US 9,426,597 B2Granted

Method and system for playing back an audio signal

AssigneeSonic Emotion Labs

InventorsKhoa-Van Nguyen, Etienne Corteel

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Abstract

The method of playing back a multichannel audio signal via a playback device comprises a plurality of loudspeakers arranged at fixed locations of the device and define a spatial window for sound playback relative to a reference spatial position. The method comprises for at least one sound object extracted from the signal, estimating a diffuse or localized nature of the object and estimating its position relative to the window. The audio signal is played back via the loudspeakers of the device during which playback treatment is applied to each sound object for playing back via at least one loudspeaker of the device, which treatment depends on the diffuse or localized nature of the object and on its position relative to the window, and includes creating at least one virtual source outside the window from loudspeakers of the device when the object is estimated as being diffuse or positioned outside the window.

Claims17

Dependent claims

A method of playing back a multichannel audio signal via a playback device having a plurality of loudspeakers, said loudspeakers being arranged at fixed locations of the playback device and defining a spatial window for playing back sound relative to a reference spatial position, said playback method comprising:

a spatial analysis step of spatially analyzing the multichannel audio signal, this step comprising:
extracting at least one sound object from the signal;
and
for each extracted sound object, estimating a diffuse or localized nature of this sound object, and estimating a position of this sound object relative to the sound playback spatial window of the playback device;
and
a playback step of playing back the audio signal via the plurality of loudspeakers of the playback device, during which step, playback treatment is applied to each sound object extracted from the audio signal for playing that object back via at least one loudspeaker of the plurality of loudspeakers of the playback device, this playback treatment depending on the diffuse or localized nature of the sound object and on its position relative to the sound playback spatial window as estimated during the spatial analysis step;
the playback treatment including using the loudspeakers of the playback device to create at least one virtual source outside the playback spatial window of the playback device whenever the sound object is estimated during the spatial analysis step as being diffuse or as being positioned outside the playback spatial window of the playback device.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 14/431,926Filed 25 Sep 2013
Priority: FR 12 5913227 Sep 2012
Published: US 2015/0256958 A110 Sep 2015
Granted: 23 Aug 2016
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification4 codes

H04S 7/30
Indicating arrangements; Control arrangements, e.g. balance control: control circuits for electronic adaptation of the sound field
H04S 3/00
Systems employing more than two channels
H04S 2420/13
Techniques used stereophonic systems covered by H04S but not provided for in its groups: application of wave-field synthesis in stereophonic audio…
H04S
Stereophonic systems