Stereo Gain Control for Portable Audio Terminals

The patent segments the stereo signal processing into distinct components: extracting mono components, extracting stereo components (L and R), and separately processing them with different gain coefficients. This segmentation allows the system to maintain simplicity while improving sound localization by treating different signal components independently rather than using a simplified L+R sum method.

The patent dynamically adjusts gain coefficients (alpha and beta) based on the extracted signal components and their ratios. By changing these parameters adaptively rather than using fixed gains, the system improves stereo effect quality and sound localization accuracy while maintaining computational efficiency through controlled parameter variation.

The patent extracts only the essential stereo components (L and R signals) and mono components from the audio signal, separating them from the full complex processing chain. This extraction approach captures the core stereo information needed for quality sound localization without requiring the computationally intensive full HRTF processing, thus reducing computation complexity while maintaining stereo effect quality.

The patent applies partial processing by selectively enhancing only the stereo components with adjusted gain coefficients rather than applying full HRTF processing to the entire audio signal. This partial action provides sufficient stereo effect improvement for portable terminals with limited computational resources without the excessive computation complexity of complete HRTF implementation.

The patent segments the audio signal into distinct mono and stereo components through extraction processes. By separating these components before processing, the system maintains signal purity for stereo effects while keeping the processing structure simple and organized, avoiding the contamination that occurs when L and R signals are prematurely combined with other signals.

The patent introduces an intermediary processing stage that handles the extracted mono and stereo components separately before final combination. This intermediary step acts as a buffer that preserves the purity of stereo signals while allowing simplified processing, preventing direct contamination between different signal types that would occur in more straightforward but less reliable processing chains.