Spatial Sound Reproduction with Dynamic Listener Tracking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current sound processing technologies fail to provide a realistic and immersive spatial sound experience for listeners, as they typically rely on fixed speaker positions and do not effectively utilize position data to recreate the spatial arrangement of sound sources during audio playback.
Innovation Solution
A method and device that acquire and process sound data in conjunction with position data from multiple microphones and position sensing modules, allowing for the reconstruction of a spatial sound image by determining the positions of sound sources and listeners, and adjusting the sound reproduction accordingly to simulate a realistic audio environment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If fixed speaker positions are used for sound reproduction, then device complexity is reduced, but spatial sound realism and listener immersion deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic speaker position detection using position sensing modules that continuously track the actual locations of speakers in three-dimensional space. This allows the system to adapt to changing speaker positions rather than relying on fixed, pre-defined locations, thereby maintaining spatial sound accuracy even when speakers are moved by users.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates feedback loops where detected speaker positions are fed back into the sound rendering process. The renderer uses this feedback information to recalculate and adjust the spatial sound image, ensuring that the reproduced sound always corresponds to the actual physical positions of the speakers, thus resolving the contradiction between simplicity and accuracy.
2Ease of operation
If speaker positions are allowed to be freely adjustable, then ease of operation is improved, but spatial sound accuracy deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary detection of speaker positions using position sensing modules before sound reproduction begins. This preliminary action captures the actual speaker locations, which are then stored and used by the renderer to accurately map virtual sound sources to physical speaker positions, ensuring accuracy is maintained despite user-adjustable speaker placements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces mechanical positioning systems with optical or electromagnetic position sensing modules that non-contactively detect speaker locations. This substitution allows for easy adjustment of speaker positions while maintaining precise measurement capability through electronic sensing rather than mechanical constraints.
3Manufacturing precision
If position sensing modules are integrated with speakers, then spatial sound image accuracy is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The position sensing modules are designed to serve multiple functions: they detect speaker positions, determine listener positions, and provide spatial orientation data for sound rendering. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate sensing systems, thereby managing complexity while achieving high spatial sound accuracy through a unified sensing architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a central controller or renderer that acts as an intermediary between the position sensing modules and the sound reproduction system. This intermediary processes the position data from multiple sensors and translates it into appropriate audio rendering parameters, simplifying the overall system architecture by centralizing the complex processing logic rather than distributing it across multiple components.
4Adaptability or versatility
If virtual sound sources are created at arbitrary positions, then adaptability is improved, but loss of information about actual sound sources increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system transitions from two-dimensional speaker arrangements to three-dimensional spatial sound reproduction by incorporating vertical position sensing and 3D sound rendering capabilities. This dimensional expansion allows virtual sound sources to be positioned in three-dimensional space while maintaining accurate spatial relationships, as the system preserves and utilizes Z-axis position information rather than losing it through projection to a plane.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a method and device for processing sound data comprising determining a listener position; determining a virtual sound source position; receiving sound data; processing the sound data for reproduction by at least one speaker to let the listener perceive the processed sound data reproduced by the speaker to originate from the virtual sound position. This provides the listener with a realistic experience of sound by the speaker. Implementation of the invention allows sound data to be provided also in a dynamic environment, where positions of the listener, the virtual sound source or both can change. For example, sound data may be reproduced by a mobile device by means of headphones to a moving listener, where the virtual sound source is a shop. As the listener moves, the sound data is processed such that when reproduced via the headphones, it is perceived as to originate from the shop.