Sound Processing Apparatus, Decoder, Encoder, Bitstream and Corresponding Methods

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This invention relates to a sound processing apparatus and associated encoding/decoding methods that improve spatial audio realism, particularly for virtual and augmented reality applications. The core idea is to use a panner to spatially position input audio signals (such as early reflections and diffracted sounds), then apply a small number of efficient dispersion filters to simulate the natural temporal and spatial dispersion of sound, and finally output the processed signals. Unlike conventional approaches that apply separate filters to each individual early reflection (leading to high computational cost), this invention applies dispersion filters after spatial combination, drastically reducing computation while maintaining perceptual authenticity.

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

• Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) acoustic environments to create more realistic soundscapes.
• Gaming audio engines that simulate immersive and believable 3D spaces.
• Professional audio rendering for cinema, music production, or architectural acoustics simulations.
• Hearing aid and audio device development to better reproduce spatial cues and room acoustics.
• Teleconferencing systems that render more natural, spatially accurate remote voices.

BenefitsContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Significantly reduces computational complexity when adding realistic early reflection and diffracted sound effects.
• Enables more natural and convincing immersive audio in VR/AR and multichannel audio systems.
• Parametric control of temporal and spatial dispersion allows fine-tuning for various acoustic scenarios.
• Can be implemented flexibly for headphones (binaural), virtual speakers, or real speaker arrays.
• The approach is bitstream-friendly, supporting efficient encoding, transmission, and configuration of audio scenes.

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Patent Abstract

A sound processing apparatus comprises a panner for spatial positioning of a plurality of input signals and for combining them into at least two spatial signals. The sound processing apparatus comprises a dispersion filter stage for receiving the spatial signals and for dispersion filtering the spatial signals to obtain a set of filtered spatial signals. The sound processing apparatus comprises an interface for providing a number of output signals, based on the filtered spatial signals.