Mixed Reality Sound Modulation via Virtual Object Acoustics
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Solution Overview
Problem
Mixed reality environments currently fail to accurately simulate the acoustic effects of virtual and physical objects, leading to unnatural sound experiences and reduced immersion, as they only modulate sounds created by the software without considering the dynamic changes in virtual and physical elements within the environment.
Innovation Solution
A system that records external sound effects and modulates them based on the presence of virtual and physical objects within the mixed-reality environment, using a knowledge corpus to simulate the acoustic effects of virtual objects and play the modulated sound back to the user, allowing for dynamic changes and collaborative object placement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the system only modulates sounds created by software, then the system complexity remains low, but the acoustic fidelity and immersion are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the modulation of software-generated sounds with externally recorded sounds by applying the same acoustic effects (reverb, echo, occlusion) uniformly across all sound sources. This combines multiple sound processing streams into a unified system that maintains acoustic fidelity while avoiding the complexity of separate processing paths.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements a universal sound modulation framework that handles both virtual and physical sound sources through the same acoustic effect processing pipeline. The knowledge corpus and effect application mechanisms serve multiple functions: simulating virtual object acoustics, processing external recordings, and adapting to dynamic environment changes, thereby reducing overall system complexity through consolidation.
2Reliability
If the system processes only software-generated sounds, then the processing load is low, but the immersion and realism are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies acoustic effects selectively based on local conditions: virtual objects receive effects based on their simulated physical properties, while external sounds receive effects based on their spatial relationship to virtual objects. This localized processing approach maintains immersion by treating different sound sources according to their specific contextual requirements rather than applying uniform heavy processing to all sounds.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements partial processing by focusing computational resources on the most impactful acoustic effects for each sound source. Rather than fully processing every possible acoustic parameter for all sounds simultaneously, the system applies the most relevant effects (such as occlusion from nearby virtual objects or reverb from the general environment) to maintain immersion while controlling processing load.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the system does not account for virtual objects, then the device complexity is low, but the acoustic realism and user experience are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates acoustic copies of virtual objects by generating impulse responses that simulate how sound would interact with those virtual objects. Instead of implementing complex physical simulations of each virtual object, the system uses pre-computed or dynamically generated acoustic signatures (impulse responses) that replicate the acoustic behavior of virtual objects, thereby achieving realism without proportionate complexity increases.
Solution Approach 2:
The knowledge corpus serves as an intermediary layer between virtual objects and sound processing. Rather than directly simulating complex acoustic interactions for each virtual object, the system uses the knowledge corpus to store and provide acoustic effect parameters that mediate the interaction between virtual objects and sound waves, simplifying the overall system architecture while maintaining acoustic realism.
4Reliability
If the system uses dynamic sound modulation based on virtual and physical objects, then the immersion is improved, but the computational requirements and system complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system updates acoustic effects periodically rather than continuously recalculating them in real-time. Sound effects such as reverb and occlusion are updated at discrete intervals or triggered by specific events (object entry/exit, significant position changes) rather than being continuously recomputed, thereby maintaining immersion through dynamic adaptation while reducing computational requirements through periodic rather than continuous processing.
Data Source
AI summary
According to one embodiment, a method, computer system, and computer program product for modulating external sounds to reflect the acoustic effects of virtual objects in a mixed-reality environment is provided. The present invention may include creating a knowledge corpus, recording a sound effect occurring externally to a mixed-reality environment experienced by a user operating the mixed-reality device; identifying one or more objects within the mixed-reality environment, including at least one virtual object; modulating the sound effect based on the knowledge corpus to simulate one or more acoustic effects of the one or more objects within the MR environment; and playing the modulated sound effect to the user.