Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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SOUND FIELD REPRODUCTION
BACKGROUND
1. Technical Field
[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of sound field
reproduction. In
particular, to a system and method for reproducing a sound field received by
two or more
microphones.
2. Related Art
[0002] Stereo and multichannel microphone configurations may be used to
receive
and/or transmit a sound field that is a spatial representation of an audible
environment
associated with the microphones. The received audio signals may be used to
reproduce
the sound field using audio transducers. Many computing device may have
multiple
integrated audio transducers for reproducing an audible environment and
communication
with other users. The original sound field may or may not be faithfully
reproduced
depending on compatibility of the orientation the computing device with
spatial
representation included in the received audio signal.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0003] The system and method may be better understood with reference to the
following drawings and description. The components in the figures are not
necessarily to
scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the
disclosure.
Moreover, in the figures, like referenced numerals designate corresponding
parts
throughout the different views.
[0004] Other systems, methods, features and advantages will be, or will
become,
apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the following
figures and
detailed description. It is intended that all such additional systems,
methods, features and
advantages be included with this description, be within the scope of the
invention, and be
protected by the following claims.
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[0005] Figs. 1A-1C are schematic representations of a computing device showing
example microphone and audio transducer placements.
[0006] Fig. 2 is a schematic representation of a first user communicating with
a second
user through the use of a first computing device and a second computing
device.
[0007] Fig. 3 is a schematic representation of the first user communicating
with the
second user where the second computing device microphones and audio
transducers are
oriented perpendicular to the sound field associated with the second user.
[0008] Fig. 4 is a schematic representation of the first user communicating
with the
second user where the second computing devices microphones and audio
transducers are
inverted in orientation to the sound field associated with the second user.
[0009] Fig. 5 is a schematic representation of the first user communicating
with the
second user where the second computing device has the back surface of the
second
computing device orientated toward the second user.
[0010] Fig. 6 is a schematic representation of the first user communicating
with the
second user where the second user has the second computing device oriented
towards a
third user.
[0011] Fig. 7 is a schematic representation of the first user communicating
with the
second user where the second computing devices microphones and audio
transducers are
changing orientation relative to the sound field associated with the second
user.
[0012] Fig. 8 is a schematic representation of a system for reproducing a
sound field.
[0013] Fig. 9 is a further schematic representation of a system for
reproducing a sound
field.
[0014] Fig. 10 is flow diagram representing a method for reproducing a sound
field.
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0015] In a system and method for reproducing a sound field the orientation of
a
computing device may be detected. Several orientation indications may be used
to detect
the computing device orientation. The detected orientation may be relative to
a sound
field that is a spatial representation of an audible environment associated
with the
computing device. Audio transducers associated with the computing device may
be
selected in order to reproduce the sound field based on the detected
orientation. A
received encoding may be processed and reproduced with the selected audio
transducers.
[0016] Figures 1A-1C are schematic representations of a computing device
showing
example microphone and audio transducer placements. Figure 1A shows a front
surface
view of the computing device 102 with example microphone 110 and audio
transducer
108 placements. Audio transducers 108 may also be referred to as audio
speakers. The
microphones 110 may be located on the front surface of the computing device
102. The
audio transducers 108 may be located on the bottom surface 104 and the front
surface.
The computing device 102 may include one or more components including a
display
screen 106 and a camera 112 located on the front surface. Figure 1B shows a
back
surface view of the computing device 102 with example microphone 110 and audio
transducer 108 placements. The microphones 110 may be located on the back
surface
118 and the top surface 116 of the computing device 102. The audio transducer
108 may
be located on the top surface 116 of the computing device 102. The computing
device
102 may include one or more components including a camera 112 located on the
back
surface 118 of the computing device 102 and a headphone connector 122 located
on the
top surface 116 of the computing device 102. Figure 1C shows a side surface
view of the
computing device 102 with example microphone 110 and audio transducer 108
placements. The microphone 110 and the audio transducer 108 may be located on
the
side surface 120 of the computing device 102. The number and location of the
microphones 110, the audio transducers 108 and the other components of the
computing
device 102 shown in figures 1A-1C are example locations. The computing device
102
may include more or less microphones 110, audio transducers 108 and other
components
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located in any position associated with the computing device 102. Microphones
110 and
audio transducers 108 may be associated with the computing device 102 using a
wired or
wireless connection (not shown). For example, many headsets that plug into the
headphone connector 116 may include microphones 110 or audio transducers 108.
