US 10,950,246 B2Granted

Apparatus and method for providing enhanced guided downmix capabilities for 3D audio

AssigneeFraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der angewandten Forschung e.V.

InventorsArne Borsum, Stephan Schreiner, Harald Fuchs, Michael Kratz, Bernhard Grill, Sebastian Scharrer

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Abstract

An apparatus for downmixing three or more audio input channels to obtain two or more audio output channels is provided. The apparatus includes a receiving interface for receiving the three or more audio input channels and for receiving side information. Moreover, the apparatus includes a downmixer for downmixing the three or more audio input channels depending on the side information to obtain the two or more audio output channels. The number of the audio output channels is smaller than the number of the audio input channels. The side information indicates a characteristic of at least one of the three or more audio input channels, or a characteristic of one or more sound waves recorded within the one or more audio input channels, or a characteristic of one or more sound sources which emitted one or more sound waves recorded within the one or more audio input channels.

Claims10

Dependent claims

An apparatus for generating two or more audio output channels from two or more audio input channels, wherein the apparatus comprises:

a receiving interface for receiving the two or more audio input channels, and
a downmixer for downmixing the two or more audio input channels using a weight for each audio input channel to obtain the two or more audio output channels,
wherein the number of the audio output channels is smaller than the number of the audio input channels,
wherein the downmixer is configured to determine the weight for each audio input channel,
wherein the apparatus is configured to feed each of the two or more audio output channels into a loudspeaker of a group of two or more loudspeakers,
wherein the downmixer is configured to downmix the two or more audio input channels depending on each assumed loudspeaker position of a first group of two or more assumed loudspeaker positions and depending on each actual loudspeaker position of a second group of two or more actual loudspeaker positions to obtain the two or more audio output channels,
wherein each actual loudspeaker position of the second group of two or more actual loudspeaker positions indicates a position of a loudspeaker of the group of two or more loudspeakers,
wherein each audio input channel of the two or more audio input channels is assigned to an assumed loudspeaker position of the first group of two or more assumed loudspeaker positions,
wherein each audio output channel of the two or more audio output channels is assigned to an actual loudspeaker position of the second group of two or more actual loudspeaker positions,
wherein the downmixer is configured to generate each audio output channel of the two or more audio output channels depending on at least two of the two or more audio input channels, depending on the assumed loudspeaker position of each of said at least two of the two or more audio input channels and depending on the actual loudspeaker position of said audio output channel,
wherein the downmixer is configured to downmix the two or more audio input channels depending on an amount of ambience of each of the two or more audio input channels to obtain the two or more audio output channels.

8 more elements

A method for generating two or more audio output channels from two or more audio input channels, wherein the method comprises:

receiving the two or more audio input channels, and
downmixing the two or more audio input channels using a weight for each audio input channel to obtain the two or more audio output channels,
wherein the number of the audio output channels is smaller than the number of the audio input channels, and
wherein the weight is determined for each audio input channel,
wherein each of the two or more audio output channels is fed into a loudspeaker of a group of two or more loudspeakers,
wherein the two or more audio input channels are downmixed depending on each assumed loudspeaker position of a first group of two or more assumed loudspeaker positions and depending on each actual loudspeaker position of a second group of two or more actual loudspeaker positions to obtain the two or more audio output channels,
wherein each actual loudspeaker position of the second group of two or more actual loudspeaker positions indicates a position of a loudspeaker of the group of two or more loudspeakers,
wherein each audio input channel of the two or more audio input channels is assigned to an assumed loudspeaker position of the first group of two or more assumed loudspeaker positions,
wherein each audio output channel of the two or more audio output channels is assigned to an actual loudspeaker position of the second group of two or more actual loudspeaker positions,
wherein each audio output channel of the two or more audio output channels is generated depending on at least two of the two or more audio input channels, depending on the assumed loudspeaker position of each of said at least two of the two or more audio input channels and depending on the actual loudspeaker position of said audio output channel, and
wherein downmixing the two or more audio input channels is conducted depending on an amount of ambience of each of the two or more audio input channels to obtain the two or more audio output channels.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/429,280Filed 3 Jun 2019 · continuation
Priority: 12 Sep 2012
Published: US 2019/0287540 A119 Sep 2019
Granted: 16 Mar 2021
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification11 codes

G10L 19/008
Speech or audio signals analysis-synthesis techniques for redundancy reduction, e.g. in vocoders; Coding or decoding of speech or audio signals,…:…
G10L 19/02
Speech or audio signals analysis-synthesis techniques for redundancy reduction, e.g. in vocoders; Coding or decoding of speech or audio signals,…:…
G10L 19/173
Vocoder architecture: transcoding, i.e. converting between two coded representations avoiding cascaded coding-decoding
H04S 3/002
Systems employing more than two channels, e.g. quadraphonic: non-adaptive circuits, e.g. manually adjustable or static, for enhancing the sound…

Family

Application61/699,990Us provisional application · filed 12 Sep 2012
PCT/EP2013/068903Parent of this continuation · filed 12 Sep 2013
Application14/643,007Parent of this continuation · filed 10 Mar 2015
Application15/595,065Parent of this continuation · filed 15 May 2017
US 9,653,084 B2Parent of this continuation · filed 16 May 2017
US 2019/0287540 A1Pre-grant publication · published 19 Sep 2019
US 10,347,259 B2Parent of this continuation
US 2015/0199973 A1Published application
US 2017/0249946 A1Published application
US 10,950,246 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.