AR/VR Smart Glasses Spatial Audio Filtering for Focused Replay
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wearable device recordings lack the ability to selectively focus on specific audio sources during events, often reproducing all noise and ambient interference, frustrating users who want to replay focused conversations or audio.
Innovation Solution
Implementing smart glasses with multiple spatially distributed microphones and sensors to record and process audio sources, allowing users to select and enhance specific sound sources during playback, using direction of arrival calculations and filtering techniques to isolate desired audio.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a single microphone is used to record audio sources, then the device complexity is reduced, but the ability to selectively focus on specific audio sources and filter noise deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the audio recording function into multiple independent microphones positioned at different locations on the headset. Each microphone captures audio from its specific spatial zone, allowing the system to segment and independently process different audio sources. This segmentation enables selective enhancement of desired audio sources while filtering out unwanted noise through spatial discrimination.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a single-point audio capture (one-dimensional) to a spatially distributed microphone array (three-dimensional). By positioning microphones at multiple locations on the headset frame, the system adds spatial dimensionality to audio capture, enabling direction-of-arrival calculations and spatial filtering to selectively focus on specific audio sources based on their spatial characteristics.
2Loss of information
If all audio sources are recorded without selection, then no information is lost, but the quality and focus of the replay deteriorates due to ambient noise and interference
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and isolates the desired audio source from the mixed audio environment by utilizing spatial information from multiple microphones. Through direction-of-arrival calculations and spatial filtering, the system separates the target audio source from ambient noise and interference, extracting only the relevant information for enhanced replay while discarding harmful noise components.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different processing qualities to different audio sources based on their spatial characteristics. Desired audio sources captured from specific directions receive enhanced processing and selective amplification, while noise from other directions is filtered or attenuated. This local quality approach ensures that important audio information is preserved and enhanced while harmful noise is selectively removed.
3Measurement precision
If multiple spatially distributed microphones are used, then the ability to isolate and enhance specific audio sources is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the headset structure serve multiple functions: it acts as both the wearable device framework and the spatial arrangement structure for the microphone array. The existing headset geometry is utilized to position microphones at optimal locations, eliminating the need for separate complex positioning structures. This multi-functionality reduces overall device complexity while maintaining precise audio source localization capability.
Data Source
AI summary
A method to assess user condition for wearable devices using electromagnetic sensors is provided. The method includes receiving a signal from an electromagnetic sensor, the signal being indicative of a health condition of a user of a wearable device, selecting a salient attribute from the signal, and determining, based on the salient attribute, the health condition of the user of the wearable device. A non-transitory, computer-readable medium storing instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause a system to perform the above method, and the system, are also provided.