Method and System for Optimizing Audio Quality Perception Based on Real-time Dynamic Feedback (17-Dec-2009)

Method and System for Optimizing Audio Quality Perception Based on Real -time Dynamic Feedback

Disclosed is a method and system for optimizing audio quality perception using a feedback loop between a listener and an entertainment system's audio processor. This is accomplished by detecting the state of and changes to a listening environment, and the location of listeners. Based on the detected changes, the method and system dynamically optimizes the audio quality for the listeners.

Fig. 1 shows a listening environment in which sensors are placed in strategic locations. The sensors include fixed position audio sensors (dark spheres) at strategic locations in the sitting area.

Figure 1

The sensors can be, but are not limited to, tiny powered wireless devices and communicate via Bluetooth* or some other wireless protocol. Alternatively, the sensors may also be wired directional microphones. These sensors detect the sound as perceived by those listeners in close proximity to the sensors. They communicate with the home entertainment sound system providing feedback allowing the sound system to optimize the listening experience. This feedback to the sound system causes the dynamic equalizer, frequency-domain delay engine, amplifier, and phase adjuster to optimize the clarity and perceived quality of the sound for the listener. Moreover, the method and system may determine the location of the listeners in the room using a variety of enabling technologies. In a scenario, a set of sensors (shown as squares in Fig. 1) use Infrared (IR) technology to detect and track movement and location of the listeners. Alternatively, the listeners can wear RFID tags that permit accurate tracking of their location. In another scenario, pressure sensors may be placed in the seat in a

1

home theatre setup to identify listener locations.

For example, a room may include eight distributed sensors (shown in Fig.1). If there are two people sitting in the room near two of the sensors as shown in Fig. 2, the system will optimize the sound quality for those two sensors. However, the system may not attempt to optimize the sound quality for the other six sensors. If a third person walks into the room, the system will detect the third person's location and the sensors proximate to the third person. The system then records the new location of the third person. In a scenario, this can be achieved through a weighted algorithm which identifies the 'center of gravity for all of the listeners in the room. The speaker's volume and direction may be changed by the system such that from the perspective of the 'center of gravity location', the volume of each speaker is the same. The channels that each speaker broadcast may also be modified based on the location of each person in the room. In ano...