Information processing apparatus, information processing method, and acoustic system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11659347-B2
Application number	US-201917250434-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 8, 2019
Priority date	Jul 31, 2018
Publication date	May 23, 2023
Grant date	May 23, 2023

Abstract

Provided is an information processing apparatus that carries out a process of deriving a head related transfer function. The information processing apparatus includes a detection unit that detects a position of a head of a user, a storage unit that stores a head related transfer function of the user, a determination unit that determines a position of a sound source for measuring the head related transfer function of the user based on the position of the head detected by the detection unit and information stored in the storage unit, a control unit that controls the sound source to output measurement signal sound from the position determined by the determination unit, and a calculation unit that calculates the head related transfer function of the user based on collected sound data obtained by collecting, at the position of the head, the measurement signal sound output from the sound source.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An information processing apparatus, comprising:
a detection unit configured to detect a position of a head of a user;
a storage unit configured to store information associated with a first head related transfer function of the user;
a first determination unit configured to determine, based on the detected position of the head and the stored information, a position of a first measurement point of a plurality of measurement points for measurement of the first head related transfer function of the user, wherein the position of the first measurement point is different from a position of a second measurement point of the plurality of measurement points; and
a control unit configured to:
select a first sound source matching or approximate to the determined position of the first measurement point; and
control the selected first sound source to output measurement signal sound from the determined position of the first measurement point.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a specification unit configured to specify the user.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the first determination unit is further configured to determine a position of a third measurement point of the plurality of measurement points for measurement of a second head related transfer function of the user, and
the position of the third measurement point does not overlap the position of the first measurement point where the first head related transfer function is measured.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the control unit is further configured to control movement of the first sound source based on the determined position of the first measurement point, and
the output of the measurement signal sound is based on the movement of the first sound source.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a communication unit configured to receive sound data of the measurement signal sound output from the first sound source; and
a calculation unit configured to calculate the first head related transfer function of the user based on the received sound data.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5 , further comprising a second determination unit configured to determine an abnormality in the received sound data.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the second determination unit is further configured to perform the determination of the abnormality by handling, as no-signal, the received sound data in a time domain in which a measurement signal is not measured due to a metric space delay between the position of the head and the position of the first measurement point.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5 , further comprising a third determination unit configured to determine an abnormality in the first head related transfer function calculated by the calculation unit.

9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the calculation unit is further configured to use the received sound data of the measurement signal sound output from the first sound source to interpolate the first head related transfer function at the determined position of the first measurement point.

10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first determination unit is further configured to sequentially determine a position of a third measurement point of the plurality of measurement points for measurement of a second head related transfer function of the user so as to evenly measure the first head related transfer function and the second head related transfer function throughout an area to be measured.

11. The information processing apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the first determination unit is further configured to sequentially determine, based on a priority set in the area, the position of the third measurement point for the measurement of the second head related transfer function of the user.

12. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising an information presentation unit configured to present information that prompts the user to change the position of the head in a case there is no sound source of a plurality of sound sources that generates the measurement signal sound at the determined position of the first measurement point.

13. The information processing apparatus according to claim 12 , further comprising a display, wherein the information presentation unit is further configured to:
display the information to the user at a specific position of the display, and
control, in a case where the user faces the displayed information, the first sound source that is at the determined position after the change in the position of the head, to generate the measurement signal sound.

14. The information processing apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein the control unit is further configured to control the first sound source that is at the determined position after the change in the position of the head, to output the measurement signal sound.

15. The information processing apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein
the control unit is further configured to determine the first sound source that outputs the measurement signal sound,
the information presentation unit is further configured to determine a second sound source that presents acoustic information that prompts the user to make an action, and
in a case where the user faces the acoustic information, the first sound source is in a positional relation corresponding to the determined position with respect to the position of the head.

16. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the measurement signal sound includes a time-stretch pulse in which power is inversely proportional to frequency.

17. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the measurement signal sound includes a time-stretch pulse in which amplitude at each frequency is adjustable based on a frequency spectrum of stationary noise of a measurement environment.

18. An information processing method, comprising:
detecting a position of a head of a user;
storing, in a storage unit, information associated with a head related transfer function of the user;
determining, based on the detected position of the head and the stored information, a position of a first measurement point of a plurality of measurement points for measuring the head related transfer function of the user, wherein the position of the first measurement point is different from a position of a second measurement point of the plurality of measurement points;
selecting a first sound source matching or approximate to the determined position of the first measurement point; and
controlling the selected first sound source to output measurement signal sound from the determined position of the first measurement point.

19. An acoustic system, comprising:
a control apparatus including:
a detection unit configured to detect a position of a head of a user,
a storage unit configured to store information associated with a head related transfer function of the user,
a determination unit configured to determine, based on the detected position of the head and the stored information, a position of a first measurement point of a plurality of measurement points for measurement of the head related transfer function of the user, wherein the posi

Assignees

• Sony Corp

Inventors

• Igarashi Go
• Shinmen Naoki
• Asada Kohei
• Numaoka Chisata
• Kuroda Yoshiyuki

Classifications

• H04S2420/01

  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] · CPC title

• H04S2400/11

  Positioning of individual sound objects, e.g. moving airplane, within a sound field (H04S2420/13 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G10K15/02

  Synthesis of acoustic waves (synthesis of speech G10L13/00) · CPC title

• H04R1/403

  loud-speakers · CPC title

• H04S7/304

  For headphones · CPC title