Audio Device Sound Transmission Reduction via Frequency Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Audio transmission between adjacent rooms is a common issue, causing disturbance, especially when someone is trying to sleep or listen to audio at a low volume, as existing methods do not effectively reduce the audibility of sound across room boundaries.
Innovation Solution
A method and system where audio devices in separate rooms communicate to determine audio transmission characteristics on a frequency band-by-band basis, allowing for dynamic adjustment of audio output to reduce transmission between rooms, using techniques like loudspeaker directivity and psychoacoustic models to attenuate specific frequency bands based on detected audio signals.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If audio is played through a device in one room, then the audio output is generated and transmitted, but the audio is perceived in adjacent rooms causing disturbance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by adjusting audio output characteristics specifically for directions toward adjacent rooms. The audio device identifies transmission paths to neighboring rooms and modifies audio parameters (such as frequency content or volume) locally in those directions, while maintaining full audio output in other directions. This selective adjustment reduces unwanted sound transmission to adjacent rooms without compromising the overall audio experience in the primary listening area.
2Adaptability or versatility
If audio transmission characteristics are determined by playing audio and detecting transmitted audio, then frequency band-by-band adjustment is enabled, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs an intermediary approach by using a second audio device in the adjacent room to detect and report transmitted audio characteristics. Instead of requiring complex measurement systems in the first device, the second device acts as a mediator that captures the transmitted audio and communicates transmission characteristics back to the first device. This distributed measurement approach enables frequency band-by-band adjustment capability while keeping individual device complexity manageable, as each device performs only part of the measurement function.
Data Source
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AI summary
A system and method of adjusting an audio output in one location so that its propagation into another location is reduced. As a first device in a first location generates sound, a second device in a second location detects the propagated sound. The first device then adjusts its output based on the detected sound.