ITD Crossfader for Binaural Audio Without Clicking Artifacts
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Solution Overview
Problem
In virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed-reality environments, accurately presenting interaural time differences (ITDs) to users is crucial for immersive experiences, but rapid changes in audio signals often result in undesirable sonic artifacts like 'clicking' sounds, compromising the believability of the environment.
Innovation Solution
A wearable head device processes input audio signals to generate left and right output signals by applying delays and head-related transfer functions (HRTFs), with interaural time delays determined based on source location, and uses cross-fading to minimize sonic artifacts during changes in sound source direction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If rapid changes are applied to audio signals to reflect positions and orientations of objects and user, then spatial accuracy is improved, but sonic artifacts such as clicking sounds are generated
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-calculating and storing ITD values for multiple discrete angular positions before runtime. During operation, it selectively applies pre-computed ITD values corresponding to detected sound source directions, avoiding real-time calculation artifacts while maintaining spatial accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts ITD values based on detected sound source direction, transitioning smoothly between different predefined ITD settings. This dynamic adaptation allows the audio signal to reflect changing spatial positions without generating clicking artifacts, as transitions occur between pre-optimized states rather than through rapid continuous changes.
2Measurement precision
If ITD is accurately adjusted to reflect source location, then spatial origin identification is improved, but computational complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the continuous spatial domain into discrete angular positions (e.g., 0°, 15°, 30°, ..., 345°), with each position having a pre-calculated ITD value. This segmentation transforms the complex continuous adjustment problem into a simpler discrete selection problem, reducing computational complexity while maintaining sufficient spatial origin identification accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
ITD values for all discrete angular positions are pre-calculated and stored in lookup tables before runtime. During operation, the system only needs to detect the sound source direction and retrieve the corresponding pre-computed ITD value, eliminating the need for complex real-time ITD calculations and significantly reducing computational complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
Examples of the disclosure describe systems and methods for presenting an audio signal to a user of a wearable head device. In an example, a received first input audio signal is processed to generate a left output audio signal and a right output audio signal presented to ears of the user. Processing the first input audio signal comprises applying a delay process to the first input audio signal to generate a left audio signal and a right audio signal; adjusting gains of the left audio signal and the right audio signal; applying head-related transfer functions (HRTFs) to the left and right audio signals to generate the left and right output audio signals. Applying the delay process to the first input audio signal comprises applying an interaural time delay (ITD) to the first input audio signal, the ITD determined based on the source location.