Location based audio filtering

• US 10,031,718 B2
• Filed: 06/14/2016
• Issued: 07/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Dack, James, Kohler, Jeffrey, Wright, Shawn, Ng, Denise
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Vivian
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fahnert, Friedrich W
• Application Number:
  US15/182,516
• Publication Number:
  US 20170357476A1
• Time in Patent Office: 770 Days
• Field of Search: 381 77- 81
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/725 Cordless telephones user interfaces specially adapted therefor H04M1/724
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/005 for combining the signals of two or more microphones specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 2400/11 Positioning of individual sound objects, e.g. moving airplane, within a sound field H04S2420/13 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 2400/15 Aspects of sound capture and related signal processing for recording or reproduction
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/003 locating network equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/20 Transfer of user or subscriber data

Abstract

Methods and systems for augmenting an audio signal are provided for herein. In some embodiments, a method can be performed by a sound processing system of a computing device. In such embodiments, the sound processing system can receive a captured audio signal from a microphone coupled with the sound processing system. The sound processing system can then produce an augmented audio signal by selectively filtering the captured audio signal based on a physical location of the computing device. This resulting augmented audio signal can reflect an effect associated with the physical location of the computing device. The augmented audio signal can then be output, by the sound processing system, to a speaker coupled with the computing device to enable consumption of the augmented audio signal by a user of the computing device. Other embodiments may be described and/or claimed herein.

Claims

1. A mobile computing device comprising:

one or more processors;

a filter bank, coupled with the one or more processors, including a plurality of filters; and

one or more computer-readable media, coupled with the one or more processors, having instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by the one or more processors, provide the mobile computing device with a sound processing system to;

receive a captured audio signal from a microphone communicatively coupled with the mobile computing device;

identify, via one or more location sensors, a physical location of the mobile computing device;

select a filter, from the filter bank, based on the identified physical location of the mobile computing device;

produce an augmented audio signal through;

application of the selected filter to the captured audio signal to produce a filtered audio signal that reflects an effect associated with an augmented reality experience object and the identified physical location, and

incorporation of the filtered audio signal into the augmented audio signal; and

output the augmented audio signal to enable consumption of the augmented audio signal by a user of the mobile computing device.

2. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein the sound processing system is further to:

select a pre-recorded audio element, from a plurality of pre-recorded audio elements, based on the identified physical location of the mobile computing device, and utilize the selected pre-recorded audio element to produce the augmented audio signal.

3. The mobile computing device of claim 2, wherein to utilize the selected pre-recorded audio element to produce the augmented audio signal includes incorporation of the selected pre-record audio element with the captured audio signal prior to application of the filter, such that the selected filter is also applied to the selected pre-recorded audio element.

4. The mobile computing device of claim 2, wherein to utilize the selected pre-recorded audio element to produce the augmented audio signal includes incorporation of the selected pre-record audio element with the augmented audio signal.

5. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein the microphone is a first microphone, the captured audio signal is a first captured audio signal, the selected filter is a first selected filter, the effect associated with the identified physical location is a first effect, and the sound processing system is further to:

receive a second captured audio signal captured by a second microphone communicatively coupled with the mobile computing device; and

select a second filter, from the plurality of filters, based on the identified physical location of the mobile computing device and an audio source associated with the second captured audio signal, wherein to select the first filter is further based on an audio source associated with the first captured audio signal, wherein to produce the augmented audio signal further comprises;

application of the second filter to the second audio signal to produce a second filtered audio signal, and

incorporation of the second filtered audio signal into the augmented audio signal.

6. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein the microphone is a first microphone, and the sound processing system is further to:

receive a participant audio signal the participant audio signal is captured by a participant computing device that is operated by another user, wherein the participant audio signal is captured by a second microphone communicatively coupled with the participant computing device; and

utilize the participant audio signal to produce the augmented audio signal.

7. The mobile computing device of claim 6, wherein the filter is a first filter, the effect is a first effect, and the sound processing system is further to:

receive a participant location that identifies a physical location of the participant computing device;

select a second filter, from the plurality of filters, based on the participant location, wherein to produce the augmented audio signal further comprises;

application of the second filter to the participant audio signal to produce a filtered participant audio signal that reflects a second effect associated with the participant location, and

incorporation of the filtered participant audio signal into the augmented audio signal.

8. The mobile computing device of claim 6, wherein the filter is a first filter, the effect is a first effect, and wherein the participant audio signal has had a second filter applied to the participant audio signal by the participant computing device to cause the participant audio signal to reflect a second effect associated with a physical location of the participant computing device.