[0017] Figure 2 is a schematic representation of a first user communicating
with a
second user through the use of a first computing device and a second computing
device.
The first user 208 communicates with the second user 210 where the first user
208
utilizes the first computing device 102A connected via a communication network
204 to
the second computing device 102B utilized by the second user 210. The
communication
network 204 may be a wide area network (WAN), a local area network (LAN), a
cellular
network, the Internet or any other type of communications network. The first
computing
device 102A and the second computing device 102B may connect 206 to the
communication network 204 using a wireless or wired communications protocol.
Figure
2 shows the first computing device 102A oriented toward the first user 208 so
that the
front surface is pointed towards the face of the first user 208. The first
user 208 can view
the display screen 106 and the camera 112 may capture an image of the first
user 208.
Two microphones 110A may be located on the front surface of the first
computing device
102A where the microphones 110A may receive, or capture, a sound field 212A
relative
to the first user 208. The sound field 212A associated with two microphones
110A may
also be referred to as a stereo sound field 212A. More than two microphones
110A may
capture a multichannel sound field 212A. The orientation of first computing
device 102A
relative to the first user 208 may capture a stereo, or horizontal, sound
field.
[0018] The two audio transducers 108A on the bottom surface 104 of the first
computing device 102A may reproduce a stereo, or horizontal, sound field 214A
with the
shown orientation relative to the first user 208. More than two audio
transducers 108A
may reproduce a multichannel sound field 214A. The second user 210 and the
second
computing device 102B are shown to be in the same orientation as the first
user 208 and
the first computing device 102A. The first computing device 102A and the
second
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computing device 102B may not have the same arrangement of microphones 110,
audio
transducers 108 or other components as shown in Figure 2.
[0019] The first user 208 communicates to the second user 210 whereby the
sound field
212A received by the microphones 110A on the first computing device 102A is
encoded
and transmitted to the second computing device 102B. The second computing
device
102B reproduces the received encoding of the sound field 212B with the audio
transducers 108B. The microphones 110A on the first computing device 102 have
similar horizontal orientation to the first user 208 as the audio transducers
108B on the
second computing device 102B have to the second user 210 whereby the stereo
sound
field 212B is reproduced by the audio transducers 108B. The second user 210
may
communicate the stereo sound field 214B to the first user 208 in a similar
fashion to that
of the sound field 212A since orientation of the microphones 110A and 110B,
audio
transducers 108A and 108B and first user 208 and second user 210 are similar.
[0020] Figures 1 through 7 have a reference numbering scheme where microphones
110
references to any of the microphones 110A, 110B, 110C, 110CC, 110D, etc. while
110A
is limited to the instance labeled as such. The reference numbering scheme is
similar for
the computing devices 102 and the audio transducers 108. The first user 208
and the
second user 210 may be referenced as the user 208.
[0021] Figure 3 is a schematic representation of the first user communicating
with the
second user where the second computing device microphones and audio
transducers are
oriented substantially perpendicular to the sound field associated with the
second user.
The first user 208 and the first computing device 102A in Figure 3 are
orientated the
same as that shown in Figure 2. The second user 210 and the second computing
device
102C are orientated so that the microphones 110C and the audio transducers
108C are
substantially perpendicular to the sound fields 212C and 214C associated with
the second
user 210. An alternative way of describing the computing device orientation
relative to
the user position is that the first computing device 102A is in a portrait
orientation
relative to the first user 208 and the second computing device 102C is in a
landscape
orientation relative to the second user 210. The encoded sound field 212A
received by
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the second computing device 102C may be reproduced in the same fashion
described in
Figure 2 without regard to the orientation of the second user 210. The
reproduced sound
field 212C may not create a stereo, or horizontal, sound field 212C because of
the second
computing device 102C orientation. A system and method for reproducing the
sound
field 212C may detect the orientation of second computing device 102C and
process the
received sound field 212A accordingly. For example, the second computing
device 102C
may process the received sound field 212A to produce a mono output using the
audio
transducers 108C since the second user 210 will not be able to perceive a
stereo sound
field 212C with the orientation of the second computing device 102C. The
processed
mono output may provide improved signal to noise ratio (SNR). Alternatively
two or
more different audio transducers 108 may be selected to reproduce the sound
field 212C.
