Aural maps

• US 8,306,641 B2
• Filed: 12/04/2009
• Issued: 11/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Mobile Communications AB (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Jonsson, Håkan Lars Emanuel
• Primary Examiner(s): Flanders, Andrew C
• Application Number:
  US12/631,127
• Publication Number:
  US 20110137437A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,068 Days
• Field of Search: 700/94
• US Class Current: 700/94
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3629 Guidance using speech or audio output, e.g. text-to-speech text to speech systems per se G10L13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/106 using electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence

Abstract

A device includes a memory to store instructions; and a processor to execute the instructions to collect audio samples from user devices, where the audio samples are associated with a particular geographic location, store an audio file in association with the particular geographic location, based on the collected audio samples, receive a request for information associated with the particular geographic location, where the request is received from a particular user, and provide the audio file to the particular user.

Claims

1. A device, comprising:

a memory to store instructions; and

a processor to execute the instructions to;

collect audio samples from user devices, where the audio samples are associated with a particular geographic location;

store an audio file in association with the particular geographic location, based on the collected audio samples;

store audio processing coefficients associated with the particular geographic location, where the stored audio processing coefficients are associated with a function for converting an audio signal associated with the audio file into a left ear audio signal and a right ear audio signal;

receive a request for information associated with the particular geographic location, where the request is received from a particular user device;

retrieve audio processing coefficients based on the particular geographic location and a direction associated with the particular user device;

process the audio file based on the audio processing coefficients; and

provide the audio file to the particular user device.

2. The device of claim 1, where the processor is further to:

remove one or more audio samples from the collected audio samples.

3. The device of claim 2, where the processor is to identify a particular audio sample, of the one or more audio samples, for removal, if the particular audio sample includes at least one of detectable human voice or noise higher than a particular threshold.

4. The device of claim 1, where the processor is further to:

select one or more representative audio samples from the collected audio samples.

5. The device of claim 4, where a particular audio sample is selected as a representative audio sample if the particular audio sample differs from a particular number of other ones of the collected audio samples by less than a particular amount in a particular attribute.

6. The device of claim 1, where the processor is further to:

combine two or more of the collected audio samples to generate the audio file.

7. The device of claim 1, where, when receiving a request for information associated with the particular geographic location, the processor is to receive a request for a map of the particular location.

8. The device of claim 1, where the audio file is provided to the user device in connection with a map of the particular geographic location.

9. The device of claim 1, where the audio file is provided to the user device in connection with audible instructions.

10. A method comprising:

collecting, using a processor associated with a computer device, audio samples associated with a particular geographic location;

storing, using the processor, an audio file in association with the particular geographic location, based on the collected audio samples;

storing audio processing coefficients associated with the particular geographic location, where the stored audio processing coefficients are associated with a function for converting an audio signal associated with the audio file into a left ear audio signal and a right ear audio signal;

receiving, using the processor, a request for information associated with the particular geographic location, where the request is received from a particular user device;

retrieving audio processing coefficients based on the particular geographic location and a first direction associated with the particular user device;

processing the audio file based on the audio processing coefficients; and

providing, using the processor, the audio file to the particular user device.

11. The method of claim 10, where the audio samples are collected from a plurality of user devices located in the particular geographic location.

12. The method of claim 11, where the audio samples are collected from the particular user device when the particular user device is in an idle state and are provided to the computer device when the particular user device is connected to the computer device via a high bandwidth connection.

13. The method of claim 10, where at least one of the collected audio samples is received in connection with a business associated with the particular geographic location.

14. The method of claim 10, where at least one of the collected audio samples is received using binaural recording equipment.

15. The method of claim 10, where the providing the audio file comprises providing the audio file in connection with audible instructions.

16. The method of claim 10, where the providing the audio file comprises providing the audio file in connection with a visual map of the particular geographic location.

17. The method of claim 10, where the audio signal associated with the audio file includes a left ear audio signal and a right ear audio signal, and where the left ear audio signal and the right ear audio signal together provide a three dimensional sound experience.

18. The method of claim 10, where the function is a head-related transfer function, and where the audio signal associated with the audio file is processed to generate a first left ear audio signal and a first right ear audio signal.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

receiving a selection of a second direction; and

processing the audio signal associated with the audio file to generate a second left ear audio signal and a second right ear audio signal, where the second left ear audio signal and the second right ear audio signal are generated based on the second direction.

20. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising code for causing a computer to:

collect audio samples from a plurality of user devices located in a particular geographic location;

select one or more of the collected audio samples as an audio file associated with the particular geographic location;

store audio processing coefficients associated with the particular geographic location, where the stored audio processing coefficients are associated with a function for converting an audio signal associated with the audio file into a left ear audio signal and a right ear audio signal;

receive, from a particular user device, a request for a map associated with the particular geographic location;

provide, to the particular user device, the map associated with the particular geographic location, where the map includes an option to receive the audio file;

receive, from the particular user device, a request for the audio file;

retrieve audio processing coefficients based on the particular geographic location and a direction associated with the particular user device;

process the audio file based on the audio processing coefficients; and

provide the audio file to the particular user device, in response to receiving the request for the audio file.