Sound output device, sound generation method, and program

• US 10,812,926 B2
• Filed: 09/06/2016
• Issued: 10/20/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Asada, Kohei, Igarashi, Go, Nageno, Koji, Oba, Haruo, Kon, Homare
• Primary Examiner(s): Gay, Sonia L
• Application Number:
  US15/765,365
• Publication Number:
  US 20180367937A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,505 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/00 Speech synthesis; Text to speech systems
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1016 Earpieces of the intra-aural type
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2460/09 Non-occlusive ear tips, i.e. leaving the ear canal open, for both custom and non-custom tips H04R2460/11 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2499/13 Acoustic transducers and sound field adaptation in vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/00 Circuits for transducers , loudspeakers or microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/033 Headphones for stereophonic communication details thereof, e.g. relating to batteries, cables or control elements H04R1/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/04 Circuit arrangements, e.g. for selective connection of amplifier inputs/outputs to loudspeakers, for loudspeaker detection, or for adaptation of settings to personal preferences or hearing impairments combinations of amplifiers H03F3/68; stereophonic systems H04S
• 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 3/004 For headphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/303 Tracking of listener position or orientation
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/304 For headphones

Abstract

According to the present disclosure, a sound output device includes: a sound acquisition part configured to acquire sound to be output to the other end of a sound guide part, one end of which is arranged near an entrance of an ear canal of a listener, the sound guide part having a hollow structure; and a head-related transfer function adjustment part configured to adjust a head-related transfer function of sound captured by the sound guide part. Since the head-related transfer function adjustment part adjusts the head-related transfer function of sound captured by the sound guide part, it is possible to listen to both ambient sound and sound provided from a sound output device such that the listener does not feel strangeness even in the state in which the listener is wearing the sound output device.

Claims

1. A sound output device comprising:

a support configured to fit the sound output device to and support the sound device from an intertragic notch of an ear of a listener without hanging from a top of the ear; and

at least one processor configured to;

acquire sound to be output to a first end of a sound guide; and

adjust a head-related transfer function of sound captured by the sound guide,

wherein the sound guide comprises a second end that is closer to the intertragic notch than the first end of the sound guide is,

wherein the support is configured to suspend the first end of the sound guide behind a lobe of the ear,

wherein the sound guide has a hollow structure, and

wherein the hollow structure of the sound guide curves around an axis parallel to an ear canal of the listener.

2. The sound output device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

adjust a sound environment of sound captured by the sound guide.

3. The sound output device according to claim 1,

wherein the head-related transfer function is adjusted such that a location of sound source of the sound is localized at a place different from a place of ambient sound directly entering an ear of a listener.

4. The sound output device according to claim 1,

wherein the head-related transfer function is adjusted such that a location of sound image of the sound is localized above a head of the listener or near a foot of the listener.

5. The sound output device according to claim 1,

wherein the head-related transfer function is adjusted on a basis of operation performed by a listener.

6. The sound output device according to claim 2,

wherein the sound environment is adjusted on a basis of operation performed by a listener.

7. The sound output device according to claim 2,

wherein the sound environment is adjusted on a basis of sound information of an ambient environment of the listener.

8. The sound output device according to claim 7,

wherein the sound environment is adjusted on a basis of a result of separating the sound information of the ambient environment into human voice and environmental sound other than the human voice.

9. The sound output device according to claim 2,

wherein the at least one processor is configured to acquire a result of analyzing sound information of an ambient environment of the listener from another device, and adjust the sound environment.

10. The sound output device according to claim 2,

wherein the sound environment is adjusted on a basis of location information of a listener.

11. The sound output device according to claim 1,

wherein the head-related transfer function is adjusted on a basis of a direction of a head of a listener.

12. The sound output device according to claim 2,

wherein the head-related transfer function is adjusted such that a sound image location is a constant location regardless of a direction of a head of a listener.

13. The sound output device according to claim 1, comprising

a sound output configured to output sound to be transmitted to an ear of the listener without passing through the sound guide.

14. The sound output device according to claim 13,

wherein one of sound to be output to the sound guide and sound to be transmitted to an ear of the listener without passing through the sound guide is delayed.

15. The sound output device according to claim 13,

wherein the at least one processor is configured to delay sound to be transmitted to an ear of the listener without passing through the sound guide in comparison with sound to be output to the sound guide.

16. The sound output device according to claim 1, comprising

wherein the at least one processor is configured to acquire location information of a listener, and acquire navigation information based on the location information.

17. The sound output device according to claim 1,

wherein the at least one processor is configured to acquire speech of the listener or voice for giving an instruction on movement of the listener.

18. The sound output device according to claim 1,

wherein the at least one processor is configured to acquire guidance information for explaining any event visually recognized by the listener in a language designated by the listener from among a plurality of languages.

19. A sound generation method comprising:

acquiring sound to be output to a first end of a sound guide of a sound output device, wherein the sound guide is configured to fit the sound output device to and support the sound output device from an intertragic notch of an ear of a listener without hanging from a top of the ear and to suspend the first end of the sound guide behind a lobe of the ear; and

adjusting a head-related transfer function of sound captured by the sound guide,

wherein the sound guide comprises a second end that is closer to the intertragic notch than the first end of the sound guide is,

wherein the sound guide has a hollow structure, and

wherein the hollow structure of the sound guide curves around an axis parallel to an ear canal of the listener.

20. At least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium encoded with executable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform a method comprising:

acquiring sound to be output to a first end of a sound guide of a sound output device, wherein the sound guide is configured to fit the sound output device to and support the sound output device from an intertragic notch of an ear of a listener without hanging from a top of the ear and to suspend the first end of the sound guide behind a lobe of the ear; and

adjusting a head-related transfer function of sound captured by the sound guide,

wherein the sound guide comprises a second end that is closer to the intertragic notch than the first end of the sound guide is,

wherein the sound guide has a hollow structure, and

wherein the hollow structure of the sound guide curves around an axis parallel to an ear canal of the listener.