For example, if the second audio device 102C has an audio transducer 108CC
horizontally opposite the audio transducer 108C on the bottom surface 104, a
different
audio transducer 108 selection may direct the reproduction of the sound field
212C to the
audio transducer 108CC and the audio transducer 108C creating a stereo, or
horizontal,
sound field 212C relative to the second user 210.
[0022] The encoded sound field 212A communicated from the first computing
device
102A may include the received audio signals from the microphones 110A and
associated
descriptive information. The associated descriptive information may include a
number of
received audio channels, a physical location of the microphones, a computing
device
102A identification number, a computing device 102A orientation, video
synchronization
information and any other associated information. The second computing device
102C
may utilize the associated descriptive information to select which of the two
or more
audio transducers 108C are utilized to reproduce the sound field 212C. The
associated
descriptive information may be used to process the received encoded sound
field 212A.
For example, the associated descriptive information may improve the mixing of
multiple
audio channels to a fewer number of audio channels. Similar descriptive
information
may also be associated with the encoded sound field 214C.
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[0023] The second user 210 in Figure 3 and the second computing device 102C
are
orientated where the microphones 110C are perpendicular to the sound field
214C
associated with the second user 210. The microphones 110C will capture a
vertical
sound field in the shown second computing device 102C orientation. The
orientation of
the second computing device 102C may be detected and the captured sound field
214C
processed as a vertical sound field. For example, the second computing device
102C may
process the captured sound field 214C to produce a mono sound field 214C since
the first
user 208 will not be able to perceive a stereo sound field 214A with the
orientation of the
second computing device 102C. The mono sound field 214C may provide improved
signal to noise ratio (SNR). Alternatively two or more different microphones
110 may be
selected to receive the sound field 214C. For example, if the second audio
device 102C
has a microphone 110CC horizontally opposite the microphones 110C on the front
surface, a different microphone 110 selection may direct the capture of the
sound field
214C to the microphones 110C and the microphone 110CC located on the bottom
surface
104 capturing a stereo, or horizontal, sound field 214C relative to the second
user 210.
[0024] Microphones 110 and audio transducers 108 may be selected responsive to
one
or more indications of orientation of the computing device 102. The one or
more
indications of orientation may be detected relative to the desired sound
fields 212 and 214
associated with the computing device 102. The processing of the received and
reproduced sound fields 212 and 214 may be performed responsive to the one or
more
indications of orientation of the computing device 102. The indications of
orientation of
the computing device 102 may include one or more of a sensor reading, an
active
component, an operating mode and a relative position of a user 208 interacting
with the
computing device 102. The sensor reading may be generated by one of more of a
magnetometer, an accelerometer, a proximity sensor, a gravity sensor, a
gyroscope and a
rotational vector sensor associated with the computing device 102. The active
component may include one or more of a front facing camera 112, a back facing
camera
112 or a remote camera 112. The operating mode may include one or more of a
software
application and an orientation lock setting. The relative position of a user
208 interacting
with the computing device 102 may include facial analysis or head tracking.
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[0025] Figure 3 shows the first user 208 and the second user 210 using a
video conference software application. The first computing device 102A shows
an image
of the second user 210 on the display screen 106. The second computing device
102C
shows an image of the first user 208 on the display screen 106. The
videoconference
software application may utilize one or more indications of orientation to
determine how
to display the image on the display screen 106. The selection of which
microphones 110
and audio transducers 108 are utilized may be responsive to how the image is
oriented on
the display screen 106. The orientation detection may select orientation
indications
relative to the video conferencing application instead of the computing device
102
physical orientation. For example, a user 208 hanging upside down while
holding the
computing device 102A in a portrait orientation may use facial recognition
software to
orient the sound field 212A instead of a gyroscope sensor.
[0026] Figure 4 is a schematic representation of the first user communicating
with the
second user where the second computing devices microphones and audio
transducers are
inverted in orientation to the sound field associated with the second user.
Figure 4 shows
the second user 210 interacting with the second computing device 102D that is
in an
inverted orientation relative to the second user 210. The front surface of the
second
computing device 102D is directed toward the second user 210 and the bottom
surface
104 is aligned with the top of the head of the second user 210. The sound
field 214D
received by the microphones 110D will be inverted relative to the orientation
of the first
computing device 102A and the first user 208. The received sound field 214D
may be
processed before encoding to compensate for the inverted orientation. The
processing
may include swapping, or switching, the two received microphone 110D channels
that
represent the sound field 214D. An alternative approach may have the first
computing
device 102A process the encoded sound field 214D to compensate for the
inverted
orientation of the second computing device 102D by swapping, or switching, the
audio
channels. The first computing device 102A may perform the processing
responsive to the
associated descriptive information.
