SOUND OUTPUT DEVICE, SOUND GENERATION METHOD, AND PROGRAM

• US 20180367937A1
• Filed: 09/06/2016
• Published: 12/20/2018
• 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
• Granted Patent: US 10,812,926 B2
• Time in Patent Office: 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 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.

2. The sound output device according to claim 1, further comprising

a sound environment adjustment part configured to adjust a sound environment of sound captured by the sound guide part.

3. The sound output device according to claim 1,

wherein the head-related transfer function adjustment part changes the head-related transfer function 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 adjustment part changes the head-related transfer function 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 adjustment part adjusts the head-related transfer function on a basis of operation performed by a listener.

6. The sound output device according to claim 2,

wherein the sound environment adjustment part adjusts the sound environment on a basis of operation performed by a listener.

7. The sound output device according to claim 2,

wherein the sound environment adjustment part adjusts the sound environment 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 adjustment part adjusts the sound environment 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 sound environment adjustment part acquires a result of analyzing sound information of an ambient environment of the listener from another device, and adjusts the sound environment.

10. The sound output device according to claim 2,

wherein the sound environment adjustment part adjusts the sound environment on a basis of location information of a listener.

11. The sound output device according to claim 1,

wherein the head-related transfer function adjustment part adjusts the head-related transfer function 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 adjustment part adjusts a head-related transfer function 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 part configured to output sound to be transmitted to an ear of the listener without passing through the sound guide part.

14. The sound output device according to claim 13,

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

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

a delay part configured to delay sound to be transmitted to an ear of the listener without passing through the sound guide part in comparison with sound to be output to the sound guide part.

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

a location information acquisition part configured to acquire location information of a listener,

wherein the sound acquisition part acquires navigation information based on the location information.

17. The sound output device according to claim 1,

wherein the sound acquisition part acquires 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 sound acquisition part acquires 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 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

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

20. A program causing a computer to function as:

a means for acquiring 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 means for adjusting a head-related transfer function of sound captured by the sound guide part.