# US 2019/0174246 A1 · Spatial audio processing emphasizing sound sources close to a focal distance

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- Number: US 2019/0174246 A1
- Document ID: US20190174246A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 16/092,958
- Filed: 2017-04-06
- Published: 2019-06-06
- Earliest claimed: 2016-04-12
- Assignees: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
- Applicants: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
- Inventors: Werner Paulus Josephus DE BRUIJN; Leon Maria VAN DE KERKHOF
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20190174246A1

## CPC

- H04S 7/303: {Tracking of listener position or orientation}
- A63F 13/54: involving acoustic signals, e.g. for simulating revolutions per minute [RPM] dependent engine sounds in a driving game or reverberation against a virtual wall
- G06F 3/012: {Head tracking input arrangements}
- G06F 3/013: {Eye tracking input arrangements (G06F3/015 takes precedence)}
- H04R 3/12: for distributing signals to two or more loudspeakers {(specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407)}
- H04R 5/04: Circuit arrangements, {e.g. for selective connection of amplifier inputs/outputs to loudspeakers, for loudspeaker detection, or for adaptation of settings to personal preferences or hearing impairments (combinations of amplifiers H03F3/68; stereophonic systems H04S)}
- H04S 7/302: {Electronic adaptation of stereophonic sound system to listener position or orientation (H04S7/301 takes precedence)}
- A63F 2300/6081: generating an output signal, e.g. under timing constraints, for spatialization
- A63F 2300/8082: Virtual reality
- H04S 7/307: {Frequency adjustment, e.g. tone control (H04S7/301 takes precedence)}
- 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 2420/01: Enhancing the perception of the sound image or of the spatial distribution using head related transfer functions [HRTF's] or equivalents thereof, e.g. interaural time difference [ITD] or interaural level difference [ILD]
- H04S: STEREOPHONIC SYSTEMS
- A63F: CARD, BOARD, OR ROULETTE GAMES; INDOOR GAMES USING SMALL MOVING PLAYING BODIES; VIDEO GAMES; GAMES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)
- H04R: LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; ELECTRIC HEARING AIDS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS (producing sounds with frequency not determined by supply frequency G10K)

## Abstract

A spatial audio processing apparatus comprises a receiver (101) for receiving audio scene data describing an audio scene comprising spatial audio components and associated position data. The audio components may be provided as audio objects. A distance unit (105) provides a position indication which includes a focus distance that is indicative of a distance from a reference position in the audio scene. An adapter (103) adapts a perceptual emphasis property, such as an audio level, frequency distribution, or degree of diffuseness, of a spatial audio component relative to at least one other spatial audio component of the audio scene in response to a difference measure reflecting a difference between the focus distance and a distance in the audio scene from the reference position to a position of the spatial audio component. An audio renderer (107) renders the resulting audio scene using the received position data. The approach may emphasize audio at the focus distance in the audio scene.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A spatial audio processing apparatus comprising:
a receiver for receiving audio scene data describing an audio scene, the audio scene data comprising audio data describing spatial audio components and position data describing positions in the audio scene for at least some of the spatial audio components;
a distance unit for providing a variable focus distance being indicative of a distance from a reference position in the audio scene;
an adapter for adapting a perceptual emphasis property of at least a first spatial audio component of the spatial audio components relative to at least one other spatial audio component of the audio scene in response to a difference measure reflecting a difference between the variable focus distance and a distance in the audio scene from the reference position to a position of the first spatial audio component;
an audio renderer for rendering the spatial audio components, the rendering being in response to the position data and the rendering of the first spatial audio component being subsequent to the adapter adapting the perceptual emphasis property.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The spatial audio processing apparatus of claim 1 wherein the adapter is arranged to determine a value of the perceptual emphasis property as a continuous function of the difference measure.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The spatial audio processing apparatus of claim 2 wherein the adapter is arranged to increase a gain for the first spatial audio component relative to the at least one other spatial audio component for the difference measure being indicative of a decreasing difference.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The spatial audio processing apparatus of claim 3 wherein the gain is determined as a function of the difference measure, the function being asymmetric with respect to distances from the reference position to the position of the first spatial audio component being smaller than the variable focus distance and to distances from the reference position to the position of the first spatial audio component being larger than the variable focus distance.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The spatial audio processing apparatus of claim 1 wherein the perceptual emphasis property is a frequency signal distribution for the first spatial audio component.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The spatial audio processing apparatus of claim 5 wherein the adapter is arranged to vary a frequency dependent filtering of the at least one other spatial audio component in response to the difference measure.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The spatial audio processing apparatus of claim 1 wherein the perceptual emphasis property is a diffuseness property for the first spatial audio component.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The spatial audio processing apparatus of claim 7 wherein the adapter is arranged to decrease a degree of diffuseness for the first spatial audio component relative to the at least one other spatial audio component of the audio scene for the difference measure being indicative of a decreasing difference.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The spatial audio processing apparatus of claim 1 wherein the difference measure is further dependent on a direction from the reference to the position of the first spatial audio component.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The spatial audio processing apparatus of claim 1 wherein the audio scene data comprises audio objects representing at least some of the spatial audio components.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The spatial audio processing apparatus of claim 1 wherein the distance unit is arranged to determine the variable focus distance in response to at least one of a listener head and eye tracking.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The spatial audio processing apparatus of claim 1 wherein the adapter is arranged to adapt the perceptual emphasis property without changing an Interaural Time Difference for the first spatial audio component.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The spatial audio processing apparatus of claim 1 wherein the adapter is arranged to adapt the perceptual emphasis property to reduce an emphasis of the first spatial audio component for an increasing difference measure for the variable focus distance being larger than the distance from the reference position to the position of the first spatial audio component.

### Claim 14

A method of spatial audio processing comprising:
receiving audio scene data describing an audio scene, the audio scene data comprising audio data describing spatial audio components and position data describing positions in the audio scene for at least some of the spatial audio component;
providing a variable focus distance being indicative of a distance from a reference position in the audio scene;
adapting a perceptual emphasis property of at least a first spatial audio component of the spatial audio components relative to at least one other spatial audio component of the audio scene in response to a difference measure reflecting a difference between the variable focus distance and a distance in the audio scene from the reference position to a position of the first spatial audio component; and
subsequent to the adapting of the perceptual emphasis property, rendering the spatial audio components including the first spatial audio component, the rendering being in response to the position data.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

A computer program product comprising computer program code means adapted to perform all the steps of claim 14 when said program is run on a computer.