Apparatus for creating 3D audio imaging over headphones using binaural synthesis

• US 5,809,149 A
• Filed: 09/25/1996
• Issued: 09/15/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: QSound Labs, Inc.
• Original Assignee: QSound Labs, Inc.
• Inventors: Williams, Simon, Cashion, Terry
• Primary Examiner(s): Isen, Forester W.
• Application Number:
  US08/719,631
• Time in Patent Office: 720 Days
• Field of Search: 381/17, 381/25
• US Class Current: 381/17
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 1/005 For headphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 2400/11 Positioning of individual sound objects, e.g. moving airplane, within a sound field H04S2420/13 takes precedence

Abstract

An apparent location of a sound source is controlled in azimuth and range to a listener of the sound using headphones by a range control block that has variable amplitude scalers and a time delay and by an azimuth control block that also has variable amplitude scalers and time delays. An input audio signal is fed in to the range control block and the values of the scalers and the taps on the delay buffers are read out of look-up tables in a controller that is addressed by an azimuth index value corresponding to any location on a circle surrounding the headphone wearer. Several range control blocks and azimuth control blocks can be provided depending on the number of input audio signals to be located. All of the range and azimuth control is provided by the range control blocks and azimuth control blocks so that the resultant signals require only a fixed number of filters regardless of the number of input audio signals to provide the signal processing. Such signal processing is accomplished using front and back early reflection filters, left and right reverberation filters, and front and back azimuth filters having a head related transfer function.

Claims

1. Apparatus for creating 3D audio imaging over headphones:

range control means receiving an audio input signal for producing therefrom a ranged signal and an unranged signal;

azimuth control means receiving said ranged signal and said unranged signal from said range control means for producing respectively therefrom a plurality of amplitude scaled ranged signals and a plurality of amplitude scaled unranged signals;

front and back early reflection filter means receiving said plurality of amplitude scaled ranged signals from said azimuth control means for producing left and right front early reflection signals and left and back rear early reflection signals;

reverberation processing means receiving said plurality of amplitude scaled ranged signals from said azimuth control means for producing therefrom left and right reverberation signals;

first means for adding said left front early reflection signal, said left back early reflection signal, and said left reverberation signal, with a first one of said plurality of amplitude scaled unranged signals from said azimuth control means to produce a left summed signal;

second means for adding said right front early reflection signal, said right back early reflection signal, and said right reverberation signal with a second one of said plurality of amplitude scaled unranged signals from said azimuth control means to produce a right summed signal;

front azimuth filter means receiving said left summed signal and said right summed signal for producing therefrom left and right front processed signals;

back azimuth filter means receiving third and fourth ones of said plurality of amplitude scaled unranged signals and producing therefrom left and right back processed signals; and

third means for adding said left front processed signal and said left back processed signal for producing a left channel headphone signal and for adding said right front processed signal and said right back processed signal for producing a right channel headphone signal.

2. The apparatus for creating 3D audio imaging over headphones according to claim 1, wherein said front azimuth filter means includes a front head related transfer function and said back azimuth filter means includes a back head related transfer function.

3. The apparatus for creating 3D audio imaging over headphones according to claim 1, wherein said reverberation processing means includes a pseudo random binary sequence filter having an exponential decay.

4. The apparatus for creating 3D audio imaging over headphones according to claim 1, further comprising:

fourth means for adding respectively a second plurality of amplitude scaled ranged signals associated with a second range control means and a second azimuth control means to said plurality of amplitude scaled ranged signals from said azimuth control means for providing composite ranged signals to said front and back early reflection filter means and said reverberation processing means; and

fifth means for adding respectively a second plurality of amplitude scaled unranged signals to said plurality of amplitude scaled unranged signals from said azimuth control means for providing composite unranged signals fed to said first and second means for adding.

5. The apparatus for creating 3D audio imaging over headphones according to claim 1, wherein said range control means comprises a first range amplitude scaler, a second range amplitude scaler, and a delay buffer, and further comprising a range and azimuth controller for providing amplitude scale values to said first and second range amplitude scalers and a delay value to said delay buffer in response to an azimuth index signal fed thereto, wherein an output of said first range amplitude scaler forms said unranged signal from said range control means, and an output of said second range amplitude scaler is fed to said delay buffer and an output of said delay buffer forms said ranged signal from said range control means.

