Virtual Speaker Audio Processing for Realistic Sound with Fewer Speakers
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The deployment of large volumes of equipment, such as speakers, at venues requires significant time and effort for wiring, power sourcing, and manpower, which complicates the improvement of sound quality and realistic sensation.
Innovation Solution
An audio signal processing method that utilizes virtual speakers to localize and distribute audio signals, allowing for the generation of audio signals that simulate a larger acoustic environment using fewer physical speakers through localization and distributed processing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a large volume of equipment such as speakers is placed at a venue, then sound quality and realistic sensation are improved, but time and effort for wiring, power sourcing, and manpower increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates virtual copies of physical speakers through signal processing. By generating virtual speaker signals from a limited number of physical speakers, the system simulates the acoustic effect of having many more speakers without actually deploying them, thus maintaining sound quality while reducing equipment and setup requirements
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical approach of deploying numerous physical speakers with a signal processing approach. Instead of physically placing multiple speakers throughout the venue, the system uses audio signal manipulation to create the perception of multiple sound sources, substituting mechanical deployment with electronic signal processing
2Reliability
If a large volume of equipment such as speakers is placed at a venue, then realistic sensation is improved, but equipment volume and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates virtual representations of physical speakers through signal processing algorithms. These virtual speaker signals simulate the acoustic behavior of multiple physical speakers, providing a realistic auditory experience without the need for corresponding physical equipment
Solution Approach 2:
The patent makes a small number of physical speakers perform the function of many speakers through signal processing. By generating virtual speaker signals, the system enables limited physical equipment to achieve the acoustic effect of extensive equipment deployment, enhancing realistic sensation without increasing equipment volume
Data Source
AI summary
An audio signal processing method obtains a plurality of audio signals, determines a type of each audio signal of the plurality of audio signals, sets positions of a plurality of virtual speakers, generates, in a case where an audio signal among the plurality of audio signals is determined to be a first type, a first audio signal by performing localization processing on the audio signal determined to be the first type to localize an acoustic image of the first audio signal at a position of any one virtual speaker of the plurality of virtual speakers, generates, in a case where an audio signal among the plurality of audio signals is determined to be a second type, a second audio signal by performing distributed processing on the audio signal determined to be the second type to distribute and localize an acoustic image of the second audio signal at positions of two or more virtual speakers of the plurality of virtual speakers, generates an addition signal by adding the first audio signal and the second audio signal, and outputs the addition signal to a plurality of real speakers.