Wireless Acoustic Mapping Using Audience Mobile Devices
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Solution Overview
Problem
Live events often face sub-optimal auditory experiences due to time-consuming and costly PA system setups, environmental changes, and limited equipment quality, especially in large venues, where precise acoustic measurements are difficult to perform, and audience engagement is limited by equipment constraints.
Innovation Solution
A method for wireless data exchange between devices, including microphones and sound-capturing devices carried by the audience, to gather real-time acoustic data and create detailed acoustic maps, allowing for continuous measurement and dynamic tuning of the sound system, and enabling audience participation through data transmission and processing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If professional PA system setup and tuning is performed, then auditory experience quality is improved, but time consumption and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables automatic acoustic measurement and analysis using audience members' own mobile devices as microphones, eliminating the need for professional engineers to manually set up and tune the PA system. The audience devices self-organize into a distributed measurement network that automatically captures and transmits acoustic data.
Solution Approach 2:
Mobile devices serve multiple functions: they act as microphones for acoustic measurement, wireless transmitters for data communication, and positioning units for spatial mapping. This multi-functionality replaces dedicated professional measurement equipment and reduces setup requirements.
2Measurement precision
If professional PA system setup and tuning is performed, then auditory experience quality is improved, but equipment cost and skill requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system eliminates the need for highly-skilled sound engineers by using automated algorithms that process acoustic data captured by mobile devices. The complex signal processing and acoustic analysis are performed automatically through software rather than requiring manual expert intervention.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces physical professional measurement equipment (microphones, measurement devices) with virtual sensors implemented through mobile device applications. The mechanical and electronic complexity of dedicated measurement systems is substituted with software-based solutions running on ubiquitous consumer devices.
3Measurement precision
If acoustic measurements are performed in all audience positions, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity and operation difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The measurement task is segmented and distributed across multiple independent mobile devices held by different audience members. Each device independently captures acoustic data from its local position, and the system aggregates these distributed measurements to achieve comprehensive coverage without requiring centralized control or complex coordination.
Solution Approach 2:
Wireless communication networks serve as intermediaries that automatically transmit acoustic data from mobile devices to central processing systems. This intermediary infrastructure handles the complexity of data collection and aggregation, making the measurement process easy to operate while maintaining high precision through comprehensive spatial coverage.
4Adaptability or versatility
If audience participation is enabled through mobile devices, then user engagement is improved, but data management complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Mobile devices serve dual purposes: they are both the audience's personal computing devices for engagement and interaction, and scientific measurement instruments for acoustic data collection. This multi-functionality enables audience participation without requiring separate dedicated measurement equipment, thereby managing complexity through resource consolidation.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for wireless data exchange between devices in live events is presented. A method for exploring data of multiple devices in order to get information on the acoustic paths in different locations of venues is also provided. A method of exploring the microphones of sound-capturing devices of live event's audience is also presented.