Spatial Audio Reproduction Using Incoherent Signals for Directional Reverberation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing technologies struggle to accurately reproduce directionally dependent reverberation in spatial audio, particularly in augmented and virtual reality applications, where head tracking and changing listener orientations require adaptive reverberation positioning.
Innovation Solution
The apparatus and method involve generating multiple partly mutually incoherent audio signals based on a target direction and speaker setup, using processing paths with specific parameters to create a combined multiple-channel audio signal that can be rotated with the listener's head, ensuring accurate directional reverberation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If uncorrelated noise sequences are used in each channel of a reverberator, then mutually incoherent reverberant signals are produced, but the reverberation is perceived to be similar to all directions without directional accuracy
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by making each loudspeaker channel have distinct acoustic characteristics (different RT60 times, decay rates, and spectral profiles) rather than uniform characteristics. This is achieved by individually synthesizing early reflections for each channel and using different uncorrelated noise sequences, creating spatially varying reverberation properties that provide directional information while maintaining mutual incoherence.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces asymmetry by assigning different acoustic parameters to different loudspeaker channels. Each channel's reverberation is synthesized with unique characteristics including different delay times, decay rates, and spectral shapes, breaking the symmetry of uniform reverberation across all channels and enabling directional perception.
2Ease of manufacture
If the same acoustic characteristics are shared across all loudspeaker channels, then the system is simple to implement, but the reverberation lacks directional information
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements local quality by customizing the acoustic characteristics of each loudspeaker channel individually. Each channel receives unique early reflection synthesis parameters and uses different uncorrelated noise sequences, creating spatially differentiated reverberation that conveys directional information while maintaining implementation feasibility through systematic parameter assignment.
3Measurement precision
If early reflections are synthesized with specific directions of arrival, then directional accuracy is improved, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the room acoustics modeling into distinct components: direct sound, early reflections, and late reverberation. Each component is processed separately with specific directional information applied to early reflections through individual synthesis for each loudspeaker channel, while late reverberation uses statistical models, managing complexity through functional decomposition.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses parameter changes by systematically varying acoustic parameters (delay times, decay rates, spectral shapes) across different loudspeaker channels based on their spatial positions and target directions. This allows directional accuracy to be achieved through parameter differentiation rather than complex structural changes.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus including circuitry configured to: obtain at least one audio signal; obtain speaker setup information; obtain, for at least two processing paths, at least one processing path parameter, the at least one processing path parameter including a target direction; process the at least one audio signal to generate a multiple-channel audio signal, generate at least two at least partly mutually incoherent audio signals; determine at least two panning gains; apply each of the at least two panning gains with an associated one of the at least partly mutually incoherent audio signal to generate at least two panning gain applied at least partly mutually incoherent audio signals; and combine the at least two panning gain applied at least partly mutually incoherent audio signals to generate the multiple-channel audio signal; and combine the multiple-channel audio signal from each processing path to generate a combined panning gain applied multiple-channel audio signal.