Microphone Orientation Tracking for Accurate Acoustic Transfer Functions
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Solution Overview
Problem
Audio systems face significant distortion due to various components in the reproduction chain, including the room and loudspeaker transfer functions, which impair sound quality, and existing methods for determining transfer functions are complex and often inaccurately account for microphone orientation, leading to unsatisfactory listening experiences.
Innovation Solution
A method involving outputting test signals via a loudspeaker, determining the position and orientation of a microphone using sensors, and evaluating these signals to accurately calculate the microphone's transfer function, allowing for its subtraction from overall transfer function compensation to improve sound quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If existing methods are used to determine transfer functions, then the process is complex and time-consuming, but the measurement precision is insufficient due to inaccurate accounting for microphone orientation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces sensors (accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer) as intermediary devices that automatically capture microphone orientation data. These sensors act as mediators between the physical microphone orientation and the digital representation of that orientation in the transfer function calculation, eliminating the need for complex manual orientation tracking methods while improving measurement precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces complex mechanical or manual orientation tracking systems with electronic sensor-based detection. Instead of using mechanical orientation indicators or manual tracking, the system uses electronic sensors to automatically determine microphone orientation, simplifying the measurement process while enhancing accuracy.
2Ease of operation
If microphone orientation is not accurately determined, then the transfer function calculation is simplified, but the sound quality compensation becomes insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs self-service by automatically capturing its own orientation data through integrated sensors. The microphone assembly with sensors autonomously determines its own spatial orientation and feeds this information into the transfer function calculation, eliminating the need for external orientation tracking equipment or complex manual procedures while maintaining calculation simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback by continuously monitoring microphone orientation through sensors and using this information to adjust the transfer function calculation. The orientation data flows back into the processing system, creating a closed-loop that automatically adapts the compensation algorithm to the actual microphone position, thereby improving sound quality compensation effectiveness.
Data Source
AI summary
A method comprises outputting at least one test signal to a listening environment via a loudspeaker, receiving each of the at least one test signal via a microphone arranged in the listening environment, determining at least one of a position and an orientation of the microphone in the listening environment with respect to the loudspeaker at the time of receipt of each of the at least one test signal, evaluating the test signals received by the microphone, and determining at least one aspect related to at least one transfer function based on the evaluation of the test signal and on at least one of the position and the orientation of the microphone.