Patent Application
20150049879
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of audio processing applied in an audio-playing device, such as a speaker, a speaker of a television, and so on.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a speaker or a television is designed only for outputting audio, or audible content of media, for normal-hearing listeners. However, as people get older, their ability to hear high frequency sounds decreases gradually. Many people over the age of 70 years (who are mildly hearing-impaired listeners) can still clearly hear sounds at 8,000 Hz; however, they might not be able to hear sounds over 8,000 Hz. Most of the sounds of human languages are below 8,000 Hz; therefore, most people over the age of 70 years can function adequately in verbal communications. However, it is quite common that music or some television scenes have audio effects over 8,000 Hz, which most people over the age of 70 years cannot hear clearly. If the speaker or the television can lower the high frequency audio while outputting the audio, it can improve the audio quality for mildly hearing-impaired listeners; however, it may provide a poor audio quality for listeners without hearing impairment because the frequency of the high frequency audio is lowered.
Therefore, there is a need to provide a method of audio processing and an audio-playing device to improve the audio quality for hearing-impaired listeners while maintaining a good audio quality for listeners without hearing impairment so as to mitigate and/or obviate the aforementioned problems.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method of audio processing and an audio-playing device to allow normal-hearing listeners and mildly hearing-impaired listeners to listen to music or watch television together.
To achieve the abovementioned object, the method of audio processing of the present invention is used in an audio-playing device having an open speaker, the method comprising:
receiving an input audio, the input audio including a high frequency audio area and a low frequency audio area;
obtaining the high frequency audio area and performing a frequency lowering process in order to generate a lowered frequency audio area;
combining the lowered frequency audio area with the input audio to generate an output audio such that the output audio comprises the high frequency audio area, the low frequency audio area, and the lowered frequency audio area; and
outputting the output audio via the open speaker.
Other objects, advantages, and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the accompanying drawings, which disclose several embodiments of the present invention. It is to be understood that the drawings are to be used for purposes of illustration only, and not as a definition of the invention.
In the drawings, wherein similar reference numerals denote similar elements throughout the several views:
Please refer to
The audio-playing device 10 can be, for example, a speaker device. The input audio 30 can be, for example, an audio signal captured by a microphone, an audio signal transmitted by a radio station, MP3-formatted music transmitted from a MP3 player, an audio signal transmitted by a DVD player, and so on.
The audio receiving module 11 can be a wireless or a wired receiving module. The audio processing module 12 can be a hardware circuit, firmware, or these designs in combination with a software program (stored in a memory) and a processor. In a simpler design embodiment, it can be a computer-type structure, wherein the function of the audio receiving module 11 is accomplished by utilizing a processor to execute a software program.
The definition of the open speaker 15 is a speaker that plays the output audio 40 in the air, wherein the air is used as a medium, thereby allowing multiple listeners to hear the output audio 40 together without the need to wear earphones. The open speaker 15 includes a non-earphone speaker such as a general speaker or a television speaker.
The audio-playing device 10 can also be a television, a smart television, a mobile phone, a PAD, a computer capable of outputting audio, and the like, wherein the abovementioned device also includes an audio receiving module 11, an audio processing module 12, and an open speaker 15. The hardware structure of the audio-playing device 10 illustrated in
First, please refer to
Step 201: the audio receiving module 11 receives an input audio 30. As shown in
Please note that the ranges of the high frequency audio area 31 and the low frequency audio area 32 are not fixed; the ranges can be adjusted and set by means such as being configured by a software program or a circuit design via a key, an operational button, or an on-screen instruction. Because the technique of setting the values is known by those with ordinary skill in the art, there is no need for further description. Basically, in the present invention, the input audio 30 is simply divided into two audio areas 31 and 32. For example, for one hearing-impaired listener, if the hearing-impaired listener can clearly hear only sounds below A Hz (for example, A is 4,000), then the method can use A Hz (such as 4,000 Hz) as a threshold for defining audio signals over A Hz (such as 4,000 Hz) as the high frequency audio area 31 and the audio signals below A Hz (such as 4,000 Hz) as the low frequency audio area 32.
Step 202: the audio processing module 12 obtains the high frequency audio area 31 and performs a frequency lowering process in order to generate a lowered frequency audio area 33. As shown in
Step 203: the audio processing module 12 combines the lowered frequency audio area 33 with the input audio 30 to generate an output audio 40. Please refer to
According to another embodiment for the output audio 40a, shown in
Please note that
In the present invention, there are some variables. The first variable is the division frequency (such as 8,000 Hz) for dividing the input audio 30 into two audio areas 31 and 32, and the second variable is that the frequency lowering process must be done with considerations of the frequency compression process and the frequency shifting process. The above variable values need to be changed according to the hearing capabilities of the hearing-impaired listener.
Step 204: outputting the output audio 40 via the open speaker 15. For purposes of illustration, please consider the television as an example of an audio-playing device 10. If a child (with normal hearing capability), an adult (with normal hearing capability), and an old person or a hearing-impaired listener (with poor hearing capability) are watching the television 10 together, the normal-hearing listeners can enjoy the original audio because the output audio 40 of the television 10 includes the original high frequency audio area 31 and the low frequency audio area 32. Of course, the normal-hearing listeners can also hear the lowered frequency audio area 33, but under most conditions, as confirmed through experiments, the normal-hearing listeners will hardly notice the existence of the lowered frequency audio area 33 because the tone of the lowered frequency audio area 33 is similar to that of the high frequency audio area 31. That is, the audio quality resulting from the combination of the lowered frequency audio area 33 and the input audio 30 is still acceptable to most normal-hearing listeners. With regard to the old people or the hearing-impaired listeners, who cannot hear the original high frequency audio area 31 (such as a high-pitched bell-ringing sound in music), the old people or the hearing-impaired listeners can enjoy a better audio quality because the information in the high frequency audio area 31 is presented in the lowered frequency audio area 33.
Please note that the high frequency audio area 31 and the lowered frequency audio area 33 are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. In practice, it is likely to be more meaningful that the high frequency audio area 31 includes audio at least over 2,500 Hz because most mildly hearing-impaired listeners have no problem hearing sounds below 2,500 Hz; moreover, human speech sounds below 2,500 Hz are usually vowels and overtones that are not suitable for frequency compression and frequency shifting processes. Furthermore, it is more meaningful that the processed lowered frequency audio area 33 includes audio at least below 16,000 Hz; otherwise, there is no need for utilizing the present invention because most people cannot easily tell whether or not sounds over 16,000 Hz exist in speech and music. Although the present invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 102129142 | Aug 2013 | TW | national |
