Audio Leakage Gain Control for Object Ambience Level Adjustment

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing technologies struggle to effectively control the relative levels of object and ambience audio signals in 3GPP IVAS systems, particularly when there is leakage between the object and ambience tracks, which affects user-preferred settings.

Innovation Solution

An apparatus and method that obtain object and ambience tracks, estimate leakage between them, determine leakage level gain control values based on user input and leakage, and apply these gains to the tracks to generate a rendered audio signal that meets user-defined relative level settings.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If ambience components are reproduced to produce life like representations, then audio realism is improved, but user control over ambience level becomes complex

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveaudio realismVSAvoiduser control complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system provides dynamic control of ambience levels through user-selectable presets that adjust the relative levels of object and ambience tracks in real-time, allowing users to switch between different listening preferences without complex manual adjustments

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The invention changes the parameter of ambience level by applying gain adjustments to the ambience track based on user preferences and leakage estimation, enabling flexible control over the balance between object and ambience components

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Device complexity

If leakage between object track and ambience track is not compensated, then processing simplicity is maintained, but relative level control accuracy deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprocessing simplicityVSAvoidrelative level control accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary estimation of leakage between object and ambience tracks before applying gain control, allowing the leakage compensation to be integrated into the overall processing chain without adding significant complexity to the main signal path

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The invention uses feedback by estimating the leakage amount based on the relationship between object and ambience tracks and using this estimation to adjust the gain applied to the ambience track, thereby compensating for leakage effects and improving relative level control accuracy

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentUS12266376B2Object and ambience relative level control for rendering

Publication Date: 2025.04.01 NOKIA TECHNOLOGIES OY

AI summary

An apparatus including circuitry configured to: obtain an object track and an ambience track; obtain a control value configured to control the relative levels of the object track and the ambience track; estimate a leakage between the object track and the ambience track; determine at least one leakage level gain control value based on the control value and the leakage; and apply the at least one leakage level gain value to at least one of: the object track; and the ambience track, the application of the at least one leakage level gain value is such that a rendered audio signal is based on the application of the at least one leakage level gain control value to at least one of: the object track; and the ambience track.