System for Rendering and Playback of Object Based Audio in Various Listening Environments

• US 20180077511A1
• Filed: 11/17/2017
• Published: 03/15/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation (Dolby Laboratories Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation (Dolby Laboratories Incorporated)
• Inventors: MEHTA, Sripal S., CROCKETT, Brett G., HOOKS, Spencer, SEEFELDT, Alan, CHABANNE, Christophe, BROWN, C. Phillip, LANDO, Joshua B., BASLER, Brad, MURRIE, Stewart
• Granted Patent: US 10,412,523 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2205/022 Plurality of transducers corresponding to a plurality of sound channels in each earpiece of headphones or in a single enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2227/003 Digital PA systems using, e.g. LAN or internet
• CPC Class Codes: 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/02 Spatial or constructional arrangements of loudspeakers
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 2400/03 Aspects of down-mixing multi-channel audio to configurations with lower numbers of playback channels, e.g. 7.1 -> 5.1 H04S2400/01 takes precedence
• 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 2420/01 Enhancing the perception of the sound image or of the spatial distribution using head related transfer functions [HRTF's] or equivalents thereof, e.g. interaural time difference [ITD] or interaural level difference [ILD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 2420/03 Application of parametric coding in stereophonic audio systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/30 Control circuits for electronic adaptation of the sound field
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/301 Automatic calibration of stereophonic sound system, e.g. with test microphone
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/307 Frequency adjustment, e.g. tone control H04S7/301 takes precedence

Abstract

Embodiments are described for a system of rendering object-based audio content through a system that includes individually addressable drivers, including at least one driver that is configured to project sound waves toward one or more surfaces within a listening environment for reflection to a listening area within the listening environment; a renderer configured to receive and process audio streams and one or more metadata sets associated with each of the audio streams and specifying a playback location of a respective audio stream; and a playback system coupled to the renderer and configured to render the audio streams to a plurality of audio feeds corresponding to the array of audio drivers in accordance with the one or more metadata sets.

Claims

1. A speaker system for playback of audio content in a listening environment, comprising:

an enclosure; and

a plurality of individually addressable drivers placed within the enclosure and configured to project sound in at least two different directions relative to an axis of the enclosure, wherein at least one driver of the plurality of individually addressable drivers is configured to reflect sound off of at least one surface of the listening environment prior to the sound reaching a listener in the listening environment.

2. The speaker system of claim 1 further comprising a microphone configured to measure an acoustic characteristic of the listening environment

3. The speaker system of claim 2 further comprising a partial rendering component provided within the enclosure and configured to receive audio streams from a central processor and generate speaker feed signals for transmission to the plurality of individually addressable drivers.

4. The speaker system of claim 3 wherein the at least one driver comprises one of:

an upward-firing driver, a side-firing driver, and a front-firing driver.

5. The speaker system of claim 4 wherein the upward-firing driver is oriented so that sound waves are predominately propagated at an angle between 45 to 90 degrees relative to a horizontal axis of the enclosure.

6. The speaker system of claim 5 wherein the enclosure embodies a soundbar, and wherein at least one driver comprises a high-resolution center channel driver.

7. The speaker system of claim 6 wherein each individually addressable driver is uniquely identified within in accordance with a network protocol supported by a bi-directional interconnect coupling the speaker system to a renderer.