Audio annoucements with range indications
First Claim
1. A method of announcing to a user the presence of a real or virtual entity, or a representation of it, in a current environment of the user, wherein the entity or its representation is announced to the user using an audio announcement that has a presentation character at least one aspect of which, other than or additional to its loudness, is set in dependence on the range distance between the user and the entity, or its representation, in the current environment.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The presence in a user'"'"'s current environment of a real or virtual entity, or a representation of it, is announced to the user by an audio announcement. The audio announcement has a presentation character at least one aspect of which, other than or additional to its loudness, that is set in dependence on the range distance between the user and the entity, or its representation, in the current environment. In one embodiment, the environment is an audio field in which the entity is represented by a synthesised sound source; in this case, the range distance is that between the user and the sound source. In another embodiment, the environment is the real world with the entity being a real-world entity; in this case, the range distance is that between the user and the entity. The announcement presentation-character aspect that is range dependent is, for example, speaking style, speaking voice, vocabulary, etc.
28 Citations
43 Claims
- 1. A method of announcing to a user the presence of a real or virtual entity, or a representation of it, in a current environment of the user, wherein the entity or its representation is announced to the user using an audio announcement that has a presentation character at least one aspect of which, other than or additional to its loudness, is set in dependence on the range distance between the user and the entity, or its representation, in the current environment.
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16. Apparatus for providing an audio user interface in which items are represented in an audio field by corresponding synthesized sound sources from where sounds related to the items appear to emanate, the apparatus comprising:
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rendering-position determining means for determining, for each said sound source, an associated rendering position at which the sound source is to be synthesized to sound in the audio field;
rendering means, including audio output devices, for generating an audio field in which said sound sources are synthesized at their associated rendering positions, the audio output devices being such as to permit the user also to hear real-world sounds from the environment; and
announcement-control means for causing at least one said item to be announced to the user, via the corresponding sound source, using an audio announcement that has a presentation character at least one aspect of which, other than or additional to its loudness, is set in dependence on a range distance between the user and the location of the sound source in the audio field.
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22. Apparatus for announcing to a user the presence of a real-world entity in the user'"'"'s current environment, the apparatus comprising:
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storage means for storing announcement data for multiple announcements that have respective presentation characters differing from each other in at least one aspect other than, or additional to, loudness;
means for determining a range distance between the user and said entity;
means for selecting, on the basis of the determined range distance one announcement from said multiple announcements;
means for retrieving, from said storage means, the announcement data for the selected announcement; and
means for generating an audio announcement using the retrieved announcement data. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 27, 28, 29)
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26. Apparatus for announcing to a user the presence of a real-world entity in the user'"'"'s current environment, the apparatus comprising:
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storage means for storing announcement data;
means for determining a range distance between the user and said entity;
means for selecting, on the basis of the determined range distance, one presentation character from multiple available presentation characters that differ from each other in at least one aspect other than, or additional to, loudness;
means for retrieving the announcement data from the storage means; and
means for generating an audio announcement using the retrieved announcement data and such as to impart to it the presentation character selected.
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30. Apparatus for providing an audio user interface in which items are represented in an audio field by corresponding synthesized sound sources from where sounds related to the items appear to emanate, the apparatus comprising:
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a rendering-position determining arrangement operative to determine, for each said sound source, an associated rendering position at which the sound source is to be synthesized to sound in the audio field;
a rendering subsystem, including audio output devices, arranged to generate an audio field in which said sound sources are synthesized at their associated rendering positions, the audio output devices being such as to permit the user also to hear real-world sounds from the environment; and
an announcement-control arrangement operative to cause at least one said item to be announced to the user, via the corresponding sound source, using an audio announcement that has a presentation character at least one aspect of which, other than or additional to its loudness, is set in dependence on a range distance between the user and the location of the sound source in the audio field. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 37, 38, 39)
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36. Apparatus for announcing to a user the presence of a real-world entity in the user'"'"'s current environment, the apparatus comprising:
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a data store for storing announcement data for multiple announcements that have respective presentation characters differing from each other in at least one aspect other than, or additional to, loudness;
an arrangement operative to determine a range distance between the user and said entity;
an arrangement operative to select, on the basis of the determined range distance one announcement from said multiple announcements;
an arrangement operative to retrieve, from said store, the announcement data for the selected announcement; and
an arrangement operative to generate an audio announcement using the retrieved announcement data.
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40. Apparatus for announcing to a user the presence of a real-world entity in the user'"'"'s current environment, the apparatus comprising:
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a data store for storing announcement data;
an arrangement operative to determine a range distance between the user and said entity;
an arrangement operative to select, on the basis of the determined range distance, one presentation character from multiple available presentation characters that differ from each other in at least one aspect other than, or additional to, loudness;
an arrangement operative to retrieve the announcement data from the data store; and
an arrangement operative to generate an audio announcement using the retrieved announcement data and such as to impart to it the presentation character selected. - View Dependent Claims (41, 42, 43)
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Specification