METHOD AND DEVICE FOR INCREASING MUSICAL SENSITIVITY

Abstract

A method and a device for increasing the perception of acoustic events, particularly for increasing musical sensitivity. As high a correlation as possible between heard and felt perceptions can be achieved by the conversion of the musical signal into vibrations on the skin, the local impact distribution of the filtered musical signals, the emphasis of the dominant musical signals by expanding the extent of the impact, the transfer of the signal portions in the non-feelable range into the feelable range, and the variable base spectrum adapting to the current musical spectrum.

Claims

1. A method for increasing perception of acoustic events, in particular for increasing musical sensitivity, wherein vibrations derived from an acoustic event and correlating with the acoustic event are transmitted onto the skin of a person by means of vibration transmitters, wherein the vibration transmitters are spatially distributed on the skin at positions in a predetermined arrangement, wherein, by means of a controller, to which an input signal reproducing the acoustic event is fed, control voltages are determined and the vibration transmitters are each actuated with one of the determined control voltages in order to generate a vibration that is sensible on the skin, wherein a base spectrum is determined from the frequency spectrum of the acoustic event, wherein the base spectrum is divided into partial spectra which each comprise a frequency range of the base spectrum, wherein the control voltages are each derived from the frequency range of at least one assigned partial spectrum, and wherein there is an assignment between the frequency positions of the control voltages and the positions of the vibration transmitters and/or between the partial spectra and the positions of the vibration transmitters.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the determination of the base spectrum comprises an expansion and/or reduction of the width of the base spectrum while maintaining the number of partial spectra, wherein the width of the base spectrum is reduced if, within a time unit, a number of spectral components occurs in the frequency range of the acoustic event in the edge regions of the current base spectrum which lies below a specified threshold value, in particular no spectral component, wherein the width of the base spectrum is expanded if a spectral component which lies outside the selected base spectrum occurs in the frequency spectrum of the acoustic event.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the number of vibration transmitters actuated by a control voltage depends on the amplitude ratio of the individual control voltages, wherein, if the amplitude of the control voltages of all partial spectra is the same or substantially the same, the control voltages are fed to the vibration transmitters in the sequence of their frequency position and/or wherein, when a predetermined deviation between the amplitudes of the control voltages is reached, the dominant control voltage is fed to the vibration transmitter of the associated partial spectrum and one or more vibration transmitters of partial spectra with a higher frequency position.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the vibration transmitters is permanently actuated with the highest frequency control voltage.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the control voltage which has the highest amplitude in the frequency position below the control voltage with the maximum value is also used to actuate one or more vibration transmitters which lie between said two control voltages, and there is a corresponding assignment for the control voltages in the frequency ranges therebelow.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the vibration transmitters are arranged so as to be distributed on the skin in an arrangement extending in a distribution direction, wherein the vibration transmitters are preferably arranged symmetrically and in pairs with respect to a center line of the arrangement and are actuated in pairs or individually, wherein the frequency of the control voltages further preferably increases in the direction of the center line.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein at least the vibration transmitters located directly on both sides of the center line are permanently actuated with the highest frequency control voltage.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the amplitude of the control voltage in the highest, still sensible partial spectrum is increased if signal portions of the input signal occur in a non-sensible partial spectrum.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein, if signal portions of the input signal occur in a non-sensible partial spectrum, the control voltage in the highest, still sensible partial spectrum, starting from a predefined amplitude of said signal portions, is fed to a plurality of vibration transmitters as control voltage.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the amplitude profile of the input signal lying in the non-sensible frequency range is impressed as an amplitude profile on an oscillation voltage lying in the sensible frequency range and this is fed as control voltage to the vibration transmitters.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein a selection amplifier which separates the non-sensible from the sensible frequency range has a dynamic operating point setting such that a rectified output signal of the amplifier is fed back to the amplifier input in phase opposition via a time delay stage, resulting in an amplification that depends on the rate of change of the input signal lying in the non-sensible frequency range, and the amplitude profile of the output signal of the amplifier thus generated is impressed as an amplitude profile on an oscillator voltage lying in the sensible range, which is subsequently used as control voltage for the vibration transmitters.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein, in the case of signal portions of the input signal being in a non-sensible partial spectrum, the frequency range of said partial spectrum is detected in its entirety via one or more, preferably at least two, filter stages.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein, if signal portions of the input signal are in a non-sensible partial spectrum, the control voltages are assigned to the vibration transmitters with one or more, preferably at least two, filter stages such that vibration transmitters arranged closer to the center line are actuated with the control voltages derived from a higher-frequency signal portion, and vibration transmitters located further away from the center line are actuated with the control voltages derived from a low-frequency signal portion.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein, in the case of an amplitude dominance of a control voltage, at least one further vibration transmitter, in particular a vibration transmitter adjacent to the assigned vibration transmitter, is actuated with said control voltage in addition to the assigned vibration transmitter.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein, in the case of acoustic events with a limited spectral range, the division of the partial spectra for the control voltages is spread according to the total width of the frequency spectrum.

