Virtual Microphone Gain Control for Dynamic 3D Room Coverage

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current audio conference systems face challenges in managing dynamic room scenarios due to variable dimensions, seating plans, and unknown speaker and microphone locations, leading to inconsistent audio performance and ambient sound levels, which existing automatic gain control systems cannot effectively address.

Innovation Solution

A system that dynamically adjusts microphone arrays in real-time based on positional 3D spatial sound information to create a virtual microphone coverage grid with specific gain parameters, integrating all microphones as a cohesive array to optimize audio signal and ambient sound levels.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Area of stationary object

If multiple microphones are distributed throughout the room to improve coverage, then room coverage is improved, but device complexity and difficulty of calibration increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveroom coverageVSAvoidmicrophone system complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Area of stationary objectVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines multiple distributed microphones into a single virtual microphone array through coordinate transformation and beamforming techniques. The system merges signals from multiple physical microphones located throughout the room into unified virtual microphone positions, creating a cohesive audio coverage system that simplifies calibration while maintaining extensive room coverage.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces virtual microphones as intermediary elements between physical microphones and the audio processing system. These virtual microphones serve as mediators that simplify the relationship between distributed physical microphones and the calibration process, allowing the system to manage complex microphone distributions through simplified virtual representations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Manufacturing precision

If manual calibration is performed to optimize audio performance, then audio quality is improved, but setup time and labor requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveaudio performance qualityVSAvoidcalibration time

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements self-service calibration through automatic calibration routines that utilize the known geometric relationships between virtual microphones and sound sources. The system automatically determines optimal beamforming weights and coverage parameters without requiring manual intervention, thereby maintaining high audio performance quality while eliminating time-consuming manual calibration processes.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The patent performs preliminary calibration by pre-establishing the geometric relationships and coverage zones of virtual microphones during system setup. Once these preliminary configurations are established, the system can rapidly adapt to different scenarios without requiring repeated manual calibration, significantly reducing setup time while maintaining audio quality.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Ease of operation

If microphones operate independently to simplify management, then ease of operation is improved, but coverage zone control and gain management deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemicrophone management simplicityVSAvoidcoverage zone control

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the audio space into distinct coverage zones associated with each virtual microphone position. Each virtual microphone is responsible for a specific spatial region, allowing the system to maintain simple independent operation of individual microphone elements while achieving precise coverage zone control through the segmented spatial organization.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements dynamic gain management where the system automatically adjusts the activity and gain levels of individual virtual microphones based on real-time sound source positions. This dynamic adaptation allows microphones to operate independently with simple local control while the system maintains precise overall coverage zone management through coordinated dynamic adjustments.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentUS20260046582A1System for dynamically deriving and using positional based gain output parameters across one or more microphone element locations

Publication Date: 2026.02.12 NUREVA INC

AI summary

A system is provided for positional based automatic gain control to adjust dynamically configured combined microphone arrays in a shared 3D space. The system includes a combined microphone array including individual microphones and/or microphone arrays and a system processor communicating with the combined microphone array. The system processor is configured to obtain predetermined locations of the microphones throughout the shared 3D space, obtain predetermined coverage zone dimensions based on the locations of the microphones, populate the coverage zone dimensions with virtual microphones, identify locations of sound sources in the shared 3D space based on the virtual microphones, compute positional based gain control (PBGC) parameter values for virtual microphones based on the locations of the virtual microphones, and combine microphone signals into desired channel audio signals by applying the PBGC parameters to adjust microphones to control positional based microphone gains based on the location information of the sound sources.