Method and apparatus for providing virtual audio reproduction

• US 9,602,946 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2014
• Issued: 03/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2014
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Karkkainen, Leo M., Vetek, Akos, Uusitalo, Mikko A., Honkala, Mikko J.
• Primary Examiner(s): BERNARDI, BRENDA C
• Application Number:
  US14/578,218
• Publication Number:
  US 20160183024A1
• Time in Patent Office: 823 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/034 Automatic adjustment
• 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 7/303 Tracking of listener position or orientation

Abstract

A method, apparatus and computer program product are provided to permit audio signals to provide additional information to a user regarding the distance to the source of the audio signals, thereby increasing a user'"'"'s situational awareness. In the context of a method, a distance and a direction from a user to an object are determined. The method also scales the distance to the object to create a modified distance within a predefined sound field region about the user. The method also causes an audio cue relating to the object to be audibly provided to the user. The audio cue is such that the object appears to be located within the predefined sound field region in the direction and at the modified distance from the user from the user.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving signals relating to an object;

determining a distance from a user to the object and a direction from the user to the object;

scaling the distance to the object to create a modified distance within a predefined sound field region about the user; and

causing at least one audio cue relating to the object to be audibly provided to the user such that the object appears to be located within the predefined sound field region in the direction and at the modified distance from the user, wherein causing at least one audio cue to be audibly provided to the user comprises causing a representation of the signals that were received relating to the object to be audibly provided to the user such that the signals appear to originate at the modified distance and from the direction of the object.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein the object comprises a sound source, wherein receiving signals comprises receiving audio signals from the sound source, and wherein causing a representation of the signals that were received relating to the object to be audibly provided to the user comprises causing a representation of the audio signals from the sound source to be audibly provided to the user such that the audio signals appear to originate at the modified distance and from the direction of the sound source.

3. A method according to claim 1 wherein causing a representation of the signals that were received relating to the object to be audibly provided to the user comprises causing an artificially created sound representative of a parameter of the object to be audibly provided to the user.

4. A method according to claim 1 wherein causing at least one audio cue to be audibly provided to the user comprises processing audio signals with a head related transfer function filter that is dependent upon both the modified distance and the direction from the user to the object to create the at least one audio cue.

5. A method according to claim 4 further comprising determining a position and a head bearing of the user and identifying the head related transfer function filter based upon the position and head bearing of the user, wherein determining a distance and a direction from a user to an object comprises determining the distance and the direction from the user to the object based upon the position and head bearing of the user.

6. A method according to claim 1 wherein the predefined sound field region comprises a volume about the user of a predefined dimension, and wherein scaling the distance to the object to create a modified distance comprises scaling coordinates representative of the object so as to lie within the volume of the predefined dimension.

7. A method according to claim 6 wherein the volume comprises a sphere of a predefined radius, and wherein scaling coordinates representative of the object comprises scaling spherical coordinates representative of the object so as to lie within the sphere of the predefined radius.

8. An apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and computer program code configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to at least:

receive signals relating to an object;

determine a distance from a user to the object and a direction from the user to the object;

scale the distance to the object to create a modified distance within a predefined sound field region about the user; and

cause at least one audio cue relating to the object to be audibly provided to the user such that the object appears to be located within the predefined sound field region in the direction and at the modified distance from the user, wherein the apparatus causes the at least one audio cue to be audibly provided to the user by causing a representation of the signals that were received relating to the object to be audibly provided to the user such that the signals appear to originate at the modified distance and from the direction of the object.

9. An apparatus according to claim 8 wherein the object comprises a sound source, wherein the at least one memory and computer program code are configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to receive signals by receiving audio signals from the sound source, and wherein the at least one memory and computer program code are configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to cause a representation of the signals that were received relating to the object to be audibly provided to the user by causing a representation of the audio signals from the sound source to be audibly provided such that the audio signals appear to originate at the modified distance and from the direction of the sound source.

10. An apparatus according to claim 8 wherein the at least one memory and computer program code are configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to cause a representation of the signals that were received relating to the object to be audibly provided to the user by causing an artificially created sound representative of a parameter of the object to be audibly provided to the user.

11. An apparatus according to claim 8 wherein the at least one memory and computer program code are configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to cause at least one audio cue to be audibly provided to the user by processing the at least one audio cue with a head related transfer function filter that is dependent upon both the modified distance and the direction from the user to the object to create the at least one audio cue.

12. An apparatus according to claim 11 wherein the at least one memory and computer program code are further configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to determine a position and a head bearing of the user and identify the head related transfer function filter based upon the position and head bearing of the user, wherein the at least one memory and computer program code are configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to determine a distance and a direction from a user to an object by determining the distance and the direction from the user to the object based upon the position and head bearing of the user.

13. An apparatus according to claim 8 wherein the predefined sound field region comprises a volume about the user of a predefined dimension, and wherein the at least one memory and computer program code are configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to scale the distance to the object to create a modified distance by scaling coordinates representative of the object so as to lie within the volume of the predefined dimension.

14. An apparatus according to claim 13 wherein the volume comprises a sphere of a predefined radius, and wherein the at least one memory and computer program code are configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to scale coordinates to the object by scaling spherical coordinates representative of the object so as to lie within the sphere of the predefined radius.

15. A computer program product comprising at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable program code portions stored therein, the computer-executable program code portions comprising program code instructions configured to:

receive signals relating to an object;

determine a distance from a user to the object and a direction from the user to the object;

scale the distance to the object to create a modified distance within a predefined sound field region about the user; and

cause at least one audio cue relating to the object to be audibly provided to the user such that the object appears to be located within the predefined sound field region in the direction and at the modified distance from the user, wherein the program code instructions configured to cause at least one audio cue to be audibly provided to the user comprise program code instructions configured to cause a representation of the signals that were received relating to the object to be audibly provided to the user such that the signals appear to originate at the modified distance and from the direction of the object.

16. A computer program product according to claim 15 wherein the object comprises a sound source, wherein the program code instructions configured to receive signals comprise program code instructions configured to receive audio signals from the sound source, and wherein the program code instructions configured to cause a representation of the signals that were received relating to the object to be audibly provided to the user comprise program code instructions configured to cause a representation of the audio signals from the sound source to be audibly provided to the user such that the audio signals appear to originate at the modified distance and from the direction of the sound source.

17. A computer program product according to claim 15 wherein the program code instructions configured to cause a representation of the signals that were received relating to the object to be audibly provided comprise program code instructions configured to cause an artificially created sound representative of a parameter of the object to be audibly provided to the user.

18. A computer program product according to claim 15 wherein the program code instructions configured to cause at least one audio cue to be audibly provided to the user comprise program code instructions configured to process the at least one audio cue with a head related transfer function filter that is dependent upon both the modified distance and the direction from the user to the object to create the at least one audio cue.

19. A computer program product according to claim 18 wherein the computer-executable program code portions further comprise program code instructions configured to determine a position and a head bearing of the user and identify the head related transfer function filter based upon the position and head bearing of the user, wherein program code instructions configured to determine a distance and a direction from a user to an object comprise program code instructions configured to determine the distance and the direction from the user to the object based upon the position and head bearing of the user.

20. A computer program product according to claim 15 wherein the predefined sound field region comprises a volume about the user of a predefined dimension, and wherein the program code instructions configured to scale the distance to the object to a normalized distance comprise program code instructions configured to scale coordinates representative of the object so as to lie within the volume of the predefined dimension.