Spatial Audio Reproduction via Virtual Source Vector Mapping
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Multichannel audio systems face challenges in accurately reproducing spatial sound distribution when the actual loudspeaker configuration differs from the prescribed configuration, leading to improper delivery of directional information to listeners.
Innovation Solution
A method that performs a time-frequency transform on input audio signals, determines active and reactive directional vectors, and uses these to calculate positions of virtual sound sources, which are then distributed to electroacoustic transducers based on their actual positions, allowing for accurate sound reproduction in any spatial configuration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multichannel audio is played back over a prescribed loudspeaker configuration, then directional information is accurately delivered to the listener, but the system cannot adapt to actual configurations that differ from the prescribed layout
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the audio signal into the frequency domain and applies parameter changes to the complex spectral values by multiplying them with direction-dependent transfer functions. These transfer functions modify the spectral parameters based on the actual loudspeaker positions, enabling the system to adapt to different configurations while preserving directional information through frequency-domain parameter transformation rather than relying on fixed spatial arrangements
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediate frequency-domain representation as a mediator between the input multichannel audio signal and the output signal for actual loudspeaker configurations. This intermediate representation allows for flexible transformation and adaptation to different spatial layouts without losing the essential directional characteristics of the original audio content
2Manufacturing precision
If the actual loudspeaker configuration matches the prescribed configuration, then spatial sound distribution is reproduced accurately, but the system becomes inflexible and cannot handle non-standard configurations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a dynamic approach where the transfer functions are calculated based on the actual positions of the loudspeakers rather than fixed prescribed positions. This allows the system to dynamically adapt its spatial processing parameters to match the actual configuration, whether standard or non-standard, while maintaining accurate reproduction of the intended spatial sound distribution through real-time parameter adjustment
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a universal processing framework that can handle both prescribed and non-prescribed loudspeaker configurations using the same frequency-domain transformation methodology. The system applies the same core algorithm with different transfer function parameters, making it universally applicable to various spatial configurations without requiring separate processing paths for standard versus non-standard layouts
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
The invention relates to a method for reproducing spatially distributed sounds of a multichannel audio signal comprising: receiving time-dependent input audio signals and performing a time-frequency transform; for each time-frequency tile, determining an active directional vector Da and a reactive directional vector Dr from time-frequency representations of different input channels for said time-frequency tile, determining positions of virtual sound sources (VS1, VS2, VS3) with respect to the reference listening point (O) from the active directional vector Da and the reactive directional vector Dr, and determining frequency signal values to each virtual sound sources (VS1, VS2, VS3), and distributing time-frequency signal values of said virtual sound sources to electroacoustic transducers on the basis of a comparison between the positions of the virtual sound sources in the virtual spatial configuration and the actual positions of said electroacoustic transducers in an actual spatial configuration.