Multi-function apparatus with analog audio signal augmentation technology

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10049652-B1
Application number	US-201715476731-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Mar 31, 2017
Priority date	Mar 31, 2017
Publication date	Aug 14, 2018
Grant date	Aug 14, 2018

Abstract

Multi-function apparatuses and methods associated with augmenting an analog audio signal are disclosed herein. In embodiments, a multi-function apparatus for performing a plurality of functions may include a microphone to receive a propagated analog audio signal and ambient noise; a receiver to receive a digitally streamed version of the analog audio signal; a harmonizer, that includes a plurality of processors, to generate a digital adjusted version of the analog signal including noise canceling signal to cancel some or all of the ambient noise, based on the propagated analog audio signal, the ambient noise, and the digitally streamed version of the analog audio signal; and a digital-to-analog converter to convert the digital adjusted version of the analog signal to an analog adjusted version of the analog signal. The analog adjusted version of the analog signal may then be outputted to augment the propagated analog audio signal. Other embodiments may be disclosed or claimed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A multi-function portable apparatus for performing a plurality of functions, comprising:
a microphone to receive a propagated analog audio signal and ambient noise;
a receiver to receive a digitally streamed version of the analog audio signal;
a harmonizer coupled to the microphone and the receiver, that includes a plurality of processors, to generate a digital adjusted version of the analog audio signal including a noise canceling signal to cancel some or all of the ambient noise, based on the propagated analog audio signal, the ambient noise, and the digitally streamed version of the analog audio signal; and
a digital-to-analog converter coupled to the harmonizer to convert the digital adjusted version of the analog audio signal to an analog adjusted version of the analog audio signal having noise canceling signal to cancel some or all of the ambient noise;
wherein the analog adjusted version of the analog audio signal having noise canceling signal is outputted to augment the propagated analog audio signal, the augmentation being one of the plurality of functions.

2. The multi-function portable apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the analog adjusted version of the analog audio signal is time adjusted to arrive at a listener associated with the multi-function portable apparatus, at proximately a same time as the propagated analog audio signal.

3. The multi-function portable apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the harmonizer includes an analog-to-digital converter-filter coupled to the microphone to digitize and filter the received propagated analog audio signal to generate and output a digital ambient signal and one or more digital reflection signals of the propagated analog audio signal.

4. The multi-function portable apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the plurality of processors of the harmonizer include a noise canceling processor coupled to the analog-to-digital converter-filter to process the digital ambient signal and to generate and output a digital canceling signal to cancel an ambient noise signal.

5. The multi-function portable apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the plurality of processors of the harmonizer further include a frequency domain processor coupled to the analog-to-digital converter-filter to process in a frequency domain the digital reflection signal, and to generate and output a digital reflected noise signal.

6. The multi-function portable apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the frequency domain processor is to perform discrete fast Fourier transform on the digital reflection signal.

7. The multi-function portable apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the noise canceling processor is to further generate and output a digital canceling signal based on the reflected noise signal.

8. The multi-function portable apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the plurality of processors of the harmonizer further include a time domain processor coupled to the receiver and the frequency domain processor, to process in a time domain the digitally streamed version of the analog audio signal, to generate a time domain processed digital version of the analog audio signal, and to provide the time domain processed digital version of the analog audio signal to the frequency domain processor; wherein the frequency domain processor is to further generate and output the digital reflected noise signal based on the time domain processed digital version of the analog audio signal.

9. The multi-function portable apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the plurality of processors of the harmonizer further include:
a noise canceling processor coupled to the analog-to-digital converter-filter to process the digital ambient signal and to generate and output a digital canceling signal to cancel an ambient noise signal;
a frequency domain processor coupled to the analog-to-digital converter-filter to process in a frequency domain the digital reflection signal, and to generate and output a digital time adjusted version of the analog audio signal; and
a digital signal processor coupled to the noise canceling processor, and the frequency domain processor to process in the frequency domain the digital canceling signal and the digital time adjusted version of the analog audio signal, and to generate and output the digital time adjusted version of the analog audio signal including noise canceling signal to cancel some or all of the ambient noise.

10. The multi-function portable apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the frequency domain processor is to further generate and output a digital reflected noise signal; and the noise canceling processor is to further generate and output the digital canceling signal based on the reflected noise signal.

11. The multi-function portable apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the plurality of processors of the harmonizer further include a time domain processor coupled to the receiver and the frequency domain processor, to process in a time domain the digitally streamed version of the analog audio signal, to generate a time domain processed digital version of the analog audio signal, and to provide the time domain processed digital version of the analog audio signal to the frequency domain processor; wherein the frequency domain processor is to further generate and output the digital reflected noise signal based on the time domain processed digital version of the analog audio signal.

12. The multi-function portable apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a function engine to perform another function, in addition to or to complement the generation of the analog adjusted version of the analog audio signal having noise canceling signal, wherein the function engine is one of:
a function engine to play media;
a function engine to facilitate a user of the multi-function portable apparatus to call or text another user of another apparatus;
a function engine to establish a geo-fenced area having the multi-function portable apparatus and a source of the analog audio signal;
a function engine to cooperate with a source of the analog audio signal or a cloud server, to receive an acoustics model of a venue or area having at least the multi-function portable apparatus and the source, or calibration parameter recommendations, and to calibrate the multi-function portable apparatus, based at least in part on the received acoustics model or calibration parameter recommendations; or
a function engine to send sample data of the analog audio signal or ambient noise to a source of the analog audio signal or a cloud server.

13. A method for augmenting a propagated analog audio signal, comprising:
receiving, with a multi-function portable apparatus, the propagated analog audio signal and ambient noise;
receiving, with the multi-function portable apparatus, a digitally streamed version of the analog audio signal;
generating, with the multi-function portable apparatus, a digital adjusted version of the analog audio signal including noise canceling signal to cancel some or all of the ambient noise, based on the propagated analog audio signal and ambient noise, and the digitally streamed version of the analog audio signal;
converting, with the multi-function portable apparatus, the digital adjusted version of the analog audio signal to an analog adjusted version of the analog audio signal having noise canceling signal to cancel some or all of the ambient noise; and
outputting, with the multi-function portable apparatus, the analog adjusted version of the analog audio signal to augment the propagated analog audio signal.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the analog adjusted version of the analog audio signal is time adjusted to arrive at a listener associated with the

Assignees

• Intel Corp

Inventors

• Smith Ned M
• Agerstam Mats
• Poornachandran Rajesh

Classifications

• G10K2210/3014

  Adaptive noise equalizers [ANE], i.e. where part of the unwanted sound is retained · CPC title

• G10K2210/108

  Communication systems, e.g. where useful sound is kept and noise is cancelled · CPC title

• G10K11/178 Primary

  by electro-acoustically regenerating the original acoustic waves in anti-phase · CPC title

• G10K2210/3044

  Phase shift, e.g. complex envelope processing · CPC title

• G10K11/1782

  Physics · mapped topic