A statistical audibility prediction (SAP) method for predicting the audibility of a signal over time at a listening location, the signal from a signal source in the presence of a concurrent masking sound or masker from a masker source. The method includes receiving, via a processor over a plurality of auditory channels, a specific loudness of the signal and masker at the listening location. The method includes calculating for each auditory channel a standard deviation of a distribution of the specific loudness of the signal and masker, and calculating, via the processor, corresponding channel-specific detectability indices (d′.sub.t,i) for each auditory channel as a function of their standard deviations. The corresponding channel-specific detectability indices are then summed to produce a total detectability index (d′.sub.t), which may be output as an electronic signal that indicates the predicted audibility vs. time, e.g., to a downstream process and/or system or offline.

A communication device includes a loudspeaker to transmit sound into a room. A signal having a white noise-like frequency spectrum spanning a frequency range of human hearing is generated. Auditory thresholds of human hearing for frequencies spanning the frequency range are stored. Respective levels of background noise in the room at the frequencies are determined. The white noise-like frequency spectrum is spectrally shaped to produce a shaped frequency spectrum having, for each frequency, a respective level that follows either the auditory threshold or the level of background noise at that frequency, whichever is greater. The shaped frequency spectrum is transmitted from the loudspeaker into the room.

The present disclosure relates to methods and apparatus for audio coding. A method of encoding a portion of an audio signal comprises determining whether the portion of the audio signal is likely to contain dense transient events, and if it is determined that the portion of the audio signal is likely to contain dense transient events, quantizing the portion of the audio signal using a quantization 5 mode that applies a substantially constant signal-to-noise ratio over frequency for the portion of the audio signal. The present disclosure further relates to a method of detecting dense transient events in a portion of an audio signal.

Systems and methods are provided for evaluating hearing health of a given user. An input audio signal is transformed into the frequency domain and a first and second hearing profile are applied to the input audio sample. The first hearing profile represents a healthy hearing standard and the second hearing profile is the given user's hearing profile. Using the hearing profiles, first and second perceptually relevant information (PRI) values are generated for the input audio sample. The first and second PRI values are analyzed against each other to generate a PRI index value for the given user, where the PRI index value is a hearing health index value for the given user. The given user's hearing profile may additionally be applied to differently processed audio samples to evaluate the amount of perceptual rescue offered by various digital signal processing algorithms.

Systems and methods are provided for evaluating hearing health of a given user. An input audio signal is transformed into the frequency domain and a first and second hearing profile are applied to the input audio sample. The first hearing profile represents a healthy hearing standard and the second hearing profile is the given user's hearing profile. Using the hearing profiles, first and second perceptually relevant information (PRI) values are generated for the input audio sample. The first and second PRI values are analyzed against each other to generate a PRI index value for the given user, where the PRI index value is a hearing health index value for the given user. The given user's hearing profile may additionally be applied to differently processed audio samples to evaluate the amount of perceptual rescue offered by various digital signal processing algorithms.

In a transmit method, a set of data eigenvectors that are based on a Prometheus Orthonormal Set (PONS) code construction and orthogonal to each other are stored, wherein the data eigenvectors are mapped to unique multi-bit words. A pilot sequence representing a pilot eigenvector that is based on the PONS code construction and orthogonal to each of the data eigenvectors is generated. Input data are grouped into multi-bit words and data eigenvectors among the data eigenvectors are selected based on the multi-bit words. A spread data sequence including the selected data eigenvectors and that is synchronized to the pilot sequence is generated. An acoustic signal including the synchronized pilot sequence and the spread data sequence is generated. The acoustic signal is transmitted.

The present disclosure relates to methods and apparatus for audio coding. A method of encoding a portion of an audio signal comprises determining whether the portion of the audio signal is likely to contain dense transient events, and if it is determined that the portion of the audio signal is likely to contain dense transient events, quantizing the portion of the audio signal using a quantization 5 mode that applies a substantially constant signal-to-noise ratio over frequency for the portion of the audio signal. The present disclosure further relates to a method of detecting dense transient events in a portion of an audio signal.

In a transmit method, a set of data eigenvectors that are based on a Prometheus Orthonormal Set (PONS) code construction and orthogonal to each other are stored, wherein the data eigenvectors are mapped to unique multi-bit words. A pilot sequence representing a pilot eigenvector that is based on the PONS code construction and orthogonal to each of the data eigenvectors is generated. Input data are grouped into multi-bit words and data eigenvectors among the data eigenvectors are selected based on the multi-bit words. A spread data sequence including the selected data eigenvectors and that is synchronized to the pilot sequence is generated. An acoustic signal including the synchronized pilot sequence and the spread data sequence is generated. The acoustic signal is transmitted.

A statistical audibility prediction (SAP) method for predicting the audibility of a signal over time at a listening location, the signal from a signal source in the presence of a concurrent masking sound or masker from a masker source. The method includes receiving, via a processor over a plurality of auditory channels, a specific loudness of the signal and masker at the listening location. The method includes calculating for each auditory channel a standard deviation of a distribution of the specific loudness of the signal and masker, and calculating, via the processor, corresponding channel-specific detectability indices (d.sub.t,i) for each auditory channel as a function of their standard deviations. The corresponding channel-specific detectability indices are then summed to produce a total detectability index (d.sub.t), which may be output as an electronic signal that indicates the predicted audibility vs. time, e.g., to a downstream process and/or system or offline.

In a transmit method, a set of data eigenvectors that are based on a Prometheus Orthonormal Set (PONS) code construction and orthogonal to each other are stored, wherein the data eigenvectors are mapped to unique multi-bit words. A pilot sequence representing a pilot eigenvector that is based on the PONS code construction and orthogonal to each of the data eigenvectors is generated. Input data are grouped into multi-bit words and data eigenvectors among the data eigenvectors are selected based on the multi-bit words. A spread data sequence including the selected data eigenvectors and that is synchronized to the pilot sequence is generated. An acoustic signal including the synchronized pilot sequence and the spread data sequence is generated. The acoustic signal is transmitted.