Acoustic Gain Correction for Realistic Remote Sound Perspective

Solution Overview

Problem

Current TV telephone and TV conference systems struggle to provide a realistic sense of sound pressure difference between sound sources due to the requirement of a large number of microphones and speakers, leading to increased costs and device complexity, and fail to maintain the perspective of sound sources when users are remote.

Innovation Solution

A signal processing device that includes an acoustic signal obtaining unit, a sound source positional information obtaining unit, a listening positional information obtaining unit, and a correcting unit, which corrects the gain of the acoustic signal based on the sound-source and listening positional information to restore the sound pressure difference between sound sources, using a method that multiplies the acoustic signal by (r1·r2)/(r1+r2), where r1 and r2 are the distances between the sound source and the sound collecting unit, and the listener and the reproducing device, respectively.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If wave field synthesis technology is used to reproduce acoustic field, then realistic sense is improved, but device complexity and cost increase due to requiring large number of microphones and speakers

Engineering Contradiction:

Improverealistic senseVSAvoiddevice scale

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts only the essential acoustic parameters (sound pressure difference relationships) from the complex wave field synthesis approach, implementing a simplified signal processing method that achieves realistic sense without requiring multiple microphones and speakers

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the approach from spatial arrangement of multiple devices to parameter-based signal processing, specifically adjusting gain parameters based on distance information to reproduce realistic sound pressure differences

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Reliability

If wave field synthesis technology is used to reproduce acoustic field, then realistic sense is improved, but cost increases due to requiring large number of microphones and speakers

Engineering Contradiction:

Improverealistic senseVSAvoidcost

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts only the essential acoustic parameters (sound pressure difference relationships) from the complex wave field synthesis approach, implementing a simplified signal processing method that achieves realistic sense without requiring multiple microphones and speakers

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces expensive physical acoustic reproduction systems with inexpensive digital signal processing, using simple gain adjustments based on distance calculations to achieve the desired acoustic effect

Inventive Principle:

Principle #27Cheap short-living objects (Disposable)

3Device complexity

If sound pressure difference relationship is not restored, then device complexity is reduced, but realistic sense deteriorates as perspective of sound sources is lost

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedevice scaleVSAvoidrealistic sense

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the approach from spatial arrangement of multiple devices to parameter-based signal processing, specifically adjusting gain parameters based on distance information to reproduce realistic sound pressure differences

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentUS10425726B2Signal processing device, signal processing method, and program

Publication Date: 2019.09.24 SONY GROUP CORP

AI summary

The present technology relates to a signal processing device, a signal processing method, and a program that can provide sound with more increase in realistic sense by restoring a difference of sound pressure between sound sources.The signal processing device includes: an acoustic signal obtaining unit that obtains an acoustic signal; a sound source positional information obtaining unit that obtains sound source positional information relating to a distance between a sound source and a sound collecting unit that collects sound from the sound source; a listening positional information obtaining unit that obtains listening positional information relating to a distance between a reproducing device that reproduces the acoustic signal and a listener who listens to sound reproduced by the reproducing device; and a correcting unit that corrects gain of the acoustic signal on a basis of the sound-source positional information and the listening positional information. The present technology can be applied to, e.g., a TV telephone system.