Spatial Audio Alignment via Remote Speaker Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing augmented reality systems face challenges in providing immersive experiences as sound from local speakers often appears to originate from a different location than the visual content, disrupting the spatial audio alignment.
Innovation Solution
A portable computing device detects and establishes a wireless connection with external remote speakers, determines their location, and sends audio signals corresponding to virtual objects in the real-world environment, allowing sound to originate from the intended direction, enhancing the augmented reality experience.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If local speakers are used to output audio for augmented reality content, then the device can provide audio output, but the sound appears to originate from a different location than the visual content, disrupting spatial audio alignment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces remote speakers as intermediary devices that are positionally coupled to the augmented reality content. Instead of using the device's own local speakers, the system connects to external speakers located at or near the virtual object's position. This intermediary approach allows the audio to physically originate from the correct spatial location, resolving the mismatch between visual content position and sound source position.
2Reliability
If remote speakers are used to provide spatial audio, then audio-visual alignment is improved, but the device complexity increases due to wireless detection and connection requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs self-service mechanisms where the portable computing device automatically detects, locates, and establishes wireless connections to remote speakers without user intervention. The device autonomously manages the complexity of wireless communication protocols, speaker localization, and audio signal routing, thereby reducing the operational burden on the user while maintaining the enhanced spatial audio capability.
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments related to outputting spatial audio via a portable computing device are presented. For example, one disclosed embodiment provides a portable computing device for wirelessly detecting a presence of a remote speaker external to the portable computing device, determining a location of the remote speaker, and establishing a wireless connection with the remote speaker. The embodiment further includes presenting visual content via a display of the portable computing device, the visual content comprising an object positionally associated with a location in a real-world environment around the portable computing device, generating an audio signal corresponding to the object, and sending the audio signal to the remote speaker.