Preserving Phase Shift in Audio Spatial Filtering
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Solution Overview
Problem
Spatial filtering techniques, such as beamforming, remove phase shift information from audio signals, hindering the ability to determine the direction of arrival, separate sources, reduce noise, and enhance signal quality.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus comprising a filtering module and a phase module, integrated with a microphone array, that spatially filters audio signals to increase the signal-to-noise ratio while preserving phase shifts, using semiconductor hardware and machine-readable code to maintain phase information in output audio signals.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If spatial filtering is applied to increase signal-to-noise ratio, then signal quality is improved, but phase shift information is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the signal processing into separate functional components: a spatial filtering module that processes magnitude information and a phase preservation module that maintains phase shift information. This segmentation allows each module to specialize in one aspect, preventing the loss of phase information while improving signal quality through spatial filtering.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary processing stage that separates the magnitude and phase components of the audio signals. By using complex number operations and separate filtering stages, the system acts as an intermediary that processes magnitude through spatial filtering while preserving phase information through additional phase preservation mechanisms.
2Device complexity
If phase shift information is removed to simplify processing, then computational complexity is reduced, but directional accuracy is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the signal processing into independent magnitude filtering and phase preservation pathways. This allows the system to maintain directional accuracy through phase information while using simplified magnitude-based filtering operations, effectively reducing overall computational complexity without sacrificing measurement precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the representation parameters of audio signals by separating magnitude and phase components. This parameter transformation allows the system to use simpler filtering operations on magnitude while preserving directional information in the phase domain, reducing computational complexity while maintaining directional accuracy.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If conventional spatial filtering is used, then noise reduction is achieved, but source separation capability is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the filtering process into spatial filtering for noise reduction and phase preservation for source separation. This segmentation enables the system to achieve both noise reduction through magnitude filtering and source separation through phase information preservation, improving adaptability while reducing harmful noise.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms that use preserved phase information to enhance source separation capabilities. By feeding back phase information through additional processing stages, the system can distinguish between different sound sources more effectively while maintaining noise reduction benefits from the initial spatial filtering.
Data Source
AI summary
For preserving phase shift in spatial filtering is disclosed, an electronic device includes a microphone array. A filtering module spatially filters a plurality of received audio signals from the microphone array to increase the signal-to-noise ratio in one or more corresponding output audio signals. A phase module preserves a phase shift of at least one received audio signal in the corresponding output audio signal.