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

• US 6,195,434 B1
• Filed: 09/11/1998
• Issued: 02/27/2001
• 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): CHIN, VIVIAN C
• Application Number:
  US09/151,998
• Time in Patent Office: 900 Days
• Field of Search: 381/17, 381/309, 381/310, 381/311, 381/300
• 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. A method of providing a headphone set with sound signals such that a listener will perceive the sound as coming from a source outside of the listener'"'"'s head, said method comprising the steps of:

accepting first and second input signals from a signal source;

processing each said first and second input signal so as to produce modified sound signals for presentation to the respective first and second inputs of a headphone set;

said processing step including the steps of;

azimuth adjusting a first portion of said first input signal into at least two output signal portions, one signal portion being delayed and attenuated with respect to the other;

ranging a second portion of said first input signal, said ranging dependent in part on the configuration of a room model, the output of said ranging step being two signals modeled on early reflections based on the room model;

summing said first modeled signal with the undelayed and unattenuated azimuthally adjusted signal and summing said second modeled signal with the delayed and attenuated azimuthally adjusted signal; and

passing each said summed signal portion through a Head Related Transfer Function (HRTF) to create input signals for presentation to said first and second inputs of said headphone set, the summed delayed and attenuated azimuthally adjusted signal being for presentation to said second input of said headphone set and the summed undelayed and unattenuated azimuthally adjusted signal being for presentation to said first input of said headphone set.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

azimuth adjusting a first portion of said second input signal into at least two output signal portions, one signal portion being delayed and attenuated with respect to the other;

ranging a second portion of said second input signal, said ranging dependent in part on the configuration of said room model, the output of said ranging step being two signals modeled on early reflections based on said room model;

summing said second modeled signal with the undelayed and unattenuated azimuthally adjusted signal and summing said first modeled signal with the delayed and attenuated azimuthally adjusted signal; and

passing each said summed signal portion through a HRTF to create input signals for presentation to said second and first inputs of said headphone set, the summed delayed and attenuated azimuthally adjusted signal being for presentation to the first input of said headphone set and the summed undelayed and unattenuated azimuthally adjusted signal being for presentation to the second input of said headphone set.

3. The method of claim 1 further including the step of:

presenting at least a portion of said first input signal to said first input of said headphone set.

4. The method of claim 2 further including the step of:

presenting at least a portion of said first and second input signals to said first and second inputs of said headphone set respectively.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the HRTF is implemented using a finite impulse response filter.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said ranging step comprises the step of:

scaling an amount of signal that is ranged in the ranging step.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said ranging step further comprises the step of:

receiving a ranging scale factor and a delay value produced in a controller.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said ranging step further comprises the step of:

scaling an amount of signal that is adjusted in the azimuth adjusting step.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said ranging step further comprises the step of:

receiving a direct wave scale factor and a delay value produced in said controller.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said ranging step further comprises the step of:

adjusting a length of time between the signal that is scaled for adjustment in the azimuth adjusting step and the signal that is scaled for adjustment in the ranging step.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the azimuth adjusting step further comprises the step of:

determining the respective portions of the undelayed and unattenuated azimuthally adjusted signal and the delayed and attenuated azimuthally adjusted signal to be summed in said summing step.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the azimuth adjusting step further comprises the substep of:

receiving a first and second amplitude value and a first and second time delay value from said controller based on a current azimuth parameter value.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein said first amplitude value is 1.0, said second amplitude value is 0.7071, said first time delay value is 0 ms, and said second time delay value is 600 ms for a current azimuth location to a left side of said listener.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein said first amplitude value is 1.0, said second amplitude value is 1.0, said first time delay value is 0 ms, and said second time delay value is 0 ms for a current azimuth location in front of said listener.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein said first amplitude value is 0.7071, said second amplitude value is 1.0, said first time delay value is 600 ms, and said second time delay value is 0 ms for a current azimuth location to a right side of said listener.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein said first time delay value is used to provide a time delay at a first azimuth placement filter, and said second time delay value is used to provide a time delay at a second azimuth placement filter.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said first amplitude value is used to determine the portion of said undelayed and unattenuated azimuthally adjusted signal to be summed in said summing step, and said second amplitude value is used to determine the portion of said delayed and attenuated azimuthally adjusted signal to be summed in said summing step.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said azimuth adjusting step further comprises the step of:

preselecting an amount of signal forwarded to a plurality of early reflection filters.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the azimuth adjusting step further comprises the step of:

preselecting an amount of signal forwarded to a plurality of reverberation filters.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein each of said plurality of reverberation filters comprises:

a pseudo random binary sequence filter having an exponential decay.

