Controllable Acoustic Echo Cancellation for Immersive Audio
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Solution Overview
Problem
In immersive audio telecommunications, acoustic echo cancellation (AEC) is challenging due to the presence of ambient audio signals, which can cause echo artifacts and feedback loops, especially when multiple microphones and speakers are used, leading to poor communication quality.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus that determine an ambient transmitting device with a controllable acoustic echo canceller, applying a delay difference to communications paths between non-ambient devices to reduce echo artifacts, and controlling the AEC operation based on the device's role in transmitting ambient or non-ambient audio signals.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If acoustic echo cancellation is applied in immersive audio telecommunications, then echo feedback is reduced, but audio artifacts are introduced and communication quality deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies different AEC processing levels to different audio sources. Ambient audio sources (music, noise) receive full AEC processing to eliminate echo, while speech sources use reduced AEC processing to preserve natural speech quality and avoid artifacts. This localized differentiation resolves the contradiction by applying echo cancellation only where needed rather than uniformly across all audio streams.
Solution Approach 2:
The AEC processing level is dynamically adjusted based on the type of audio signal being processed. The system continuously identifies whether the current audio source is ambient or speech-based and adjusts the AEC aggressiveness accordingly. This dynamic adaptation allows the system to optimize echo cancellation for ambient sources while minimizing artifact generation for speech sources.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If acoustic echo cancellation is intensified to reduce echoes, then echo feedback decreases, but communication reliability deteriorates due to artifacts
Solution Approach 1:
Different reliability standards are applied to different audio channels. Ambient audio channels use aggressive AEC for maximum echo suppression, while speech channels use conservative AEC to maintain communication reliability. This localized quality approach ensures that echo feedback is reduced overall without compromising the reliability of critical speech communication.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If AEC is applied to all devices, then echo cancellation is comprehensive, but device complexity and processing load increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments audio sources into distinct categories (ambient vs. speech) and applies appropriate AEC processing to each segment. This segmentation allows the system to avoid applying complex AEC processing to all audio streams uniformly, thereby reducing overall processing complexity while maintaining effective echo cancellation for ambient sources.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for a communications system between at least three devices, the method comprising: determining at least one device of the at least three devices is an ambient transmitting device, the ambient transmitting device configured with a controllable acoustic echo canceller to reduce echoes, wherein the at least one ambient transmitting device is configured to generate at least one ambient audio signal, and wherein the remaining at least two devices are non-ambient devices; controlling the at least one ambient transmitting device to reduce the effect of the controllable acoustic echo canceller; and applying at least one delay difference to at least one communications path between non-ambient devices.