Audio Processing Apparatus with Visual Feedback for Real-Time Beamforming Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional audio recording devices lack the ability to provide users with real-time feedback on sound properties and direction, making it difficult for users to adjust settings effectively and resulting in poor audio quality, especially when used for video recording where audio and video directions are often conflated.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus that provide a visual representation of audio parameters such as sound pressure levels, beamforming profiles, and error conditions, allowing users to interact with these representations to adjust gain, orientation, and recording modes in real-time, enhancing audio capture flexibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If beamforming with adaptive filtering is used to improve signal to noise ratio, then audio quality is improved, but the system becomes highly sensitive to relative position of microphones and signal source
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic adjustment of beamforming parameters including gain factors and delay factors that adapt in real-time to changing acoustic environments and source positions. The system continuously updates filtering coefficients to maintain optimal signal to noise ratio while compensating for position changes, transforming a static beamforming system into a dynamic one that can handle position sensitivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs feedback mechanisms where the processed audio signals are analyzed and used to adjust the beamforming parameters. The audio processor monitors the output and modifies gain and delay factors based on detected signal characteristics, creating a closed-loop system that maintains optimal performance despite position variations.
2Adaptability or versatility
If microphones are designed with wide mean omnidirectional sound pickup to reduce position sensitivity, then adaptability is improved, but the system cannot provide directional audio capture
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables dynamic switching between omnidirectional and directional pickup patterns by adjusting beamforming parameters in real-time. The system can transition from wide omnidirectional coverage to focused directional capture depending on the acoustic scene and user needs, providing both adaptability and directional precision through time-varying parameter adjustment.
Solution Approach 2:
The system periodically updates beamforming configurations to switch between different pickup patterns. By applying periodic adjustments to gain and delay factors, the system can alternate between omnidirectional and directional modes, allowing users to select appropriate patterns for different recording scenarios.
3Device complexity
If conventional video recording devices use static audio capture profile, then device complexity is reduced, but the user cannot adjust audio settings in real-time to improve recording quality
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the static audio capture profile into a dynamic one by implementing real-time adjustability of audio parameters. Users can modify beamforming gain factors, delay factors, and other audio settings during recording, allowing adaptive optimization of audio quality without requiring complex pre-configuration or post-processing.
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides feedback to users about current audio capture characteristics and allows real-time adjustment based on this feedback. The audio processor monitors signal quality and presents options for user adjustment, enabling informed decision-making about audio settings while maintaining relatively simple device architecture.
4Device complexity
If users are not provided with visual feedback on audio parameters, then device complexity is reduced, but users cannot identify when poor quality audio recording is in progress
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements visual feedback mechanisms that display audio parameter information to users in real-time. The system presents visual indicators of signal to noise ratio, gain levels, and other audio quality metrics, allowing users to immediately identify poor recording conditions and adjust settings accordingly, without significantly increasing device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses visual indicators such as color-coded displays to represent audio quality states. Different colors indicate different quality levels or parameter ranges, providing intuitive visual feedback that helps users quickly assess audio recording conditions and make appropriate adjustments.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to perform providing a visual representation of at least one audio parameter associated with at least one audio signal, detecting via an interface an interaction with the visual representation of the audio parameter, and processing the at least one audio signal associated with the audio parameter dependent on the interaction.