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US 10,375,506 B1Granted
Spatial audio to enable safe headphone use during exercise and commuting
AssigneeGoogle Inc.
InventorJonathan Moeller
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Sound is produced through headphones in a manner that improves user experience and increases safety. In some circumstances, such as when the user is moving during exercise, commuting, etc., an audio safety spatialization mode of the headphones is automatically activated. In this mode, sound is spatialized such that when the user turns his head, the sound appears to be generated from a same position in space as before the user turned his head. If the user's head remains in the turned position, the spatialized sound will return to an initialized position with respect to the user's head.
Claims18
A method, comprising:
- detecting a direction of movement of headphones having a right ear portion and a left ear portion;
- establishing a virtual audio source for the headphones based on the direction of movement;
- generating sound through the right ear portion and the left ear portion of the headphones, such that the sound is produced with an effect of emanating from the virtual audio source;
- detecting angular movement of the headphones with respect to the virtual audio source;
- and
- adjusting the sound generated through at least one of the right ear portion or the left ear portion based on the angular movement with respect to the virtual audio source,
- wherein adjusting the sound in the right ear portion comprises at least one of reducing the sound level in the left ear portion or increasing the sound level in the right ear portion when the detected angular movement of the headphones is to the left, and
- adjusting the sound in the left ear portion comprises at least one of reducing the sound level in the right ear portion or increasing the sound level in the left ear portion when the detected angular movement of the headphones is to the right.
5 more elements
A system, comprising:
- headphones comprising a left-ear audio output and a right-ear audio output;
- one or more sensors;
- a memory storing instructions for generating audio through the left-ear audio output and the right-ear audio output;
- and
- one or more processors in communication with the memory and the one or more sensors, the one or more processors configured to:
- receive input from the one or more sensors;
- detect a direction of movement of the headphones based on the received input;
- establish a virtual audio source for the headphones based on the direction of movement;
- generate sound through the right ear portion and the left ear portion of the headphones, such that the sound is produced with an effect of emanating from the virtual audio source;
- detect angular movement of the headphones with respect to the virtual audio source;
- adjust the sound generated through at least one of the right ear portion or the left ear portion based on the angular movement with respect to the virtual audio source,
- wherein adjusting the sound in the right ear portion comprises at least one of reducing the sound level in the left ear portion or increasing the sound level in the right ear portion when the detected angular movement of the headphones is to the left, and
- adjusting the sound in the left ear portion comprises at least one of reducing the sound level in the right ear portion or increasing the sound level in the left ear portion when the detected angular movement of the headphones is to the right.
10 more elements
A method for producing sound through headphones having a right ear portion and a left ear portion, the method comprising:
- establishing a virtual audio source at a first position, the first position being a first point in space relative to a neutral position of the headphones when worn by a user;
- generating sound through the right ear portion and the left ear portion of the headphones, such that the sound is produced with an effect of emanating from the virtual source;
- detecting angular movement of the headphones with respect to the first position;
- determining an angle of the headphones with respect to the first position as a result of the detected angular movement;
- adjusting the sound in the right ear portion by at least one of reducing the sound level in the left ear portion or increasing the sound level in the right ear portion when the detected angular movement of the headphones is to the left, and
- adjusting the sound in the left ear portion by at least one of reducing the sound level in the right ear portion or increasing the sound level in the left ear portion when the detected angular movement of the headphones is to the right;
- and
- moving the virtual audio source to a second position when one or more conditions are met, the second position being a second point in space different from the first point in space but a same position relative to the neutral position of the headphones.
5 more elements
A system, comprising:
- headphones comprising a left-ear audio output and a right-ear audio output;
- a memory storing instructions for generating audio through the left-ear audio output and the right-ear audio output;
- and
- one or more processors in communication with the memory, the one or more processors configured to:
- establish a virtual audio source at a first position, the first position being a first point in space relative to a neutral position of the headphones when worn by a user;
- generate sound through the right-ear audio output and the left-ear audio output, such that the sound is produced with an effect of emanating from the virtual source;
- detect angular movement of the headphones with respect to the first position;
- determine an angle of the headphones with respect to the first position as a result of the detected angular movement;
- adjust the sound in the right ear portion by at least one of reducing the sound level in the left ear portion or increasing the sound level in the right ear portion when the detected angular movement of the headphones is to the left, and
- adjust the sound in the left ear portion by at least one of reducing the sound level in the right ear portion or increasing the sound level in the left ear portion when the detected angular movement of the headphones is to the right;
- and
- move the virtual audio source to a second position when one or more conditions are met, the second position being a second point in space different from the first point in space but a same position relative to the neutral position of the headphones.
9 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.