Abstract: A directivity adjustment device that maintains a constant direct-to-reverberant ratio based on the detected location of a listener in relation to the speaker array is described. The directivity adjustment device may include a distance estimator, a directivity compensator, and an array processor. The distance estimator detects the distance between the speaker array and the listener. Based on this detected distance, the directivity compensator calculates a directivity index form a beam produced by the speaker array that maintains a predefined direct-to-reverberant sound energy ratio. The array processor receives the calculated directivity index and processes each channel of a piece of sound program content to produce a set of audio signals that drive one or more of the transducers in the speaker array to generate a beam pattern with the calculated directivity index.

Abstract: A method for adjusting audio being outputted through a beam forming loudspeaker array. Program audio is rendered to drive the loudspeaker array to produce sound beams having i) a main content pattern that is aimed at a listener, superimposed with ii) several diffuse content patterns that are aimed away from the listener. In response to receiving an alert message that refers to alert audio, the portion of the program audio in the main pattern is moved into the diffuse patterns, and the alert audio is rendered to drive the loudspeaker array so that the portion of the program audio in the main pattern is replaced with the alert audio. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.

Abstract: An audio system includes one or more loudspeaker cabinets, each having loudspeakers. Sensing logic determines an acoustic environment of the loudspeaker cabinets. The sensing logic may include an echo canceller. A low frequency filter corrects an audio program based on the acoustic environment of the loudspeaker cabinets. The system outputs an omnidirectional sound pattern, which may be low frequency sound, to determine the acoustic environment. The system may produce a directional pattern superimposed on an omnidirectional pattern, if the acoustic environment is in free space. The system may aim ambient content toward a wall and direct content away from the wall, if the acoustic environment is not in free space. The sensing logic automatically determines the acoustic environment upon initial power up and when position changes of loudspeaker cabinets are detected. Accelerometers may detect position changes of the loudspeaker cabinets.

Abstract: An audio system includes one or more loudspeaker cabinets, each having loudspeakers. The system outputs an omnidirectional sound pattern to determine the acoustic environment. Sensing logic determines an acoustic environment of the loudspeaker cabinets. The sensing logic may include an echo canceller. A playback mode processor adjusts an audio program according to a playback mode determined from the acoustic environment of the audio system. The system may produce a directional pattern superimposed on an omnidirectional pattern, if the acoustic environment is in free space. The system may aim ambient content toward a wall and direct content away from the wall, if the acoustic environment is not in free space. The sensing logic automatically determines the acoustic environment upon initial power up and when position changes of loudspeaker cabinets are detected. Accelerometers may detect position changes of the loudspeaker cabinets.

Abstract: An audio system includes a loudspeaker cabinet defining a longitudinal axis. Several loudspeaker transducers are distributed around the longitudinal axis. The audio system includes an audio rendering processor to cause the loudspeaker transducers to emit a sound field approximating a desired contour. The desired contour can be decomposed into a combination of several constituent modal beam components, and the audio rendering processor can render a truncated version of the decomposition to render an approximation of the desired contour. The desired contour can be one of a plurality of contours stored in a memory, or can be user defined. The cabinet includes a processor and a memory having instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the audio system decompose a desired contour and to render a truncated version of the decomposition. Related principles are described by way of reference to method and apparatus examples.

Abstract: An operating power level for a loudspeaker cabinet and a target power level for the loudspeaker cabinet are determined during output of an audio signal by the loudspeaker cabinet. The target power level is based on temperature data for the loudspeaker cabinet and varies as the temperature data changes. Based on the operating power level and the target power level, values of two or more control parameters for controlling audio output of the loudspeaker cabinet are generated, where at least one of the control parameters controls the gain of a specific audio frequency band. The audio signal is adjusted according to the generated values of the control parameters, where doing so reduces power consumption of the loudspeaker cabinet during the audio output. Other embodiments are also described.

Abstract: An audio system is provided that efficiently detects speaker arrays and configures the speaker arrays to output sound. In this system, a computing device may record the addresses and/or types of speaker arrays on a shared network while a camera captures video of a listening area, including the speaker arrays. The captured video may be analyzed to determine the location of the speaker arrays, one or more users, and/or the audio source in the listening area. While capturing the video, the speaker arrays may be driven to sequentially emit a series of test sounds into the listening area and a user may be prompted to select which speaker arrays in the captured video emitted each of the test sounds. Based on these inputs from the user, the computing device may determine an association between the speaker arrays on the shared network and the speaker arrays in the captured video.

Abstract: A method for operating a distributed wireless audio system including several loudspeaker cabinets all of which can communicate with each other as part of a computer network. The method receives temperature data that is indicative of temperature of a first loudspeaker cabinet, which has a network master responsibility of obtaining an audio signal from an audio source and wirelessly transmitting some of the audio signal to a second loudspeaker cabinet of several loudspeaker cabinets, for playback by the second loudspeaker cabinet, while playing back some of the audio signal by the first loudspeaker cabinet. The method determines whether a thermal threshold of the first loudspeaker cabinet has been reached, based on the temperature data. The method, in response to the thermal threshold being reached, gives up the network master responsibility from the first loudspeaker cabinet to the second loudspeaker cabinet, where doing so reduces temperature in the first loudspeaker cabinet.