16. The method according to claim 1, wherein control commands for changing a programming and/or the assignment can be transmitted via a user interface, preferably via software.

17. A device for increasing perception of acoustic events, which is configured to carry out the method of claim 1, wherein the device has a plurality of vibration transmitters for transmitting vibrations onto the skin of a person and a controller connected to the vibration transmitters for actuating the vibration transmitters with a control voltage in order to generate the vibrations, wherein the vibration transmitters are arranged at positions in a predetermined arrangement such that they can be spatially distributed on the skin of the person, wherein the device is configured to transmit vibrations derived from an acoustic event and correlating with the acoustic event onto the skin of a person by means of the vibration transmitters, and wherein the controller is configured to receive an input signal belonging to the acoustic event, to determine control voltages and to actuate the vibration transmitters with one of the determined control voltages in order to generate a vibration that is sensible on the skin.

18. The device according to claim 17, wherein the vibration transmitters (7) are arranged in an arrangement extending in a distribution direction, preferably symmetrically and in pairs with respect to a center line (13) of the arrangement, and can be actuated in pairs or individually.

19. The device according to claim 17, wherein the device is designed as a belt to be worn around the hips, as a band or as an item of clothing, preferably such that, when used, the vibration transmitters can be placed on the skin in the area of the abdomen and the hips of the person.

20. The device according to claim 17, wherein the vibration transmitters (7) are arranged such that they come into contact with the skin of the person when said person wears the device or are arranged relative to the skin of the person such that a vibration can be transmitted onto the skin.

21. The device according to claim 17, wherein the controller for receiving the input signal has at least one interface, in particular a wireless interface, and/or a music recording device (1) for recording sound waves of the acoustic event.

22. The device according to claim 17, wherein the controller comprises a digital controller and/or software.

23. The device according to claim 17, wherein the controller comprises an electronic system (14) consisting of components that are coupled to one another in terms of circuitry, wherein the components comprise a music recording component (1), a circuit for determining the base spectrum (2), controllable filter circuits (3) with a circuit (8) for adapting the filter circuits (3) and circuits for amplitude detection (9), and preferably comparator circuits (10), a digital circuit (11), controllable amplifiers (5) and a switching matrix (6).

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0066] The invention shall be explained by way of example by means of the drawings, in which:

[0067] FIG. 1 shows a device with vibration transmitters in the form of a belt, and

[0068] FIG. 2 shows a circuit arrangement for converting an input signal.

[0069] FIG. 1 shows the device for increasing musical sensitivity (musical emotionality) in the form of a belt 12, of which only one half and the inside is shown herein—indicated by the center line 13.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0070] In the depicted embodiment, seven vibration transmitters are each arranged in the belt 12 on both sides of the center line 13, preferably such that they bear against the body from hip side to hip side when the belt 12 is applied. It goes without saying that more or less vibration transmitters can also be provided.

[0071] A controller or an electronic system 14 with an interface for a music recording component 1 is integrated in the belt 12. In the case of a digital controller, the interface can also directly receive a digital input signal, preferably wirelessly, e.g. via Bluetooth. The vibration transmitters 7 are actuated by the electronic system 14. This is done in pairs and symmetrically with respect to the center line 13. It goes without saying that, instead of in pairs, the vibration transmitters 7 can also be actuated individually or in other groups of two, three or more vibration transmitters.

