Methods and apparatuses for representing a sound field in a physical space

• US 9,412,375 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2012
• Issued: 08/09/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Xiang, Pei, Liu, Kexi
• Primary Examiner(s): King, Simon
• Application Number:
  US13/725,951
• Publication Number:
  US 20140133665A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,327 Days
• Field of Search: 381/17, 381/59, 348/14.08
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2210/301 Soundscape or sound field simulation, reproduction or control for musical purposes, e.g. surround or 3D sound; Granular synthesis
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/096 using a touch screen touch screen note input, e.g. using a displayed keyboard G10H2220/241; personal digital assistant [PDA] G10H2230/015
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/355 Geolocation input, i.e. control of musical parameters based on location or geographic position, e.g. provided by GPS, WiFi network location databases or mobile phone base station position databases
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 17/00 Speaker identification or verification techniques
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 29/002 Loudspeaker arrays
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/005 for combining the signals of two or more microphones specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/303 Tracking of listener position or orientation
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/40 Visual indication of stereophonic sound image

Abstract

Methods and apparatuses for representing a sound field in a physical space are provided and described as embodied in a system that includes a sound transducer array along with a touch surface-enabled display table. The array may include a group of transducers (multiple speakers and/or microphones). The array may be configured to perform spatial processing of signals for the group of transducers so that sound rendering (in configurations where the array includes multiple speakers), or sound pick-up (in configurations where the array includes multiple microphones), may have spatial patterns (or sound projection patterns) that are focused in certain directions while reducing disturbances from other directions.

Claims

1. A method of representing a sound field on a physical space, the method comprising:

capturing sound from with a sound transducer array in communication with the physical space;

calculating a sound projection pattern of the captured sound, wherein the sound projection pattern comprises a representation of a sound field of the captured sound; and

displaying the sound projection pattern on the physical space, the sound projection pattern extending between the sound transducer array and a location of an intended user in proximity to the physical space.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising processing the captured sound to identify an originating location of the captured sound.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the intended user is at the originating location of the captured sound.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the sound transducer array comprises a separate microphone array and speaker array.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

capturing a microphone beam on the microphone array, the microphone beam displayed on the physical space in a first color; and

transmitting a speaker beam from the speaker array, the speaker beam displayed on the physical space in a second color where the first color is different than the second color.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising applying a color heat map to the microphone beam where a main lobe of the color heat map represents a strong signal region and color changes in the color heat map represent weaker signal regions.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the sound transducer array comprises a combined microphone and speaker array.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

capturing a microphone beam on the sound transducer array, the microphone beam displayed on the physical space in a first color; and

transmitting a speaker beam from the sound transducer array, the speaker beam displayed on the physical space in a second color where the first color is different than the second color.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising applying a color heat map to the microphone beam where a main lobe of the color heat map represents a strong signal region and color changes in the color heat map represent weaker signal regions.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the sound includes subsonic sounds, ultrasonic sounds, infrared sounds, and radio frequency sounds.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the sound is captured in real time or near real-time.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the sound projection pattern is displayed in real time or near real-time.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the physical space comprises at least one of a display screen, a touch screen and a tablet.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the sound projection pattern comprises a sound projection pattern in a form of beam patterns.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the sound projection pattern comprises a symbol.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the symbol comprises an arrow.

17. A sound transducer array in communication with a physical space, the sound transducer array comprising:

a speaker array;

a microphone array, in communication with the speaker array, for capturing sound;

at least one processor in communication with the microphone array and configured to;

capture the sound;

calculate a sound projection pattern of the captured sound, wherein the sound projection pattern comprises a representation of a sound field of the captured sound; and

display the sound projection pattern on the physical space, the sound projection pattern extending between the sound transducer array and an intended user in proximity to the physical space.

18. The sound transducer array of claim 17, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to process the captured sound to identify an originating location of the captured sound.

19. The sound transducer array of claim 18, wherein the intended user is at the originating location of the captured sound.

20. The sound transducer array of claim 17, wherein the microphone array is separate from the speaker array.

21. The sound transducer array of claim 20, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

capture a microphone beam on the microphone array, the microphone beam displayed on the physical space in a first color; and

transmit a speaker beam from the speaker array, the speaker beam displayed on the physical space in a second color where the first color is different than the second color.

22. The sound transducer array of claim 21, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to apply a color heat map to the microphone beam where a main lobe of the color heat map represents a strong signal region and color changes in the color heat map represent weaker signal regions.

23. The sound transducer array of claim 17, wherein the microphone array is combined with the speaker array.

24. The sound transducer array of claim 23, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

capture a microphone beam on the combined microphone and speaker array, the microphone beam displayed on the physical space in a first color; and

transmit a speaker beam from the combined microphone and speaker array, the speaker beam displayed on the physical space in a second color where the first color is different than the second color.

25. The sound transducer array of claim 24, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to apply a color heat map to the microphone beam where a main lobe of the color heat map represents a strong signal region and color changes in the color heat map represent weaker signal regions.

26. The sound transducer array of claim 17, wherein the sound includes one or more of subsonic sounds, ultrasonic sounds, infrared sounds, and radio frequency sounds.

