Abstract: Soundfield signals such as e.g. Ambisonics carry a representation of a desired sound field. The Ambisonics format is based on spherical harmonic decomposition of the soundfield, and Higher Order Ambisonics (HOA) uses spherical harmonics of at least 2nd order. However, commonly used loudspeaker setups are irregular and lead to problems in decoder design. A method for improved decoding an audio soundfield representation for audio playback comprises calculating (110) a function (W) using a geometrical method based on the positions of a plurality of loudspeakers and a plurality of source directions, calculating (120) a mode matrix (?) from the loudspeaker positions, calculating (130) a pseudo-inverse mode matrix (?+) and decoding (140) the audio soundfield representation. The decoding is based on a decode matrix (D) that is obtained from the function (W) and the pseudo-inverse mode matrix (?+).

Abstract: Higher Order Ambisonics (HOA) represents a complete sound field in the vicinity of a sweet spot, independent of loudspeaker set-up. The high spatial resolution requires a high number of HOA coefficients. In the invention, dominant sound directions are estimated and the HOA signal representation is decomposed into dominant directional signals in time domain and related direction information, and an ambient component in HOA domain, followed by compression of the ambient component by reducing its order. The reduced-order ambient component is transformed to the spatial domain, and is perceptually coded together with the directional signals. At receiver side, the encoded directional signals and the order-reduced encoded ambient component are perceptually decompressed, the perceptually decompressed ambient signals are transformed to an HOA domain representation of reduced order, followed by order extension.

Abstract: An advantage of Ambisonics representation is that the reproduction of the sound field can be adapted individually to nearly any given loudspeaker position arrangement. The invention allows systematic adaptation of the playback of spatial sound field-oriented audio to its linked visible objects, by applying space warping processing as disclosed in EP 11305845.7. The reference size (or the viewing angle from a reference listening position) of the screen used in the content production is encoded and transmitted as metadata together with the content, or the decoder knows the actual size of the target screen with respect to a fixed reference screen size. The decoder warps the sound field in such a manner that all sound objects in the direction of the screen are compressed or stretched according to the ratio of the size of the target screen and the size of the reference screen.

Abstract: A dispensing device for a dental substance is provided which has an outlet for the dental substance, and a valve for opening and closing the outlet. The device is switchable between a storage mode and an operative mode. In the storage mode a cannula is locked in the device and the valve opens the outlet, and in the storage mode the cannula can be released from the device and the valve closes the outlet. The device may facilitate handling and may be relatively inexpensive.

Abstract: Representations of spatial audio scenes using higher-order Ambisonics HOA technology typically require a large number of coefficients per time instant. This data rate is too high for most practical applications that require real-time transmission of audio signals. According to the invention, the compression is carried out in spatial domain instead of HOA domain. The (N+1)2 input HOA coefficients are transformed into (N+1)2 equivalent signals in spatial domain, and the resulting (N+1)2 time-domain signals are input to a bank of parallel perceptual codecs. At decoder side, the individual spatial-domain signals are decoded, and the spatial-domain coefficients are transformed back into HOA domain in order to recover the original HOA representation.

Abstract: Multi-channel audio content is mixed for a particular loudspeaker setup. However, a consumer's audio setup is very likely to use a different placement of speakers. The present invention provides a method of rendering multi-channel audio that assures replay of the spatial signal components with equal loudness of the signal. A method for obtaining an energy preserving mixing matrix (G) for mixing L1 input audio channels to L2 output channels comprises steps of obtaining (s711) a first mixing matrix G, performing (s712) a singular value decomposition on the first mixing matrix ? to obtain a singularity matrix S, processing (s713) the singularity matrix S to obtain a processed singularity matrix ?, determining (s715) a scaling factor a, and calculating (s716) an improved mixing matrix G according to G=a U ? VT. The perceived sound, loudness, timbre and spatial impression of multi-channel audio replayed on an arbitrary loudspeaker setup practically equals that of the original speaker setup.

Abstract: Recordings from microphones that provide 1st order Ambisonics signals, so-called B-format signals, offer a limited cognition of sound directivity. Sound sources are perceived broader than they actually are, especially for off-center listening positions, and the sound sources are often located to be coming from the closest speaker positions. In a method and apparatus for enhancing the directivity of 1st order Ambisonics signals, additional directivity information is extracted (SFA) from the lower order Ambisonics input signal. The additional directivity information is used to estimate higher order Ambisonics coefficients which are then combined with the coefficients of the input signal. Thus, the directivity of the Ambisonics signal is enhanced, which leads to an increased accuracy of spatial source localization when the Ambisonics signal is decoded to loud speaker signals. The resulting output signal has more energy than the input signal.

Abstract: The invention is related to a data structure for Higher Order Ambisonics HOA audio data, which data structure includes 2D or 3D spatial audio content data for one or more different HOA audio data stream descriptions. The HOA audio data can have on order of greater than ‘3’, and the data structure in addition can include single audio signal source data and/or microphone array audio data from fixed or time-varying spatial positions.

Abstract: The invention relates to Higher-Order Ambisonics (HOA) Content Loudness Level Adjustment. A method for adjusting a loudness level of a HOA audio signal on a transmitting side comprises steps of measuring loudness of only the W-channel of the HOA audio signal, and leveling HOA master gain for all channels of the HOA signal according to the measured loudness of the W-channel.

