Three-dimensional sound compression and over-the-air transmission during a call

• US 9,161,149 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2012
• Issued: 10/13/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Visser, Erik, Kim, Lae-Hoon, Xiang, Pei
• Primary Examiner(s): PULLIAS, JESSE SCOTT
• Application Number:
  US13/664,701
• Publication Number:
  US 20130317830A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,077 Days
• Field of Search: 704200-257, 704500-504
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 19/00 Speech or audio signals analysis-synthesis techniques for redundancy reduction, e.g. in vocoders; Coding or decoding of speech or audio signals, using source filter models or psychoacoustic analysis in musical instruments G10H
• 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: H04S 3/006 in which a plurality of audio signals are transformed in a combination of audio signals and modulated signals, e.g. CD-4 systems

Abstract

A method for encoding three dimensional audio by a wireless communication device is disclosed. The wireless communication device detects an indication of a plurality of localizable audio sources. The wireless communication device also records a plurality of audio signals associated with the plurality of localizable audio sources. The wireless communication device also encodes the plurality of audio signals.

Claims

1. A method of transmitting three-dimensional audio by a wireless communication device, comprising:

capturing an auditory scene;

decomposing the auditory scene, based on using at least two microphone pairs located on the wireless communication device, into one or more audio signals representing different directions, representing one or more corners of the wireless communication device;

compressing the at least one or more audio signals, using at least one codec, to generate audio signal packets; and

transmitting the audio signal packets over the air in real-time.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more corners of the wireless communication device include a front left direction, a back left direction, a front right direction, and a back right direction.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the one or more corners of the wireless communication device are associated with a standard channel format surround sound system.

4. The method of claim 1, where the audio signal packets are transmitted over the air over a traffic channel during a call.

5. The method of claim 1, where the at least one codec is a speech codec.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the decomposing the auditory scene includes forming a first beam from one microphone pair in the at least two microphone pairs, and forming a second beam from a second microphone pair in the at least two microphone pairs.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the first beam and second beam are combined to amplify audio signals associated with a direction representing at least one corner of the one or more corners of the wireless communication device.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the first beam and second beam are null beams that are combined to attenuate audio signals associated with a direction representing at least one corner of the one or more corners of the wireless communication device.

9. A wireless communication device that is configured to transmit three-dimensional audio, comprising:

one or more processors configured to;

capture an auditory scene;

decompose the auditory scene, based on using at least two microphone pairs located on the wireless communication device, into one or more audio signals representing different directions, representing one or more corners of the wireless communication device;

compress the at least one or more audio signals, using at least one codec, to generate audio signal packets; and

transmit the audio signal packets over the air in real-time.

10. The wireless communication device of claim 9, wherein the one or more corners of the wireless communication device include a front left direction, a back left direction, a front right direction, and a back right direction.

11. The wireless communication device of claim 10, wherein the one or more corners of the wireless communication device are associated with a standard channel format surround sound system.

12. The wireless communication device of claim 9, where the audio signal packets are transmitted over the air over a traffic channel during a call.

13. The wireless communication device of claim 9, where the at least one codec is a speech codec.

14. The wireless communication device of claim 9, wherein the decomposing the auditory scene includes forming a first beam from one microphone pair in the at least two microphone pairs, and forming a second beam from a second microphone pair in the at least two microphone pairs.

15. The wireless communication device of claim 14, wherein the first beam and second beam are combined to amplify audio signals associated with a direction representing at least one corner of the one or more corners of the wireless communication device.

16. The wireless communication device of claim 14, wherein the first beam and second beam are null beams that are combined to attenuate audio signals associated with a direction representing at least one corner of the one or more corners of the wireless communication device.

17. An apparatus that is configured to transmit three-dimensional audio, comprising:

means for capturing an auditory scene;

means for decomposing the auditory scene, based on using at least two microphone pairs located on a wireless communication device, into one or more audio signals representing different directions, representing one or more corners of the wireless communication device;

means for compressing the at least one or more audio signals, using at least one codec, to generate audio signal packets; and

means for transmitting the audio signal packets over the air in real-time.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the one or more corners of the wireless communication device include a front left direction, a back left direction, a front right direction, and a back right direction.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the one or more corners of the wireless communication device are associated with a standard channel format surround sound system.

20. The apparatus of claim 17, where the audio signal packets are transmitted over the air over a traffic channel during a call.

21. The apparatus of claim 17, where the at least one codec is a speech codec.

22. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the decomposing the auditory scene includes forming a first beam from one microphone pair in the at least two microphone pairs, and forming a second beam from a second microphone pair in the at least two microphone pairs.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the first beam and second beam are combined to amplify audio signals associated with a direction representing at least one corner of the one or more corners of the wireless communication device.

24. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the first beam and second beam are null beams that are combined to attenuate audio signals associated with a direction representing at least one corner of the one or more corners of the wireless communication device.

25. A non-transitory tangible computer-readable medium that is configured to facilitate transmission of three-dimensional audio by a wireless communication device, the computer-readable medium having instructions thereon, the instructions comprising:

code for causing the wireless communication device to capture an auditory scene;

code for causing the wireless communication device to decompose the auditory scene, based on using at least two microphone pairs located on the wireless communication device, into one or more audio signals representing different directions, representing one or more corners of the wireless communication device;

code for causing the wireless communication device to compress the at least one or more audio signals, using at least one codec, to generate audio signal packets; and

code for causing the wireless communication device to transmit the audio signal packets over the air in real-time.

26. The computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the one or more corners of the wireless communication device include a front left direction, a back left direction, a front right direction, and a back right direction.

27. The computer-readable medium of claim 26, wherein the one or more corners of the wireless communication device are associated with a standard channel format surround sound system.

28. The computer-readable medium of claim 25, where the audio signal packets are transmitted over the air over a traffic channel during a call.

29. The computer-readable medium of claim 25, where the at least one codec is a speech codec.

30. The computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the decomposing the auditory scene includes forming a first beam from one microphone pair in the at least two microphone pairs, and forming a second beam from a second microphone pair in the at least two microphone pairs.

31. The computer-readable medium of claim 30, wherein the first beam and second beam are combined to amplify audio signals associated with a direction representing at least one corner of the one or more corners of the wireless communication device.

32. The computer-readable medium of claim 30, wherein the first beam and second beam are null beams that are combined to attenuate audio signals associated with a direction representing at least one corner of the one or more corners of the wireless communication device.