Sharing locations where binaural sound externally localizes

• US 10,225,681 B1
• Filed: 10/24/2018
• Issued: 03/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Philip Scott Lyren
• Original Assignee: Philip Scott Lyren
• Inventors: Lyren, Philip Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Anwah, Olisa
• Application Number:
  US16/168,848
• Time in Patent Office: 132 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/12 for distributing signals to two or more loudspeakers specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407
• 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: H04R 5/04 Circuit arrangements, e.g. for selective connection of amplifier inputs/outputs to loudspeakers, for loudspeaker detection, or for adaptation of settings to personal preferences or hearing impairments combinations of amplifiers H03F3/68; stereophonic systems H04S
• 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 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/305 Electronic adaptation of stereophonic audio signals to reverberation of the listening space H04S7/301 takes precedence

Abstract

A method processes binaural sound to externally localize to a first user at a first location. This location is shared such that an electronic device processes the binaural sound to externally localize to a second user at a second location. The first and second locations occur at a same or similar location such that the first and second users hear the binaural sound as originating from the same or similar location.

Claims

1. A method executed by one or more electronic devices, the method comprising:

convolving, with a first digital signal processor (DSP) in first headphones worn by a first user, sound with first head-related transfer functions (HRTFs) having first coordinates that define a location in empty space with respect to the first user;

transmitting, from the first headphones worn by the first user to second headphones worn by a second user, the first coordinates without transmitting the first HRTFs;

determining, from the first coordinates that define the location in empty space with respect to the first user, second coordinates that define the location in empty space with respect to the second user; and

convolving, with a second DSP in the second headphones worn by the second user, the sound with second HRTFs having the second coordinates that define the location in empty space with respect to the second user, wherein the sound externally localizes to both the first and second users at a same location that is the location in empty space.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

playing, with the first headphones, the sound as music that externally localizes as binaural sound to the first user to the location in empty space;

receiving, at the first headphones and from the second headphones, a request for the location in empty space so both the first and second users can hear the music from the same location; and

playing, with the second headphones, the sound as the music that externally localizes as the binaural sound to the second user to the location in empty space so both the first and second users hear the music from the same location.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first HRTFs are customized to the first user and not shared with the second user but are kept private to the first user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first coordinates are different than the second coordinates, and the location in empty space occurs at least three feet away from a head of the first user and at least three feet away from a head of the second user but at the same location.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

tracking, with the first headphones, first head movements of the first user;

tracking, with the second headphones, second head movements of the second user; and

verifying that both the first and second users hear the sound externally localizing to the same location by sharing the first head movements with the second headphones and by sharing the second head movements with the first headphones.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

maintaining the second HRTFs private by transmitting, from the second headphones worn by the second user to the first headphones worn by the first user, the second coordinates without transmitting the second HRTFs to the first headphones.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

transmitting, from the first headphones and to the second headphones, a location of the first user in a room;

transmitting, from the second headphones and to the first headphones, a location of the second user in the room; and

verifying that both the first and second users hear the sound externally localizing to the same location by comparing the location of the first user in the room with respect to the location in empty space and by comparing the location of the second user in the room with respect to the location in empty space.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that one or more electronic devices execute to share locations where sound externally localizes to listeners, the method comprising:

processing, with a first wearable electronic device worn by a first listener and with first head-related transfer functions (HRTFs), sound that externally localizes as binaural sound to a location in empty space at least one meter away from a head of the first listener;

sharing, with a second wearable electronic device worn by a second listener, a first coordinate location that defines the location in empty space with respect to the head of the first listener;

calculating, from the first coordinate location, a second coordinate location that defines the location in empty space with respect to a head of the second listener; and

processing, with the second wearable electronic device worn by the second listener and with second HRTFs, the sound that externally localizes as the binaural sound to the location in empty space at least one meter away from the head of the second listener such that the first and second listeners hear the binaural sound originating from a same location.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 storing the instructions that execute such that the method further comprises:

wirelessly transmitting, from the first wearable electronic device to the second wearable electronic device, the first coordinate location without sharing the first HRTFs with the second wearable electronic device in order to maintain the first HRTFs private to the first listener.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 storing the instructions that execute such that the method further comprises:

sharing, from the second wearable electronic device worn by the second listener to the first wearable electronic device worn by the first listener, the second coordinate location that defines the location in empty space with respect to the head of the second listener without sharing the second HRTFs with the first wearable electronic device in order to maintain the second HRTFs private to the second listener.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 storing the instructions that execute such that the method further comprises:

transmitting, between the first and second wearable electronic devices, a signal that verifies the first and second listeners hear the binaural sound originating from the same location.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 storing the instructions that execute such that the method further comprises:

processing, with the first wearable electronic device worn by the first listener and with the first HRTFs, the sound so the sound continues to localize to the location in empty space at least one meter away from the head of the first listener as the head of the first listener moves; and

processing, with the second wearable electronic device worn by the second listener and with the second HRTFs, the sound so the sound continues to localize to the location in empty space at least one meter away from the head of the second listener as the head of the second listener moves such that the first and second listeners continue to hear the binaural sound originating from the same location as the heads of the first and second listeners move.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 storing the instructions that execute such that the method further comprises:

determining a location of the first listener with respect to the second listener, the first listener being an origin for the first coordinate location; and

calculating the second coordinate location from the first coordinate location and the location of the first listener with respect to the second listener.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 storing the instructions that execute such that the method further comprises:

tracking, with the first and second wearable electronic devices, head movements of the first and second listeners while the first and second listeners hear the binaural sound originating from the same location; and

synchronizing the first and second wearable electronic devices to maintain the binaural sound originating from the same location to both first and second listeners by sharing the head movements of the first and second listeners between the first and second wearable electronic devices.

15. A method comprising:

improving playing of binaural sound to a first user wearing a first wearable electronic device (WED) and second user wearing a second WED who are both situated in a room by;

processing, with a first digital signal processor (DSP) and with first head-related transfer functions (HRTFs) having first coordinates, sound that externally localizes in the room as the binaural sound to a location in empty space that is a first sound localization point (SLP) having the first coordinates with respect to a head of the first user;

sharing the first SLP with the second WED by wirelessly transmitting the first SLP from the first WED to the second WED;

determining, from the coordinates of the first SLP received from the first WED, a second SLP having second coordinates with respect to a head of the second user;

determining, from the second SLP, second HRTFs having the second coordinates; and

processing, with a second DSP and with the second HRTFs having the second coordinates, the sound that externally localizes in the room as the binaural sound to the location in empty space such that the first and second users hear the binaural sound originating from a same location in the room.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

sharing the first SLP with the second WED without sharing the first HRTFs with the second WED in order to maintain the first HRTFs private to the first user.

17. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

extracting, from the first HRTFs, the first coordinates; and

wirelessly transmitting the first coordinates from the first WED to the second WED without transmitting and sharing the first HRTFs with the second WED.

18. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

synchronizing the first and second WEDs with each other so the binaural sound continues to originate from the same location in the room to the first and second users while the first and second users change head orientations and move in the room.

19. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

tracking, with the first and second WEDs, head movements of the first and second users; and

verifying that the binaural sound continues to originate from the same location in the room to the first and second users by sharing the head movements between the first and second WEDs.

20. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

tracking head movements of the first and second users to verify that the first and second users are looking at the same location in the room while the binaural sound plays to the first and second users.