Apparatus for Capturing and Rendering a Plurality of Audio Channels

• US 20110002469A1
• Filed: 03/03/2008
• Published: 01/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Ojala, Pasi
• Application Number:
  US12/920,946
• Publication Number:
  US 20110002469A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/22
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 19/008 Multichannel audio signal coding or decoding using interchannel correlation to reduce redundancy, e.g. joint-stereo, intensity-coding or matrixing
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2201/401 2D or 3D arrays of transducers
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 2400/11 Positioning of individual sound objects, e.g. moving airplane, within a sound field H04S2420/13 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 2400/15 Aspects of sound capture and related signal processing for recording or reproduction
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/30 Control circuits for electronic adaptation of the sound field

Abstract

A method comprising selecting a subset of audio sources from a plurality of audio sources, and transmitting signals from said selected subset of audio sources to an apparatus, wherein said subset of audio sources is selected in dependence on information provided by said apparatus.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

selecting a subset of audio sources from a plurality of audio sources;

transmitting signals from said selected subset of audio sources to an apparatus;

wherein said subset of audio sources is selected in dependence on information provided by said apparatus.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising encoding said signals from said subset of audio sources before transmission.

3. The method of any previous claim wherein said plurality of audio sources comprises a plurality of microphones in a microphone lattice.

4. The method of any previous claim wherein said plurality of audio sources comprises a microphone array suitable for beam forming.

5. The method of any previous claim wherein said information provided by said apparatus comprises virtual listener coordinates.

6. The method of any of claims 1 to 4 wherein said information provided by said apparatus comprises audio source selection information.

7. The method of any previous claim further comprising providing configuration information relating to said plurality of audio sources to said apparatus.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said information provided by said apparatus is generated in dependence on said configuration information relating to said plurality of audio sources.

9. The method of claim 7 or 8, wherein said configuration information comprises relative positional information relating to said audio sources.

10. The method of claims 7 to 9, wherein said configuration information comprises orientation information relating to said audio sources.

38. A computer program code means adapted to perform any of the steps of claims 1 to 20 when the program is run on a processor.

11. A method comprising:

generating information relating a desired subset of audio sources from a plurality of audio sources;

supplying said information to an apparatus; and

receiving signals transmitted by said apparatus.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising decoding said received signals to synthesize a plurality of audio channels relating to said desired subset of audio sources.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising rendering said synthesized audio channels to provide a desired audio scene.

14. The method of claim 11 or 12 wherein said information relating to a desired subset of audio sources comprises virtual listener coordinates.

15. The method of any of claims 11 to 13 wherein said information relating to a desired subset of audio sources comprises audio source selection information.

16. The method of any of claims 11 to 15 further comprising receiving configuration information relating to the configuration of said plurality of audio sources.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said information relating to a desired subset of audio sources is generated in dependence on said configuration information.

18. The method of claim 16 or 17, wherein said configuration information comprises relative positional information relating to said audio sources.

19. The method of claims 16 to 18, wherein said configuration information comprises orientation information relating to said audio sources.

20. The method of claim 16 when dependent upon claim 13, wherein rendering said synthesized audio channels further comprises rendering said synthesized signals to provide a desired audio scene in dependence on said configuration information relating to said plurality of audio sources.

21. An apparatus comprising:

an audio source selector configured to select a subset of a plurality of audio sources in dependence on information provided by a further apparatus; and

an encoder configured to encode signals from said subset of audio sources and to transmit said encoded signal to said further apparatus.

22. The apparatus of claim 21 wherein said plurality of audio sources comprises a plurality of microphones in a microphone lattice.

23. The apparatus of claim 21 wherein said plurality of audio sources comprises a microphone array suitable for beam forming.

24. The apparatus of any of claims 21 to 23 wherein said information provided by said further apparatus comprises virtual listener coordinates.

25. The apparatus of any of claims 21 to 23 wherein said information provided by said apparatus comprises audio source selection information.

26. The apparatus of any of claims 21 to 25 further comprising a providing unit configured to provide configuration information relating to said plurality of audio sources to said further apparatus.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein said configuration information comprises relative positional information relating to said audio sources.

28. The apparatus of claim 26 or 27 wherein said configuration information comprises orientation information relating to said audio sources.

39. An electronic device comprising the apparatus as claimed in any of claims 21 to 37.

40. A chipset comprising the apparatus as claimed in any of claims 21 to 37.

29. An apparatus comprising:

a controller configured to provide information relating to a desired audio scene to a further apparatus; and

a decoder configured to receive an encoded signal from said further apparatus and decode the signal.

30. The apparatus of claim 29 further comprising a renderer configured to receive decoded signals from said decoder;

and

wherein said controller is further configured to provide a control signal to said renderer;

said renderer further configured to generate a desired audio scene in dependence on said decoded signal and said control signal.

31. The apparatus of claim 29 or 30 wherein said information relating to a desired subset of audio sources comprises virtual listener coordinates.

32. The apparatus of claim 29 or 30 wherein said information relating to a desired subset of audio sources comprises audio source selection information.

33. The apparatus of any of claims 29 to 32, wherein said controller is further configured to receive configuration information relating to the configuration of said plurality of audio sources.

34. The apparatus of claim 33 wherein said configuration information comprises relative positional information relating to said audio sources.

35. The apparatus of claim 33 or 34 wherein said configuration information comprises orientation information relating to said audio sources.

36. An apparatus comprising:

controlling means for providing information relating to a desired audio scene to a further apparatus; and

decoding means for receiving an encoded signal from said further apparatus, and for decoding the signal.

37. An apparatus comprising:

selecting means for selecting a subset of a plurality of audio sources in dependence on information provided by a further apparatus; and

encoding means for encoding signals from said subset of audio sources and for transmitting said encoded signal to said further apparatus.