Aligned Beam Merger for Distortionless Audio Output
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Solution Overview
Problem
Electronic devices face distortion and signal degradation in audio processing due to erratic beam switching and phase mismatches when selecting and combining multiple directional audio signals for output, particularly in voice command and communication sessions.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of aligned beam merger (ABM) processing, which selects and aligns beamformed audio signals based on signal quality metric values, increments counter values for optimal beam selection, and applies scaling and phase corrections to generate distortionless output audio signals.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple beamformed audio signals are selected and combined to improve audio quality, then the output audio quality can be improved, but phase mismatches cause distortion and signal degradation
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary phase alignment of multiple beamformed audio signals before combining them. The aligner component adjusts the phase of each selected beam signal to match a reference beam, preventing phase mismatches that would cause distortion during the combining process.
Solution Approach 2:
The aligner acts as an intermediary component between the beam selector and the combiner. It processes the selected beam signals by aligning their phases with the reference beam before they are combined, thereby eliminating the harmful phase mismatch effect.
2Adaptability or versatility
If beam switching is performed to adapt to different audio conditions, then audio processing adaptability is improved, but erratic beam switching causes distortion
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses a counter mechanism that provides feedback to track beam selection stability. When a beam is selected, its counter is incremented; if the same beam remains optimal in subsequent frames, the counter continues to increase. This feedback mechanism prevents erratic switching by maintaining the current beam selection as long as it remains optimal, reducing distortion.
Solution Approach 2:
The beam selection process is made dynamic through the counter mechanism that adapts to changing audio conditions over time. The system can switch beams when conditions change, but the counter provides inertia that prevents rapid, erratic switching, thereby reducing distortion while maintaining adaptability.
3Device complexity
If beamformed audio signals are merged without alignment, then processing complexity is reduced, but phase mismatches cause signal degradation
Solution Approach 1:
The alignment process applies local phase corrections to individual beam signals based on their specific phase relationships with the reference beam. Each selected beam is aligned independently using its own phase characteristics, which maintains signal quality without requiring complex global processing of all beams simultaneously.
Data Source
AI summary
A system configured to perform aligned beam merger (ABM) processing to combine multiple beamformed signals. The system may capture audio data and perform beamforming to generate beamformed audio signals corresponding to a plurality of directions. The system may apply an ABM algorithm to select a number of the beamformed audio signals, align the selected audio signals, and merge the selected audio signals to generate a distortionless output audio signal. The system may scale the selected audio signals based on relative magnitude and apply a complex correction factor to compensate for a phase error for each of the selected audio signals.