Target Sound Emphasis With Signal Mixing to Suppress Distortion

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional techniques fail to suppress distortion in target sound signals when emphasizing them in noisy environments, making it difficult to hear the target sounds clearly.

Innovation Solution

A signal processing device that separates sound source signals into target and background signals, adjusts the volume of the target sound signal, and adds it back to the original sound source signal to compensate for any distortion, using a learning model to enhance separation accuracy and apply automatic gain control to manage volume levels.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If the target sound signal is emphasized by adjusting its volume, then the clarity of target sound is improved, but distortion is generated in the emphasized signal

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveclarity of target soundVSAvoiddistortion in signal

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines the emphasized target sound signal with the original sound source signal through addition. This merging allows the enhanced target sound components to be preserved while the original signal components compensate for and suppress the distortion generated during emphasis processing.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The original sound source signal serves as an intermediary that mediates between the emphasized target sound signal and the final output. By adding the original signal back to the emphasized signal, it acts as a compensating element that reduces distortion while maintaining the enhanced clarity of target sounds.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Measurement precision

If the target sound signal is separated from the sound source signal, then the target sound can be emphasized, but the separation process may introduce errors

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveseparation accuracyVSAvoidseparation errors

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent discards the separation errors by adding the original sound source signal back to the emphasized target sound signal. The original signal contains the accurate target sound components that were lost or distorted during separation, effectively recovering the information and canceling out separation errors through the addition process.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #34Discarding and recovering

3Object-affected harmful factors

If volume adjustment is applied to emphasize target sound, then audibility in noise environment is improved, but distortion suppress ion capability is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveaudibility in noiseVSAvoiddistortion suppression

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the original sound source signal is fed back and added to the emphasized target sound signal. This feedback loop allows the system to continuously compensate for distortion generated during volume adjustment, maintaining both audibility in noise environments and distortion suppression capability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentUS20250365537A1Signal processing device, signal processing method, and non-transitory computer readable recording medium

Publication Date: 2025.11.27 PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO LTD

AI summary

A signal processing device includes an acquisition unit that acquires a sound source signal, a separation unit that separates the sound source signal having been acquired into a target sound signal and a background sound signal, a volume adjustment unit that emphasizes the target sound signal by adjusting a volume of the target sound signal having been separated, an adding unit that generates an output signal by adding the emphasized target sound signal that is the target sound signal having been emphasized and the sound source signal, and an output unit that causes a sound indicated by the output signal to be output from a speaker.