Audio Direction Detection Using Gaze Intermediary
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electronic devices, such as smartphones, struggle to intuitively convey the direction of external objects using audio signals due to the limited distance between their microphones, making it difficult for users to recognize potential dangers while focused on the device.
Innovation Solution
An electronic apparatus that uses two microphones to determine the direction of an external object based on audio signals and displays this information intuitively on the device's screen, adjusting the display according to the device's posture and the object's location, and provides notifications based on the object's speed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If three or more microphones spaced apart by a relatively long distance are used to identify the direction of an external object, then the direction identification accuracy is improved, but the device size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses the user's gaze direction as an intermediary to bridge the limitation of short microphone spacing. By obtaining the gaze direction through a camera and combining it with audio signals from two closely-spaced microphones, the system achieves accurate external object direction identification without requiring microphones to be spaced far apart. The gaze direction serves as a reference that compensates for the limited baseline distance between microphones.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent makes the camera serve multiple functions: it not only captures images for display but also determines the user's gaze direction for audio source localization. By utilizing the camera's directional information in conjunction with the microphones' audio signals, the system achieves accurate direction identification without increasing physical microphone spacing, thus resolving the contradiction between measurement precision and device size.
2Volume of moving object
If two microphones with a short distance between them are used, then the device size is reduced, but the direction identification capability is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces the user's gaze direction obtained from the camera as an intermediary element. This gaze direction information compensates for the limited spatial separation between the two microphones, enabling the system to accurately determine the direction of external objects despite the short microphone spacing. The camera's optical axis direction serves as a reference frame that enhances the directional accuracy of the audio signals.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter space by combining visual information (gaze direction from camera) with auditory information (audio signals from microphones). This multi-parameter approach allows the system to achieve accurate direction identification using only two closely-spaced microphones, effectively overcoming the limitation of short baseline distance through parameter fusion.
3Device complexity
If icons are merely displayed on a graphic map with cardinal points, then the display complexity is reduced, but the user's ability to intuitively grasp the direction of external objects is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by displaying graphical objects at specific locations on the display that correspond to the actual directions of external objects. Instead of using a generic map with cardinal points, the system dynamically positions visual indicators in areas of the display that match the spatial distribution of detected objects, making the direction information immediately intuitive without requiring users to interpret abstract map coordinates.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a visual copy of the real-world spatial arrangement of external objects on the display. By representing objects as graphical objects positioned according to their actual directions relative to the user's gaze, the system provides an intuitive visual replica of the environment, allowing users to immediately grasp directions without needing to understand abstract map representations or perform mental transformations.
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
Effectively notifies users of potential dangers by intuitively displaying the direction and presence of external objects using audio signals from two microphones, enhancing safety for 'smombies' by providing clear visual and auditory cues.
Implementation Method 1
an audio signal of sound output from an external object is received through an audio receiver
Data Source
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AI summary
Provided is an electronic apparatus. The electronic apparatus includes an audio receiver configured to obtain an audio signal of sound output by an external object; a sensor configured to sense a posture of the electronic apparatus; a display; and a processor configured to, based on the audio signal that is obtained by the audio receiver, determine a direction in which the external object is located with respect to the electronic apparatus, and control the display to display a graphical object that corresponds to the external object based on the posture of the electronic apparatus sensed by the sensor and the direction in which the external object is located.