US 2013/0156220 A1Published application

Selective spatial audio communication

AssigneeMicrosoft Corporation

InventorsAvi Bar-Zeev, Elad Gerson, Kenn Cartier, Eyal Ofek, Gur Kimchi

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Abstract

Audio data associated with a plurality of originating sources is obtained, the audio data directed to a participant entity. An originating entity associated with one of the originating sources is determined. A listener focus indication is obtained from the participant entity indicating a listener focus on the originating entity. A spatial positional relationship is determined between the participant and originating entities. A filtering operation is initiated to enhance a portion of the audio data associated with the originating entity, the portion enhanced relative to another portion of the audio data that is associated with the originating sources other than the first one. A spatialization of a stream of the first portion that is based on a participant positional listening perspective is initiated, based on the spatial positional relationship. Transmission of a spatial stream of audio data is initiated to the participant entity, based on the filtering operation and spatialization.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A system comprising:

an audio data acquisition component that obtains a first set of audio data associated with a plurality of originating sources, the first set of audio data directed to a first participant entity;
an audio source determination component that determines a first originating entity associated with a first one of the plurality of originating sources;
a focus determination component that obtains, via a device processor, a first listener focus indication from the first participant entity indicating a first listener focus on the first originating entity;
a spatial relationship component that determines a spatial positional relationship between the first participant entity and the first originating entity;
an audio enhancement component that initiates a first filtering operation on the first set of audio data to enhance a first portion of the first set audio data that is associated with the first originating entity, the first portion enhanced relative to another portion of the first set of audio data that is associated with the plurality of originating sources other than the first one of the plurality of originating sources;
a spatialization component that initiates a spatialization of a stream of the first portion that is based on a first participant positional listening perspective, based on the spatial positional relationship between the first participant entity and the first originating entity;
and
a spatial audio transmission component that initiates transmission of a spatial stream of audio data to the first participant entity, based on the first filtering operation and the spatialization.

5 more elements

A computer program product tangibly embodied on a computer-readable storage medium and including executable code that causes at least one data processing apparatus to:

obtain, from a first participant entity, a first participant focus indication indicating a first focus of the first participant entity on a second participant entity;
obtain, via a device processor, a first portion of a set of audio data associated with the first participant entity as a first originating source, the first portion directed to the second participant entity, based on the first participant focus indication;
determine a spatial positional relationship between the first participant entity and the second participant entity;
obtain, via the device processor, a second portion of the set of audio data associated with a third participant entity as a second originating source, the second portion directed to the second participant entity;
initiate a first filtering operation on the set of audio data to enhance the first portion, the first portion enhanced relative to another portion of the set of audio data that is associated with one or more originating sources other than the first originating source, the another portion including the second portion;
initiate a spatialization of the first portion that is based on a second participant positional listening perspective, based on the spatial positional relationship between the first participant entity and the second participant entity;
and
initiate transmission of a first spatial stream of audio data to the second participant entity, based on the first filtering operation and the spatialization.

5 more elements

A method comprising:

obtaining, from a first participant entity, a first participant focus indication indicating a first focus of the first participant entity on a second participant entity;
obtaining, via a device processor, a first portion of a set of audio data associated with the first participant entity as a first originating source, the first portion directed to the second participant entity, based on the first participant focus indication;
determining a first spatial positional relationship between the first participant entity and the second participant entity;
obtaining, from the first participant entity, a second participant focus indication indicating a second focus of the first participant entity on a third participant entity;
obtaining, via the device processor, a second portion of the set of audio data associated with the first participant entity as the first originating source, the second portion directed to the third participant entity;
initiating a first filtering operation on the set of audio data to enhance the first portion, the first portion enhanced relative to a first other portion of the set of audio data that is associated with originating sources including at least one originating source other than the first originating source, the first other portion including the second portion;
initiating a first spatialization of the first portion that is based on a second participant positional listening perspective, based on the spatial positional relationship between the first participant entity and the second participant entity;
initiating transmission of a first spatial stream of audio data to the second participant entity, based on the first filtering operation and the spatialization;
initiating a second filtering operation on the set of audio data to enhance the second portion, the second portion enhanced relative to a second other portion of the set of audio data that is associated with originating sources including at least one originating source other than the first originating source, the second other portion including the first portion;
initiating a second spatialization of the second portion that is based on a third participant positional listening perspective, based on the spatial positional relationship between the first participant entity and the third participant entity;
and
initiating transmission of a second spatial stream of audio data to the third participant entity, based on the second filtering operation and the second spatialization.

9 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 13/329,220Filed 17 Dec 2011
Published: 20 Jun 2013
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification4 codes

G10L 21/0208
Speech enhancement, e.g. noise reduction or echo cancellation: noise filtering
G10L 17/00
Speaker identification or verification techniques
G10L 2021/02087
Noise filtering: the noise being separate speech, e.g. cocktail party
G10L
Speech analysis techniques or speech synthesis

Family

US 8,958,569 B2Related patent
US 2013/0156220 A1This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

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