3D sound field using bilateral earpieces system and method

• US 10,206,042 B2
• Filed: 10/11/2016
• Issued: 02/12/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bragi GmbH
• Original Assignee: Bragi GmbH
• Inventors: Hviid, Nikolaj, Martin, Toby
• Primary Examiner(s): Jerez Lora, William A
• Application Number:
  US15/290,572
• Publication Number:
  US 20170111740A1
• Time in Patent Office: 854 Days
• Field of Search: 381 56, 381 58, 381310, 381311, 381312, 381313
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1016 Earpieces of the intra-aural type
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/025 In the ear hearing aids [ITE] hearing aids
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2430/01 Aspects of volume control, not necessarily automatic, in sound systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/033 Headphones for stereophonic communication details thereof, e.g. relating to batteries, cables or control elements H04R1/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/303 Tracking of listener position or orientation
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/304 For headphones

Abstract

A set of wireless earpieces includes a left wireless earpiece comprising an earpiece housing sized and shaped to fit into an external auditory canal of a user, a speaker disposed within the earpiece and positioned to transduce audio towards a tympanic membrane associated with the external auditory canal of the user, a right wireless earpiece comprising an earpiece housing sized and shaped to fit into an external auditory canal of a user, a speaker disposed within the earpiece and positioned to transduce audio towards a tympanic membrane associated with the external auditory canal of the user, and wherein the left earpiece and the right earpiece are adapted to process sound in order to alter perception of the sound to match a pre-determined point of view for the user.

Claims

1. A set of wireless earpieces comprising:

a left wireless earpiece comprising an earpiece housing sized and shaped to fit into an external auditory canal of a user, a processor disposed of within the earpiece housing, a speaker disposed within the earpiece housing operatively connected to the processor and positioned to transduce audio towards a tympanic membrane associated with the external auditory canal of the user, at least one microphone operatively connected to the processor, an inertial sensor operatively connected to the processor, and a gesture control interface operatively connected to the processor;

a right wireless earpiece comprising an earpiece housing sized and shaped to fit into an external auditory canal of a user, a processor disposed of within the earpiece housing, a speaker disposed within the earpiece housing operatively connected to the processor and positioned to transduce audio towards a tympanic membrane associated with the external auditory canal of the user, at least one microphone operatively connected to the processor, an inertial sensor operatively connected to the processor, and a gesture control interface operatively connected to the processor;

wherein the left earpiece and the right earpiece are adapted to process sound through an algorithm in order to alter perception of a plurality of sound sources within a sound field for the user, wherein the plurality of sound sources are based upon user-selected point of view within the sound field from which the user would like to experience the plurality of sound sources for increased immersive effect, wherein the user-selected point of view moves in response to movement of the user;

wherein the left earpiece and the right earpiece are adapted to associate a current position of the user with the user-selected point of view within the sound field.

2. The set of wireless earpieces of claim 1 wherein the inertial sensor of the left wireless earpiece and the inertial sensor of the right wireless earpiece provide sensed data and wherein the sensed data is used to provide a pre-determined point of view for the user.

3. The set of wireless earpieces of claim 1 wherein the inertial sensor is an accelerometer.

4. The set of wireless earpieces of claim 1 wherein the left wireless earpiece further comprises physiological sensor and wherein the right wireless earpiece further comprises a physiological sensor and the physiological sensor of the left wireless earpiece and the physiological sensor of the right wireless earpiece provide sensed data and wherein the sensed data used to provide a pre-determined point of view of the user.

5. The set of wireless earpieces of claim 4 wherein the physiological sensor is a pulse oximeter.

6. The set of wireless earpieces of claim 1 wherein the left earpiece and the right earpiece are adapted to process sound by inserting delays in sound signals.

7. The set of wireless earpieces of claim 1 wherein the left earpiece and the right earpiece are adapted to process sound by altering amplitudes of sound signals.

8. The set of wireless earpieces of claim 1 wherein the sound is altered such that it is perceived as emanating from behind the user.

9. A method comprising:

providing a left earpiece and a right earpiece each of the left and right earpiece housing a processor, at least one speaker operatively connected to the processor, at least one microphone operatively connected to the processor, an inertial sensor operatively connected to the processor, and a gestural control interface operatively connected to the processor;

establishing a point of view at a concert, an athletic event or other type of performance within a sound field;

altering the point of view within the sound field from which the user would like to experience a plurality of sound sources for increased immersive effect;

wherein altering the point of view for the user within the sound field is based in part on sensor data gathered from the one or more sensors in the left earpiece or the right earpiece, wherein the sensor data is indicative of a change in head position and head orientation;

associating a current position of the user with the altered point of view within the sound field;

processing through an algorithm the sound source within the sound field based on the altered point of view for the user to produce a left sound signal for the left earpiece and a right sound signal for the right earpiece using at least a processor of at least one of the left earpiece and the right earpiece; and

reproducing the left sound signal at the left earpiece and the right sound signal at the right earpiece, wherein the left sound signal and the right sound signal provide the user with the plurality of sound sources perceived as if the user were located at the altered point of view.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the at least one inertial sensor is an accelerometer.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the left earpiece and the right earpiece further house at least one physiological sensor.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the at least one physiological sensor comprises a pulse oximeter.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein the altering is performed on a computing device separate from the left earpiece and the right earpiece.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the computing device is a mobile device.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the mobile device is a mobile phone.

16. A method comprising:

providing a left earpiece and a right earpiece each of the left and right earpiece housing a processor, at least one speaker operatively connected to the processor, at least one microphone operatively connected to the processor, an inertial sensor operatively connected to the processor, and a gestural control interface operatively connected to the processor;

establishing a point of view for a user within a sound sphere;

altering the point of view for the user within the sound sphere from which the user would like to experience a plurality of sound sources for increased immersive effect;

processing through algorithms the plurality of sound sources within the sound sphere based on the selected point of view for the user to produce a left sound signal for the left earpiece and a right sound signal for the right earpiece using at least a processor of at least one of the left earpiece and the right earpiece;

sensing user gestures via the gesture control interface of at least one of the left earpiece and the right earpiece, wherein the gesture control interface of the at least one of the left earpiece and the right earpiece may include at least one emitter and at least one detector;

reproducing the left sound signal at the left earpiece and the right sound signal at the right earpiece; and

altering the perception of sound so it is perceived as coming from the plurality of sound sources based upon the selected point of view, wherein the plurality of sound sources can be perceived as moving within the sound sphere independent of the user'"'"'s movement.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising the step of using data collected from the inertial sensor of the left earpiece and the inertial sensor of the right earpiece, wherein the sensed data is used to provide the point of view for the user.