21. The method of claim 10, wherein the adjusting step is performed by a delay buffer.

22. An apparatus for providing a headphone set with sound signals such that a listener will perceive the sound as coming from a source outside of the listener'"'"'s head, comprising:

means for accepting first and second input signals from a signal source;

means for processing each said first and second input signal so as to produce modified sound signals for presentation to the respective first and second inputs of a headphone set;

said processing means including;

means for azimuth adjusting a first portion of said first input signal into at least two output signal portions, one signal portion being delayed and attenuated with respect to the other signal portion;

means for ranging a second portion of said first input signal, said ranging dependent in part on the configuration of a room model, the output of said ranging being two signals modeled on early reflections based on the room model;

means for summing said first modeled signal with the undelayed and unattenuated azimuthally adjusted signal and means for summing said second modeled signal with the delayed and attenuated azimuthally adjusted signal; and

means for passing each said summed signal portion through a Head Related Transfer Function (HRTF) to create input signals for presentation to said first and second inputs of said headphone set, the summed delayed and attenuated azimuthally adjusted signal being for presentation to said second input of said headphone set and the summed undelayed and unattenuated azimuthally adjusted signal being for presentation to said first input of said headphone set.

23. The apparatus of claim 22 further comprising:

means for azimuth adjusting a first portion of said second input signal into at least two output signal portions, one signal portion being delayed and attenuated with respect to the other signal portion;

means for ranging a second portion of said second input signal, said ranging dependent in part on the configuration of said room model, the output of said ranging being two signals modeled on early reflections based on said room model;

means for summing said second modeled signal with the undelayed and unattenuated azimuthally adjusted signal and means for summing said first modeled signal with the delayed and attenuated azimuthally adjusted signal; and

means for passing each said summed signal portion through a HRTF to create input signals for presentation to said second and first inputs of said headphone set, the summed delayed and attenuated azimuthally adjusted signal being for presentation to the first input of said headphone set and the summed undelayed and unattenuated azimuthally adjusted signal being for presentation to the second input of said headphone set.

24. The apparatus of claim 22 further including:

means for presenting at least a portion of said first input signal to said first input of said headphone set.

25. The apparatus of claim 23 further including:

means for presenting at least a portion of said first and second input signals to said first and second inputs of said headphone set respectively.

26. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the HRTF is implemented using a finite impulse response filter.

27. The apparatus of claim 22 wherein said ranging means further comprises:

means for scaling an amount of signal that is ranged by the ranging means.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein said ranging means receives a ranging scale factor and a delay value produced in a controller.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein said ranging means comprises:

means for scaling an amount of signal that is adjusted by the azimuth adjusting means.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein said ranging means further comprises:

means for receiving a direct wave scale factor value and a delay value produced in said controller.

31. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein said ranging means further comprises:

means for adjusting a length of time between the signal that is scaled for adjustment by the azimuth adjusting means and the signal that is scaled for adjustment by the ranging means.

32. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the azimuth adjusting means further comprises:

means for determining the respective portions of the undelayed and unattenuated azimuthally adjusted signal and the delayed and attenuated azimuthally adjusted signal to be summed by said summing means.

33. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the azimuth adjusting means further comprises:

means for receiving a first and second amplitude value and a first and second time delay value from said controller based on a current azimuth parameter value.

34. The apparatus of claim 33 wherein said first amplitude value is 1.0, said second amplitude value is 0.7071, said first time delay value is 0 ms, and said second time delay value is 600 ms for a current azimuth location to a left side of said listener.

35. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein said first amplitude value is 1.0, said second amplitude value is 1.0, said first time delay value is 0 ms, and said second time delay value is 0 ms for a current azimuth location in front of said listener.

36. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein said first amplitude value is 0.7071, said second amplitude value is 1.0, said first time delay value is 600 ms, and said second time delay value is 0 ms for a current azimuth location to a right side of said listener.

37. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein said first time delay value is used to provide a time delay at a first azimuth placement filter, and said second time delay value is used to provide a time delay at a second azimuth placement filter.

38. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein said first amplitude value is used to determine the portion of said undelayed and unattenuated azimuthally adjusted signal to be summed by said summing means and said second amplitude value is used to determine the portion of said delayed and attenuated azimuthally adjusted signal to be summed by said summing means.

39. The apparatus of claim 38, wherein the azimuth adjusting means comprises:

means for preselecting an amount of signal forwarded to a plurality of early reflection filters.

40. The apparatus of claim 39, wherein the azimuth adjusting means further comprises:

means for preselecting an amount of signal forwarded to a plurality of reverberation filters.

41. The apparatus of claim 40, wherein each of said plurality of reverberation filters comprises:

a pseudo random binary sequence filter having an exponential decay.

42. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the adjusting means is a delay buffer.