27. The sound transducer array of claim 17, wherein the sound is captured in real time or near real-time.

28. The sound transducer array of claim 17, wherein the sound projection pattern is displayed in real-time or near real-time.

29. The sound transducer array of claim 17, wherein the physical space comprises at least one of a display screen, a touch screen and a tablet.

30. The sound transducer array of claim 17, wherein the sound projection pattern includes a sound projection pattern in a form of beam patterns.

31. The sound transducer array of claim 17, wherein the sound projection pattern comprises a symbol.

32. The sound transducer array of claim 31, wherein the symbol comprises an arrow.

33. A sound transducer array in communication with a physical space, the sound transducer array comprising:

means for capturing sound;

means for calculating a sound projection pattern of the captured sound, wherein the sound projection pattern comprises a representation of a sound field of the captured sound; and

means for displaying the sound projection pattern on the physical space, the sound projection pattern extending between the sound transducer array and a location of an intended user in proximity to the physical space.

34. The sound transducer array of claim 33, further comprising means for processing the captured sound to identify an originating location of the captured sound.

35. The sound transducer array of claim 34, wherein the intended user is at the originating location of the captured sound.

36. The sound transducer array of claim 33, wherein the sound transducer array comprises a separate microphone array and speaker array.

37. The sound transducer array of claim 36, further comprising:

means for capturing a microphone beam on the microphone array, the microphone beam displayed on the physical space in a first color; and

means for transmitting a speaker beam from the speaker array, the speaker beam displayed on the physical space in a second color where the first color is different than the second color.

38. The sound transducer array of claim 37, further comprising means for applying a color heat map to the microphone beam where a main lobe of the color heat map represents a strong signal region and color changes in the color heat map represent weaker signal regions.

39. The sound transducer array of claim 33, wherein the sound transducer array comprises a combined microphone and speaker array.

40. The sound transducer array of claim 39, further comprising:

means for capturing a microphone beam on the sound transducer array, the microphone beam displayed on the physical space in a first color; and

means for transmitting a speaker beam from the sound transducer array, the speaker beam displayed on the physical space in a second color where the first color is different than the second color.

41. The sound transducer array of claim 40, further comprising means for applying a color heat map to the microphone beam where a main lobe of the color heat map represents a strong signal region and color changes in the color heat map represent weaker signal regions.

42. The sound transducer array of claim 33, wherein the sound includes one or more of subsonic sounds, ultrasonic sounds, infrared sounds, and radio frequency sounds.

43. The sound transducer array of claim 33, wherein the sound is captured in real-time or near real-time.

44. The sound transducer array of claim 33, wherein the sound projection pattern is displayed in real-time or near real-time.

45. The sound transducer array of claim 33, wherein the physical space comprises at least one of a display screen, a touch screen and a tablet.

46. The sound transducer array of claim 33, wherein the sound projection pattern includes a sound projection pattern in a form of beam patterns.

47. The sound transducer array of claim 46, wherein the sound projection pattern comprises a symbol.

48. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising one or more instructions for representing a sound field on a physical space, which when executed by at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to:

capture sound with a sound transducer array in communication with the physical space;

calculate a sound projection pattern of the captured sound, wherein the sound projection pattern comprises a representation of a sound field of the captured sound; and

display the sound projection pattern on the physical space, the sound projection pattern extending between the sound transducer array and a location of an intended user in proximity to the physical space.

49. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 48, further comprising one or more instructions which when executed by at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to process the captured sound to identify an originating location of the captured sound.

50. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 49, wherein the intended user is at the originating location of the captured sound.

51. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 48, wherein the sound transducer array comprises a separate microphone array and speaker array.

52. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 48, further comprising one or more instructions which when executed by at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to:

capture a microphone beam on the microphone array, the microphone beam displayed on the physical space in a first color; and

transmit a speaker beam from the speaker array, the speaker beam displayed on the physical space in a second color where the first color is different than the second color.

53. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 48, further comprising one or more instructions which when executed by at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to apply a color heat map to the microphone beam where a main lobe of the color heat map represents a strong signal region and color changes in the color heat map represent weaker signal regions.

54. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 48, wherein the sound transducer array comprises a combined microphone and speaker array.

55. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 54, further comprising one or more instructions which when executed by at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to:

capture a microphone beam on the sound transducer array, the microphone beam displayed on the physical space in a first color; and

transmit a speaker beam from the sound transducer array, the speaker beam displayed on the physical space in a second color where the first color is different than the second color.

56. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 55, further comprising one or more instructions which when executed by at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to apply a color heat map to the microphone beam where a main lobe of the color heat map represents a strong signal region and color changes in the color heat map represent weaker signal regions.

57. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 48, wherein the sound includes one or more of subsonic sounds, ultrasonic sounds, infrared sounds, and radio frequency sounds.

58. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 48, wherein the sound is captured in real-time or near real-time.

59. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 48, wherein the sound projection pattern is displayed in real-time or near real-time.

60. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 48, wherein the physical space comprises at least one of a display screen, a touch screen and a tablet.

61. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 48, wherein the sound projection pattern includes a sound projection pattern in a form of beam patterns.