Spatial Audio Integrity Verification and Adaptive Playback

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing immersive audio technologies fail to ensure the integrity and quality of audio signals and side information during transmission, particularly in spatial audio capture and rendering environments, as they do not effectively handle tampering or modifications, leading to potential quality degradation.

Innovation Solution

Incorporating integrity verification data, such as checksums, into the audio stream to ensure the integrity of audio-related data, allowing for adaptive playback modes between extended (binaural or multichannel) and backwards compatible (mono, stereo) formats based on verification matches, thereby protecting the integrity of spatial audio and sound object information.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If integrity verification data is added to the audio stream to verify audio-related data, then the reliability of audio playback is improved, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveintegrity verificationVSAvoidcomplexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by pre-calculating and embedding integrity verification data (such as checksums or hash values) into the audio stream during the encoding phase. This allows the receiving device to verify audio integrity without requiring complex real-time computation, as the verification mechanism is prepared in advance and integrated into the existing audio data structure.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent uses an intermediary approach by introducing verification data as a separate component that mediates between the audio source and the playback system. This verification data acts as a lightweight intermediary element that can be independently processed and checked, avoiding the need to complicate the entire audio processing pipeline while still ensuring integrity verification.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Manufacturing precision

If extended playback mode is used when integrity is verified, then the audio quality is improved, but the risk of quality degradation increases if tampering is detected

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveaudio qualityVSAvoidquality degradation
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies dynamics by making the playback mode adaptive and changeable based on verification results. The system dynamically switches between extended playback mode (when integrity is verified) and fallback mode (when tampering is detected), allowing it to optimize audio quality while protecting against quality degradation through real-time mode adjustment based on verification outcomes.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements beforehand cushioning by preparing a fallback playback mode in advance that can be activated if integrity verification fails. This pre-prepared alternative mode acts as a protective cushion that prevents quality degradation from occurring, ensuring that even if tampering is detected, the system can switch to a safer mode that maintains acceptable audio quality without catastrophic failure.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #11Beforehand cushioning (Prior cushioning)

3Reliability

If integrity verification is performed on audio-related data, then the reliability of spatial audio perception is improved, but the processing time increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvespatial audio perceptionVSAvoidprocessing time
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies segmentation by dividing the verification process into separate, independent steps: extracting verification data from the audio stream, computing verification values for specific audio components (such as spatial parameters or metadata), and comparing results. This segmented approach allows verification to be performed on critical elements without processing the entire audio stream, reducing overall processing time while maintaining reliability of spatial audio perception.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentUS10957333B2Protected extended playback mode
Publication Date: 2021.03.23 NOKIA TECHNOLOGIES OY
  • US10957333B2 patent drawing
  • US10957333B2 patent drawing
  • US10957333B2 patent drawing

AI summary

A protected extended playback mode protects the integrity of audio and side information of a spatial audio signal and sound object and position information of audio objects in an immersive audio capture and rendering environment. Integrity verification data for audio-related data determined. An integrity verification value is computable dependent on the transmitted audio-related data. The integrity verification value can be compared with the integrity verification data for verifying the audio-related data transmitted in the audio stream for generating a playback signal having a mode dependent on the verification of the audio-related data A transmitting device transmits that integrity verification data and the audio-related data in an audio stream for reception by a receiving device. The audio stream, including the audio-related data and integrity verification data are received by the receiving device. The integrity verification value is computed by the receiving device, compared with the integrity verification data, and a playback signal is generated depending on whether the integrity verification value matches the integrity verification data.