Multiple display systems with enhanced acoustics experience

• US 8,565,455 B2
• Filed: 12/31/2008
• Issued: 10/22/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Worrell, Devon, Balraj, Vishnu, Kambhatla, Srikanth, Wong, Kar Leong
• Primary Examiner(s): Reames, Matthew
• Assistant Examiner(s): LIU, BENJAMIN T
• Application Number:
  US12/347,899
• Publication Number:
  US 20100166193A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,756 Days
• Field of Search: 381/17, 381/18, 381/1, 381/300, 381/303, 381/306, 381/307, 381/309, 381/310, 381/11
• US Class Current: 381/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/301 Automatic calibration of stereophonic sound system, e.g. with test microphone

Abstract

A method and a system are described providing multiple display systems with an enhanced acoustics experience. A source audio signal having a plurality of source audio channels is generated from an audio signal source. The system includes a plurality of speakers connected to a plurality of display systems. A speaker configuration gatherer determines the spatial configuration of the speakers. An audio signal processor is provided to generate synthesized audio signal based on the contents of the source audio signal and spatial configuration of the speakers. The synthesized audio signal is mapped and delivered to the speakers to produce an enhanced sound field.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

generating a source audio signal having a plurality of source audio channels;

determining a spatial configuration of a plurality of speakers, wherein each speaker is connected to a respective display system of a plurality of display systems, wherein the speakers are each fixable connected to the respective display systems, wherein determining the spatial configuration of the speakers comprises configuring a graphical user interface (GUI) to receive user input regarding the physical placement of the plurality of display systems with respect to one another;

processing the source audio signal based on the spatial configuration of the speakers and the contents of the source audio signal to generate a synthesized audio signal, the synthesized audio signal including at least one audio channel not otherwise present in the source audio signal; and

delivering the synthesized audio signal to the plurality of speakers to produce an enhanced sound field.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the spatial configuration of the speakers includes one of a two-dimensional (2D) and a three-dimensional (3D) configuration.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein processing the source audio signal includes modifying one or more spatial cues in the source audio signal.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein processing the source audio signal includes duplicating the source audio channels to generate the synthesized audio signal.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein processing the source audio signal includes mapping a plurality of synthesized audio channels in the synthesized audio signal to the respective speakers.

6. An apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of speakers, wherein each speaker is connected to a respective display system of a plurality of display systems, wherein the speakers are each fixably connected to the respective display systems;

a speaker configuration gatherer adapted to determine a spatial configuration of the speakers, wherein determining the spatial configuration of the speakers comprises a graphical user interface (GUI) configured to receive user input regarding the physical placement of the plurality of display systems with respect to one another;

a source audio signal derived from an audio signal source; and

an audio signal processor adapted to;

generate a synthesized audio signal based on the contents of the source audio signal and the spatial configuration of the speakers, the synthesized audio signal including at least one audio channel not otherwise present in the source audio signal; and

deliver the synthesized audio signal to the speakers to produce an enhanced sound field.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the speaker configuration gatherer is capable of determining one of two-dimensional (2D) and a three-dimensional (3D) spatial configuration of the speakers.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the audio signal processor is capable of modifying one or more spatial cues in the source audio signal.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the synthesized audio signal includes a plurality of synthesized audio channels duplicated from one or more source audio channels in the source audio signal.

10. A system, comprising:

a plurality of speakers, wherein each speaker is connected to a respective display system of a plurality of display systems, wherein the speakers are each fixably connected to the respective display systems;

a speaker configuration gatherer adapted to determine a spatial configuration of the speakers, wherein determining the spatial configuration of the speakers comprises a graphical user interface (GUI) configured to receive user input regarding the physical placement of the plurality of display systems with respect to one another;

a source audio signal derived from an audio signal source; and

an audio signal processor adapted to generate a synthesized audio signal based on the contents of the source audio signal and spatial configuration of the speakers, the synthesized audio signal including at least one audio channel not otherwise present in the source audio signal; and

a hardware interface adapted to receive the synthesized audio signal and to provide an audio-visual connection to the display systems to the speakers to produce an enhanced sound field.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the speaker configuration gatherer is capable of determining one of two-dimensional (2D) and a three-dimensional (3D) spatial configuration of the speakers.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the audio signal processor is capable of modifying one or more spatial cues in the source audio signal.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the synthesized audio signal includes a plurality of synthesized audio channels duplicated from one or more source audio channels in the source audio signal.