069
Granted Patent B1
US 8,712,069 · App. 12/843,819 · Granted Apr 29, 2014

Selection of system parameters based on non-acoustic sensor information

View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,712,069
App. No.
12/843,819
Granted
Apr 29, 2014
Kind
B1
Abstract

An audio processing system processes an audio signal that may come from one or more microphones. The audio processing system may use information from one or more non-acoustic sensors to improve a variety of system characteristics, including responsiveness and quality. Especially those audio processing systems that use spatial information, for example to separate multiple audio sources, are undesirably susceptible to changes in the relative position of any audio sources, the audio processing system itself, or any combination thereof. Using the non-acoustic sensor information may decrease this susceptibility advantageously in an audio processing system.

Claims (34)

1. A method for audio processing, comprising:

receiving a first acoustic signal from a first microphone;

receiving a second acoustic signal from a second microphone;

receiving information from a first non-acoustic sensor; and

executing a module by a processor, the module executable to determine a set of parameters to use to modify the first acoustic signal based at least in part on the first acoustic signal, the second acoustic signal, and the first non-acoustic sensor information;

wherein the modifying is performed using at least one of noise suppression, echo cancellation, audio source separation, and equalization.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising generating a plurality of frequency sub-bands, and wherein modifying is performed per frequency sub-band.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first non-acoustic sensor is selected from the group consisting of a motion sensor, a light sensor, a proximity sensor, a gyroscope, a level sensor, a compass, a GPS unit, and an accelerometer.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first non-acoustic sensor measures a spatial position of a microphone relative to a spatial position of an audio source.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising receiving information from a second non-acoustic sensor, wherein the determining of the set of parameters is further based on analysis of the information from the second non-acoustic sensor;

the first non-acoustic sensor and the second non-acoustic sensor each being selected from the group consisting of a motion sensor, a light sensor, a proximity sensor, a gyroscope, a level sensor, a compass, a GPS unit, and an accelerometer.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein modifying is further based on noise suppression via null processing.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the parameters include a respective gain for one or more of the first and second acoustic signals.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the parameters include an inter-level difference equalization.

9. The method of claim 6 , wherein the parameters include directionality coefficients.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the information of the first non-acoustic sensor includes proximity variations that indicate active speech.

11. A system for audio processing, comprising:

a first microphone that transduces a first acoustic signal, wherein the first acoustic signal includes a desired component and an undesired component;

a second microphone that transduces a second acoustic signal;

a first non-acoustic sensor that provides non-acoustic information; and

one or more executable modules for determining a set of parameters to use to modify the first acoustic signal based on the first acoustic signal, the second acoustic signal, and non-acoustic sensor information;

wherein the modifying is performed using at least one of noise suppression, echo cancellation, audio source separation, and equalization.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein an executable module of the one or more executable modules further includes reducing the undesired component of the first acoustic signal.

13. The system of claim 11 , wherein an executable module of the one or more executable modules further includes analyzing the first acoustic signal.

14. The system of claim 11 , wherein the first non-acoustic sensor is selected from the group consisting of a motion sensor, a light sensor, a proximity sensor, a gyroscope, a level sensor, a compass, a GPS unit, and an accelerometer.

15. The system of claim 11 , wherein the first non-acoustic sensor measures a spatial position of the first microphone relative to a spatial position of a source of the acoustic signal.

16. The system of claim 11 , wherein an executable module of the one or more executable modules implements noise reduction via signal component subtraction.

17. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having embodied thereon a program, the program being executable by a processor to perform a method for audio processing, the method comprising:

receiving a first acoustic signal from a first microphone;

receiving a second acoustic signal from a second microphone;

receiving information from a first non-acoustic sensor; and

determining a set of parameters to use for modifying the first acoustic signal based at least in part on the first acoustic signal, the second acoustic signal, and the first non-acoustic sensor information;

wherein the modifying is performed using at least one of noise suppression, echo cancellation, audio source separation, and equalization.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 17 , wherein modifying is further based on noise reduction via signal component subtraction.

Assignments (3)
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Feb 25, 2016
From: AUDIENCE, INC.
To: AUDIENCE LLC
Reel/Frame 037927/0424 →
MERGER Recorded Feb 25, 2016
From: AUDIENCE LLC
To: KNOWLES ELECTRONICS, LLC
Reel/Frame 037927/0435 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 14, 2010
From: MURGIA, CARLO; GOODWIN, MICHAEL M.; SANTOS, PETER; MASSIE, DANA
To: AUDIENCE, INC.
Reel/Frame 024986/0853 →