Ultrasonic speaker assembly with ultrasonic room mapping

• US 9,693,169 B1
• Filed: 03/16/2016
• Issued: 06/27/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Shintani, Peter, Carlsson, Gregory, Usami, Morio
• Primary Examiner(s): Ramakrishnaiah, Melur
• Application Number:
  US15/072,098
• Time in Patent Office: 468 Days
• Field of Search: 381300-310, 381 58- 59
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/08 Systems for measuring distance only indirect measurement G01S15/46
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/42 Simultaneous measurement of distance and other co-ordinates indirect measurement G01S15/46
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/88 Sonar systems specially adapted for specific applications seismic or acoustic prospecting or detecting G01V1/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/89 for mapping or imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/46 Indirect determination of position data
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/323 for loudspeakers H04R1/34 and H04R1/40 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2201/003 Mems transducers or their use of the electrostatic type H04R19/005

Abstract

Audio spatial effects are provided using ultrasonic speakers. To better reproduce the audio effects, ultrasound is used to map a room in which the speakers are disposed and the direction of emitted ultrasound from the speakers established using the map.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

at least one ultrasonic speaker configured to emit sound along a respective sonic axis;

at least one microphone; and

at least one computer memory that is not a transitory signal and that comprises instructions executable by at least one processor to;

generate, using the at least one ultrasonic speaker and the at least one microphone, a map of a room;

receive a control signal; and

responsive to the control signal, actuate a speaker at least in part using the map of the room, wherein the control signal indicates a demanded sonic axis including an elevation component and an azimuth component.

2. The system of claim 1, comprising the processor.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the control signal is received from a computer game console outputting a main audio channel for playing on non-ultrasonic speakers.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the control signal represents at least one audio effect data in a received audio channel.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the audio effect data is established at least in part from input to a computer game input device.

6. A system comprising:

at least one ultrasonic speaker configured to emit sound along a respective sonic axis;

at least one microphone; and

at least one computer memory that is not a transitory signal and that comprises instructions executable by at least one processor to;

generate, using the at least one ultrasonic speaker and the at least one microphone, a map of a room;

receive a control signal; and

responsive to the control signal, actuate a speaker at least in part using the map of the room, wherein the instructions are executable to, using the map, direct sound at a reflection location responsive to the control signal.

7. A method comprising:

orienting at least one ultrasonic (US) speaker in azimuth and elevation at an ith orientation;

causing the US speaker to emit a mapping sound at a time “

i”

;

detecting a return signal of the mapping sound using at least one microphone;

determining a time difference Δ

t between time of return signal detection and the time “

i”

;

converting the time difference Δ

t to an ith distance using;

ith distance=½

Δ

t*c, wherein c=speed of sound;

establishing a location of a surface to be a distance equal to the ith distance associated with the ith orientation;

based at least in part on the location of the surface and responsive to a control signal for a demanded audio effect, establishing an orientation of at least one US speaker at which the at least one US speaker is to emit the demanded audio; and

eliminating any detections of reflections of plural of “

N”

mapping sounds constituting a discontinuity from a map of a room generated using detections of reflections of plural of the “

N”

mapping sounds.

8. The method of claim 7, comprising using plural US speakers to emit respective mapping sounds at respective frequencies different from each other.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the microphone is a micro electro-mechanical system (MEMS) microphone.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the microphone is substantially co-located with the US speaker.

11. The method of claim 7, comprising emitting “

N”

mapping sounds at times i=1 to N along respective speaker orientations i=1 to N.

12. The method of claim 11, comprising establishing an electronic map of a room using detections of reflections of plural of the “

N”

mapping sounds.

13. A device comprising:

at least one computer memory that is not a transitory signal and that comprises instructions executable by at least one processor to;

generate, using at least one ultrasonic (US) speaker and the at least one microphone, a map of a room at least in part by;

orienting the at least one US speaker in azimuth and elevation at an ith orientation;

causing the US speaker to emit a mapping sound at a transmission time;

detecting, at a return signal time, a return signal of the mapping sound using the at least one microphone;

determining an ith distance using return signal time and the transmission time; and

establishing a location of a surface of the room to be a distance equal to the ith distance associated with the ith orientation.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the instructions are executable to:

cause plural US speakers to emit respective mapping sounds at respective frequencies different from each other.

15. The device of claim 13, wherein the microphone is a micro electro-mechanical system (MEMS) microphone.

16. The device of claim 13, wherein the instructions are executable to:

cause the at least one US microphone to emit “

N”

mapping sounds at respective times i=1 to N along respective speaker orientations i=1 to N.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein the instructions are executable to:

establish the map of the room using detections of reflections of plural of the “

N”

mapping sounds.

18. The device of claim 13, wherein the instructions are executable to:

receive a control signal; and

responsive to the control signal, actuate a speaker among the plural ultrasonic speakers at least in part using the map of the room.