Audio Processing Apparatus for Selective Sound Extraction

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional audio processing technologies, such as hearing aids and portable music players, fail to effectively suppress non-essential surrounding sounds, leading to issues like inaudible telephone rings and unintelligible conversations in noisy environments, as they either amplify noise or do not adequately separate main sounds from background noise.

Innovation Solution

An audio processing apparatus that acquires surrounding audio signals, separates them into main and secondary sounds, and outputs the main sound while selectively suppressing or delaying secondary sounds based on priority and environmental context, using techniques like blind sound source separation and priority evaluation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If adaptive directional sound pickup processing and noise suppressing processing are employed to enhance the voice of the conversing party, then the voice of the conversing party becomes more audible, but other important surrounding sounds (such as telephone rings) may be suppressed and become inaudible

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvevoice intelligibilityVSAvoidsurrounding sound information

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The audio signal is segmented into multiple components: main sound (conversing party voice), secondary sound (other surrounding sounds), and noise. This segmentation allows differential processing where the main sound is enhanced while secondary sounds are selectively preserved rather than uniformly suppressed, resolving the contradiction between voice intelligibility and surrounding sound information retention

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system dynamically changes the processing parameters for different audio components. The main sound undergoes adaptive directional pickup and noise suppression with specific gain adjustments, while secondary sounds have their gain adjusted differently based on priority evaluation. This parameter differentiation enables simultaneous optimization of voice clarity and preservation of important surrounding sounds

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Loss of energy

If noise suppressing processing is applied to block surrounding sounds, then the user can obtain desired reproduced sounds, but important notifications like telephone rings may be blocked along with noise

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenoise suppressionVSAvoidnotification detection

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of energyVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

Different quality levels of sound processing are applied to different audio components. The main sound receives aggressive noise suppression for clear reproduction, while secondary sounds receive selective processing based on their importance. This local quality differentiation ensures that noise is suppressed where needed while important notifications are preserved, resolving the contradiction between noise suppression effectiveness and notification detection reliability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

An audio extractor acts as an intermediary between the noise suppressing processing and the final output. It evaluates the priority of secondary sounds and selectively extracts important ones (like telephone rings) from the suppressed audio stream, preventing them from being blocked along with noise while still allowing effective noise suppression to occur

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Loss of information

If all surrounding sounds are amplified to ensure nothing is missed, then important sounds become audible, but the user is overwhelmed by unnecessary noise and distractions

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesurrounding sound coverageVSAvoidnoise distraction

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The system applies different gain parameters to different audio components rather than uniform amplification. The main sound and high-priority secondary sounds receive appropriate gain to ensure audibility, while low-priority sounds and noise receive minimal or no amplification. This selective parameter adjustment resolves the contradiction between comprehensive sound coverage and noise distraction by making important sounds audible while suppressing unnecessary noise

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentUS10510361B2Audio processing apparatus that outputs, among sounds surrounding user, sound to be provided to user

Publication Date: 2019.12.17 PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO LTD

AI summary

An audio processing apparatus is provided that includes an acquirer that acquires a surrounding audio signal indicating a sound surrounding a user. The audio processing apparatus also includes an audio extractor that extracts, from the acquired surrounding audio signal, a providing audio signal indicating a sound to be provided to the user. The audio processing apparatus further includes an output that outputs a first audio signal, indicating a main sound, and the providing audio signal.