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.
Claims14
A method for producing sound through one or more wearable audio output devices having a right ear portion and a left ear portion, the method comprising:
- emitting sound through the wearable audio output devices in a first mode;
- detecting one or more conditions surrounding a user wearing the one or more wearable audio output devices;
- determining, based on the detected conditions, an activity being performed by the user;
- determining, with one or more processors, whether the determined activity triggers an audio spatialization mode for the one or more wearable audio output devices, in which audio output is adjusted in relation to angular movement with respect to a virtual audio source, wherein determining whether the determined activity triggers an audio spatialization mode comprises determining whether the activity comprises at least one of:
- moving in a given direction within a threshold range of speed,
- moving within a threshold distance of vehicular traffic, or
- moving on a path traveled by other people;
- and
- activating the audio spatialization mode when the determined activity triggers the audio spatialization mode.
A system, comprising:
- one or more wearable audio output devices 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:
- emit sound through the wearable audio output devices in a first mode;
- detect one or more conditions surrounding a user wearing the one or more wearable audio output devices;
- determine, based on the detected conditions, an activity being performed by the user;
- determine whether the determined activity triggers an audio spatialization mode for the one or more wearable audio output devices, in which audio output is adjusted in relation to angular movement with respect to a virtual audio source, wherein determining whether the determined activity triggers an audio spatialization mode comprises determining whether the activity comprises at least one of:
- moving in a given direction within a threshold range of speed,
- moving within a threshold distance of vehicular traffic, or
- moving on a path traveled by other people;
- and
- activate the audio spatialization mode when the determined activity triggers the audio spatialization mode.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.