Audio spatialization

• US 10,080,095 B2
• Filed: 08/26/2016
• Issued: 09/18/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Kaburlasos, Nikos, Cheng, Scott W., Worrell, Devon
• Primary Examiner(s): Elahee, Md S
• Application Number:
  US15/248,647
• Publication Number:
  US 20160366532A1
• Time in Patent Office: 753 Days
• Field of Search: 381 17, 381 74, 381 86, 381 92, 381362, 381370-374, 381307, 381310
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 2400/11 Positioning of individual sound objects, e.g. moving airplane, within a sound field H04S2420/13 takes precedence
• 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 7/304 For headphones

Abstract

A camera input can be used by the computer to support audio spatialization or to improve audio spatialization of an application that already supports it. A computer system may to support audio spatialization, for example, by modifying the relative latency or relative amplitude of the rendered audio packets. If a sound is intended, for example, to be located on the left side of the user, then the audio channel that is rendered on the headset speaker located on the user'"'"'s left ear may have a somewhat decreased latency and increased amplitude compared to the other audio channel.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a processor to adjust sound provided by a processor based system to a headphone having left and right earphones to produce three-dimensional sound effects which depend on an orientation of a user'"'"'s head relative to the system, where said processor to produce different sound at each of the earphones from said processor based system, based on a distance of the user from the system and the angulation of the user'"'"'s head relative to the system, said processor to use video analysis to determine a position and angulation of the user'"'"'s head; and

a storage coupled to said processor.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 including a video camera coupled to said processor.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 including headphones coupled to said processor.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 including a display coupled to said processor.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 said processor to adjust latency to account for the position or angulation of the user'"'"'s head.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 said processor to produce the three dimensional sound effects based on the position of the user'"'"'s head.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 including a display, said processor to adjust sound based on a position of the user relative to said display.

8. A method comprising:

adjusting sound provided by a processor based system to a headphone having left and right earphones to produce three-dimensional sound effects which depend on an angulation of a user'"'"'s head relative to the system;

using video analysis to determine a position and angulation of the user'"'"'s head; and

producing different sound at each of the earphones from said processor based system, based on a distance of a user from the system and the angulation of the user'"'"'s head relative to the system.

9. The method of claim 8 including adjusting latency to account for the position or angulation of the user'"'"'s head.

10. The method of claim 8 including using video analysis to determine the position and angulation of the user'"'"'s head.

11. The method of claim 8 including producing the three dimensional sound effects based on the position of the user'"'"'s head.

12. The method of claim 8 including adjusting sound based on a position of the user relative to said display.

13. One or more non-transitory computer readable media storing instructions to perform a sequence comprising:

adjusting sound provided by a processor based system to a headphone having left and right earphones to produce three-dimensional sound effects which depend on an angulation of a user'"'"'s head relative to the system;

using video analysis to determine a position and angulation of the user'"'"'s head; and

producing different sound at each of the earphones from said processor based system, based on a distance of the user from the system and the angulation of the user'"'"'s head relative to the system.

14. The media of claim 13, further storing instructions to perform a sequence including adjusting latency to account for the position or angulation of the user'"'"'s head.

15. The media of claim 13, further storing instructions to perform a sequence including using video analysis to determine the position and angulation of the user'"'"'s head.

16. The media of claim 13, further storing instructions to perform a sequence including producing the three dimensional sound effects based on the position of the user'"'"'s head.

17. The media of claim 13, further storing instructions to perform a sequence including adjusting sound based on a position of the user relative to said display.

18. An apparatus comprising:

means for adjusting sound provided by a processor based system to a headphone having left and right earphones to produce three-dimensional sound effects which depend on an orientation of a user'"'"'s head relative to the system;

means for using video analysis to determine a position and angulation of the user'"'"'s head; and

means for producing different sound at each of the earphones from said processor based system, based on a distance of the user from the system and the orientation of the user'"'"'s head relative to the system.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 including means for adjusting latency to account for the position or orientation of the user'"'"'s head.

20. The apparatus of claim 18 including means for using video analysis to determine the position and orientation of the user'"'"'s head.

21. The apparatus of claim 18 including means for producing the three dimensional sound effects based on the position of the user'"'"'s head.

22. The apparatus of claim 18 including means for adjusting sound based on a position of the user relative to said display.