Circuit for improving the intelligibility of audio signals containing speech

1. A circuit for improving the intelligibility of an audio signal containing speech in which frequency and/or amplitude components of the audio signal are modified according to predetermined parameters, the circuit comprising:

a high-pass filter that filters the audio signal to provide a filtered audio signal that is amplified by a predetermined factor to provide an amplified filtered audio signal, a corner frequency f c of the high-pass filter being operably adjustable such that the amplitude of the amplified filtered audio signal is proportional to the amplitude of the audio signal, where the predetermined factor is between 1.5 and 4.

2. A circuit for improving the intelligibility of an audio signal containing speech in which frequency and/or amplitude components of the audio signal are modified according to predetermined parameters, the circuit comprising:

a high-pass filter that filters the audio signal to provide a filtered audio signal that is amplified by a predetermined factor to provide an amplified filtered audio signal, a corner frequency f c of the high-pass filter being operably adjustable such that the amplitude of the amplified filtered audio signal is proportional to the amplitude of the audio signal, where the corner frequency f c is reduced whenever the amplitude of the audio signal is greater than the amplitude of the amplified filtered audio signal, and where the corner frequency f c is increased whenever the amplitude of the audio signal is smaller than the amplitude of the amplified filtered audio signal.

3. The circuit of claim 2 , where any change in the corner frequency f c is incremental.

4. A circuit for improving the intelligibility of an audio signal containing speech in which frequency and/or amplitude components of the audio signal are modified according to predetermined parameters, the circuit comprising:

a high-pass filter that filters the audio signal to provide a filtered audio signal that is amplified by a predetermined factor to provide an amplified filtered audio signal, a corner frequency f c of the high-pass filter being operably adjustable such that the amplitude of the amplified filtered audio signal is proportional to the amplitude of the audio signal, where the corner frequency f c is variable in the range between approximately 100 Hz and 1 kHz.

5. A circuit for improving the intelligibility of an audio signal containing speech in which frequency and/or amplitude components of the audio signal are modified according to predetermined parameters, the circuit comprising:

a high-pass filter that filters the audio signal to provide a filtered audio signal that is amplified by a predetermined factor to provide an amplified filtered audio signal, a corner frequency f c of the high-pass filter being operably adjustable such that the amplitude of the amplified filtered audio signal is proportional to the amplitude of the audio signal, where a lower value of the corner frequency f c is between 100 Hz and 120 Hz.

6. A circuit for improving the intelligibility of an audio signal containing speech in which frequency and/or amplitude components of the audio signal are modified according to predetermined parameters, the circuit comprising:

a high-pass filter that filters the audio signal to provide a filtered audio signal that is amplified by a predetermined factor to provide an amplified filtered audio signal, a corner frequency f c of the high-pass filter being operably adjustable such that the amplitude of the amplified filtered audio signal is proportional to the amplitude of the audio signal;

a low-pass filter connected before the high-pass filter, where the low-pass filter has a cut-off frequency of approximately 6 kHz.

7. A circuit for improving the intelligibility of an audio signal containing speech in which frequency and/or amplitude components of the audio signal are modified according to predetermined parameters, the circuit comprising:

a high-pass filter that filters the audio signal to provide a filtered audio signal that is amplified by a predetermined factor to provide an amplified filtered audio signal, a corner frequency f c of the high-pass filter being operably adjustable such that the amplitude of the amplified filtered audio signal is proportional to the amplitude of the audio signal; and

a comparator connected to a control input of the high-pass filter to modify the corner frequency f c , the audio signal being applied to a first input of the comparator and the amplified filtered audio signal being applied to a second input of the comparator.

8. The circuit of claim 7 , further comprising an integrator connected between the control input of the high-pass filter and an output of the comparator.

9. The circuit of claim 7 , further comprising a digital circuit to change the corner frequency f c in steps and connected between the control input of the high-pass filter and the output of the comparator.

10. The circuit of claim 9 , where an offset value is added to the audio signal at the first input of the comparator.

11. The circuit of claim 10 , where the audio signal is a stereo signal, and a sum of a pair of the audio signals is fed to the first input of the comparator, and a sum of a pair of the amplified filtered audio signals is fed to the second input of the comparator.

12. An audio signal processing system, comprising:

a high-pass filter that receives an audio signal and provides a filtered audio signal, where the high-pass filter has a corner frequency that is operably adaptive with a value controlled by a frequency control signal;

an amplifier having a selectable gain value that is operably adaptive to receive and amplify the filtered audio signal to provide an amplified filtered audio signal; and

means, responsive to the audio signal and the amplified filtered audio signal, for providing the frequency control signal to control the value of the corner frequency such that the amplitude of the amplified filtered audio signal is a selected proportion of the amplitude of the audio signal.

13. The audio signal processing system of claim 12 , where the selected proportion is equal.

14. The audio signal processing system of claim 12 , where the selectable gain value is greater than one.

15. The audio signal processing system of claim 12 , where the value of the corner frequency is reduced when the amplitude of the audio signal is greater than the amplitude of the amplified filtered audio signal, and where the value of the corner frequency is increased when the amplitude of the audio signal is smaller than the amplitude of the amplified filtered audio signal.

16. The audio signal processing system of claim 12 , further comprising a low-pass filter that receives and filters the audio signal and provides a signal indicative thereof to the high-pass filter.

17. The audio signal processing system of claim 12 , where the means for providing comprises a comparator that compares the audio signal to the amplified filtered audio signal and provides a difference signal that is processed to generate the frequency control signal.

18. The audio signal processing system of claim 17 , where the means for providing further comprises an integrator that receives the difference signal and provides the frequency control signal.

19. The audio signal processing system of claim 18 , where the difference signal is multiplied by a predetermined gain factor before being input to the integrator.

20. The audio signal processing system of claim 17 , where the means for providing further comprises a digital circuit that receives the difference signal and provides the frequency control signal such that when the value of the difference signal is greater than zero the frequency control signal is set so the value of the corner frequency is increased, and where when the value of the difference signal is less than zero then the value of the frequency control signal is set so the corner frequency is reduced.

21. The audio signal processing system of claim 17 , further comprising a peak detector that receives the audio signal, and provides an offset signal that is added to the audio signal at an input of the comparator.

22. The audio signal processing system of claim 12 , further comprising a comparator, where the audio signal is a stereo signal, a sum of a corresponding pair of the audio signals is provided to a first input of the comparator, and a sum of a pair of the amplified filtered audio signals is provided to a second input of the comparator.