Spatial Audio Zoom With Stereo Beamforming for Interference Isolation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Video capture devices struggle to isolate and amplify audio from an object of interest while zooming in, as extraneous sounds from nearby sources interfere with the audio, due to the microphone picking up noise from closer locations than the object of interest, even if the object is amplified through a public address system.
Innovation Solution
A device with a zoomable lens and a microphone array processes audio signals to determine directional and orthogonal components, using stereo beamforming and multiband dynamic range compression to amplify the audio from the object of interest relative to interference, while maintaining binaural characteristics and spatial cues.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the lens is zoomed in to magnify the object of interest, then the visual focus on the object is improved, but the microphone picks up more extraneous sounds from nearby sources, worsening the audio quality
Solution Approach 1:
The audio signal is segmented into directional components using beamforming, separating the desired sound from the object of interest from extraneous sounds. The audio processing divides the captured audio into multiple directional channels, allowing selective amplification of the target direction while suppressing other directions.
Solution Approach 2:
Different quality processing is applied to different spatial directions. The audio from the zoomed direction receives enhanced processing and amplification, while audio from other directions is suppressed or filtered. This creates local quality enhancement in the direction of interest while maintaining different characteristics for other directions.
2Device complexity
If the microphone amplifies all sounds equally, then the audio capture is simple, but extraneous sounds interfere with the audio from the object of interest
Solution Approach 1:
The audio processing dynamically adjusts gain and filtering based on the zoom direction and detected sound sources. The beamforming parameters and amplification levels are not static but adapt to the current zoom state and acoustic environment, allowing the system to maintain optimal performance across varying conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
Beamforming acts as an intermediary processing layer between the microphone array and the final audio output. This intermediary stage separates and processes different directional components before combining them, allowing extraneous sounds to be filtered out while preserving the desired audio from the object of interest.
3Power
If the public address system amplifies the object's audio, then the desired sound is louder, but nearby extraneous sounds remain equally loud, maintaining the interference problem
Solution Approach 1:
Amplification is applied locally to specific directional components rather than uniformly to all audio. The beamforming process identifies the direction of the object of interest and applies selective amplification to that direction's audio component, while leaving other directional components at their original levels or suppressing them.
Solution Approach 2:
The audio signal is segmented into directional components before amplification. This allows the public address system to amplify only the desired directional component (from the object of interest) while leaving extraneous sounds from other directions unaffected, thereby increasing the signal-to-interference ratio.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution effectively increases the volume of audio from the object of interest relative to interference, providing a clearer audio experience by isolating the desired sound and reducing background noise, even when zooming in on the object.
Implementation Method 1
An array of microphones captures audio signals including audio produced by the object and interference produced by other objects
Implementation Method 2
Stereo beamforming is used to increase a magnitude of the directional component (relative to the interference) while retaining a binaural nature of the audio signals
Data Source
AI summary
In an aspect, a lens is zoomed in to create a zoomed lens. Lens data associated with the lens includes a direction of the lens relative to an object in a field-of-view of the zoomed lens and a magnification of the object resulting from the zoomed lens. An array of microphones capture audio signals including audio produced by the object and interference produced by other objects. The audio signals are processed to identify a directional component associated with the audio produced by the object and three orthogonal components associated with the interference produced by the other objects. Stereo beamforming is used to increase a magnitude of the directional component (relative to the interference) while retaining a binaural nature of the audio signals. The increase in magnitude of the directional component is based on an amount of the magnification provided by the zoomed lens to the object.