US 11,709,068 B2
Spatial audio navigation
Bruno M. Sommer, Cupertino, CA (US); Avi Bar-Zeev, Oakland, CA (US); Frank Angermann, Munich (DE); Stephen E. Pinto, Mountain View, CA (US); Lilli Ing-Marie Jonsson, Saratoga, CA (US); and Rahul Nair, Daly City, CA (US)
Assigned to Apple Inc., Cupertino, CA (US)
Appl. No. 16/651,990
Filed by Apple Inc., Cupertino, CA (US)
PCT Filed Sep. 25, 2018, PCT No. PCT/US2018/052642
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Mar. 27, 2020,
PCT Pub. No. WO2019/067443, PCT Pub. Date Apr. 4, 2019.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/564,197, filed on Sep. 27, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2020/0264006 A1, Aug. 20, 2020
Int. Cl. G01C 21/36 (2006.01); H04W 4/029 (2018.01); G01S 19/42 (2010.01); G06F 3/01 (2006.01); H04R 5/033 (2006.01); H04R 5/04 (2006.01); H04S 1/00 (2006.01); H04S 7/00 (2006.01)
CPC G01C 21/3629 (2013.01) [G01C 21/3688 (2013.01); G01S 19/42 (2013.01); G06F 3/011 (2013.01); H04R 5/033 (2013.01); H04R 5/04 (2013.01); H04S 1/007 (2013.01); H04S 7/304 (2013.01); H04W 4/029 (2018.02); H04R 2420/07 (2013.01); H04R 2499/15 (2013.01); H04S 2400/11 (2013.01); H04S 2400/13 (2013.01)] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system for guiding a user along a path, the system comprising:
a mobile device, comprising:
one or more processors;
one or more position sensors to detect and track a current location of the mobile device; and
a memory comprising program instructions executable by the one or more processors to:
determine a target location of the mobile device;
determine a path from the current location to the target location; and
control virtual directionality and distance of sound played through a binaural audio device based on the current location of the mobile device relative to the path,
wherein, to control the virtual directionality and distance of sound played through the binaural audio device based on the current location of the mobile device relative to the path, the program instructions are executable by the one or more processors to apply a spatial audio navigation method in which the sound is moved continuously along the path.