Augmented Reality Audio Rendering User Location Estimation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing audio rendering technologies for augmented reality struggle to accurately render aural content based on the user's location relative to virtual boundaries, often resulting in erroneous rendering when the user and the hand-held device are on different sides of a virtual room boundary.
Innovation Solution
The solution involves rendering aural augmented reality content based on the user's location rather than the hand-held device's location, ensuring that audio is only audible when the user is within the virtual room, thereby preventing incorrect rendering across virtual boundaries.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If audio rendering is based on hand-held device location, then device positioning is simple, but audio accuracy deteriorates when user and device are on different sides of virtual boundary
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary estimation process that translates device location into user location. The processor estimates user position based on device position, treating the user as an intermediary target between the device and the audio rendering system. This resolves the contradiction by maintaining simple device tracking while achieving accurate user-centric audio rendering through the estimation intermediary.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary estimation of user location before audio rendering occurs. By pre-calculating where the user is likely positioned relative to the device and virtual boundaries, the system prepares accurate spatial audio data in advance. This preliminary action ensures audio accuracy is maintained without requiring complex real-time user tracking, thus resolving the contradiction between simplicity and precision.
2Productivity
If audio rendering follows device position, then rendering process is simple, but spatial accuracy deteriorates across virtual boundaries
Solution Approach 1:
The estimation process acts as an intermediary layer between device positioning and audio rendering. It translates simple device coordinates into accurate user position estimates, maintaining rendering efficiency while improving spatial precision. This intermediary transformation resolves the contradiction by decoupling the simplicity of device tracking from the precision requirements of audio rendering.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces direct mechanical/user tracking with a computational estimation system. Instead of physically tracking the user's position, the system uses algorithmic estimation based on device position and usage patterns. This substitution maintains rendering efficiency while achieving high spatial accuracy through intelligent computation rather than complex physical tracking.
3Device complexity
If user location is not tracked, then system complexity is reduced, but audio rendering reliability deteriorates near virtual boundaries
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces physical user tracking mechanisms with computational estimation. By using algorithms to infer user position from device position and contextual data, the system achieves reliable audio rendering near virtual boundaries without the complexity of direct user tracking. This substitution resolves the contradiction by maintaining simplicity while improving reliability through intelligent computation.
Solution Approach 2:
The estimation process incorporates feedback loops that continuously refine user position predictions based on device position and audio rendering performance. This feedback mechanism ensures high reliability near virtual boundaries by adjusting estimates in real-time, while maintaining system simplicity by using software-based rather than hardware-based tracking.
Data Source
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AI summary
A method, an apparatus and a computer program are provided. The method comprises: rendering visual augmented reality content for display on a display of a hand-held electronic device, based on a location of the hand-held electronic device; estimate a location of a user of the hand-held electronic device, different from the location of the hand-held electronic device; and rendering aural augmented reality content for output to the user of the hand-held electronic device, based on the location of the user.