Selective Audio Cancellation with Remote Rendering
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing active noise cancellation technologies struggle to selectively suppress exterior sounds, often allowing some noises to pass through while failing to fully cancel others, and lack efficient methods for remote rendering of ambient audio experiences.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus and method that apply distinct audio cancellation processes to captured ambient audio, allowing for selective removal or maintenance of audio sources, and enable remote rendering of ambient audio by providing processed audio information, enabling controlled audio transparency and spatial audio rendering.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If active noise cancellation attempts to fully suppress exterior sounds, then noise suppression is improved, but audio transparency and selective sound passage deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the audio cancellation process into multiple independent components: feed-forward cancellation using exterior microphone signals, feedback cancellation using interior microphone signals, and selective pass-through mechanisms. This segmentation allows different cancellation strengths to be applied to different frequency ranges and sound sources, enabling both strong noise suppression and selective audio transparency simultaneously
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts the degree of noise cancellation and audio pass-through based on real-time conditions. Users can switch between modes (e.g., transparency mode, noise cancellation mode, hybrid mode) that dynamically modify the processing parameters. The system also dynamically adapts to different acoustic environments and user preferences, changing the balance between suppression and transparency as needed
2Speed
If audio cancellation processes are applied locally only, then processing speed is improved, but remote rendering capability and audio sharing deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary data structure that captures the essential characteristics of locally processed audio without requiring full audio stream transmission. This intermediary representation (including processed audio data, metadata, and processing parameters) acts as a mediator between local processing and remote rendering, enabling fast local processing while preserving the ability to remotely reproduce the audio experience with minimal latency
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a simplified copy or representation of the processed audio experience that can be transmitted to remote devices. Instead of transmitting the full high-resolution audio stream, the system transmits essential audio information and processing parameters that allow remote devices to reconstruct or approximate the original processed audio, achieving remote rendering capability without the bandwidth requirements of full audio transmission
3Adaptability or versatility
If different audio cancellation processes are applied to different audio sources, then selective sound control is improved, but system complexity and processing overhead deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by assigning different cancellation characteristics to different audio sources and frequency ranges. Instead of applying a uniform cancellation process to all sounds, the system identifies specific sound sources (e.g., voice, music, ambient noise) and applies tailored cancellation parameters to each. This allows selective control where important sounds (like human speech) are preserved while unwanted noises are suppressed, achieving high adaptability without requiring excessively complex processing for every possible sound type
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus comprising:means for applying at least an audio cancellation process to captured ambient audio to create first user ambient audio;means for providing to another apparatus at least first user ambient audio information to enable remote rendering of at least some of the first user ambient audio.