# US 11,115,772 B2 · Computer-readable non-transitory storage medium having stored therein sound processing program, information processing apparatus, sound processing method, and information processing system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,115,772 B2 - Document ID: US11115772B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/592,987 - Filed: 2019-10-04 - Published: 2020-05-21 - Granted: 2021-09-07 - Earliest claimed: 2018-11-21 - Assignees: Nintendo Co., Ltd. - Applicants: Nintendo Co., Ltd. - Inventors: Takuro Yasuda - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11115772B2 ## CPC - H04S 7/303: {Tracking of listener position or orientation} - H04S 2400/11: Positioning of individual sound objects, e.g. moving airplane, within a sound field (H04S2420/13 takes precedence) - H04S 2400/13: Aspects of volume control, not necessarily automatic, in stereophonic sound systems - H04S: STEREOPHONIC SYSTEMS ## Abstract An exemplary embodiment includes: disposing at least one virtual sound source in a virtual space; calculating a parameter relevant to a sound volume on the basis of a distance from a first reference in the virtual space to the virtual sound source; calculating a parameter relevant to a sound quality on the basis of a distance from a second reference in the virtual space to the virtual sound source, the second reference being different from the first reference; and outputting, with a sound volume based on the parameter relevant to the sound volume and a sound quality based on the parameter relevant to the sound quality, a sound associated with the virtual sound source. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein a sound processing program which, when executed, causes a computer of an information processing apparatus to at least: dispose at least one virtual sound source in a virtual space captured by a virtual camera; calculate a sound volume parameter based on a first distance between (i) the virtual sound source and (ii) a sound volume reference line extending from the virtual camera to a position of an object in the virtual space; calculate a sound quality parameter based on a second distance between the virtual sound source and the position of the object; and output a sound associated with the virtual sound source, with a sound volume based on the sound volume parameter and a sound quality based on the sound quality parameter. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein the sound processing program further causes the computer to: control the virtual camera in the virtual space. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 2, wherein the position of the object corresponds to a gaze point of the virtual camera. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein the sound volume parameter is calculated such that, the shorter the first distance, the greater the sound volume is, and the longer the first distance, the smaller the sound volume. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein the sound quality parameter is a parameter indicating a degree of change of a frequency characteristic. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 5, wherein the parameter indicating the degree of change of the frequency characteristic is a parameter for reducing a specific frequency component, and is calculated such that, the shorter the second distance, the smaller a degree of the reduction, and the longer the second distance, the greater the degree of the reduction. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein the sound quality parameter is a parameter corresponding to a reverberation effect. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 7, wherein the parameter relevant to the reverberation effect is calculated such that, the shorter the second distance, the greater a time lag between a direct sound and an indirect sound, and the longer the second distance, the smaller the time lag. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein the first distance corresponds to a shortest direct distance. ### Claim 10 An information processing apparatus, comprising a processor configured to at least: dispose at least one virtual sound source in a virtual space captured by a virtual camera; calculate a sound volume parameter based on a first distance between (i) the virtual space to the virtual sound source and (ii) a sound volume reference line extending from the virtual camera to a position of an object in the virtual space; calculate a sound quality parameter based on a second distance between the virtual space to the virtual sound source and the position of the object; and output a sound associated with the virtual sound source, with a sound volume based on the sound volume parameter and a sound quality based on the sound quality parameter. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The information processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the processor is configured to: control the virtual camera in the virtual space. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The information processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the position of the object corresponds to a gaze point of the virtual camera. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The information processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the sound volume parameter is calculated such that, the shorter the first distance, the greater the sound volume, and the longer the first distance, the smaller the sound volume. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The information processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the sound quality parameter is a parameter indicating a degree of change of a frequency characteristic. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The information processing apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the parameter indicating the degree of change of the frequency characteristic is a parameter for reducing a specific frequency component, and is calculated such that, the shorter the second distance, the smaller a degree of the reduction, and the longer the second distance, the greater the degree of the reduction. ### Claim 16 (depends on 10) The information processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the sound quality parameter is a parameter corresponding to a reverberation effect. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The information processing apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the parameter relevant to the reverberation effect is calculated such that, the shorter the second distance, the greater a time lag between a direct sound and an indirect sound, and the longer the second distance, the smaller the time lag. ### Claim 18 (depends on 10) The information processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the first distance corresponds to a shortest direct distance. ### Claim 19 A sound processing method to be executed by a computer that controls an information processing apparatus, the method comprising: disposing at least one virtual sound source in a virtual space captured by a virtual camera; calculating a sound volume parameter based on a first distance between (i) the virtual sound source and (ii) a sound volume reference line extending from the virtual camera to a position of an object in the virtual space; calculating a sound quality parameter based on a second distance between the virtual sound source and the position of the object; and outputting a sound associated with the virtual sound source, with a sound volume based on the sound volume parameter and a sound quality based on the sound quality parameter. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The method according to claim 19, wherein the first distance corresponds to a shortest direct distance. ### Claim 21 An information processing system, comprising: a speaker; and a processor configured to at least: dispose at least one virtual sound source in a virtual space captured by a virtual camera; calculate a sound volume parameter based on a first distance between (i) the virtual space to the virtual sound source and (ii) a sound volume reference line extending from the virtual camera to a position of an object in the virtual space; calculate a sound quality parameter based on a second distance between the virtual sound source and the position of the object; and output to the speaker a sound associated with the virtual sound source, with a sound volume based on the sound volume parameter relevant and a sound quality based on the sound quality parameter. ### Claim 22 (depends on 21) The information processing system according to claim 21, wherein the first distance corresponds to a shortest direct distance.