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[0027] The inverted orientation of the audio transducers 108D on the second
computing
devices 102D may result in an inverted reproduction of the sound field 212D.
The
inverted reproduction of the sound field 212D may be corrected in a similar
fashion to
that used for the microphones 110D described above with reference to Figure 4.
The
inverted sound field 212D may be adjusted by processing the received sound
field 212A
in the first computing device 102A or through processing the received sound
field 212A
in the second computing device 102D.
[0028] Figure 5 is a schematic representation of the first user communicating
with the
second user where the second computing device has the back surface of the
second
computing device orientated toward the second user. The second computing
device 102E
is shown with the back surface oriented towards the second user 210. The back
surface
orientation shown in Figure 5 results in the sound field 214E received by the
microphones 110, not shown, and the sound field 212E reproduced by the audio
transducers 108E to be reversed. The microphones 110 associated with the
second
computing device 102E may be located in the same position as the second
computing
device 102D. The reversing of the sound fields 212E and 214E may be adjusted
in a
similar fashion to that described above with reference to Figure 4. Additional
selection
and processing of the microphones (not shown) and audio transducers 108E on
the
second computing device 102E may be performed with a different layout of
microphones
110 and audio transducers 108.
[0029] Figure 6 is a schematic representation of the first user communicating
with the
second user where the second user has the second computing device oriented
towards a
third user. The front surface of the second computing device 102F is shown
oriented
toward the second user 210 with the back camera 112, not shown, on the back
surface
oriented towards a third user 604. A video conferencing application displays
the third
user 604 on the first computing device 102A and the first user 208 on the
second
computing device 102F. The microphones 110F capture the sound field 214F
associated
with the third user 604 resulting in an inverted sound field 214A relative to
the first
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computing device 102A. An approach similar to that described in Figure 4 for
adjusting
the inverted sound field 214D may be applied.
[0030] Figure 7 is a schematic representation of the first user communicating
with the
second user where the second computing device microphones and audio
transducers are
changing orientation relative to the sound field 214G associated with the
second user.
The second computing device 102G is shown with a changing orientation 704
relative to
the second user 210. The changing orientation 704 of the second computing
device 102G
may be interpreted as starting in a portrait orientation and transitioning to
a landscape
orientation. The description above referencing Figure 2 describes how the
microphones
110G may be selected and the sound field 214G may be encoded when the second
computing device 102G is in a portrait orientation. The description above
referencing
Figure 2 also describes how to process the sound field 2120 and select audio
transducers
108G. The description above referencing Figure 3 describes how the microphones
110G
may be selected and the sound field 214G may be encoded when the second
computing
device 1020 is in a landscape orientation. The description above referencing
Figure 3
also describes how to process the sound field 2120 and select audio
transducers 108G.
When the second computing device 1020 is oriented partway between portrait and
landscape orientation the sound fields 212G and 214G may be processed as
portrait or
landscape as described above. One approach processes, or mixes, the
orientation of the
sound fields 2120 and 214G in a way that creates a smooth transition between a
portrait
orientation and a landscape orientation. For example, the second computing
device 102G
in portrait orientation may encode two microphones 1100 resulting in a stereo,
or
horizontal, sound field 2140. When the second computing device 102G is changed
to a
landscape orientation, the two microphones 110G may be processed to encode a
mono
sound field 2140. The first user 208 may audibly detect a noticeable change in
the sound
field 214A as it switches from stereo to mono. An alternative approach that
may mitigate
the noticeable change in the sound field 214A during a transition may mix, or
process,
over time the sound field 214G in the first orientation and the sound field
214G in the
second orientation. The first user 208 may perceive a smooth transition
between the
stereo portrait orientation to the mono landscape orientation. For example,
variable ratio,
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or pan-law, mixing between the first orientation and the second orientation
may allow the
first user 208 to perceive the sound field 214A to have a constant loudness
level during
the transition. Pan-law mixing applies a sine weighting. Mixing the received
sound field
214G between the first orientation and the second orientation may comprise any
number
of selected microphone 110 and a changing number of microphones 110.
