Wearable Audio Source Separation and Classification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current augmented reality solutions do not effectively enhance audio scenes by separating and classifying audio sources within a real-world environment, limiting the ability to provide relevant additional information to users.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus that capture audio signals, process them through filtering and beamforming, separate audio sources, classify them, and present additional information related to the classified sources, using a wearable device with microphones, cameras, and sensors to enhance the audio experience by localizing and tracking audio sources.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If audio sources are separated and classified to provide additional information, then the usefulness of audio scene augmentation is improved, but the device complexity increases due to multiple microphones and processing modules
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the audio scene into multiple independent audio sources through source separation processing. The processor divides the mixed audio signal from multiple microphones into distinct audio sources, classifies them, and processes them independently. This allows selective enhancement of specific sources while maintaining overall system functionality, resolving the contradiction between information completeness and device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The wearable device integrates multiple functions including audio capture, source separation, classification, and information presentation in a single system. The processor performs multiple operations (filtering, beamforming, source separation, classification) and the device can present information through multiple channels (visual display, audio output), making the complex device versatile and justifying its complexity through multi-functionality.
2Measurement precision
If multiple processing steps (filtering, beamforming, source separation) are applied, then the measurement precision of audio sources is improved, but the processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary processing steps (filtering and beamforming) to audio signals before source separation and classification. By pre-processing the signals to enhance specific characteristics and reduce noise, the subsequent source separation and classification operations can be performed more efficiently with reduced computational complexity, thus maintaining high precision while reducing overall processing time.
Solution Approach 2:
The processing pipeline is designed to be dynamic and adaptive. The system can adjust the level of processing applied based on the audio scene characteristics, user preferences, and computational resources available. This allows the system to maintain high measurement precision when needed while reducing processing time in less demanding situations, resolving the contradiction between precision and processing time.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for modifying an audio scene and/or presenting additional information relevant to the audio scene includes capturing audio signals from the audio scene with a plurality of microphones; outputting an audio signal with a plurality of acoustical transducers; processing the captured audio signals, where the processing comprises one or more of filtering, equalization, echoes processing, and beamforming; separating and distinguishing audio signal sources using the processed audio signals; selecting at least one separated audio signal source; classifying the at least one selected separated audio signal source; retrieving additional information related to the classified audio signal source; and presenting the additional information in a perceptible form.