Spatial Audio Alignment for Electronic Tabletop Displays
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current large area display systems, such as tabletop computers, fail to deliver audio in a spatially coherent manner, making it difficult for users to discern the source of sounds associated with different visual elements, especially in systems with multiple videos or presentations playing simultaneously.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating multiple audio output devices, such as omnidirectional speakers, around the perimeter of the display system, and using an audio alignment module to selectively direct audio output based on the spatial position and orientation of visual content, ensuring that audio appears to originate from the same location as the corresponding visual elements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If multiple audio output devices are added around the perimeter of the display system, then spatial coherence of audio is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The audio output system is segmented into multiple independent audio output devices distributed around the perimeter of the display system. Each audio output device can be independently controlled to deliver audio content to specific spatial zones, enabling spatially coherent audio delivery while maintaining manageable system architecture through modular design
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the display system are assigned different audio output devices with specialized characteristics. The audio alignment module directs audio content to specific local regions based on the position of visual content, creating locally optimized audio quality that matches the spatial location of corresponding visual elements
2Object-generated harmful factors
If audio alignment module selectively directs audio output based on spatial position, then audio overlap between presentations is reduced, but control complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The audio alignment module continuously monitors the spatial position of visual content on the display system and dynamically adjusts audio output direction accordingly. This feedback mechanism ensures that audio remains spatially coherent with visual content while automatically adapting to user interactions and presentation changes, reducing audio overlap without requiring manual intervention
Solution Approach 2:
The audio alignment module serves as an intermediary between the audio content source and the audio output devices. It processes audio signals by analyzing the spatial position of visual content and routing audio to appropriate output devices, thereby mediating the relationship between multiple presentations and eliminating audio interference through automated signal routing
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus may include a processor circuit and an audio alignment module operative on the processor circuit to determine spatial indicia for a visual portion or element of multimedia content for presentation on a digital display, the multimedia content comprising visual content and audio content. The audio alignment module may be further operative to identify an audio signal corresponding to the visual portion or element and send the identified audio signal to one or more audio output devices based on a spatial correlation between the one or more audio output devices and the determined spatial indicia of the visual portion or element.