[0031] In another example, the second computing device 102G in portrait
orientation
may reproduce a stereo, or horizontal, sound field 212G using two audio
transducers
1080. When the second computing device 102G is changed to a landscape
orientation,
the two audio transducers 1080 may be processed to reproduce a mono sound
field
212G. The second user 210 may detect a noticeable change in the sound field
212G as it
switches from stereo to mono. One approach that may mitigate the noticeable
change in
the sound field 212G during a transition may mix, or process, the sound field
212A over
time when transitioning from the first orientation to the second orientation.
The second
user 210 may perceive a smooth transition between the stereo portrait
orientation to the
mono landscape orientation. For example, pan-law mixing between the first
orientation
and the second orientation may allow the second user 210 to perceive the sound
field
212G to have a constant loudness level during the transition. Mixing the
received sound
field 212A between the first orientation and the second orientation may
comprise any
number of selected audio transducers 1080 and a changing number of audio
transducers
108G.
[0032] The computing devices 102A-G shown in Figures 2-7 may be similar to any
computing device 102 as described referencing Figure 1. The associated
microphone
110A-G and 110CC may be similar to any microphone 110 as described referencing
Figure 1. The associated audio transducers 108A-G and 108CC may be similar to
any
audio transducer 108 as described referencing Figure 1. The sound fields 212A-
G and
214A-G referenced and described in Figures 2-7 may be referenced as sound
field 212.
The users 208 and 210 referenced and described in Figures 2-7 may be
referenced as user
208.
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[0033] Figure 8 is a schematic representation of a system for reproducing a
sound field.
The example system 800 may comprise modules for orientation indication 802,
orientation detector 804, audio transducer selector 806, sound field decoder
810 and
audio transducers 808. The orientation indication 802 may provide one or more
indications of device orientation that may include one or more of a sensor
reading, an
active component, an operating mode and a relative position of a user 208
interacting
with the computing device 102. The sensor reading may be generated by one of
more of
a magnetometer, an accelerometer, a proximity sensor, a gravity sensor, a
gyroscope and
a rotational vector sensor associated with the computing device 102. The
active
component may include one or more of a front facing camera 112, a back facing
camera
112 or a remote camera 112. The operating mode may include one or more of a
software
application and an orientation lock setting. The relative position of a user
208 interacting
with the computing device 102 may include facial analysis or head tracking.
The
orientation detector 804 may be responsive to one or more orientation
indications 802 to
detect the orientation of the computing device 102.
[0034] Two or more audio transducers 808 may be associated with the computing
device 102. The two or more audio transducers 808 may reproduce the sound
field 214
where the sound field 214 comprises a spatial representation of an audible
environment.
The audio transducer selector 806 selects one or more audio transducers 808
associated
with the computing device 102 responsive to the orientation detector 804 of
the
computing device 102. The audio transducer selector 806 may select audio
transducers
808 that may reproduce the sound field 214 associated with the computing
device 102.
The sound field decoder 810 processes the sound field 214 received, or
received
encoding, from the communication network 204. The sound field decoder 810 may
process the sound field using one or more of the following upmixing,
downmixing and
filtering. The sound field decoder 810 may utilize descriptive information
associated
with the sound field 214 received from the communication network 2014 for
decoding
that may include the number of audio channels, the physical location of the
selected
microphones, a device identification number, device orientation, video
synchronization
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information and other information. The audio transducer selector 806 may
select audio
transducers 808 responsive to the associated descriptive information.
[0035] Figure 9 is a further schematic representation of a system for
reproducing a
sound field. The system 900 comprises a processor 904, memory 906 (the
contents of
which are accessible by the processor 904), the audio transducers 808, the
orientation
indication 802A and 802B and an I/O interface 908. The orientation indication
802A
may comprise a hardware interrupt associated with a sensor output. The
orientation
indication 802B may be an indication associated with a software module. Both
orientation indication 802A and 802B provide similar functionality to that
described in
the orientation indication 802 shown in Figure 8. The memory 906 may store
instructions which when executed using the processor 904 may cause the system
900 to
render the functionality associated with the orientation indication module
802B, the
orientation detector module 804, the audio transducer selector module 806 and
the sound
field decoder module 810 as described herein. In addition, data structures,
temporary
variables and other information may store data in data storage 906.
