Enhanced Reality Sound Processing Through Room Acoustic Modeling
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Solution Overview
Problem
In enhanced reality environments, accurately rendering the voice of a person from a different physical room to sound as if they are in the same room is challenging due to the need to account for unique acoustic properties of the target room, such as reverberation and room geometry.
Innovation Solution
The method involves capturing images of the physical environment to generate an estimated model of the room, including its geometry and acoustic parameters, and then processing audio signals to match these parameters, resulting in output audio channels that simulate a virtual sound source with a virtual location.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If audio signals are processed to match the acoustic parameters of the target room, then the realism and immersion of the enhanced reality experience is improved, but the computational complexity and processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by capturing images of the target room and generating an estimated acoustic model in advance of audio playback. This pre-processing of the environment allows the system to have acoustic parameters ready before audio signals need to be rendered, reducing real-time computational burden while maintaining acoustic realism
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a copy or replica of the target room's acoustic properties through the estimated model. Instead of performing complex real-time acoustic simulations, the system uses the pre-generated model to replicate the acoustic characteristics, significantly reducing computational complexity while preserving the realistic acoustic experience
2Measurement precision
If the system captures images and generates detailed environmental models, then the accuracy of acoustic parameter estimation is improved, but the time and computational resources required increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs image capture and model generation as preliminary actions before audio processing. By completing these computationally intensive tasks in advance, the system achieves high measurement precision for acoustic parameters without adding delay to the actual audio playback experience
Solution Approach 2:
The system substitutes mechanical or physical measurement methods with computational image analysis. Instead of using physical microphones and measurement equipment in the target room, the system uses camera images and algorithms to estimate acoustic parameters, reducing the time and resources needed while maintaining accuracy
Data Source
AI summary
Processing sound in an enhanced reality environment can include generating, based on an image of a physical environment, an acoustic model of the physical environment. Audio signals captured by a microphone array, can capture a sound in the physical environment. Based on these audio signals, one or more measured acoustic parameters of the physical environment can be generated. A target audio signal can be processed using the model of the physical environment and the measured acoustic parameters, resulting in a plurality of output audio channels having a virtual sound source with a virtual location. The output audio channels can be used to drive a plurality of speakers. Other aspects are also described and claimed.