Acoustic Signal Mixing Apparatus for VR Sound Field Synchronization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing VR systems with head-mounted displays face discrepancies between the viewed image range and sound field range when using multiple microphones, as current technologies only adjust the sound field for two speakers, not effectively handling three or more speakers.
Innovation Solution
A mixing apparatus that processes acoustic signals from multiple microphones to generate drive signals for N speakers, using expansion/contraction, shift, and attenuation coefficients to adjust the sound field range, allowing for precise control of sound field reproduction across multiple speakers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If acoustic signals from multiple microphones are mixed and output to N speakers (N≥3) without adjustment, then the sound collection coverage is maximized, but the sound field range becomes inconsistent with the visual field range
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the N speakers into multiple speaker sets (first speaker set to P-th speaker set, where P=N-1 or N), with each speaker set containing two adjacent speakers. Correspondingly, the microphones are segmented into microphone sets. This segmentation allows independent processing of each speaker set using specific expansion/contraction coefficients, making the overall system manageable despite N≥3 speakers, and resolving the contradiction between sound field accuracy and processing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different expansion/contraction coefficients to different speaker sets based on their specific positions and the viewed image range. Each speaker set processing unit uses coefficients tailored to its local context (which speaker set, which microphones, current viewing direction), rather than applying a uniform processing approach. This local quality approach enables precise sound field adjustment for each region while maintaining overall system coherence.
2Reliability
If the sound field range is adjusted to match the viewed image range, then the synchronization between visual and auditory experiences is improved, but the processing complexity for handling N speakers increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent dynamically adjusts the expansion/contraction coefficients based on the current viewed image range and the specific speaker set being processed. The coefficients are not fixed but adapt to the viewing direction and the positional relationship between microphones and speakers. This dynamic adjustment ensures continuous synchronization between visual and auditory fields while using a standardized processing framework that prevents exponential complexity growth.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes key parameters (expansion/contraction coefficients, attenuation coefficients, shift coefficients) to adjust the sound field range and match the visual field range. By systematically varying these parameters across different speaker sets based on their positions and the viewed range, the patent achieves reliable visual-auditory synchronization without requiring fundamentally new processing methods for each speaker configuration.
Data Source
AI summary
A mixing apparatus includes: a first speaker set processing unit to a P-th speaker set processing unit. K-th speaker set processing unit (K being an integer from 1 to P) includes: a mic set processing unit configured to process acoustic signals output by two microphones of a corresponding microphone set and to output a first acoustic signal and a second acoustic signal. The mic set processing unit configured to process acoustic signals output by two microphones of a corresponding microphone set based on an expansion/contraction coefficient for determining an expansion/contraction rate of a sound field, a shift coefficient for determining a shift amount of a sound field, and an attenuation coefficient for determining an attenuation amount of an acoustic signal output by a microphone.