# US 12,003,933 B2 · Rendering audio over multiple speakers with multiple activation criteria

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- Number: US 12,003,933 B2
- Document ID: US12003933B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/630,910
- Filed: 2020-07-25
- Published: 2022-10-06
- Granted: 2024-06-04
- Earliest claimed: 2019-07-30
- Assignees: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation; Dolby International AB
- Applicants: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation; Dolby International AB
- Inventors: Alan J. Seefeldt; Joshua B. Lando; Daniel Arteaga
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12003933B2

## CPC

- H04R 5/04: Circuit arrangements, {e.g. for selective connection of amplifier inputs/outputs to loudspeakers, for loudspeaker detection, or for adaptation of settings to personal preferences or hearing impairments (combinations of amplifiers H03F3/68; stereophonic systems H04S)}
- H04R 29/001: {for loudspeakers (H04R29/007 takes precedence)}
- H04S 7/303: {Tracking of listener position or orientation}
- H04R 5/02: Spatial or constructional arrangements of loudspeakers
- H04R 27/00: Public address systems (circuits for preventing acoustic reaction H04R3/02; circuits for distributing signals to loudspeakers H04R3/12; {monitoring or testing arrangements for public address systems H04R29/007}; amplifiers H03F)
- H04R 2227/005: Audio distribution systems for home, i.e. multi-room use
- H04R 2227/009: Signal processing in [PA] systems to enhance the speech intelligibility
- H04R 2400/01: Transducers used as a loudspeaker to generate sound aswell as a microphone to detect sound
- H04R 2420/03: Connection circuits to selectively connect loudspeakers or headphones to amplifiers
- H04R 2430/01: Aspects of volume control, not necessarily automatic, in sound systems
- H04R 2430/03: Synergistic effects of band splitting and sub-band processing
- H04R 2430/20: Processing of the output signals of the acoustic transducers of an array for obtaining a desired directivity characteristic (H04R2203/12 takes precedence)
- H04S 2400/11: Positioning of individual sound objects, e.g. moving airplane, within a sound field (H04S2420/13 takes precedence)
- H04S 2400/13: Aspects of volume control, not necessarily automatic, in stereophonic sound systems
- H04S 2400/15: Aspects of sound capture and related signal processing for recording or reproduction
- H04S 2420/07: Synergistic effects of band splitting and sub-band processing
- H04R: LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; ELECTRIC HEARING AIDS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS (producing sounds with frequency not determined by supply frequency G10K)
- H04S: STEREOPHONIC SYSTEMS

## Abstract

Methods for rendering audio for playback by two or more speakers are disclosed. The audio includes one or more audio signals, each with an associated intended perceived spatial position. Relative activation of the speakers may be a cost function of a model of perceived spatial position of the audio signals when played back over the speakers, a measure of proximity of the intended perceived spatial position of the audio signals to positions of the speakers, and one or more additional dynamically configurable functions. The dynamically configurable functions may be based on at least one or more properties of the audio signals, one or more properties of the set of speakers and/or one or more external inputs.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An audio processing method, comprising:
receiving, by a control system and via an interface system, audio data, the audio data including one or more audio signals and associated spatial data, the spatial data indicating an intended perceived spatial position corresponding to an audio signal;
rendering, by the control system, the audio data for reproduction via a set of loudspeakers of an environment, to produce rendered audio signals, wherein rendering each of the one or more audio signals included in the audio data comprises determining activating gains for each loudspeaker of a set of loudspeakers in an environment by optimizing a cost function that includes the following components:
a model of perceived spatial position of the audio signal played when played back over the set of loudspeakers in the environment;
a measure of proximity of the intended perceived spatial position of the audio signal to a position of each loudspeaker of the set of loudspeakers; and
one or more additional dynamically configurable functions, wherein the one or more additional dynamically configurable functions are based on one or more of: proximity of loudspeakers to one or more listeners; proximity of loudspeakers to an attracting force position, wherein an attracting force is a factor that favors relatively higher activation gains for loudspeakers in closer proximity to the attracting force position; proximity of loudspeakers to a repelling force position, wherein a repelling force is a factor that favors relatively lower activation gains for loudspeakers in closer proximity to the repelling force position; capabilities of each loudspeaker relative to other loudspeakers in the environment;
wakeword performance; or echo canceller performance; and
providing, via the interface system, the rendered audio signals to at least some loudspeakers of the set of loudspeakers of the environment.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The audio processing method of claim 1, wherein the model of perceived spatial position produces a binaural response corresponding to an audio object position at the left and right ears of a listener.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The audio processing method of claim 1, wherein the model of perceived spatial position places the perceived spatial position of an audio signal playing from a set of loudspeakers at a center of mass of the set of loudspeakers' positions weighted by the loudspeaker's associated activating gains.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The audio processing method of claim 3, wherein the model of perceived spatial position also produces a binaural response corresponding to an audio object position at the left and right ears of a listener.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The audio processing method of claim 1, wherein the one or more additional dynamically configurable functions are based, at least in part, on a level of the one or more audio signals.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The audio processing method of claim 1, wherein the one or more additional dynamically configurable functions are based, at least in part, on a spectrum of the one or more audio signals.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The audio processing method of claim 1, wherein the one or more additional dynamically configurable functions are based, at least in part, on a location of each of the loudspeakers in the environment.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The audio processing method of claim 1, wherein the capabilities of each loudspeaker include one or more of frequency response, playback level limits or parameters of one or more loudspeaker dynamics processing algorithms.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The audio processing method of claim 1, wherein the one or more additional dynamically configurable functions are based, at least in part, on a measurement or estimate of acoustic transmission from each loudspeaker to the other loudspeakers.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The audio processing method of claim 1, wherein the one or more additional dynamically configurable functions are based, at least in part, on a location or locations of one or more people in the environment.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The audio processing method of claim 10, wherein the one or more additional dynamically configurable functions are based, at least in part, on a measurement or estimate of acoustic transmission from each loudspeaker to the location or locations of the one or more people.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The audio processing method of claim 1, wherein the one or more additional dynamically configurable functions are based, at least in part, on an object location of one or more non-loudspeaker objects in the environment.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The audio processing method of claim 12, wherein the one or more additional dynamically configurable functions are based, at least in part, on a measurement or estimate of acoustic transmission from each loudspeaker to the object location.

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

The audio processing method of claim 1, wherein the one or more additional dynamically configurable functions are based, at least in part, on an estimate of acoustic transmission from each speaker to one or more landmarks, areas or zones of the environment.

### Claim 15 (depends on 1)

The audio processing method of claim 1, wherein the intended perceived spatial position corresponds to at least one of a channel of a channel-based audio format or positional metadata.

### Claim 16 (depends on 1)

A system configured to perform the method of claim 1.

### Claim 17 (depends on 1)

One or more non-transitory media having software stored thereon, the software including instructions for controlling one or more devices to perform the method of claim 1.