Audio Signal Processing for Flexible Speaker Placement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional audio environment creation systems, such as those using 5.1 or 7.1 formats, require precise speaker placement and a specific number of speakers, which is restrictive in home cinema settings and limits the quality due to potential localization failures and increased information requirements.
Innovation Solution
A method that uses N speakers fed by N signals, where the signals are computed based on positioning delays and panning gains to recreate the correct arrival directions and weighting of theoretical signals, allowing for a larger number of speakers without adhering to specific encoding formats, enabling improved audio localization and flexibility in speaker placement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional multi-channel technologies (5.1, 7.1 formats) are used to create an audio environment, then the audio quality and surround effect are improved, but the system requires precise speaker positioning and a specific number of speakers, which reduces flexibility and increases complexity in home cinema settings
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the parameters of the audio signal by computing N signals from M theoretical signals using positioning delays and panning gains. This allows the system to adapt to different speaker configurations without requiring precise positioning, thereby maintaining audio quality while reducing device complexity and installation constraints
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the M theoretical speaker signals into N actual speaker signals, where each actual speaker receives a computed signal based on its position. This segmentation allows flexible speaker placement while maintaining the surround effect, resolving the contradiction between audio quality and positioning constraints
2Reliability
If the number of speakers is increased to improve audio environment restitution, then the surround effect is enhanced, but localization failures occur when multiple speakers emit the same sound, degrading audio quality
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by computing unique signals for each speaker using positioning delays and panning gains derived from the speaker's angular position. This ensures that even with N > M speakers, each speaker emits a distinct signal component, preventing localization failures and maintaining both surround effect and localization accuracy
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple audio contents encoded in different formats are recorded on the same medium to accommodate different speaker configurations, then system flexibility is improved, but the quantity of information increases substantially, limiting medium capacity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements universality by creating a single decoding system that can output signals for any number of speakers N > M. The system universally handles different speaker configurations through computed signals based on angular positioning, eliminating the need to store multiple encoded versions and thus preserving medium capacity while maintaining flexibility
4Measurement precision
If the number of speakers N is greater than the number of theoretical signals M, then the audio environment restitution is improved with better localization, but conventional encoding formats cannot be used, requiring modification of the encoding system
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms M theoretical signals into N actual speaker signals by applying parameter changes through positioning delays and panning gains. Each signal is computed based on the speaker's angular position, enabling precise localization with N speakers while using a standardized decoding approach that manages computation complexity efficiently
Data Source
AI summary
Method for creating an audio environment having N speakers HPi, i=1 . . . N fed by N signals Si, i=1 . . . N generated from M theoretical signals STj, j=1 . . . M provided to feed M theoretical speakers HPTj, j=1 . . . M , wherein:position information is determined relating to the N speakers HPi, i=1 . . . N and a listening point,the two theoretical speakers HPTj and HPTj+1 which would be angularly closest to a speaker HPi,the signal Si is determined according to the following equation:Si=Gi[STj(GpijGeij)+STj+1(Gpi(j+1)Gei(j+1))]e−iωτ<sub2>i </sub2>wherein:Gpij and Gpi(j+1) are panning gains,Geij and Gei(j+1) are balancing gainsGi and i are a positioning gain and delay, respectively, which enable the speakers HPi, i=1 . . . N to be virtually repositioned in terms of distance so that all sounds intended to simultaneously arrive at the listening point according to the encoding format actually arrive therein simultaneously, irrespective of the remoteness of the speakers relative to the listening point.