Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation

Dolby International Ab

Benjamin John Southwell

Christopher Graham Hines

David Gunawan

Mark R P Thomas

Daniel Arteaga

Davide Scaini

Avery Bruni

Olha Michelle Townsend

Alan Jeffrey Seefeldt

C Phillip Brown

Mark Rp Thomas

Mark RP Thomas

Some methods may involve receiving a first content stream that includes first audio signals, rendering the first audio signals to produce first audio playback signals, generating first direct sequence spread spectrum (DSSS) signals, generating first modified audio playback signals by inserting the first DSSS signals into the first audio playback signals, and causing a loudspeaker system to play back the first modified audio playback signals, to generate first audio device playback sound. The method(s) may involve receiving microphone signals corresponding to at least the first audio device playback sound and to second through Naudio device playback sound corresponding to second through Nmodified audio playback signals (including second through Nth DSSS signals) played back by second through Nth audio devices, extracting second through NDSSS signals from the microphone signals and estimating at least one acoustic scene metric based, at least partly, on the second through NDSSS signals.

Orchestration of acoustic direct sequence spread spectrum signals for estimation of acoustic scene metrics

Some methods may involve receiving a first content stream that includes first audio signals, rendering the first audio signals to produce first audio playback signals, generating first calibration signals, generating first modified audio playback signals by inserting the first calibration signals into the first audio playback signals, and causing a loudspeaker system to play back the first modified audio playback signals, to generate first audio device playback sound. The method(s) may involve receiving microphone signals corresponding to at least the first audio device playback sound and to second through Nth audio device playback sound corresponding to second through Nth modified audio playback signals (including second through Nth calibration signals) played back by second through Nth audio devices, extracting second through Nth calibration signals from the microphone signals and estimating at least one acoustic scene metric based, at least partly, on the second through Nth calibration signals.

Pervasive acoustic mapping

Some implementations involve receiving, from a first subband domain acoustic echo canceller (AEC) of a first audio device in an audio environment, first adaptive filter management data from each of a plurality of first adaptive filter management modules, each first adaptive filter management module corresponding to a subband of the first subband domain AEC, each first adaptive filter management module being configured to control a first plurality of adaptive filters. The first plurality of adaptive filters may include at least a first adaptive filter type and a second adaptive filter type. Some implementations involve extracting, from the first adaptive filter management data, a first plurality of extracted features corresponding to a plurality of subbands of the first subband domain AEC and estimating a current local acoustic state based, at least in part, on the first plurality of extracted features.

Subband domain acoustic echo canceller based acoustic state estimator

Some methods involve causing a plurality of audio devices in an audio environment to reproduce audio data, each audio device of the plurality of audio devices including at least one loudspeaker and at least one microphone, determining audio device location data including an audio device location for each audio device of the plurality of audio devices and obtaining microphone data from each audio device of the plurality of audio devices. Some methods involve determining a mutual audibility for each audio device of the plurality of audio devices relative to each other audio device of the plurality of audio devices, determining a user location of a person in the audio environment, determining a user location audibility of each audio device of the plurality of audio devices at the user location and controlling one or more aspects of audio device playback based, at least in part, on the user location audibility.

Audibility at user location through mutual device audibility

An attenuation or 'gap' may be inserted into at least a first frequency range of at least first and second audio playback signals of a content stream during at least a first time interval to generate at least first and second modified audio playback signals. Corresponding audio device playback sound may be provided by at least first and second audio devices. At least one microphone may detect at least the first audio device playback sound and the second audio device playback sound and may generate corresponding microphone signals. Audio data may be extracted from the microphone signals in at least the first frequency range, to produce extracted audio data. A far-field audio environment impulse response and/or audio environment noise may be estimated based, at least in part, on the extracted audio data.

Insertion of forced gaps for pervasive listening

Some implementations involve obtaining a plurality of echo references, the plurality of echo references including at least one echo reference for each audio device of a plurality of audio devices in an audio environment, each echo reference corresponding to audio data being played back by one or more loudspeakers of one audio device of the plurality of audio devices. Some examples involve making an importance estimation for each echo reference of the plurality of echo references. Making the importance estimation may involve determining an expected contribution of each echo reference to mitigation of echo by at least one echo management system of at least one audio device of the audio environment. Some implementations involve selecting, based at least in part on the importance estimation, one or more selected echo references and providing the one or more selected echo references to the at least one echo management system.

Echo reference prioritization and selection

Some methods may involve receiving a first content stream that includes first audio signals, rendering the first audio signals to produce first audio playback signals, generating first direct sequence spread spectrum (DSSS) signals, generating first modified audio playback signals by inserting the first DSSS signals into the first audio playback signals, and causing a loudspeaker system to play back the first modified audio playback signals, to generate first audio device playback sound. The method(s) may involve receiving microphone signals corresponding to at least the first audio device playback sound and to second through Naudio device playback sound corresponding to second through Nmodified audio playback signals (including second through NDSSS signals) played back by second through Nth audio devices, extracting second through NDSSS signals from the microphone signals and estimating at least one acoustic scene metric based, at least partly, on the second through NDSSS signals.

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Gledswood Hills, Australia

Benjamin John Southwell