Abstract: The invention improves HOA sound field representation compression. The HOA representation is analysed for the presence of dominant sound sources and their directions are estimated. Then the HOA representation is decomposed into a number of dominant directional signals and a residual component. This residual component is transformed into the discrete spatial domain in order to obtain general plane wave functions at uniform sampling directions, which are predicted from the dominant directional signals. Finally, the prediction error is transformed back to the HOA domain and represents the residual ambient HOA component for which an order reduction is performed, followed by perceptual encoding of the dominant directional signals and the residual component.

Abstract: A mixer for mixing a dental composition comprises a mixer housing with a wall of the mixer housing forming a light filter. The light filter provides for substantially blocking light of certain wavelengths, whereas it transmits light of at least some other wavelengths. The invention may help to prevent dental compositions from degrading.

Abstract: An apparatus, and a corresponding method, for assisting data collection and/or data processing for the operation of installations in the beverage-processing industry, the apparatus having an interactive touchscreen that has read capability and that can visually recognize two-dimensional and/or three-dimensional objects.

Abstract: Soundfield signals such as e.g. Ambisonics carry a representation of a desired sound field. The Ambisonics format is based on spherical harmonic decomposition of the soundfield, and Higher Order Ambisonics (HOA) uses spherical harmonics of at least 2nd order. However, commonly used loudspeaker setups are irregular and lead to problems in decoder design. A method for improved decoding an audio soundfield representation for audio playback comprises calculating (110) a function (W) using a geometrical method based on the positions of a plurality of loudspeakers and a plurality of source to directions, calculating (120) a mode matrix (?) from the loudspeaker positions, calculating (130) a pseudo-inverse mode matrix (?+) and decoding (140) the audio soundfield representation. The decoding is based on a decode matrix (D) that is obtained from the function (W) and the pseudo-inverse mode matrix (?+).

Abstract: An operator system for a machine, in particular for a beverage processing machine, the system comprising a mobile operator device for the machine, a signal emitter for reporting alarm and/or warning signals and safely glasses for protecting the eyes of a user. The safety glasses have a display system that is designed in particular as a head-mounted display, or a virtual retina display, or a projector and the operator device and/or the signal emitter and/or the safety glasses have a respective data transmitter for exchanging machine information and/or alarm and/or warning signals.

Abstract: An operator system for a machine, in particular for a beverage processing machine, having a mobile operator device for the machine, a signal emitter for reporting alarm and/or warning signals, and a carrying device for the operator device, wherein the operator device has a coupling element for attaching to the machine and/or to the carrying device and a transmitter for transmitting alarm and/or warning signals, wherein the signal emitter has an attachment element for attaching to an article of clothing and/or to a body part of a user and a receiver for the alarm and/or warning signals, and wherein the carrying device has a mounting element for attaching to an article of clothing and/or to a body part of the user and a receptacle for the operator device .

Abstract: Soundfield signals as such e.g. Ambisonics carry a representation of a desired sound field. The Ambisonics format is based on spherical harmonic decomposition of the soundfield, and Higher Order Ambisonics uses spherical harmonics of at least 2nd order. However, commonly used loudspeaker setups are irregular and lead to problems in decoder design. A method for improved decoding an audio soundfield representation for audio playback comprises calculating a panning function using a geometrical method based on the positions of a plurality of loudspeakers and a plurality of source directions, calculating a mode matrix ? from the loudspeaker positions, calculating a pseudo-inverse mode matrix ?+ and decoding the audio soundfield representation. The decoding is based on a decode matrix that is obtained from the panning function and the pseudo-inverse mode matrix ?+.

Abstract: The present invention is related to a device for providing a dental material. The device has first and second compartments formed between sheet-like layers, and first and second dispensing outlets for the first and second compartments, respectively. For use, the device can be positioned with the compartments overlapping each other and with the dispensing outlets located side by side. The invention may provide a rather inexpensive device which may help a user in a convenient preparation of a dental material.

Abstract: A method and a corresponding device for supporting operating and/or changeover processes for a machine, in particular product type changeovers in the beverage processing industry. The method includes the creation of a description of the changeover process which can comprise a plurality of sub-steps, the processing of individual sub-steps, and the storing of the changeover process and/or the processed sub-steps.

Abstract: The invention relates to a device (20) for providing consumable material (24) for a packaging machine (30). The device (20) comprises a magazine (22) for the consumable material (24). The consumable material (24) for the ongoing operation is removed from the magazine (22) and fed via a feed device (26) to the packaging machine (30). The device (20) comprises a detection device (40) for determining an actual quantity (Va) of consumable material (24) in the magazine (22). The invention further relates to a method (20) for providing consumable material (24) for a packaging machine (30). The consumable material (24) is provided as bulk material in a magazine (22) and is removed from said magazine (22) by means of at least one conveyor device (26) and fed to the packaging machine (30). The magazine (22) can accommodate a defined maximum quantity (Vmax) of consumable material (24).

Abstract: The invention discloses rendering sound field signals, such as Higher-Order Ambisonics (HOA), for arbitrary loudspeaker setups, where the rendering results in highly improved localization properties and is energy preserving. This is obtained by a new type of decode matrix for sound field data, and a new way to obtain the decode matrix. In a method for rendering an audio sound field representation for arbitrary spatial loudspeaker setups, the decode matrix for the rendering to a given arrangement of target loudspeakers is obtained by steps of obtaining a number of target speakers, their positions, positions of a spherical modeling grid and a HOA order, generating a mix matrix from the positions of the modeling grid and the positions of the speakers, generating a mode matrix from the positions of the spherical modeling grid and the HOA order, calculating a first decode matrix from the mix matrix and the mode matrix, and smoothing and scaling the first decode matrix with smoothing and scaling coefficients.