Real-time remodeling of user voice in an immersive visualization system

• US 10,176,820 B2
• Filed: 01/06/2017
• Issued: 01/08/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Muehlhausen, Andrew Frederick, Johnston, Matthew, Crooker, Kasson
• Primary Examiner(s): He, Jialong
• Application Number:
  US15/400,032
• Publication Number:
  US 20170117002A1
• Time in Patent Office: 732 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/215 comprising means for detecting acoustic signals, e.g. using a microphone
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/54 involving acoustic signals, e.g. for simulating revolutions per minute [RPM] dependent engine sounds in a driving game or reverberation against a virtual wall
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0138 comprising image capture systems, e.g. camera
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/014 comprising information/image processing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0178 Eyeglass type eyeglass details G02C
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/017 Head mounted
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0172 characterised by optical features
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/012 Head tracking input arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/05 Geographic models
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/006 Mixed reality object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/003 Changing voice quality, e.g. pitch or formants
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/02 Speech enhancement, e.g. noise reduction or echo cancellation reducing echo effects in line transmission systems H04B3/20; echo suppression in hands-free telephones H04M9/08
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/034 Automatic adjustment
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 2400/15 Aspects of sound capture and related signal processing for recording or reproduction
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 2420/01 Enhancing the perception of the sound image or of the spatial distribution using head related transfer functions [HRTF's] or equivalents thereof, e.g. interaural time difference [ITD] or interaural level difference [ILD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/304 For headphones

Abstract

A visualization system with audio capability includes one or more display devices, one or more microphones, one or more speakers, and audio processing circuitry. While a display device displays an image to a user, a microphone inputs an utterance of the user, or a sound from the user'"'"'s environment, and provides it to the audio processing circuitry. The audio processing circuitry processes the utterance (or other sound) in real-time to add an audio effect associated with the image to increase realism, and outputs the processed utterance (or other sound) to the user via the speaker in real-time, with very low latency.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

displaying, by a head-mounted display device, an image of a physical thing to a user of the head-mounted display device, wherein the physical thing is not actually present in a real-world environment of the user;

receiving sound via a plurality of microphones of the head-mounted display device, while the image of the physical thing is being displayed to the user;

isolating a voice of the user from the sound based on audio beamforming and weighted directional interest for each of the plurality of microphones;

dynamically processing user voice data representing the voice of the user in real-time to incorporate an audio effect corresponding to the physical thing, while the image of the physical thing is being displayed to the user; and

outputting, via a speaker, in real-time, sound representing the voice of the user as would be affected by the physical thing if the physical thing were actually present in the real-world environment of the user, based on the dynamically processed user voice data, while the image of the physical thing is being displayed to the user.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein a latency between said inputting voice of the user and said outputting sound to the user is in the range of about 50 milliseconds to about 75 milliseconds for any particular audio sample of the input voice of the user.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the physical thing is an object or substance.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the physical thing is a cavity or hole in an object or substance.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

tracking, by the head-mounted display device, at least one of a head location or head orientation of the user;

wherein dynamically processing the user voice data is further based on at least one of the head location or head orientation of the user.

6. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein dynamically processing the user voice data comprises determining a directionality parameter of the user voice data, based on at least one of the head location or head orientation of the user.

7. The method as recited in claim 5, further comprising:

generating, by the head-mounted display device, a surface reconstruction of the environment of the user;

wherein dynamically processing the user voice data is further based on the surface reconstruction.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein dynamically processing the user voice data comprises determining a volume parameter of the user voice data, based on at least one of a head location or head orientation of the user.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein dynamically processing the user voice data comprises determining a reverberation parameter of the user voice data, based on at least one of a head location or head orientation of the user.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein dynamically processing the user voice data comprises determining an origination direction of a simulated echo of the user'"'"'s voice, based on at least one of the head location or head orientation of the user.

11. A method of operating a head-mounted display device with audio capability, comprising:

displaying, by the head-mounted display device, an image depicting a physical thing to a user of the head-mounted display device, wherein the physical thing is not actually present in the environment of the user;

receiving sound via an array of microphones of the head-mounted display device, while the image of the physical thing is being displayed to the user;

isolating a voice of the user from the sound based on audio beamforming and weighted directional interest for each of the plurality of microphones;

dynamically modifying user voice data representing the voice of the user to incorporate an audio effect that corresponds to an acoustic property of the physical thing, while the image of the physical thing is being displayed to the user; and

outputting sound to the user, via a speaker of the head-mounted display device, based on the modified user voice data, to produce an audible effect applied to the voice of the user corresponding to the acoustic property of the physical thing, while the image of the physical thing is being displayed to the user.

12. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the physical thing is at least one of:

an object or substance;

or

a cavity or hole in an object or substance.

13. The method as recited in claim 11, further comprising:

tracking, by the head-mounted display device, at least one of a head location or head orientation of the user;

wherein dynamically modifying the user voice data is further based on at least one of the head location or head orientation of the user.

14. The method as recited in claim 13, further comprising:

obtaining a surface reconstruction of the physical environment in which the user is located, wherein dynamically modifying the user voice data is further based on the surface reconstruction.

15. A head-mounted display device comprising:

a head fitting by which to mount the head-mounted display device to the head of a user;

a display element, coupled to the head fitting and configured to display to the user an image, the image depicting a physical thing that is not actually present in a real-world environment of the user;

a plurality of microphones to receive sound while the image of the physical thing is being displayed to the user;

a processor configured to;

isolate a voice of the user from the sound based on audio beamforming and weighted directional interest for each of the plurality of microphones; and

access and dynamically modify user voice data representing the voice of the user in real-time to incorporate an audio effect corresponding to the physical thing, while the image of the physical thing is being displayed to the user; and

a speaker subsystem to output sound to the user based on the modified user voice data while the image of the physical thing is being displayed to the user, the sound representing the voice of the user as would be affected by the physical thing if the physical thing were actually present in the real-world environment of the user.

16. The head-mounted display device as recited in claim 15, wherein the plurality of microphones comprises a plurality of omnidirectional microphones configured in an end-fire array.

17. The head-mounted display device as recited in claim 15, wherein the physical thing is at least one of:

an object or substance;

or

a cavity or hole in an object or substance.

18. The head-mounted display device as recited in claim 15, further comprising:

a head-tracking subsystem to track a current head location and head orientation of the user; and

a surface mapping subsystem to identify locations of physical surfaces in the environment of the user and to generate a surface reconstruction based on the identified locations of physical surfaces;

wherein the processor is configured to dynamically modify the user voice data further based on at least one of the head location or head orientation of the user.

19. The head-mounted display device as recited in claim 18, wherein the processor is configured to modify the user voice data based on the surface reconstruction.

20. The head-mounted display device as recited in claim 18, wherein dynamically modifying the user voice data comprises determining at least one of:

a directionality parameter of the modified user voice data, based on at least one of the head location or head orientation of the user;

a volume parameter of the modified user voice data, based on at least one of the head location or head orientation of the user;

or

a reverberation parameter of the modified user voice data, based on at least one of the head location or head orientation of the user.