Devices and methods for the visualization and localization of sound

An acoustic visualization device comprising:

• a wearable display device for displaying an image viewable by a wearer thereof, wherein the wearable display device comprises two display elements for both eyes of the wearer;
• two or more microphones associated with the wearable display device;
• and
• computing hardware connected to the display device and the microphones, wherein the computing hardware is configured to:
• record, via the microphones, sound signals from a plurality of sound sources;
• process the sound signals to extract localized sound signals respectively associated with the plurality of sound sources;
• process the localized sound signals to obtain a location associated with the localized sound source;
• and
• stereographically render, in the two display elements of the wearable display device, a plurality of acoustic graphics, each acoustic graphic providing a visual representation of a respective localized sound signal, wherein that the acoustic graphics are rendered such that they are perceived by the wearer as residing at respective positions and depths that correspond to the respective locations of the localized sound sources.

A method of rendering an acoustic visualization on an acoustic visualization device, the acoustic visualization device comprising a wearable display device and two or more microphones, wherein the wearable display device comprises two display elements for both eyes of the wearer, the method comprising:

• recording, via the microphones, sound signals from a plurality of sound sources;
• processing the sound signals to extract localized sound signals respectively associated with the plurality of sound sources;
• and
• processing the localized sound signals to obtain a location associated with the localized sound source;
• and
• stereographically rendering, in the two display elements of the wearable display device of the acoustic visualization device, a plurality of acoustic graphics, each acoustic graphic providing a visual representation of a respective localized sound signal, wherein that the acoustic graphics are rendered such that they are perceived by the wearer as residing at respective positions and depths that correspond to the respective locations of the localized sound sources.

A hearing assistive device for generating source-specific spatially filtered audio signals and acoustic visualizations for a wearer thereof, the device comprising:

• a wearable display device for displaying an image viewable by at least one eye of a wearer thereof;
• two or more microphones associated with the wearable display device;
• a speaker;
• and
• computing hardware connected to the wearable display device and the microphones, wherein the computing hardware is configured to:
• record, via the microphones, sound signals from one or more sound sources;
• process the sound signals in the frequency domain to extract localized sound signals associated with at least one of the sound sources;
• render, on the wearable display device, an acoustic graphic providing a visual representation of the localized sound signals;
• receive input from a wearer of the wearable display device, the input identifying a selected sound source from a plurality of identified sound sources rendered on the wearable display device;
• generate a filtered audio signal comprising sound signals from the selected sound source by summing frequency components associated with the selected sound source and performing an inverse Fourier transform, such that the filtered audio signal excludes sound sources other than the selected sound source;
• and
• employing the speaker to playback an audio output to the wearer of the wearable display device, the audio output comprising the filtered audio signal thereby allowing the device wearer to focus on the selected sound source in the presence of multiple sound sources.