Audio signal processing for sound compensation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11368776-B1
Application number	US-202016875584-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	May 15, 2020
Priority date	Jun 1, 2019
Publication date	Jun 21, 2022
Grant date	Jun 21, 2022

Abstract

Signal energy in auditory sub-bands of an input audio signal is determined. Sound pressure level, SPL, in those sub-bands is then determined, based on the signal energy and based on sound output sensitivity of the against-the-ear audio device. In one instance, at least first and second gain lookup tables are determined based on a hearing profile of a user of the against-the-ear audio device. Sub-band gains that are to be applied to the input audio signal are determined based on the determined SPL. When the input audio signal is for example telephony the sub-band gains are computed using the first gain lookup table, and when the input audio signal is for example media the sub-band gains are computed using the second gain lookup table. Other aspects are also described and claimed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An audio signal processing method for sound enhancement by an against the ear audio device, the method comprising:
a) determining signal energy in a plurality of auditory sub-bands of an input audio signal;
b) determining sound pressure level, SPL, in the plurality of auditory sub-bands based on the signal energy and based on sound output sensitivity of the against-the-ear audio device;
c) computing a plurality of gain lookup tables, based on a hearing profile of a user of the against-the-ear audio device, wherein each gain lookup table outputs gain as a function of in-ear sound pressure level, SPL, in a sub-band; and
d) computing a plurality of sub-band gains that are to be applied to the input audio signal, wherein the plurality of sub-band gains is computed based on the determined SPL and using a selected one of the plurality of gain lookup tables that is selected based on audio content of the input audio signal.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of gain lookup tables includes a first gain lookup table and a second gain lookup table, and wherein when the input audio signal is telephony the first gain lookup table is selected, and when the input audio signal is media the second gain lookup table is selected.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein telephony comprises voice of a far end user in a phone call, and media comprises music or a movie soundtrack.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the plurality of sub-band gains comprises a sub-band below 500 Hz and a sub-band above 8 kHz.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein computing the first gain lookup table and the second gain lookup table comprises:
applying a first enhancement rule to the hearing profile of the user; and
applying a second enhancement rule to the hearing profile of the user, wherein applying the enhancement rules results in the first gain lookup table having i) more gain in 1 kHz-4 kHz and ii) less gain below 250 Hz and above 6 kHz, as compared to the second gain lookup table.

6. The method of claim 3 further comprising
applying the plurality of sub-band gains to the input audio signal to produce output audio; and
converting the output audio into sound by the against the ear audio device.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising
a) determining noise energy in the plurality of auditory sub-bands of the input audio signal; and
b) determining a plurality of sub-band signal to noise ratios, SNRs, using the signal energy and the noise energy, and wherein computing the plurality of sub-band gains is further based on the plurality of sub-band SNRs.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein computing the plurality of sub-band gains based on the plurality of sub-band SNRs comprises
reducing gain of a sub-band that is above 6 kHz in response to determining that the SNR in that sub-band is below a threshold.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the input audio signal comprises ambient sound pickup, the method further comprising
time domain filtering the input audio signal in accordance with the plurality of sub-band gains to produce output audio; and
converting the output audio into sound by the against-the-ear audio device.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein computing a first gain lookup table and a second gain lookup table comprises:
applying a first enhancement rule to the hearing profile of the user; and
applying a second enhancement rule to the hearing profile of the user, wherein applying the enhancement rules results in the first gain lookup table having i) more gain in 1 kHz-4 kHz and ii) less gain below 250 Hz and above 6 kHz, as compared to the second gain lookup table.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising
applying the plurality of sub-band gains to the input audio signal to produce output audio; and
converting the output audio into sound by the against the ear audio device.

12. An audio signal processing system for sound enhancement by an against the ear audio device, the system comprising:
a processor; and
memory having stored therein instructions that configure the processor to
determine signal energy in a plurality of auditory sub-bands of an input audio signal,
determine sound pressure level, SPL, in the plurality of auditory sub-bands based on the signal energy and based on sound output sensitivity of the against-the-ear audio device,
determine a plurality of gain lookup tables, based on a hearing profile of a user of the against-the-ear audio device, wherein each gain lookup table outputs gain as a function of in-ear sound pressure level, SPL, in a sub-band, and
determine a plurality of sub-band gains that are to be applied to the input audio signal, based on the determined SPL and using a selected one of the plurality of gain lookup tables that is selected based on audio content of the input audio signal.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the plurality of gain lookup tables includes a first gain lookup table and a second gain lookup table, and wherein when the input audio signal is telephony the first gain lookup table is selected, and when the input audio signal is media the second gain lookup table is selected.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein telephony comprises voice of a far end user in a phone call, and media comprises music or a movie soundtrack.

15. The system of claim 13 wherein to determine the first gain lookup table and the second gain lookup table the processor
applies a first enhancement rule to the hearing profile of the user, and
applies a second enhancement rule to the hearing profile of the user, wherein applying the enhancement rules results in the first gain lookup table having i) more gain in 1 kHz-4 kHz and ii) less gain below 250 Hz and above 6 kHz, as compared to the second gain lookup table.

16. The system of claim 13 further comprising
applying the plurality of sub-band gains to the input audio signal to produce output audio; and
converting the output audio into sound by the against the ear audio device.

17. The system of claim 12 wherein the processor and memory are integrated in a housing of a headphone.

18. A computer readable storage medium comprising instructions stored therein that configure a processor to:
determine signal energy in a plurality of auditory sub-bands of an input audio signal,
determine sound pressure level, SPL, in the plurality of auditory sub-bands based on the signal energy and based on sound output sensitivity of an against-the-ear audio device,
determine a plurality of gain lookup tables, based on a hearing profile of a user of the against-the-ear audio device, wherein each gain lookup table outputs gain as a function of in-ear sound pressure level, SPL, in a sub-band, and
determine a plurality of sub-band gains that are to be applied to the input audio signal, based on the determined SPL and using a selected one of the plurality of gain lookup tables that is selected based on audio content of the input audio signal.

19. The computer readable storage medium of claim 18 wherein the plurality of gain lookup tables includes a first gain lookup table and a second gain lookup table, and wherein when the input audio signal is telephony the first gain lookup table is selected, and when the input audio signal is media the second gain lookup table is selected.

20. The computer readable storage medium of claim 19 wherein telephony comprises voice of a far end user in a phone call, and media comprises music or a movie soundtrack.

21. The computer readable storage medium of claim 19 further comp

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Woodruff John
• Xia Jing
• Azmi Yacine

Classifications

• H03G7/001

  without controlling loop (H03G7/007, H03G7/02, H03G7/06 take precedence) · CPC title

• H03G3/3005

  in amplifiers suitable for low-frequencies, e.g. audio amplifiers (H03G3/32, H03G3/34 take precedence) · CPC title

• H04R2205/041

  Adaptation of stereophonic signal reproduction for the hearing impaired · CPC title

• H04R2201/107

  Monophonic and stereophonic headphones with microphone for two-way hands free communication · CPC title

• H04R25/356

  Amplitude, e.g. amplitude shift or compression · CPC title