Smartphone Audio Synchronization with External Wearable Devices
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Solution Overview
Problem
Smartphones struggle to accurately capture stereo audio while recording videos due to mismatched microphone positions, leading to degraded sound fidelity and inability to synchronize ambient sound with video.
Innovation Solution
An electronic device with a camera, display, and communication module establishes communication links with external devices to receive and synchronize audio data from multiple external devices worn by the user, ensuring accurate synchronization of audio with video based on time and order of sound acquisition.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the smartphone's built-in microphone is used to capture ambient sound during video recording, then the device can record audio, but the sound fidelity and stereoscopic feeling are degraded due to mismatched microphone position and user ear position
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an external electronic device (such as a wireless earphone or separate audio recording device) as an intermediary to capture ambient sound. This external device is positioned closer to the user's ears, serving as a mediator that bridges the gap between the smartphone's remote microphone and the user's auditory perspective, thereby improving sound fidelity without requiring the user to hold the smartphone in a specific position.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent divides the audio capture function into separate components: the smartphone handles video recording while an external electronic device handles audio recording. This segmentation allows each device to optimize its function independently, with the external device positioned optimally for audio capture near the user's ears, while the smartphone focuses on video without being constrained by microphone positioning requirements.
2Measurement precision
If an external microphone is connected to the smartphone to acquire ambient sound, then audio data can be obtained, but stereo audio corresponding to the ambient sound cannot be acquired and the audio may still not match the user's heard sound
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes an external electronic device that serves multiple functions: it captures ambient sound through its microphone, processes the audio data, and wirelessly transmits it to the smartphone. This multi-functional approach eliminates the need for separate stereo audio equipment while achieving stereo audio acquisition, as the external device can capture sound from multiple directions and process it into stereo format before transmission.
Solution Approach 2:
The external electronic device acts as an intermediary that not only captures audio but also processes and transmits it wirelessly to the smartphone. This mediator handles the complex task of stereo audio acquisition and processing, freeing the smartphone from direct involvement in audio capture complexity while maintaining high audio quality and stereo capability.
3Measurement precision
If audio data from multiple external devices is received and synchronized with video, then the stereoscopic feeling and fidelity are enhanced, but the system complexity and synchronization requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms where the smartphone sends timing signals to external electronic devices, and the devices return audio data with timestamp information. This feedback loop enables precise synchronization by allowing the smartphone to track and adjust for timing variations in audio transmission from multiple devices, ensuring accurate alignment with video playback despite the complexity of multiple communication links.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent establishes communication links and synchronizes timing between the smartphone and external electronic devices before video recording begins. This preliminary synchronization setup, including clock calibration and timing signal exchange, prepares the system in advance to handle multiple audio sources, reducing the complexity burden during actual recording by having synchronization parameters pre-configured.
Data Source
AI summary
An electronic device according to various embodiments includes a camera; a display; a communication module supporting Bluetooth communication; and a processor configured to: establish a communication link with a plurality of external electronic devices through the communication module; transmit a first signal indicating an occurrence of an event using the camera to at least one of the plurality of external electronic devices through the communication link; receive audio data corresponding to sound acquired by each of the plurality of external electronic devices, from each of the plurality of external electronic devices in predetermined time periods through the communication link in a state in which the plurality of external electronic devices are worn; and synchronize the audio data with video acquired using the camera and store the synchronized data, based on time and an order at which each of the plurality of external electronic devices acquires the sound.