Techniques for personalizing audio levels

• US 9,961,471 B2
• Filed: 12/05/2014
• Issued: 05/01/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Hardacker, Robert, Richman, Steven
• Primary Examiner(s): Lao, Lun-See
• Application Number:
  US14/562,178
• Publication Number:
  US 20150086021A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,243 Days
• Field of Search: 381 1- 4, 381 92, 381104-107, 381 86, 381307, 381119, 381111, 381 17- 22, 700 94, 704270, 704275, 704200
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 3/301 the gain being continuously variable
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2400/13 Use or details of compression drivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/302 Electronic adaptation of stereophonic sound system to listener position or orientation H04S7/301 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/303 Tracking of listener position or orientation

Abstract

Techniques for personalizing audio levels, in accordance with embodiments of the present technology, provide different audio volumes to different locations in a room allowing for two of more users to enjoy the same audio content at different volumes. Differential level and delay compensation filtering based on a position of each of a plurality of speakers, the location of each user and the preferred relative audio volume of each user are utilized to produce different effective audio levels in localized regions of a room.

Claims

1. A method of personalizing audio levels comprising:

determining a location of at least a first user relative to a speaker system adapted to output demanded sound at least in part by triangulating radio frequency (RF) or infrared (IR) signals from a remote control;

determining a location of at least a second user relative to the speaker system adapted to output demanded sound;

receiving first input indicating a preferred volume of the first user;

receiving second input indicating a preferred volume of the second user, the first volume being different from the second volume;

using the speaker system, outputting a localized audio volume proximate to the first user based upon the first input indicating the preferred volume of the first user and the location of the first user; and

using the speaker system, outputting a localized audio volume proximate to the second user based upon the second input indicating the preferred volume of the second user and the location of the second user, the localized audio volume proximate the second user being different from the localized audio output proximate the first user.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein outputting a localized audio volume proximate the first user comprises psychoacoustic modulating audio to produce an audio volume proximate the first user based upon the location of the first user.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein outputting a localized audio volume proximate the first user comprises applying differential level and delay compensation filtering to audio based on a position of each of a plurality of audio speakers in the speaker system and the location of the first user.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a command to adjust audio level;

adjusting the localized audio volume proximate the first user based on the location of the first user in response to the command to adjust the audio level; and

adjusting the localized audio volume proximate the second user based on the location of the second user in response to the command to adjust audio level.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the command comprises an audio command received from a user.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein determining the location of each of first and second users comprises:

receiving sound from each respective user;

determining time delay between the sound received from each respective user at a plurality of microphones; and

triangulating a position of each respective user from the time delay between sound received from each respective user at the plurality of microphones.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein determining the location of each of first and second users comprises

outputting sound from each of a plurality of speakers;

determining time delay between the sound received from each speaker at a microphone proximate each respective user; and

triangulating a position of each respective user from the time delay between sound received from each speaker at the microphone.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein determining the preferred volume of each respective user comprises:

determining a preferred audio level of each respective user; and

determining a difference between the preferred audio level of each respective user.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein determining the preferred volume of each respective user comprises:

determining a preferred audio level for each respective user for each of a plurality of audio levels; and

determining a difference between the preferred audio level of each respective user for each of the plurality of audio levels.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising storing the location and preferred volume of each respective user.