6. The apparatus for creating 3D audio imaging over headphones according to claim 1, wherein said azimuth control means comprises a delay buffer receiving said unranged signal from said range control means and producing outputs fed to a first plurality of azimuth scalers, and a second plurality of azimuth scalers each receiving said ranged signal from said range control means and further comprising a range and amplitude controller for providing delay values to said delay buffer and amplitude scale values to said first and second plurality of azimuth scalers in response to an azimuth index signal fed thereto and wherein outputs of said first plurality of azimuth scalers form said plurality of amplitude scaled unranged signals from said azimuth control means and outputs of said second plurality of azimuth scalers form said plurality of amplitude scaled range signals from said azimuth control means.

7. The apparatus for creating 3D audio imaging over headphones according to claim 1, wherein:

said range control means comprises a first range amplitude scaler, a second range amplitude scaler, and a first delay buffer, wherein an output of said first range amplitude scaler forms said unranged signal from said range control means, and an output of said second range amplitude scaler is fed to said first delay buffer and an output of said first delay buffer forms said ranged signal from said range control means;

said azimuth control means comprises a second delay buffer receiving said unranged signal from said range control means and producing outputs fed to a first plurality of azimuth scalers, and a second plurality of azimuth scalers each receiving said ranged signal from said range control means, wherein outputs of said first plurality of azimuth scalers form said plurality of amplitude scaled unranged signals from said azimuth control means and outputs of said second plurality of azimuth scalers form said plurality of amplitude scaled ranged signals from said azimuth control means; and

further comprising

a range and azimuth controller for providing amplitude scale values to said first and second range amplitude scalers, a delay value to said first delay buffer, delay values to said second delay buffer, and amplitude scale values to said first and second plurality of azimuth scalers in response to an azimuth index signal fed thereto.

8. Apparatus for locating an apparent source of a sound to a listener using headphones, comprising:

first range and azimuth control means receiving a first input audio signal and producing therefrom first left and right front unranged azimuth signals and first left and right back unranged azimuth signals, and a first plurality of ranged signals;

second range and azimuth control means receiving a second input audio signal and producing therefrom second left and right front unranged azimuth signals and second left and right back unranged azimuth signals, and a second plurality of ranged signals;

signal adding means for respectively adding second left and right front unranged azimuth signals to said first left and right front unranged azimuth signals to produce left and right front composite signals, for respectively adding second left and right back unranged azimuth signals to said first left and right back unranged azimuth signals to produce left and right back composite signals, and for respectively adding a second plurality of ranged signals to said first plurality of ranged signals to produce a plurality of composite ranged signals;

early reflection filter means receiving said plurality of composite ranged signals for producing therefrom left and right front early reflection signals and left and right back early reflection signals;

reverberation processing means receiving said plurality of composite ranged signals for producing left and right reverberation signals;

front azimuth filter means receiving said left and right front composite signals, said left and right front early reflection signals, said left and right back early reflection signals for producing left and right front azimuth signals in accordance with a head related transfer function;

back azimuth filter means receiving said left and right back composite signals for producing left and right back azimuth signals in accordance with the head related transfer function; and

means for combining said left front azimuth signal and said left back azimuth signal to form a left channel headphone signal and for combining said right front azimuth signal and said right back azimuth signal to form a right channel headphone.

9. The apparatus for locating an apparent source of a sound to a listener using headphones according to claim 8, wherein said reverberation processing means includes a pseudo random binary sequence filter having an exponential decay.

10. Apparatus for locating a source of a sound in range and azimuth around a listener of the sound using headphones, comprising:

range and azimuth control means including a plurality of variable amplitude scalers and a plurality of variable length delay buffers for producing from an input audio signal a plurality of amplitude scaled ranged signals and a plurality of amplitude scaled unranged signals;

a controller connected to said range and azimuth control means and having stored therein amplitude scale values and delay values, said amplitude scale values setting said variable amplitude scalers and said delay values setting said delay buffers in response to an azimuth index signal fed to said range and azimuth controller;

front and back early reflection filter means receiving said plurality of amplitude scaled ranged signals from said range and azimuth control means for producing left and right front early reflection signals and left and right back early reflection signals;

reverberation processing means receiving said plurality of amplitude scaled ranged signals from said range and azimuth control means for producing therefrom left and right reverberation signals;

front azimuth filter means receiving first and second ones of said plurality of amplitude scaled unranged signals, said left and right front early reflection signals, and said left and right reverberation signals for producing therefrom left and right front azimuth signals;

back azimuth filter means receiving third and fourth ones of said plurality of unranged signals for producing therefrom left and right back azimuth signals; and

means for combining said left front azimuth signal and said left back azimuth signal to form a left channel headphone signal and for combining said right front azimuth signal and said right back azimuth signal to form a right channel headphone signals.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said front azimuth filter means includes a front head related transfer function and said back azimuth filter means includes a back head related transfer function.

12. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said reverberation processing means includes a pseudo random binary sequence filter having an exponential decay.