Audio Conversation Apparatus Spatial Localization Multi-Party Identification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional audio conversation apparatuses with Push To Talk (PTT) functions face difficulties in identifying which party has uttered a sound during simultaneous conversations with multiple parties, as existing techniques are designed for one-to-one conversations and not optimized for multi-party scenarios.
Innovation Solution
The audio conversation apparatus assigns unique spatial information, such as directions or distance effects, to each party or group, allowing for localized audio output and notification of the most recent speaker through a user-operated utterance operation section and display section.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If PTT-based audio conversation apparatus is used for multi-party conversations, then simultaneous conversation capability is improved, but ability to identify the most recent speaker deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent assigns different spatial positions to different parties in the multi-party conversation. Each party is localized to a specific direction or position in the acoustic field, allowing the user to identify which party is speaking by the direction from which the sound originates. This spatial differentiation resolves the contradiction by maintaining simultaneous conversation capability while enabling speaker identification through spatial localization.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a spatial dimension to the audio conversation system. By mapping parties to different positions in three-dimensional space and using sound image localization techniques, the system adds a spatial dimension to the otherwise flat multi-party conversation. This allows users to distinguish between multiple speakers simultaneously by their positional information, solving the speaker identification problem while maintaining multi-party conversation capability.
2Measurement precision
If sound image localization technique is applied to PTT apparatus, then speaker identification capability is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent pre-assigns spatial positions to each party before the conversation begins. The assignment section establishes the spatial mapping in advance, and the sound image localization section is pre-configured to reproduce sounds from these predetermined positions. This preliminary setup simplifies the real-time processing during conversation, as the system only needs to route audio to the pre-determined spatial positions rather than dynamically calculating them during the conversation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses virtual spatial copying to create the illusion of three-dimensional sound fields. Instead of physically positioning speakers in different locations, the system creates virtual copies of audio signals with appropriate spatial characteristics (direction, distance) that mimic physical sound sources. This allows complex spatial localization effects to be achieved through signal processing rather than physical hardware complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
An audio conversation apparatus includes an assignment section for individually assigning units of spatial information which are different from each other, either to parties-to-talk-with each belonging to one of a plurality of predetermined groups, respectively, or to the plurality of predetermined groups, respectively; and a localization section for localizing, in accordance with the units of spatial information assigned by the assignment section, audio data transmitted from outside, and one of a reproduction section connected to the audio conversation apparatus and a reproduction section included in the audio conversation apparatus outputs an audio in accordance with the audio data having been localized by the localization section.