Room Acoustic Estimation via Microphone Array Transfer Functions
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for simulating sound propagation in artificial reality environments, such as virtual reality, have high computational costs due to the need for detailed room acoustic properties and geometry, which can vary significantly between users and affect perceived sound localization.
Innovation Solution
An audio analysis system using multiple microphone arrays records speech signals from both the origin and receiving users, determining a transfer function to estimate room impulse responses and acoustic properties, allowing for simulation of convincing sound propagation effects.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional methods using computer vision techniques are used to generate room geometry for simulating sound propagation, then the simulation can achieve detailed acoustic properties, but the computational cost becomes excessively high
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical/computational system of generating room geometry through computer vision with an acoustic measurement system. Instead of using heavy computational algorithms to reconstruct room geometry and simulate acoustics, the system uses microphone arrays to directly measure acoustic properties (impulse responses, transfer functions) through actual sound propagation measurements. This substitutes complex computational geometry processing with direct acoustic sensing, dramatically reducing computational cost while maintaining measurement precision.
2Measurement precision
If detailed room geometry and acoustic properties are computed for each user in artificial reality environments, then sound localization accuracy improves, but the computational complexity increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates acoustic copies or representations through direct measurement rather than computation. Microphone arrays capture actual acoustic impulse responses and transfer functions that serve as measured copies of the room's acoustic behavior. These measured acoustic models replace computationally intensive geometric acoustic simulations, providing accurate sound localization data without the high computational complexity of traditional methods.
Solution Approach 2:
The system substitutes computational acoustic simulation with physical acoustic measurement. Instead of calculating sound propagation through modeled room geometries, the system directly measures acoustic properties using microphone arrays, replacing complex computational acoustics with empirical acoustic sensing that requires significantly less computational processing.
3Reliability
If conventional computer vision-based methods are used to simulate sound propagation effects, then the simulation can account for room geometry and acoustic properties, but the processing time and computational resources required become prohibitive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs acoustic measurements in advance to capture room impulse responses and transfer functions before they are needed for sound localization. By pre-measuring acoustic properties using microphone arrays, the system avoids real-time computational simulation, storing the measured acoustic characteristics for rapid retrieval and application during artificial reality operations, thereby eliminating processing delays.
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces time-consuming computational acoustic simulation with rapid acoustic measurement and retrieval. Instead of computing sound propagation in real-time based on room geometry, the system uses pre-measured acoustic impulse responses obtained through microphone arrays, substituting heavy real-time computation with fast measurement and data lookup operations.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system effectively reduces computational costs by determining room impulse responses and acoustic properties, enabling realistic sound simulation in artificial reality environments with improved user localization and immersion.
Implementation Method 1
A sound perceived at the ears of two users can be different, depending on a direction and a location of a sound source with respect to each user as well as on the surroundings of a room in which the sound is perceived
Data Source
AI summary
An audio analysis system receives a first recording of a speech signal from an origin audio assembly and a second recording of at least a portion of the speech signal from a receiving audio assembly. The speech signal originates from a speaking user of the origin audio assembly and the second recording is recorded by a receiving audio assembly operated by a different user. Both the origin audio assembly and the receiving audio assembly are located within a room. The audio analysis system selects one or more audio frames in the first recording and one or more audio frames in the second recording that both occur over the same time period. The audio analysis system determines a transfer function for the room based in part on the selected one or more audio frames in the first recording and the selected one or more audio frames in the second recording.