Audio Pairing Volume Optimization for Mobile Payments
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Solution Overview
Problem
Mobile payment systems face challenges in maintaining consistent audio pairing performance across diverse electronic devices lacking radio frequency (RF) communication capabilities, due to variations in audio performance and unknown speaker sensitivities, leading to inconsistent volume settings and potential annoyance or distraction to users.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that analyze data from both broadcasting and receiving devices to determine optimal volume settings for audio frequency pairing, using a server to match signal quality metrics and adjust volume indices based on density distributions, ensuring reliable communication without RF pairing, and reducing annoying volume levels.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If audio frequency pairing is used for devices without RF capabilities, then mobile payment functionality is enabled for broader device populations, but volume settings become inconsistent and cause user annoyance
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the volume parameter based on received signal quality measurements. By changing the volume parameter adaptively rather than using fixed settings, the system enables audio pairing across diverse devices while preventing harmful volume levels that cause user annoyance.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements a feedback mechanism where receiving devices report received signal quality metrics back to broadcasting devices. This feedback loop allows broadcasting devices to adjust their volume settings based on actual reception conditions, resolving the contradiction between broad compatibility and consistent user experience.
2Reliability
If volume settings are increased to ensure reliable audio transmission, then pairing success rate improves, but user disturbance increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system adjusts the volume parameter dynamically based on measured signal quality conditions. By changing volume adaptively rather than using high fixed settings, the system achieves reliable pairing success while avoiding excessive volume levels that cause user disturbance.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from static volume settings to dynamic adjustment based on real-time signal quality feedback. This dynamic approach allows volume to be optimized for each specific pairing scenario, achieving reliability without excessive disturbance.
3Device complexity
If audio performance variations across devices are not compensated, then device complexity remains low, but pairing consistency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system introduces a feedback mechanism where receiving devices measure and report signal quality metrics. This feedback enables automatic compensation for audio performance variations across different devices without requiring complex pre-calibration or manual configuration, thus maintaining system simplicity while improving pairing consistency.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables devices to self-adjust their audio parameters based on measured performance characteristics. Each device automatically compensates for its own audio variations through self-measurement and self-adjustment, avoiding the need for complex external calibration systems.
Data Source
AI summary
For each audio pairing broadcast from an electronic device, reporting broadcasted pairing data including: broadcaster device group, broadcast data element, and broadcaster volume setting. For each reception, reporting received pairing data, including: receiver device group, received data element, and received signal score. Matching each received pairing data with zero or one instances of broadcasted pairing data based on a received data element matching the broadcast data element. For each broadcaster reporting a particular group and volume setting, identifying a received signal score value corresponding to a predetermined percentile of a density distribution of such scores matching broadcasters of the particular group. Determining, for each broadcaster of the group, a volume based on: the received signal score corresponding to the predetermined percentile and a reference received signal score. Transmitting, to each broadcaster of the group, instructions to conform the broadcasting device to the determined volume setting.