Audio Processing Based Upon Camera Selection

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016182799-A1
Application number	US-201414579354-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 22, 2014
Priority date	Dec 22, 2014
Publication date	Jun 23, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method including generating respective audio signals from microphones of an apparatus; determining which camera(s) of a plurality of cameras of the apparatus has been selected for use; and based upon the determined camera(s) selected for use, selecting an audio processing mode for at least one of the respective audio signals to be processed, where the audio processing mode at least partially automatically adjusts the at least one respective audio signals based upon the determined camera(s) selected for use.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method comprising:
generating respective audio signals from microphones of an apparatus; determining which camera(s) of a plurality of cameras of the apparatus has been selected for use; based upon the determined camera(s) selected for use, selecting an audio processing mode for at least one of the respective audio signals to be processed, where the audio processing mode at least partially automatically adjusts the at least one respective audio signals based upon the determined camera(s) selected for use.

2 . A method as in claim 1 further comprising creating separate speech signals from the audio signals.

3 . A method as in claim 2 where adjusting the at least one respective audio signals comprises attenuating the at least one respective audio signals based upon the determined camera(s) selected for use and then combining the separate speech signals with the attenuated audio signals.

4 . A method as in claim 2 where the separate speech signals are combined with the attenuated audio signals on less than all channels carrying the attenuated audio signals.

5 . A method as in claim 4 where the separate speech signals are combined with the attenuated audio signals on only one channel carrying the attenuated audio signals.

6 . A method as in claim 2 where adjusting the at least one respective audio signals comprises attenuating the audio signals based upon the determined camera(s) selected for use and providing the separate speech signals on a separate channel than the attenuated audio signals.

7 . A method as in claim 2 where creating separate speech signals from the audio signals comprises use of facial detection and/or voice activity detection (VAD).

8 . A method as in claim 1 where:
when the camera(s) selected for use includes a first camera, assigning the audio signals from a first one of the microphones as a left channel signal and a second one of the microphones as a right channel signal; and
when the camera(s) selected for use includes a second camera, assigning the audio signals from the first microphone as the right channel signal and the second microphone as the left channel signal.

9 . A method as in claim 8 further comprising creating separate speech signals from the audio signals and maintaining a spatial direction corresponding to the separate speech signals as substantially unchanged when the first camera or the second camera is selected.

10 . A method as in claim 8 where, when the camera(s) selected for use switches from the first camera to the second camera, rotating an auditory image of the sounds received by the first and second microphone slowly between the left and right channels.

11 . A method as in claim 1 where:
when the camera(s) selected for use includes a first camera, selecting a first one of the audio processing modes for the audio signals to be processed; and
when the camera(s) selected for use includes a second camera, selecting a second different one of the audio processing modes for the audio signals to be processed,
where the first and second cameras face different directions, and further comprising creating separate speech signals from the audio signals for the first mode and not creating separate speech signals from the audio signals for the second mode.

12 . An apparatus comprising:
at least one processor; and and at least one non-transitory memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to:
determine which camera(s) of a plurality of cameras of the apparatus has been selected for use;
based upon the determined camera(s) selected for use, select an audio processing mode for respective audio signals from microphones of the apparatus to be processed, where the audio processing mode at least partially automatically adjusts at least one the respective audio signals based upon the determined camera(s) selected for use.

13 . An apparatus as in claim 12 where the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to create separate speech signals from the audio signals.

14 . An apparatus as in claim 13 where the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to attenuate the audio signals based upon the determined camera(s) selected for use and then combine the separate speech signals with the attenuated audio signals.

15 . An apparatus as in claim 13 where the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to combined the separate speech signals with the attenuated audio signals on less than all channels carrying the attenuated audio signals.

16 . An apparatus as in claim 13 where the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to combined the separate speech signals with the attenuated audio signals on only one channel carrying the attenuated audio signals.

17 . An apparatus as in claim 13 where the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to attenuate the at least one respective audio signals based upon the determined camera(s) selected for use and providing the separate speech signals on a separate channel than the attenuated audio signals.

18 . An apparatus as in claim 13 where the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to create the separate speech signals from the audio signals with use of facial detection and/or voice activity detection (VAD).

19 . An apparatus as in claim 12 where the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to:
when the camera(s) selected for use includes a first camera, assign the audio signals from a first one of the microphones as a left channel signal and a second one of the microphones as a right channel signal; and
when the camera(s) selected for use includes a second camera, assign the audio signals from the first microphone as the right channel signal and the second microphone as the left channel signal.

20 . An apparatus as in claim 19 where the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to create separate speech signals from the audio signals and maintaining a spatial direction corresponding to the separate speech signals as substantially unchanged when the first camera or the second camera is selected.

21 . An apparatus as in claim 12 where the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to, when the camera(s) selected for use switches from the first camera to the second camera, rotate an auditory image of the sounds received by the first and second microphone slowly between the left and right channels.

22 . An apparatus as in claim 12 where the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to:
when the camera(s) selected for use includes a first camera, selecting a first one of the audio processing modes for the audio signals to be processed;

Assignees

• Nokia Corp

Inventors

• Laaksonen Lasse Juhani
• Vilermo Miikka Tapani
• Tammi Mikko Tapani

Classifications

• H04N23/90

  Arrangement of cameras or camera modules, e.g. multiple cameras in TV studios or sports stadiums · CPC title

• G06F3/16 Primary

  Sound input; Sound output (speech processing G10L) · CPC title

• H04R5/04

  Circuit arrangements, {e.g. for selective connection of amplifier inputs/outputs to loudspeakers, for loudspeaker detection, or for adaptation of settings to personal preferences or hearing impairments (combinations of amplifiers H03F3/68; stereophonic systems H04S)} · CPC title

• H04R3/005 Primary

  for combining the signals of two or more microphones (specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407) · CPC title

• H04R2499/11

  Transducers incorporated or for use in hand-held devices, e.g. mobile phones, PDA's, camera's · CPC title