Audio Signal Spatial Extraction Using Perceptual Location Analysis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current audio systems struggle to accurately recreate the spatial distribution of sound sources in audio signals, leading to a less immersive listening experience, as they often rely on simplistic amplitude and phase analysis which fail to accurately position sound sources in a three-dimensional space.
Innovation Solution
A sound processing system that analyzes audio input signals to determine perceptual locations of sound sources and separates them into spatial slices using a locational filter bank, generating gain vectors for each slice to accurately position sound sources within a listener's perceived sound stage, allowing for independent processing and reconstruction of audio output channels.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If simplistic amplitude and phase analysis is used to process audio signals, then the processing complexity is low, but the spatial positioning accuracy of sound sources deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the audio signal processing into multiple frequency bands using filter banks. Each band is processed independently to determine spatial characteristics, allowing complex spatial analysis to be broken down into manageable frequency-specific tasks while maintaining overall spatial positioning accuracy
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extends the analysis from simple amplitude and phase (1D/2D) to three-dimensional spatial positioning by incorporating inter-channel time differences and inter-channel level differences across multiple frequency bands. This adds dimensional depth to the spatial perception, enabling accurate 3D sound source localization
2Measurement precision
If spatial slices are separated and independently processed, then the spatial distribution accuracy is improved, but the processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The audio signal is divided into multiple frequency bands and spatial slices are processed in parallel. This segmentation allows the system to handle complex spatial separation tasks by distributing processing across multiple frequency-specific channels simultaneously, reducing overall processing time while maintaining spatial accuracy
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies processing to each frequency band and spatial slice with appropriate detail level, avoiding unnecessary over-processing. By focusing computational resources on the essential spatial separation tasks in each band rather than uniform exhaustive processing across all signals, the system achieves good spatial distribution accuracy with reduced processing time
Data Source
AI summary
A sound processing system receives an audio input signal that includes at least two different input channels of audio content. The sound processing system dissects the audio input signal to separate sources of audible sound included in the audio input signal into sound source vectors. Separation of the sources of audible sound into sound source vectors may be based on a perceived location of each of the sources of audible sound within a listener perceived sound stage. The sound source vectors may represent spatial slices across the listener perceived sound stage that may be individually and independently processed with the sound processing system. Following processing, the sound source vectors may be selectively assembled to form an audio output signal having output channels used to drive respective loudspeakers. Since the sources of audible sound are separated and independent, the audible sound sources may be included on any one or more of the output channels.