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US 8,798,992 B2Granted
Audio noise modification for event broadcasting
AssigneeDisney Enterprises, Inc.
InventorsMichael Gay, Jed Drake, Anthony Bailey
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An signal processing apparatus, system and software product for audio modification/substitution of a background noise generated during an event including, but not be limited to, substituting or partially substituting a noise signal from one or more microphones by a pre-recorded noise, and/or selecting one or more noise signals from a plurality of microphones for further processing in real-time or near real-time broadcasting.
Claims16
A system comprising:
- a first grouping of one or more microphones operatively configured to transform acoustical background noise into electrical noise signals appearing at an output of each of said first grouping of microphones;
- a second grouping of one or more microphones operatively configured to transform acoustical voice signals into electrical voice signals appearing at an output of each of said second grouping of microphones;
- a detector-analyzer, electrically coupled to each of said outputs of said first grouping of microphones, that measures said electrical noise signals and provides an indicator signal describing at least one parameter of said electrical noise signals;
- a controller, electrically coupled to said detector-analyzer, said controller comprising a comparator that compares said indicator signal with a plurality of predetermined threshold levels that define N adjacent, non-overlapping ranges, said comparator generates control signals indicative of a relationship between said indicator signal and said plurality of predetermined threshold levels and processes said electrical noise signal as determined by said control signals;
- a database storing a plurality of prerecorded noise signals, operatively connected to said controller, and operatively configured to select and playback one of said plurality of prerecorded noise signals in response to said control signal;
- and
- a combiner connected to said second grouping of one or more microphones and said controller, said combiner sums said processed electrical noise signal, and said electrical voice signals, and outputs a sum.
4 more elements
A method comprising:
- obtaining an electrical noise signal from a first grouping of microphones;
- obtaining an electrical voice signal from a second grouping of microphones;
- detecting and analyzing said electrical noise signal and generating one or more indicator signals in response to said detecting and analyzing, said one or more indicator signals describing at least one parameter of said electrical noise signal;
- comparing a level of said one or more indicator signals with a plurality of predetermined threshold levels that define N adjacent, non-overlapping ranges and thereby determining which of a plurality of the non-overlapping ranges said one or more indicator signal falls within;
- generating one or more control signals reflecting the range in which said one or more indicator signals falls;
- substituting said electrical noise signal by selecting a prerecorded noise signal from a plurality of prerecorded noise signals based on the range reflected by the control signal;
- and
- combining and outputting said selected prerecorded noise signal and said electrical voice signal.
5 more elements
A non-transitory computer readable storage-medium encoded with a computer program comprising computer readable instructions recorded thereon executing, by a computer a method comprising:
- obtaining an electrical noise signal from a first grouping of microphones;
- obtaining an electrical voice signal from a second grouping of microphones;
- detecting and analyzing said electrical noise signal and generating one or more indicator signals in response to said detecting and analyzing, said one or more indicator signals describing at least one parameter of said electrical noise signal;
- comparing a level of said one or more indicator signals with a plurality of predetermined threshold levels that define N adjacent, non-overlapping ranges and thereby determining which of a plurality of the non-overlapping ranges said one or more indicator signal falls within;
- generating one or more control signals reflecting the range in which said one or more indicator signals falls;
- substituting said electrical noise signal by selecting a prerecorded noise signal from a plurality of prerecorded noise signals based on the range reflected by the control signal;
- and
- combining and outputting said selected prerecorded noise signal and said electrical voice signal.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.