# US 12,225,367 B2 · Virtual height and surround effect in soundbar without up-firing and surround speakers

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- Number: US 12,225,367 B2
- Document ID: US12225367B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/435,809
- Filed: 2019-03-06
- Published: 2022-05-12
- Granted: 2025-02-11
- Earliest claimed: 2019-03-06
- Assignees: Harman International Industries, Incorporated
- Applicants: Harman International Industries, Incorporated
- Inventors: James Zheng
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12225367B2

## CPC

- H04R 1/403: {loud-speakers}
- H04S 3/002: {Non-adaptive circuits, e.g. manually adjustable or static, for enhancing the sound image or the spatial distribution (control circuits for electronic adaptation of the sound field H04S7/30)}
- H04R 3/14: Cross-over networks
- H04R 5/02: Spatial or constructional arrangements of loudspeakers
- H04R 5/04: Circuit arrangements, {e.g. for selective connection of amplifier inputs/outputs to loudspeakers, for loudspeaker detection, or for adaptation of settings to personal preferences or hearing impairments (combinations of amplifiers H03F3/68; stereophonic systems H04S)}
- H04S 3/008: {in which the audio signals are in digital form, i.e. employing more than two discrete digital channels (data reduction aspects thereof based on psychoacoustics G10L19/02)}
- H04S 3/02: of the matrix type, i.e. in which input signals are combined algebraically, e.g. after having been phase shifted with respect to each other
- H04S 2400/01: Multi-channel, i.e. more than two input channels, sound reproduction with two speakers wherein the multi-channel information is substantially preserved
- H04S 2420/01: Enhancing the perception of the sound image or of the spatial distribution using head related transfer functions [HRTF's] or equivalents thereof, e.g. interaural time difference [ITD] or interaural level difference [ILD]
- 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

An apparatus to realize the virtual height and surround effect. The apparatus includes at least an input source, a processor and front speaker. The input source provides the input signals on front, surround and height channels input into the processor in which a beamforming, channel separation and/or virtual-height effect are applied on each of the source channels, respectively. After the processing, all produced output channels output by the processor are arranged and combined into existing speakers of the soundbar.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An apparatus for realizing a virtual height and a surround effect by front speakers, comprising:
an input source configured to provide input signals via at least one of front, surround, and height channels;
a processor configured to perform optimizing processes on the at least one of front, surround, and height channels of the input source; and
front speakers comprising a plurality of speakers;
wherein output signals after processing via the processor are fed to the front speakers,
wherein the height channels of the input source comprise at least one of left/right height channels, and the processor comprises a height-effect processor which applies both a channel separation and a head-related transfer function on the at least one of the left/right height channels to produce a plurality of virtual left/right height channels, respectively,
wherein the front channels of the input source comprise at least one of left/right channels, and the processor further comprises a beamforming processor configured to apply beamforming on the at least one of the left/right channels to produce a plurality of virtual left/right channels, respectively, and
wherein a number of the plurality of virtual left/right channels produced by the beamforming processor is greater than a number of the plurality of virtual left/right height channels produced by the height-effect processor.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the beamforming processor is further configured to set a transfer function to apply the beamforming.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the surround channels of the input source comprise at least one of left/right surround channels, and the processor further comprises a surround-effect processor which applies channel separation on the at least one of the left/right surround channels to produce a plurality of virtual left/right surround channels, respectively.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the surround-effect processor sets a crosstalk cancellation function while applying the channel separation.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the height-effect processor sets a crosstalk cancellation function and the head-related transfer function comprises setting a measured head-related transfer function.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus further comprises a channel-speaker matrix, by which the output signals are arranged and combined to the plurality of speakers.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the front speakers are integrated into a soundbar.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein up-firing speakers or surround speakers are absent from the plurality of speakers.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of virtual left/right channels and the plurality of virtual left/right height channels are provided as the output signals to the front speakers.

### Claim 10

A method for realizing virtual height and surround effect by front speakers, the steps of the method comprising:
receiving input signals from at least one of front, surround, and height channels of an input source, wherein the height channels of the input source comprise at least one of left/right height channels;
performing, via a processor, optimizing processes on the input signals from the at least one of front, surround, and height channels of the input source, respectively; and
feeding output signals after processing via the processor to the front speakers, and
applying, via a height-effect processor, both a channel separation and a head-related transfer function on the at least one of the left/right height channels to produce a plurality of virtual left/right height channels, respectively,
wherein performing the optimizing process further comprises applying a beamforming process on at least one of left/right channels of the front channels of the input source to produce a plurality of virtual left/right channels, respectively, and
wherein a number of the plurality of virtual left/right channels produced by the beamforming processor is greater than a number of the plurality of virtual left/right height channels produced by the height-effect processor.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, wherein applying the beamforming process comprises setting a transfer function.

### Claim 12 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, wherein applying the channel separation includes setting a crosstalk cancellation function.

### Claim 13 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, wherein applying the channel separation includes applying a crosstalk cancellation function, and applying the head-related transfer function comprises applying a measured head-related transfer function.

### Claim 14 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, further comprising arranging and combining, by a channel-speaker matrix, all produced virtual channels into a plurality of speakers.

### Claim 15 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, wherein the front speakers are integrated into a sound bar.

### Claim 16 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, wherein up-firing speakers or surround speakers are absent from a plurality of loudspeakers included in the front speakers.

### Claim 17 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, wherein feeding output signals after processing via the processor to the front speakers includes feeding at least the plurality of virtual left/right channels and the plurality of virtual left/right height channels as the output signals to the front speakers.