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EP-4074065-B1 - METHODS FOR REDUCING ERROR IN ENVIRONMENTAL NOISE COMPENSATION SYSTEMS

EP4074065B1EP 4074065 B1EP4074065 B1EP 4074065B1EP-4074065-B1

Inventors

  • JANCOVICH, Benjamin Alexander
  • PORT, TIMOTHY ALAN
  • REILLY, Andrew P.
  • CARTWRIGHT, Richard J.

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20201208

Claims (15)

  1. A noise compensation method, comprising: receiving (505), by a first device control system and via a first interface system of a first device in an audio environment, a content stream that includes content audio data; receiving (510), by the first device control system and via the first interface system, first microphone signals from a first device microphone system of the first device; detecting (515), by the first device control system and based at least in part on the first microphone signals, ambient noise from a noise source location in or near the audio environment; causing (520), by the first device control system, a first wireless signal to be transmitted from the first device to a second device located at a second device location in the audio environment via the first interface system, the first wireless signal including instructions for the second device to record an audio segment via a second device microphone system; receiving (525), by the first device control system and via the first interface system, a second wireless signal from the second device, wherein the second wireless signal indicates a second device audio recording start time; determining (530), by the first device control system , a content stream audio segment time interval for a content stream audio segment of the content stream; receiving (535), by the first device control system and via the first interface system, a third wireless signal from the second device, the third wireless signal including the recorded audio segment captured via the second device microphone system; determining (540), by the first device control system, a second device ambient noise signal at the second device location based, at least in part, on the recorded audio segment and the content stream audio segment, implementing (545), by the first device control system, a noise compensation method for the content audio data based, at least in part, on the second device ambient noise signal, to produce noise-compensated audio data, wherein the method further comprises: receiving, by the first device control system and via the first interface system, second microphone signals from the first device microphone system during a second device audio recording time interval; and detecting, by the first device control system and based at least in part on the first microphone signals, a first device ambient noise signal corresponding to the ambient noise from the noise source location, wherein the noise compensation method is based, at least in part, on the first device ambient noise signal, wherein the noise compensation method is based, at least in part, on a comparison of the first device ambient noise signal and the second device ambient noise signal.
  2. The noise compensation method of claim 1, wherein the first wireless signal includes a second device audio recording start time or information for determining the second device audio recording start time.
  3. The noise compensation method of any one of claims 1-2, further comprising receiving, by the first device control system and via the first interface system, a fourth wireless signal from the second device, the fourth wireless signal indicating a second device audio recording end time.
  4. The noise compensation method of claim 3, further comprising determining a content stream audio segment end time based on the second device audio recording end time.
  5. The noise compensation method of any one of claims 1-4, wherein the first wireless signal indicates a second device audio recording time interval.
  6. The noise compensation method of any one of claims 1-5, wherein the first device is a television or a television control module.
  7. The noise compensation method of any one of claims 1-6, wherein the second device is a remote control device, a smart phone or a smart speaker.
  8. The noise compensation method of any one of claims 1-7, wherein the first wireless signal is sent via radio waves or microwaves.
  9. The noise compensation method of any one of claims 1-8, wherein the second wireless signal is sent via infrared waves.
  10. The noise compensation method of any one of claims 1-9, wherein the noise compensation method is based, at least in part, on a ratio of the first device ambient noise signal and the second device ambient noise signal.
  11. The noise compensation method of any one of claims 1-10, further comprising providing, by the first device control system and via the first interface system, the noise-compensated audio data to one or more audio reproduction transducers of the audio environment.
  12. The noise compensation method of any one of claims 1-10, further comprising: rendering, by the first device control system, the noise-compensated audio data to produce rendered audio signals; and providing, by the first device control system and via the first interface system, the rendered audio signals to at least some audio reproduction transducers of a set of audio reproduction transducers of the audio environment.
  13. The noise compensation method of claim 11 or claim 12, wherein at least one of the reproduction transducers of the audio environment resides in the first device.
  14. An apparatus configured to perform the noise compensation method of any one of claims 1-13.
  15. A computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to carry out the steps of the noise compensation method of any one of claims 1-13.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD This disclosure pertains to systems and methods for noise compensation. BACKGROUND Audio and video devices, including but not limited to televisions and associated audio devices, are widely deployed. Although existing systems and methods for controlling audio and video devices provide benefits, improved systems and methods would be desirable. Document US2013315405A1 discloses that a sound processor includes: communication module; outputting module; recording module; display; input module; controller; and calculating module. The controller (i) displays, on display, message prompting user to move a sound input device to position proximate to speaker, (ii) causes the outputting module to output the test sound and causes the recording module to record first sound, (iii) displays, after the first sound is recorded, on the display, message prompting the user to move the sound input device to listening position, and (iv) causes the outputting module to output the test sound and causes the recording module to record second sound. The calculating module finds a first frequency characteristic of the first sound and a second frequency characteristic of the second sound, and calculates, based on a difference between the first and second frequency characteristics, a value for correcting the second frequency characteristic to a target frequency characteristic. Document WO2018211908A1 dicloses a control device capable of measuring the frequency characteristics for a room with less effort while reducing the effect of background noise. The control device includes a first communication circuit, a microphone, and a first control circuit. The first control circuit acquires background noise in a room through the microphone and calculates the signal level of the background noise; transmits, to a playback device, a first control signal directing the playback of a first test signal through a speaker; acquires the first test signal from the microphone and calculates the signal level of the first test signal; estimates the signal level of a second test signal on the basis of the signal level of the first test signal; increases the preset volume of the second test signal when the signal level obtained by subtracting a predetermined value from the estimated signal level of the second test signal is less than or equal to the signal level ol the background noise; transmits, to the playback device, a second control signal directing the playback of the second test signal through the speaker; acquires the second test signal through the microphone and calculates the frequency response in the room; calculates a compensation coefficient on the basis of the calculated frequency response; and transmits a third control signal including the calculated compensation coefficient to the playback device. NOTATION AND NOMENCLATURE Throughout this disclosure, including in the claims, the terms "speaker," "loudspeaker" and "audio reproduction transducer" are used synonymously to denote any sound-emitting transducer (or set of transducers) driven by a single speaker feed. A typical set of headphones includes two speakers. A speaker may be implemented to include multiple transducers (e.g., a woofer and a tweeter), which may be driven by a single, common speaker feed or multiple speaker feeds. In some examples, the speaker feed(s) may undergo different processing in different circuitry branches coupled to the different transducers. Throughout this disclosure, including in the claims, the expression performing an operation "on" a signal or data (e.g., filtering, scaling, transforming, or applying gain to, the signal or data) is used in a broad sense to denote performing the operation directly on the signal or data, or on a processed version of the signal or data (e.g., on a version of the signal that has undergone preliminary filtering or pre-processing prior to performance of the operation thereon). Throughout this disclosure including in the claims, the expression "system" is used in a broad sense to denote a device, system, or subsystem. For example, a subsystem that implements a decoder may be referred to as a decoder system, and a system including such a subsystem (e.g., a system that generates X output signals in response to multiple inputs, in which the subsystem generates M of the inputs and the other X - M inputs are received from an external source) may also be referred to as a decoder system. Throughout this disclosure including in the claims, the term "processor" is used in a broad sense to denote a system or device programmable or otherwise configurable (e.g., with software or firmware) to perform operations on data (e.g., audio, or video or other image data). Examples of processors include a field-programmable gate array (or other configurable integrated circuit or chip set), a digital signal processor programmed and/or otherwise configured to perform pipelined processing on audio or other sound data, a programmable general purp