Patent ID: 8964998
Filing Date: 2015-02-24
Classification: H03G

Abstract:
1. An apparatus ( 100 ), effective in enhancing a first audio signal in the face of ambient background noise, by applying corrective gains to a plurality of frequency components which constitute the first audio signal, wherein the value of the gains are computed using a nonlinear psychoacoustic model of loudness as a function of sound intensity, as subjectively experienced by a normal human, where this psychoacoustic model takes as inputs the sound intensity of the audio signal P as well as the ambient background noise Po, wherein corrective gains are generated for each frequency component by solving for a correction gain ΔP for the first audio signal which will suffice to raise the volume of each frequency component of the first audio signal so that the user will perceive it above background noise, by the loudness amount equivalent to how the first audio signal would be perceived in a noiseless environment, the apparatus ( 100 ) comprising: a. a first audio source ( b. a second audio source ( i. a first Analog to Digital converter ( ii. a second Analog to Digital converter ( iii. a first Frequency Analysis Module ( iv. a second Frequency Analysis Module ( v. a first Power Estimator Block ( vi. a second Power Estimator Block ( vii. a first dBFS to dBSPL Converter ( viii. a second dBFS to dBSPL Converter ( ix. a first dBSPL to dB Phon Converter ( x. a second dBSPL to dB Phon Converter ( xi. a Psychoacoustic model ( xii. a Gain Block component ( xiii. a Frequency Synthesis Module ( xiv. a Digital to Analog Converter ( wherein (i) the first audio source ( (i) multiplying the source signal corresponding to each of the frequency components according to the corresponding corrective gain A P(f), producing a corrected source signal, (ii) combining the corrected source signals using the Frequency Synthesis Module