9. A method of augmenting an audio signal comprising:

receiving, by a sound processing system, a captured audio signal produced by a microphone communicatively coupled with the sound processing system;

producing, by the sound processing system, an augmented audio signal by selectively filtering the captured audio signal based on a physical location of a computing device on which the sound processing system is operating, wherein the filtering includes applying a selected filter to the captured audio signal to produce a filtered audio signal that reflects an effect associated with an augmented reality experience object and the physical location; and

outputting, by the sound processing system, the augmented audio signal to a speaker coupled with the computing device to enable consumption of the augmented audio signal by a user of the computing device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein selectively filtering the captured audio signal comprises:

identifying, via one or more location sensors, a physical location of the computing device;

selecting, by the sound processing system, a filter, from a plurality of filters, based on the identified physical location of the computing device; and

producing, by the sound processing system, the augmented audio signal by;

applying the selected filter to the captured audio signal to produce a filtered audio signal that reflects an effect associated with the identified location, and

incorporating the filtered audio signal into the augmented audio signal.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the microphone is a first microphone, the captured audio signal is a first captured audio signal, the selected filter is a first selected filter, the effect is a first effect, and the method further comprising:

receiving, by the sound processing system, a second captured audio signal captured by a second microphone communicatively coupled with the sound processing system; and

selecting, by the sound processing system, a second filter, from the plurality of filters, based on the identified location of the computing device and an audio source associated with the second captured audio signal, wherein selecting the first filter is further based on an audio source associated with the first captured audio signal, wherein producing the augmented audio signal further comprises;

applying the second filter to the second audio signal to produce a second filtered audio signal, and

incorporating the second filtered audio signal into the augmented audio signal.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the microphone is a first microphone, the method further comprising:

receiving a participant audio signal, the participant audio signal is captured by a participant computing device that is operated by another user, wherein the participant audio signal is captured by a second microphone communicatively coupled with the participant computing device; and

utilizing the participant audio signal to produce the augmented audio signal.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the filter is a first filter, the effect is a first effect, and the method further comprising:

receiving a participant location that identifies a physical location of the participant computing device;

selecting a second filter, from the plurality of filters, based on the participant location, wherein producing the augmented audio signal further comprises;

applying the second filter to the participant audio signal to produce a filtered participant audio signal reflecting a second effect associated with the participant location, and

incorporating the filtered participant audio signal into the augmented audio signal.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the filter is a first filter, the effect is a first effect, and wherein the participant audio signal has had a second filter applied to the participant audio signal by the participant computing device to cause the participant audio signal to reflect a second effect associated with a physical location of the participant computing device.

15. One or more computer-readable media, having instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by one or more processors of a computing device, provide the computing device with a sound processing system to:

receive a captured audio signal produced by a microphone communicatively coupled with the computing device;

identify, via one or more location sensors, a physical location of the computing device;

select a filter, from the filter bank, based on the identified physical location of the mobile computing device;

produce an augmented audio signal, through application of the selected filter to the captured audio signal, that reflects an effect associated with an augmented reality experience object and the identified physical location; and

output the augmented audio signal to enable consumption of the augmented audio signal by a user of the computing device.

16. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein the sound processing system is further to:

select a pre-recorded audio element, from a plurality of pre-recorded audio elements, based on the identified physical location of the computing device, and utilize the selected pre-recorded audio element to produce the augmented audio signal, wherein to utilize the selected pre-recorded audio element to produce the augmented audio signal includes;

incorporation of the selected pre-record audio element with the captured audio signal prior to application of the filter, such that the selected filter is also applied to the selected pre-recorded audio element;

or

incorporation of the selected pre-record audio element with the augmented audio signal.

17. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein the microphone is a first microphone, the captured audio signal is a first captured audio signal, the selected filter is a first selected filter, the effect associated with the identified physical location is a first effect, and the sound processing system is further to:

receive a second captured audio signal captured by a second microphone communicatively coupled with the computing device; and

select a second filter, from the plurality of filters, based on the identified physical location of the computing device and an audio source associated with the second captured audio signal, wherein to select the first filter is further based on an audio source associated with the first captured audio signal, wherein to produce the augmented audio signal further comprises;

application of the second filter to the second audio signal to produce a second filtered audio signal, and

incorporation of the second filtered audio signal into the augmented audio signal.

18. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein the microphone is a first microphone, and the sound processing system is further to:

receive a participant audio signal captured by a participant computing device that is operated by another user, the participant audio signal captured by a second microphone communicatively coupled with the participant computing device;

receive a participant location that identifies a physical location of the participant computing device;

select a second filter, from the plurality of filters, based on the participant location, wherein to produce the augmented audio signal further comprises;

application of the second filter to the participant audio signal to produce a filtered participant audio signal reflects a second effect associated with the participant location, and

incorporation of the filtered participant audio signal into the augmented audio signal.

19. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein the effect associated with the identified physical location reflects an augmented-reality experience in which the user is immersed.

20. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 19, wherein the effect associated with the identified physical location reflects a computer-generated visual object being presented to the user at the identified location within the augmented-reality experience.