# US 12,009,794 B2 · Automatic volume control for combined game and chat audio

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- Number: US 12,009,794 B2
- Document ID: US12009794B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 18/311,833
- Filed: 2023-05-03
- Published: 2023-08-24
- Granted: 2024-06-11
- Earliest claimed: 2008-08-18
- Assignees: Voyetra Turtle Beach, Inc.
- Applicants: Voyetra Turtle Beach, Inc.
- Inventors: Richard Kulavik; Shobha Devi Kuruba Buchannagari; Carmine Bonanno
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12009794B2

## CPC

- H03G 3/32: the control being dependent upon ambient noise level or sound level
- A63F 13/215: comprising means for detecting acoustic signals, e.g. using a microphone
- A63F 13/424: involving acoustic input signals, e.g. by using the results of pitch or rhythm extraction or voice recognition
- A63F 13/54: involving acoustic signals, e.g. for simulating revolutions per minute [RPM] dependent engine sounds in a driving game or reverberation against a virtual wall
- A63F 13/87: Communicating with other players during game play, e.g. by e-mail or chat
- G06F 3/165: {Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path}
- G10L 21/0272: Voice signal separating
- G10L 25/84: for discriminating voice from noise
- H03G 3/20: Automatic control ({H03G3/005 takes precedence;} combined with volume compression or expansion H03G7/00)
- H03G 3/3005: {in amplifiers suitable for low-frequencies, e.g. audio amplifiers (H03G3/32, H03G3/34 take precedence)}
- H03G 3/3089: {Control of digital or coded signals}
- H03G 3/342: {Muting when some special characteristic of the signal is sensed which distinguishes it from noise, e.g. using speech detector (H03G3/344, H03G3/345 take precedence)}
- H03G 5/16: Automatic control
- H03G 5/165: {Equalizers; Volume or gain control in limited frequency bands}
- H04R 1/1091: {Details not provided for in groups H04R1/1008 - H04R1/1083}
- G10L 25/21: the extracted parameters being power information
- H04S 1/007: {in which the audio signals are in digital form (data reduction aspects thereof based on psychoacoustics G10L19/02)}
- H04S 2400/13: Aspects of volume control, not necessarily automatic, in stereophonic sound systems
- H03G: CONTROL OF AMPLIFICATION
- A63F: CARD, BOARD, OR ROULETTE GAMES; INDOOR GAMES USING SMALL MOVING PLAYING BODIES; VIDEO GAMES; GAMES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)
- G10L: SPEECH ANALYSIS TECHNIQUES OR SPEECH SYNTHESIS; SPEECH RECOGNITION; SPEECH OR VOICE PROCESSING TECHNIQUES; SPEECH OR AUDIO CODING OR DECODING
- H04R: LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; ELECTRIC HEARING AIDS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS (producing sounds with frequency not determined by supply frequency G10K)
- H04S: STEREOPHONIC SYSTEMS

## Abstract

A system comprising audio processing circuitry is provided. The audio processing circuitry is operable to receive audio signals. The audio processing circuitry is operable to process the audio signals to detect strength of a chat component of the audio signals and strength of a game component of the audio signals. The audio processing circuitry is operable to automatically control a volume setting based on one or both of: the detected strength of the chat component, and the detected strength of the game component. The combined-game-and-chat audio signals may comprise a left channel signal and a right channel signal. The processing of the combined-game-and-chat audio signals may comprise measuring strength of a vocal-band signal component that is common to the left channel signal and the right channel signal.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method comprising:
in an audio subsystem comprising a filter, a detector, and a controller:
receiving an audio signal;
filtering the audio signal, via the filter, into a chat component and a game component;
detecting, using the detector, a strength of the chat component and a strength of the game component; and
controlling, using the controller, a volume setting based on one or both of:
the detected strength of the chat component and the detected strength of the game component.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein:
the audio signal comprises a left channel signal and a right channel signal; and
the detecting a strength of the chat component comprises a measurement of a strength of a vocal-band signal component that is common to the left channel signal and the right channel signal.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, comprising measuring, by the detector, a strength of a non-vocal-band signal component that is common to a left channel signal of the audio signal and a right channel signal of the audio signal.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, comprising:
combining, by a combiner circuit of the headset, a left channel signal of the audio signal and a right channel signal of the audio signal, resulting in a combined audio signal; and
communicating, to the controller, a strength of the combined audio signal over vocal and non-vocal bands of the audio signal.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, comprising:
applying, by a gain circuit, a first gain to vocal-band frequencies of the audio signal; and
applying, by the gain circuit, a second gain to non-vocal-band frequencies of the audio signal.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, comprising
generating one or more control signals that control gain applied to vocal-band frequencies of the audio signal, wherein a state of the one or more control signals is automatically controlled in response to one or both of the detected strength of the chat component and the detected strength of the game component.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the audio subsystem comprises an audio output device with audio processing circuitry.

### Claim 8

A system comprising:
an audio subsystem comprising audio processing circuitry operable to:
receive an audio signal;
filter the audio signal into a chat component and a game component;
detect a strength of the chat component as compared to a strength of the game component; and
control a volume setting based on one or both of the detected strength of the chat component and the detected strength of the game component.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The system of claim 8, wherein:
the audio signal comprises a left channel signal and a right channel signal; and
the detecting a strength of the chat component comprises a measurement of a strength of a vocal-band signal component that is common to the left channel signal and the right channel signal.

### Claim 10 (depends on 8)

The system of claim 8, wherein the detecting a strength of the game component comprises measurement of a strength of a non-vocal-band signal component that is common to a left channel signal of the audio signal and a right channel signal of the audio signal.

### Claim 11 (depends on 8)

The system of claim 8, wherein:
a combiner circuit of the audio processing circuitry is operable to combine a left channel audio signal of the audio signal and a right channel audio signal of the audio signal, resulting in a combined audio signal; and
the audio processing circuitry is operable to communicate, to the controller, a strength of the combined audio signal over vocal and non-vocal bands of the audio signal.

### Claim 12 (depends on 8)

The system of claim 8, wherein the audio processing circuitry is operable to:
apply, by a gain circuit, a first gain to vocal-band frequencies of the audio signal; and
apply, by the gain circuit, a second gain to non-vocal-band frequencies of the audio signal.

### Claim 13 (depends on 8)

The system of claim 8, wherein the audio processing circuitry is operable to:
generate one or more control signals that control gain applied to vocal-band frequencies of the audio signal, wherein a state of the one or more control signals is controlled in response to one or both of the detected strength of the chat component and the detected strength of the game component.

### Claim 14 (depends on 8)

The system of claim 8, wherein the audio processing circuitry is operable to control the volume setting according to a ratio of the detected strength of the chat component to the detected strength of the game component.

### Claim 15 (depends on 8)

The system of claim 8, wherein the audio subsystem comprises a headset.

### Claim 16 (depends on 8)

The system of claim 8, wherein the audio subsystem comprises one or more speakers.