Hybrid Near/Far-Field Speaker Virtualization for Spatial Depth
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Solution Overview
Problem
Home theatre systems struggle to accurately reproduce three-dimensional sounds due to limited speaker configurations, often failing to recreate the intended sense of nearness or farness from the listener, and speaker virtualization algorithms are insufficient for certain audio elements.
Innovation Solution
A hybrid near/far-field speaker virtualization method that generates near-field and far-field signals using weighted linear combinations of low-frequency and high-frequency audio signals, accounting for speaker layouts and characteristics, and synchronizes these signals for playback through near-field and far-field speakers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional channel-based audio systems or object-based audio with limited speakers are used, then the system complexity is low, but the ability to reproduce three-dimensional sounds and sense of nearness or farness is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the audio signal processing into distinct near-field and far-field components, each handled by separate virtualization algorithms. This allows independent optimization of each field's spatial characteristics without requiring a complete redesign of the entire speaker system, thereby improving 3D sound reproduction accuracy while maintaining manageable system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a temporal dimension by dynamically switching between near-field and far-field virtualization modes based on audio content characteristics. This dimensional addition enables the system to adaptively reproduce different spatial perceptions (nearness vs. farness) without physically adding speakers, resolving the contradiction between reproduction accuracy and system complexity.
2Reliability
If speaker virtualization algorithms are used to reproduce sounds at various locations, then the sense of spatial position is improved, but the ability to create a profound sense of nearness or farness remains limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different virtualization processing characteristics to different audio fields: near-field audio receives processing optimized for intimate, detailed spatial perception, while far-field audio receives processing optimized for distant, ambient spatial perception. This local differentiation enables profound nearness/farness sensation without requiring uniformly complex processing across all audio channels.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent dynamically adjusts virtualization parameters such as delay times, gain levels, and spatial diffusion characteristics based on the identified audio field type. By changing these parameters adaptively rather than using fixed complex algorithms, the system achieves profound spatial perception with controlled computational complexity.
3Reliability
If hybrid near/far-field speaker virtualization is implemented with separate processing for near-field and far-field signals, then the spatial information reproduction is enhanced, but the system complexity and processing requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary classification of audio content into near-field and far-field categories before applying the respective virtualization processing. This advance sorting enables the system to apply appropriate processing strategies without requiring complex real-time decision-making during playback, thereby enhancing spatial information reproduction while managing processing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and processes near-field and far-field audio components separately through dedicated processing chains, then combines them for final output. This extraction approach allows each component to be optimized independently with simpler algorithms rather than requiring a single complex unified processing system, thus enhancing spatial reproduction fidelity while controlling overall system complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments are disclosed for hybrid near/far-field speaker virtualization. In an embodiment, a method comprises: receiving a source signal including channel-based audio or audio objects; generating near-field gain(s) and far-field gain(s) based on the source signal and a blending mode; generating a far-field signal based, at least in part, on the source signal and the far-field gain(s); rendering, using a speaker virtualizer, the far-field signal for playback of far-field acoustic audio through far-field speakers into an audio reproduction environment; generating a near-field signal based at least in part on the source signal and the near-field gain(s); prior to providing the far-field signal to the far-field speakers, sending the near-field signal to a near-field playback device or an intermediate device coupled to the near-field playback device; providing the far-field signal to the far-field speakers; and providing the near-field signal to the near-field speakers to synchronously overlay the far-field acoustic audio.