Ultrasonic speaker assembly for audio spatial effect

• US 9,693,168 B1
• Filed: 02/08/2016
• Issued: 06/27/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Carlsson, Gregory, Shibuya, Kiyoto, Nagai, Norihiro, Shintani, Peter, Usami, Morio, Nishidate, Masaomi
• Primary Examiner(s): Bernardi, Brenda
• Application Number:
  US15/018,128
• Time in Patent Office: 505 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/403 loud-speakers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2217/03 Parametric transducers where sound is generated or captured by the acoustic demodulation of amplitude modulated ultrasonic waves
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/02 Spatial or constructional arrangements of loudspeakers
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 3/00 Systems employing more than two channels, e.g. quadraphonic H04S5/00, H04S7/00 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/30 Control circuits for electronic adaptation of the sound field

Abstract

Audio spatial effects are provided using a spherical array of ultrasonic speakers, with the azimuth angle and, if desired, elevation angle demanded by a control signal from, for example, a game console being matched to the sonic axis of one of the speakers in the array to activate the matching speaker.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

plural ultrasonic speakers arranged on a Bucky ball and configured to emit sound along respective sonic axes;

a mount configured to hold the speakers; and

at least one computer memory that is not a transitory signal and that comprises instructions executable by at least one processor to;

receive a control signal representing a demanded sonic axis; and

responsive to the control signal, actuate a speaker among the plural ultrasonic speakers whose sonic axis most closely aligns with the demanded sonic axis.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising the at least one processor.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein no speaker having a sonic axis with an elevation angle within “

N”

degrees of vertical is provided on the mount.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control signal is received from a computer game console outputting a main audio channel for playing on non-ultrasonic speakers.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein responsive to the control signal, the instructions are executable to:

activate a first speaker among the plural ultrasonic speakers to direct a first sound effect in a first channel toward a first location; and

activate a second speaker among the plural ultrasonic speakers to direct a second sound effect in a second channel toward a second location.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the instructions are executable to direct sound at a reflection location based at least in part on a surface type of the reflection location such that reflected sound arrives at a location associated with a listener.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control signal represents at least one audio effect data in a received audio channel, the audio effect being audio representing on object moving in space.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the audio effect data is established at least in part from input to a computer game input device.

9. A method comprising:

receiving at least one control signal representing an audio effect; and

actuating an ultrasonic speaker in a Bucky ball array of ultrasonic speakers at least in part based on the control signal.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the ultrasonic speakers are configured to emit sound along respective sonic axes, and the method comprises:

causing a first speaker in the array to direct a first sound effect in a first channel toward a first location at least in part based on a surface type; and

causing a second speaker in the array to direct a second sound effect in a second channel toward a second location.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the control signal includes an elevation component.

12. The method of claim 9, comprising moving the speaker to direct sound to a location associated with a listener.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the audio effect is established at least in part from input to a computer game input device.

14. A device comprising:

at least one computer memory that is not a transitory signal and that comprises instructions executable by at least one processor to;

receive a control signal;

determine a location associated with a listener based on identifying a location of headphones associated with a game console; and

responsive to the control signal, actuate at least one speaker in an array of ultrasonic speakers based at least in part on a sonic axis defined by the at least one speaker intersecting the location of the listener without moving any of the speakers in the array.

15. The device of claim 14, comprising the at least one processor.

16. The device of claim 14, wherein the control signal includes an elevation component.

17. The device of claim 14, wherein the instructions are executable to determine the location associated with the listener using an electronic tag connected to the headphones.

18. The device of claim 14, wherein the control signal represents at least one audio effect data in a received audio channel from a source also outputting a main audio channel for playing on non-ultrasonic speakers, the audio effect representing motion of an object in space.

19. The device of claim 18, wherein the audio effect data is established at least in part from input to a computer game input device outputting a main audio channel for playing on non-ultrasonic speakers.

20. The device of claim 14, wherein the instructions are executable to determine the location associated with the listener using an image of the headphones.