3D Audio Rendering via Wave Field Synthesis for Spatial Alignment
Solution Overview
Problem
Current 3D audio technologies fail to accurately represent sound sources in spatial environments, as they are limited to the distance and positioning of reproduction transducers, and do not effectively track virtual audio objects in 3D video content, leading to a disjointed user experience.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for cooperatively rendering 3D video and audio by assigning audio source objects to video objects in a virtual 3D space, using wave field synthesis to recreate accurate sound fields that scale with the virtual and actual environments, allowing for dynamic positioning and sizing of sound sources relative to other objects.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If traditional surround sound methodologies are used to provide discrete sound sources at different locations, then the audio representation is tied to the positioning of the listener relative to the speakers, but this limits the ability to create a realistic spatial sound environment that does not depend on listener positioning
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical surround sound methodologies with wave field synthesis, a physics-based acoustic rendering technique that computes sound pressure and particle velocity fields to create realistic 3D audio environments. This substitution enables spatial audio that is independent of listener positioning while maintaining acoustic realism through wave-based propagation models
2Manufacturing precision
If 3D video technology allows video objects to leave the display screen and move into the user's environment, then the visual representation achieves true 3D spatial positioning, but the audio representation remains held back to the distance of the reproduction transducers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the audio and video rendering pipelines by integrating wave field synthesis audio rendering directly with the 3D video compositing process. Audio objects are assigned to video objects and rendered in the same 3D coordinate space, ensuring that sound and image sources occupy identical spatial positions and move together, thereby achieving precise spatial alignment without increasing device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an audio rendering module as an intermediary that receives video object data and generates corresponding wave field synthesis audio parameters. This intermediary processes audio in the same 3D space as video, allowing audio objects to naturally follow video objects through space-time while maintaining independent audio processing capabilities
3Ease of manufacture
If audio content is created as a manual artistic expression rather than being physically tied to the video content, then the audio can be creatively designed, but the audio does not accurately track the virtual positioning within the 3D space
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates audio objects that serve dual purposes: they can be manually positioned and creatively designed like traditional audio, but they also automatically inherit and track the spatial position, velocity, and acceleration of their associated video objects. This multi-functionality allows audio content to be both creatively designed and physically accurate without requiring separate manual positioning efforts
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach enables a congruous user experience by ensuring that the audio and video objects align in 3D space, providing a realistic and immersive audio representation that accurately tracks the movement of video objects, regardless of screen size or speaker configuration.
Implementation Method 1
an audio rendering module that performs wave field synthesis on a plurality of audio tracks to generate wave field synthesis coefficients
Data Source
AI summary
Three-dimensional (3D) audio content creation and rendering systems and methodologies are presented here. A disclosed method of processing 3D audio assigns audio source objects to 3D video objects, links audio tracks to assigned audio source objects, and performs wave field synthesis on the linked audio tracks to generate 3D audio data representing a 3D spatial sound field. A disclosed method of processing 3D audio during playback of 3D video content obtains 3D audio data and 3D video data for a frame of 3D video content, applies device-specific parameters to the 3D audio data to obtain transformed 3D audio data scaled to a presentation device, and processes the transformed 3D audio data to render audio information for an array of speakers associated with the presentation device.