System and Method for Sound System Simulation

• US 20090144036A1
• Filed: 11/30/2007
• Published: 06/04/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bose Corporation
• Original Assignee: Bose Corporation
• Inventors: Monks, Michael, Jorgensen, Morten, Ickler, Christopher B.
• Granted Patent: US 7,805,286 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 703/6
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2227/001 Adaptation of signal processing in PA systems in dependence of presence of noise
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2227/007 Electronic adaptation of audio signals to reverberation of the listening space for PA
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 29/001 for loudspeakers H04R29/007 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 1/002 Non-adaptive circuits, e.g. manually adjustable or static, for enhancing the sound image or the spatial distribution control circuits for electronic adaptation of the sound field H04S7/30

Abstract

A sound system design/simulation system includes background noise to provide more realistic sound renderings of the designed space and more accurate quality measures of the design space. The background noise may be provided as a library in the design system that allows the user to select a background noise profile. The user may also provide a recording of a background noise from the built space or from a similar space. The design system converts the recorded background noise to a background noise profile and adds the profile to the library of background noise profiles. The user can select a background noise profile and associate the profile with a specified space. The user can adjust the noise level of the background noise and the design system automatically updates one or more quality measures in response to the change in background noise level.

Claims

1. An audio simulation system comprising:

a model manager configured to enable a user to build a 3-dimensional model of a venue and place and aim one or more loudspeakers in the model;

an audio engine configured to estimate a coverage pattern in a portion of the venue based on at least one acoustic characteristic of a component of the model; and

an audio player generating at least two acoustic signals simulating an audio program played over the one or more loudspeakers in the model, each of the at least two acoustic signals including an audio program signal and a background noise signal.

2. The audio simulation system of claim 1 wherein the background noise signal is equalized to reduce linear distortions introduced by the audio player.

3. The audio simulation system of claim 1 further comprising a background noise library, the library including at least one user-defined background noise file, the user-defined background noise file including a noise profile portion and a background noise signal representing acoustic signal of the background noise, the noise profile portion used by the audio engine to estimate a speech intelligibility coverage pattern, the background noise signal played by the audio player simulating a background noise.

4. The audio simulation system of claim 3 wherein the background noise signal is recorded at the venue modeled by the simulation system.

5. The audio simulation system of claim 3 wherein the background noise signal is recorded at a venue similar to the venue modeled by the simulation system.

6. The audio simulation system of claim 3 wherein a level of the background noise signal is adjusted independently of the level of the audio program signal.

7. The audio simulation system of claim 6 wherein the speech intelligibility coverage pattern is automatically updated to reflect the independently adjusted background noise signal relative to the audio program signal.

8. The audio simulation system of claim 3 further comprising a profile editor configured to allow a user to graphically edit the noise profile portion of the user-defined background noise file.

9. An audio simulation method comprising:

providing an audio simulation system including a model manager, an audio engine, and an audio player;

building a model of a venue in the audio simulation system, the model including a sound system;

selecting a location in the model; and

generating at least two acoustic signals simulating an audio program played over the sound system in the model at the selected location, each of the at least two acoustic signals including an audio program signal and a background noise signal.

10. The audio simulation method of claim 9 further comprising selecting the background noise signal based on the venue.

11. The audio simulation method of claim 9 further comprising adjusting the background noise signal independently of the audio program signal.

12. The audio simulation method of claim 9 further comprising:

recording a background noise at an existing venue;

equalizing the recorded background noise to reduce linear distortions introduced by the audio player; and

saving the equalized background noise in a file, the file part of a library of background noise files selectable by the user.

13. The audio simulation system of claim 9 further comprising editing the background noise signal.

14. A computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions for performing a method comprising:

providing an audio simulation system including a model manager, an audio engine, and an audio player;

building a model of a venue in the audio simulation system, the model including a sound system;

selecting a location in the model; and

generating at least two acoustic signals simulating an audio program played over the sound system in the model at the selected location, each of the at least two acoustic signals including an audio program signal and a background noise signal.