Location-Based Audio Compensation for Room Distortion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing audio playback devices like sound bars and smart speakers face sub-optimal listening experiences due to non-linearities introduced by the acoustic environment, which conventional offline equalization methods fail to address, and manual calibration procedures are cumbersome and time-consuming, often requiring user input and lacking in lower-cost devices.
Innovation Solution
A portable device with microphones and position sensors generates or retrieves location-specific compensation filters to pre-compensate audio signals, mitigating distortions caused by room geometry, materials, and device components, without manual calibration, using position-based compensation filters.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If manual calibration procedure is used, then audio quality compensation is achieved, but calibration time and user effort increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs automatic calibration without requiring manual user intervention. The portable device automatically measures acoustic response, determines position, and generates compensation filters, eliminating the need for users to manually configure settings or provide input during calibration.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs calibration measurements and generates compensation filters before actual audio playback occurs. The portable device captures acoustic responses and processes them in advance to create location-specific compensation filters that are applied automatically during subsequent audio playback.
2Measurement precision
If manual calibration with headset is used, then position-specific compensation is achieved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
A portable device serves as an intermediary measurement tool between the audio playback device and the user's listening position. This portable device with microphones and position sensors acts as a mediator to capture acoustic responses and determine spatial information without requiring complex integrated systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a simplified copy of the calibration process using a portable device that can be independently positioned. Instead of requiring complex integrated calibration hardware, the portable device captures essential acoustic and positional data to generate compensation filters that replicate the effect of complex calibration systems.
3Manufacturing precision
If offline equalization is used, then initial audio quality is improved, but adaptability to different acoustic environments is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system transitions from static offline equalization to dynamic adaptive equalization. Compensation filters are generated in real-time based on measured acoustic responses and determined positions, allowing the audio playback device to adapt to different acoustic environments dynamically rather than relying on fixed pre-computed filters.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the parameters of audio signals dynamically by generating location-specific compensation filters based on measured acoustic characteristics. The compensation filters are adjusted according to the specific acoustic environment and listening position, transforming fixed equalization into adaptive parameter modification.
4Manufacturing precision
If compensation filter is generated based on acoustic measurement, then audio quality is improved, but processing time and computational complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs partial calibration by measuring acoustic responses at specific locations rather than requiring comprehensive full-room measurements. The portable device captures essential acoustic characteristics at the user's position, generating sufficient compensation filters without requiring exhaustive measurements of the entire acoustic space.
Data Source
AI summary
A device to perform location-based audio signal compensation includes a memory configured to store instructions and one or more processors. The one or more processors are configured to execute the instructions to receive an audio input signal corresponding to sound received from a second device, determine position data indicative of a position of the device, and generate, based on the audio input signal, a compensation filter to be applied to an audio playback signal prior to playout from the second device, to at least partially compensate for distortion associated with sound propagation from the second device to the position of the device.