Apparatus and Method for Driving an Array of Loudspeakers

Simple SummaryContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

This invention describes an apparatus and method for controlling an array of loudspeakers to create custom sound environments in specific areas (audio zones) by precisely synthesizing local sound fields. The system jointly optimizes both sound pressure and particle velocity (which together form the sound intensity) at selected control points on the contours surrounding these audio zones, enabling accurate creation of 'bright zones' where sound is focused, and 'dark zones' where sound is minimized. This optimization allows for the generation of multiple, personalized sound zones in one physical area, even in acoustically complex environments.

Use CasesContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• In-car entertainment systems allowing each passenger to enjoy their own audio content or silence without headphones.
• Home multi-room audio systems providing different music or audio experiences in distinct areas without sound leakage.
• Office or public spaces where audio privacy is required for meetings or work zones within a shared environment.
• Personalized audio zones in virtual reality (VR) gaming setups or cinemas creating immersive and individualized sound experiences.
• Museums or exhibitions where different areas have distinct audio guides or soundscapes without interfering with each other.

BenefitsContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Enables true personalized, multi-zone audio experiences within a single space.
• Reduces or eliminates audio leakage between zones, enhancing privacy and the quality of experience.
• Flexible for use with arbitrary loudspeaker arrangements and room geometries, not requiring idealized installations.
• Compensates for real-world acoustic conditions by incorporating measured room impulse responses.
• Can be applied in environments with strict audio separation requirements, providing both focused sound (bright zones) and quiet zones (dark zones).
• Supports frequency-dependent optimization, allowing accurate sound reproduction across different types of audio content.

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Patent Abstract

A local wave field synthesis apparatus (200) for driving an array of loudspeakers with drive signals to generate one or more local wave fields at one or more audio zones, the apparatus includes a determination module (40, 210) for determining desired sound pressures and desired particle velocity vectors at a plurality of control points, a computation module (60, 212) for computing sound pressures and particle velocity vectors at the plurality of control points based on a set of filter parameters, an optimization module (220) for computing an optimum set of filter parameters by jointly optimizing computed sound pressures towards the desired sound pressures and computed particle velocity vectors towards the desired particle velocity vectors, and a generator module (220) for generating the drive signals based on the optimum set of filter parameters, wherein the plurality of control points are located on one or more contours around the one or more audio zones.