[0072] FIG. 2 shows the electronic system 14 for actuating the vibration transmitters 7 in the form of a circuit arrangement, by means of which vibrations derived from the audible music and correlating with the audible music are transmitted from vibration transmitters 7 onto the skin. In this case, the vibration transmitters 7 are arranged in a belt 12 to be worn around the hips or waist and are actuated by control voltages that are filtered musical signals adapted in amplitude.

[0073] The electronic system 14 consist of components that are coupled to one another in terms of circuitry, namely a music recording component 1, a circuit for deriving the base spectrum 2, controllable filter circuits 3 with a circuit 8 for adapting the filter circuits 3, circuits for amplitude detection 9, comparator circuits 10, and a digital circuit 11 for implementing the switching scheme, controllable amplifiers 5, and a switching matrix 6 for the vibration transmitters 7.

[0074] The music recording component 1 is preferably a radio component, i.e. the musical signals which the wearer of the belt 12 perceives from a loudspeaker or via headphones through the ear sensory organ are simultaneously recorded by the music recording component 1 and provided to the further components of the electronic system 14 in order to generate the control voltages for the vibration transmitters 8.

[0075] After the signal has been input into the music recording component 1, the circuit 2 derives the base spectrum, wherein, starting from a mean spectral width of a base spectrum from the musical spectrum, which can extend e.g. from 250 Hz-8 kHz, wherein the base spectrum is divided into partial spectra, the width of the base spectrum is expanded while maintaining the number of partial spectra as soon as a spectral component of the current music occurs which is outside the current base spectrum, or the width of the base spectrum is reduced while maintaining the number of partial spectra if, within a time unit, no spectral component of the current music occurs in the outer ranges of the current base spectrum.

[0076] The vibration transmitters 7 are then actuated with the filtered temporal profiles of the partial spectra, wherein there is a computationally retrievable assignment scheme between the frequency position of the control voltages and the position of the vibration transmitters 7.

[0077] The controllable filter circuits 3 do not analyze every sound, but rather the partial spectra in which the sounds lie. A frequency is thus assigned to the sounds.

[0078] The base spectrum comprises the ranges that are sensible (feelable) for the skin, e.g. from

[0079] 55 Hz-93 Hz

[0080] 94 Hz-160 Hz

[0081] 161 Hz-280 Hz

[0082] 281 Hz-460 Hz and

[0083] 461 Hz-820 Hz.

and musical signal frequencies in non-sensible (non-feelable) spectra in the ranges

[0084] 821 Hz-1600 Hz and

[0085] 1601 Hz-3200 Hz.

[0086] In general, it can be assumed that the transition between frequencies that are sensible and non-sensible by the skin is approximately at 1000 Hz.

[0087] Parallel to the spectral division of the signals, the circuit 8 for amplitude detection of the filtered musical signals determines the amplitudes of the partial spectra in relation to their size and, in the subsequent comparator circuits, compares the size of the amplitudes.

[0088] On the basis of the determined size of the amplitudes, corresponding signals for the switching matrix 6 are generated in the digital circuit 11 for implementing the preprogrammed switching scheme and thus for activating the vibration transmitters 7.

[0089] The switching matrix 6 is designed such that any of the vibration transmitters 7 and also combinations of vibration transmitters 7 can be activated with the control voltages from the filter circuit 3.

[0090] The proposed method does not generate a new signal that can be converted by means of the vibration transmitters 7, but instead, the filtered and amplitude-adapted musical signal is transmitted directly, wherein it is determined by the electronic system 14 which vibration transmitter 7 is actuated. The most essential actuations are disclosed in detail in the methods.

[0091] As high a correlation as possible between heard and felt perceptions can be achieved by the direct conversion of the musical signal into vibrations, the local impact distribution of the filtered musical signals, the emphasis of the dominant musical signals by expanding the extent of the impact, the transfer of the signal portions in the non-sensible range into the sensible range, and the variable base spectrum adapting to the current musical spectrum.