Interesting Patents | Spotify | Thursday, March 1, 2023
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) grants hundreds of new patents every week, showcasing developments in technology and innovation. In our Interesting Patents series, we highlight exciting US patent applications and patents recently issued by the USPTO. The patent system enables the protection of innovative ideas, and newly published patent applications provide a glimpse into the future of technology and innovation.
In this edition of #InterestingPatents, we look at Spotify’s new application for an apparatus and method for processing wind noise in audio input.
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Apparatus and Method for Processing Wind Noise in Audio Input
APPLICANT: SPOTIFY
US PAT. APPL. NO. 17/462,660
Invention Overview:
Wind noise is a common issue that occurs during audio recording, especially in outdoor environments. Wind noise can quickly ruin audio recordings by adding noise to the captured audio that cannot easily be removed. Spotify had a patent application published relating to an apparatus and method for processing wind noise from an audio input. This application provides a potential solution by performing wind noise suppression and audio reconstruction.
The captured audio is sent to the wind detector. The wind detector measures wind noise levels in the audio input by monitoring frequencies and amplitudes associated with wind noise. The wind detector determines whether to perform wind noise suppression or an audio reconstruction process based on the wind noise level. In some situations, the signal processor on the device can perform adequate processing when the wind noise level is below a first threshold. The signal processing may include filtering or equalization based on the wind detector to improve the audio input quality.
When the wind noise level is above a first threshold, the on-device noise processor performs wind noise suppression on the audio input. The wind noise suppression process may include filtering or removing frequencies associated with wind noise. When the wind noise level is above a second threshold, the processing server may perform an audio reconstruction process on audio input. The cloud-based audio reconstruction process may include analyzing the audio input to identify and remove wind noise and then reconstructing the audio input to produce a noise-suppressed audio signal.
Additionally, the device may indicate the inability to suppress wind noise. For example, if the wind noise level is too high or the suppression process cannot suppress the wind noise effectively, the message may be sent to the user indicating the inability to suppress the wind noise.
In conclusion, the present application describes an efficient and effective solution to remove wind noise from audio inputs. Detecting and suppressing wind noise levels can improve the quality of audio recordings without relying on specialized equipment. There are many potential applications for various audio recording devices, such as cameras, smartphones, and other mobile devices.
Patent Abstract:
Apparatus, methods and computer-readable medium are provided for processing wind noise. Audio input is processed by receiving an audio input. A wind noise level representative of a wind noise at the microphone array is measured using the audio input and a determination is made, based on the wind noise level, whether to perform either (i) a wind noise suppression process on the audio input on-device, or (ii) the wind noise suppression process on the audio input on-device and an audio reconstruction process incloud.
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