3D Audio Processing via Geometric Decomposition and Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current audio systems for 3D environments face computational inefficiencies when calculating interactions between objects and sound sources, particularly in processing occlusions and reflections, which can lead to unrealistic audio experiences and high CPU loads.
Innovation Solution
The method involves decomposing objects into geometric components, such as convex hulls and oriented bounding boxes, to model interactions and process audio inputs, allowing for more efficient calculation of occlusions and reflections, thereby enhancing the realism of audio outputs without excessive computational burden.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If ray tracing is used to calculate sound propagation, then measurement precision of audio output is improved, but use of energy by moving object increases due to high CPU load
Solution Approach 1:
The audio processing system segments the scene into distinct spatial regions (near field and far field) and applies different processing strategies to each. Near field sources undergo full ray tracing for accuracy, while far field sources use simplified spherical harmonics processing, reducing overall computational load while maintaining audio realism.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically changes processing parameters based on listener position and scene complexity. When the listener moves or scene complexity increases, the system adjusts the number of ray tracing bounces, adjusts the order of spherical harmonics, and modifies which sources receive full processing versus simplified processing, optimizing the balance between audio quality and CPU usage.
2Measurement precision
If full ray tracing is applied to all sound sources, then measurement precision of audio output is improved, but productivity decreases due to computational inefficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments sound sources into near field and far field categories based on their distance from the listener. Near field sources (within a configurable radius) receive full ray tracing processing for accurate occlusion and reflection calculation, while far field sources use efficient spherical harmonics processing, significantly improving processing speed while maintaining accuracy for critical sources.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies full ray tracing processing selectively to only those sound sources that require it (near field sources), rather than applying it excessively to all sources. This partial application of the computationally intensive method maintains audio accuracy where needed while avoiding unnecessary processing overhead.
3Measurement precision
If binaural synthesis is used to simulate 3D audio, then measurement precision of spatial sound positioning is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the audio processing pipeline into distinct modules: ray tracing for spatial position calculation, spherical harmonics for directional encoding, and binaural rendering for final output. Each module handles a specific aspect of spatial audio processing, making the overall complex system more manageable and maintainable while achieving high positioning accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces spherical harmonics as an intermediary representation between ray tracing calculations and binaural rendering. Instead of directly converting ray tracing data to binaural output, the spherical harmonics coefficients serve as an intermediate format that efficiently represents spatial information and can be transformed into various output formats including binaural audio.
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments relate to, for a scene comprising a representation of at least one object and at least one sound source: obtaining a decomposition of the at least one object, the decomposition comprising at least one geometric component; modelling at least one interaction of the at least one object and the at least one sound source using the at least one geometric component; and, in dependence on the modelling of the at least one interaction, processing an audio input associated with the at least one sound source to obtain an audio output.