Spatial Audio Signal Processing for Reduced Latency
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current audio capture and rendering technologies face delays and buffering issues when processing spatial audio signals, leading to reduced user experience due to the need for processing and rendering spatial audio signals in real-time, especially when the sound scene changes or the user's orientation changes.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus that receive input signals from spatially separated microphones to obtain spatial metadata, process these signals to create a first spatial audio signal, and associate it with metadata to generate a second optimized spatial audio signal for rendering, which can adapt to changes in the sound scene or user orientation, such as converting binaural audio signals for headphones or loudspeakers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If spatial audio signals are processed in real-time to adapt to sound scene changes or user orientation changes, then the adaptability and quality of audio output is improved, but processing delays and buffering occur which reduce user experience
Solution Approach 1:
The patent pre-processes spatial audio signals from multiple microphones to create a first spatial audio signal and associated spatial metadata before rendering. This preliminary processing allows the system to have processed audio ready for quick adaptation when sound scene changes or user orientation changes occur, reducing the need for extensive real-time processing and thereby minimizing processing delays while maintaining adaptability.
2Manufacturing precision
If spatial audio signals are processed extensively to optimize rendering quality, then the quality of audio output is improved, but processing time increases leading to buffering
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the spatial audio processing into distinct stages: capturing multiple input signals from spatially separated microphones, processing these to obtain a first spatial audio signal, generating spatial metadata separately, and then using both to produce the final second spatial audio signal. This segmentation allows each stage to be optimized independently, reducing overall processing time and buffering while maintaining high audio output quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary processing to generate spatial metadata from the input signals before the final rendering stage. This metadata contains pre-computed spatial information that can be quickly applied during rendering, reducing the computational burden during real-time playback and minimizing buffering time while preserving audio quality.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the system processes and converts audio signals for different rendering devices (headphones, loudspeakers), then the versatility and user experience are improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal first spatial audio signal from multiple microphone inputs that can be adapted to different rendering devices through the use of spatial metadata. This universal intermediate representation allows the same processing system to serve multiple rendering devices (headphones, loudspeakers, etc.) without requiring separate processing chains for each device type, thereby reducing overall system complexity while maintaining versatility.
Data Source
AI summary
A method, apparatus and computer program, the method comprising: receiving a plurality of input signals representing a sound space; using the received plurality of input signals to obtain spatial metadata corresponding to the sound space; using the received plurality of input signals to obtain a first spatial audio signal corresponding to the spatial metadata; and associating the first spatial audio signal with the spatial metadata to enable the spatial metadata to be used to process the first spatial audio signal to obtain a second spatial audio signal.