Abstract: A system and method is described for generating a confidence level for data generated by a beamforming acoustic beacon system. The system may include an audio emission device to emit a set of sounds corresponding to a set of predefined modal patterns into a listening area. The sounds may be detected by an audio capture device to produce a set of impulse responses corresponding to the modal patterns. The impulse responses may be processed to produce a set of window synthesized impulse responses for various angles. These window synthesized impulse responses may (1) be formed based on a weighted set of the modal patterns that were originally used to emanate sound and (2) seek to emulate a target beam, which is also composed of the same weighted modal patterns. A confidence level may be computed based on the difference between the window synthesized impulse responses and the target beam pattern.

Abstract: A binaural sound reproduction system, and methods of using the binaural sound reproduction system to dynamically re-center a frame of reference for a virtual sound source, are described. The binaural sound reproduction system may include a head-mounted device, e.g., headphones, having a device sensor to provide device orientation data corresponding to a direction of the head-mounted device. The system may use the orientation data to determine whether the head-mounted device has moved over an angle within a range of movement, and may adjust an audio output to render the virtual sound source in an adjusted source direction based on the range of movement. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.

Abstract: A directivity adjustment device that maintains a constant direct-to-reverberant ratio based on the detected location of a listener in relation to the speaker array is described. The directivity adjustment device may include a distance estimator, a directivity compensator, and an array processor. The distance estimator detects the distance between the speaker array and the listener. Based on this detected distance, the directivity compensator calculates a directivity index form a beam produced by the speaker array that maintains a predefined direct-to-reverberant sound energy ratio. The array processor receives the calculated directivity index and processes each channel of a piece of sound program content to produce a set of audio signals that drive one or more of the transducers in the speaker array to generate a beam pattern with the calculated directivity index.

Abstract: A method for determining the orientation of a loudspeaker relative to a listening device is described. The method simultaneously drives each transducer to emit beam patterns corresponding to distinct orthogonal audio signals. The listening device senses sounds produced by the orthogonal audio signals and analyzes the sensed audio signal to determine the spatial orientation of the loudspeaker relative to the listening device. Other embodiments are also described.

Abstract: A process for reproducing sound using a loudspeaker array that is housed in a loudspeaker cabinet includes the selection of a number of sound rendering modes and changing the selected sound rendering mode based on changes in one or both of sensor data and a user interface selection. The sound rendering modes include a number of mid-side modes and at least one direct-ambient mode. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.

Abstract: A process for reproducing sound using a loudspeaker array that is housed in a loudspeaker cabinet includes the selection of a number of sound rendering modes and changing the selected sound rendering mode based on changes in one or both of sensor data and a user interface selection. The sound rendering modes include a number of mid-side modes and at least one direct-ambient mode. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.

Abstract: A process for reproducing sound using a loudspeaker array that is housed in a loudspeaker cabinet includes the selection of a number of sound rendering modes and changing the selected sound rendering mode based on changes in one or both of sensor data and a user interface selection. The sound rendering modes include a number of mid-side modes and at least one direct-ambient mode. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.

Abstract: A binaural sound reproduction system, and methods of using the binaural sound reproduction system to dynamically re-center a frame of reference for a virtual sound source, are described. The binaural sound reproduction system may include a head-mounted device, e.g., headphones, having a device sensor to provide device orientation data corresponding to a direction of the head-mounted device. The system may use the orientation data to determine whether the head-mounted device has moved over an angle within a range of movement, and may adjust an audio output to render the virtual sound source in an adjusted source direction based on the range of movement. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.

Abstract: A number of candidate binaural room impulse responses (BRIRs) are analyzed to select one of them as a selected first BRIR that is to be applied to diffuse audio, and another one as a selected second BRIR that is to be applied to direct audio, of a sound program. A first binaural rendering process is performed on the diffuse audio by applying the selected first BRIR and a first head related transfer function (HRTF) to the diffuse audio. A second binaural rendering process is performed on the direct audio by applying the selected second BRIR and a second HRTF to the direct audio. Results of the two binaural rendering processes are combined to produce headphone driver signals. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.

Abstract: A binaural sound reproduction system, and methods of using the binaural sound reproduction system to dynamically re-center a frame of reference for a virtual sound source, are described. The binaural sound reproduction system may include a reference device, e.g., a mobile device, having a reference sensor to provide reference orientation data corresponding to a direction of the reference device, and a head-mounted device, e.g., headphones, having a device sensor to provide device orientation data corresponding to a direction of the head-mounted device. The system may use the reference orientation data to determine whether the head-mounted device is being used in a static or dynamic use case, and may adjust an audio output to render the virtual sound source in an adjusted source direction based on the determined use case. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.

Abstract: An audio system that maintains an identical or similar direct-to-reverberant ratio for sound produced from a first speaker array and sound produced by a second speaker array at the location of a listener is described. The audio system may determine characteristics of the first and second speaker arrays, including the distance between the first speaker array and the listener and the second speaker array and the listener. Based on these characteristics, beam patterns are selected for one or more of the speaker arrays such that sound produced by each of the speaker arrays maintains a preferred direct-to-reverberant ratio at the location of the listener.

Abstract: A video conferencing system is described that includes a near-end and a far-end system. The near-end system records both audio and video of one or more users proximate to the near-end system. This recorded audio and video is transmitted to the far-end system through the data connection. The video stream and/or one or more settings of the recording camera are analyzed to determine the amount of a video frame occupied by the recorded user(s). The video conferencing system may directly analyze the video frames themselves and/or a zoom setting of the recording camera to determine a ratio or percentage of the video frame occupied by the recorded user(s). By analyzing video frames associated with an audio stream, the video conferencing system may drive a speaker array of the far-end system to more accurately reproduce sound content based on the position of the recorded user in a video frame.