DOLBY LABORATORIES LICENSING CORPORATION (20240267469). COORDINATION OF AUDIO DEVICES simplified abstract

COORDINATION OF AUDIO DEVICES

Organization Name

DOLBY LABORATORIES LICENSING CORPORATION

Inventor(s)

Glenn N. Dickins of Sydney (AU)

Christopher Graham Hines of Sydney (AU)

David Gunawan of Sydney (AU)

Richard J. Cartwright of Killara (AU)

Alan J. Seefeldt of Alameda CA (US)

Daniel Arteaga of Barcelona (ES)

Mark R.P. Thomas of Walnut Creek CA (US)

Joshua B. Lando of Mill Valley CA (US)

COORDINATION OF AUDIO DEVICES - A simplified explanation of the abstract

This abstract first appeared for US patent application 20240267469 titled 'COORDINATION OF AUDIO DEVICES

Simplified Explanation: The patent application describes an audio processing method that analyzes output signals from multiple microphones to determine context information about a speaker, such as their proximity to the microphones. This information is used to make audio processing changes to improve speech clarity.

• **Key Features and Innovation:**

   - Analyzing output signals from multiple microphones to determine context information about a speaker.
   - Selecting audio devices based on this context information.
   - Applying audio processing changes to improve speech clarity based on the speaker's location.

• **Potential Applications:**

   - Conference calls
   - Public speaking events
   - Voice recognition systems

• **Problems Solved:**

   - Enhancing speech clarity in audio environments with multiple microphones.
   - Improving the overall audio experience for listeners.

• **Benefits:**

   - Clearer speech transmission
   - Enhanced user experience
   - Improved audio quality in various settings

• **Commercial Applications:**

   - Audio conferencing systems
   - Public address systems
   - Voice-controlled devices

• **Prior Art:**

   Prior art related to this technology may include research on audio signal processing, microphone array systems, and speech enhancement techniques.

• **Frequently Updated Research:**

   Ongoing research in this field may focus on optimizing audio processing algorithms for different environments and applications.

Questions about audio processing technology:

1. How does this audio processing method improve speech clarity in noisy environments?

  - This method uses context information about the speaker's proximity to microphones to apply audio processing changes that enhance speech clarity and reduce background noise.

2. What are the potential limitations of this audio processing technology in real-world applications?

  - The effectiveness of this technology may vary depending on the acoustics of the environment and the positioning of microphones and speakers. Ongoing research aims to address these challenges and optimize the technology for diverse settings.

Original Abstract Submitted

an audio processing method may involve receiving output signals from each microphone of a plurality of microphones in an audio environment, the output signals corresponding to a current utterance of a person and determining, based on the output signals, one or more aspects of context information relating to the person, including an estimated current proximity of the person to one or more microphone locations. the method may involve selecting two or more loudspeaker-equipped audio devices based, at least in part, on the one or more aspects of the context information, determining one or more types of audio processing changes to apply to audio data being rendered to loudspeaker feed signals for the audio devices and causing one or more types of audio processing changes to be applied. in some examples, the audio processing changes have the effect of increasing a speech to echo ratio at one or more microphones.