Pipeline Audio Rendering Reconfiguration for Dynamic Sound Scenes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing audio rendering technologies in virtual and augmented reality systems struggle to handle complex sound scenes with dynamic changes, such as user movement, without producing audible artifacts, especially when adding or removing sound sources during runtime.
Innovation Solution
A pipeline-like rendering architecture with reconfigurable audio data processors and control layers, controlled by a central controller, allows for synchronized and atomic updates of signal processing configurations in response to scene changes, ensuring high-quality real-time audio rendering.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a fixed signal processing structure is used for audio rendering, then the system can maintain stable processing time budget per audio source, but it cannot dynamically add or remove sound sources during runtime
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a dynamic signal processing architecture where the processing structure adapts runtime based on the number and configuration of active sound sources. Unlike fixed structures, this system can dynamically add or remove processing channels when sources are added or removed during runtime, while maintaining stable processing time through efficient resource management and staged processing pipelines.
2Productivity
If a fixed computation time budget is allocated per audio source, then processing stability is maintained, but the system becomes ineffective when handling complex scenes with large numbers of sources
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the audio rendering process into multiple processing stages (e.g., early reflections, late reverberation, spatialization) that can be independently optimized and executed. This segmentation allows the system to process large numbers of sound sources efficiently by distributing computation across stages, applying different optimization strategies to each stage, and enabling parallel processing where applicable.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts processing parameters such as computation time budget allocation, filter orders, and processing precision based on the complexity of the scene and the number of active sources. This allows efficient handling of complex scenes by reducing processing detail for less critical sources while maintaining high quality for prominent sources, thereby improving overall productivity without requiring a completely different architecture.
3Productivity
If sources are clustered to handle complex scenes with hundreds of objects, then rendering performance improves, but audible artifacts occur due to extensive clustering
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different levels of processing quality and clustering strategies to different sound sources based on their perceptual importance, spatial location, and acoustic characteristics. Prominent sources near the listener receive full processing detail while distant or less important sources can be clustered or processed with lower detail. This local quality approach maintains audio quality for critical sources while improving overall productivity through selective optimization.
Data Source
AI summary
Apparatus for rendering a sound scene, including: a first pipeline stage including a first control layer and a reconfigurable first audio data processor, wherein the reconfigurable first audio data processor is configured to operate in accordance with a first configuration of the reconfigurable first audio data processor; a second pipeline stage located, with respect to a pipeline flow, subsequent to the first pipeline stage, the second pipeline stage including a second control layer and a reconfigurable second audio data processor, wherein the reconfigurable second audio data processor is configured to operate in accordance with a first configuration of the reconfigurable second audio data processor; and a central controller for controlling the first control layer and the second control layer in response to the sound scene, so that the first control layer prepares a second configuration of the reconfigurable first audio data processor during or subsequent to an operation of the reconfigurable first audio data processor in the first configuration of the reconfigurable first audio data processor, or so that the second control layer prepares a second configuration of the reconfigurable second audio data processor during or subsequent to an operation of the reconfigurable second audio data processor in the first configuration of the reconfigurable second audio data processor, and wherein the central controller is configured to control the first control layer or the second control layer using a switch control to reconfigure the reconfigurable first audio data processor to the second configuration for the reconfigurable first audio data processor or to reconfigure the reconfigurable second audio data processor to the second configuration for the reconfigurable second audio data processor at a certain time instant.