[0036] The processor 904 may comprise a single processor or multiple
processors that
may be disposed on a single chip, on multiple devices or distributed over more
that one
system. The processor 904 may be hardware that executes computer executable
instructions or computer code embodied in the memory 906 or in other memory to
perform one or more features of the system. The processor 904 may include a
general
purpose processor, a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit
(GPU), an
application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a digital signal processor
(DSP), a field
programmable gate array (FPGA), a digital circuit, an analog circuit, a
microcontroller,
any other type of processor, or any combination thereof.
[0037] The memory 906 may comprise a device for storing and retrieving data,
processor executable instructions, or any combination thereof. The memory 906
may
include non-volatile and/or volatile memory, such as a random access memory
(RAM), a
read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), or
a
flash memory. The memory 906 may comprise a single device or multiple devices
that
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may be disposed on one or more dedicated memory devices or on a processor or
other
similar device. Alternatively or in addition, the memory 906 may include an
optical,
magnetic (hard-drive) or any other form of data storage device.
[0038] The memory 906 may store computer code, such as the orientation
indication
module 802B, the orientation detector module 804, the audio transducer
selector module
806, and sound field decoder module 810 as described herein. The computer code
may
include instructions executable with the processor 904. The computer code may
be
written in any computer language, such as C, C++, assembly language, channel
program
code, and/or any combination of computer languages. The memory 906 may store
information in data structures in the data storage 906.
[0039] The I/O interface 908 may be used to connect devices such as, for
example,
audio transducers 808, orientation indication 802A, and to other components of
the
system 900.
[0040] All of the disclosure, regardless of the particular implementation
described, is
exemplary in nature, rather than limiting. The systems 800 and 900 may include
more,
fewer, or different components than illustrated in Figures 8 and 9.
Furthermore, each one
of the components of systems 800 and 900 may include more, fewer, or different
elements than is illustrated in Figures 8 and 9. Flags, data, databases,
tables, entities, and
other data structures may be separately stored and managed, may be
incorporated into a
single memory or database, may be distributed, or may be logically and
physically
organized in many different ways. The components may operate independently or
be part
of a same program or hardware. The components may be resident on separate
hardware,
such as separate removable circuit boards, or share common hardware, such as a
same
memory and processor for implementing instructions from the memory. Programs
may
be parts of a single program, separate programs, or distributed across several
memories
and processors.
[0041] The functions, acts or tasks illustrated in the figures or described
may be
executed in response to one or more sets of logic or instructions stored in or
on computer
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readable media. The functions, acts or tasks are independent of the particular
type of
instructions set, storage media, processor or processing strategy and may be
performed by
software, hardware, integrated circuits, firmware, micro code and the like,
operating
alone or in combination. Likewise, processing strategies may include
multiprocessing,
multitasking, parallel processing, distributed processing, and/or any other
type of
processing. In one embodiment, the instructions are stored on a removable
media device
for reading by local or remote systems. In other embodiments, the logic or
instructions
are stored in a remote location for transfer through a computer network or
over telephone
lines. In yet other embodiments, the logic or instructions may be stored
within a given
computer such as, for example, a CPU.
[0042] Figure 10 is flow diagram representing a method for reproducing a sound
field.
The method 1000 may be, for example, implemented using either of the systems
800 and
900 described herein with reference to Figures 8 and 9. The method 1000
includes the
act of detecting one or more indications of the orientation of the computing
device 1002.
Detecting one or more indication of the orientation may include one or more of
a sensor
reading, an active component, an operating mode and a relative position of a
user 208
interacting with the computing device 102. Responsive to the indications of
orientation,
selecting one or more audio transducers associated with the computing device
1004. The
one or more selected audio transducers may reproduce the sound field that
comprises a
spatial representation of an audible environment. Reproducing a sound field
captured by
the selected microphones 1006. The reproduction may utilize descriptive
information
associated with the received sound field, or received encoding, that may
include the
number of audio channels, the physical location of the selected microphones, a
device
identification number, device orientation, video synchronization information
and other
information.
[0043] The method according to the present invention can be implemented by
computer
executable program instructions stored on a computer-readable storage medium.
[0044] While various embodiments of the invention have been described, it will
be
apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that many more embodiments and
CA 02840656 2014-01-23
implementations are possible within the scope of the present invention.
Accordingly, the
invention is not to be restricted except in light of the attached claims and
their
equivalents.
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