US 11,700,500 B2
Audio communication device
Shuji Miyasaka, Yokohama (JP); Kazutaka Abe, Yokohama (JP); and Yasunori Naruse, Yokohama (JP)
Assigned to SOCIONEXT INC., Kanagawa (JP)
Filed by SOCIONEXT INC., Kanagawa (JP)
Filed on Jul. 13, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/374,780.
Claims priority of application No. 2020-153008 (JP), filed on Sep. 11, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0086585 A1, Mar. 17, 2022
Int. Cl. H04S 7/00 (2006.01); H04R 27/00 (2006.01); H04M 3/56 (2006.01)
CPC H04S 7/303 (2013.01) [H04S 2420/01 (2013.01)] 3 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An audio communication device, comprising:
N inputters, where N is an integer of two or more, each receiving one of N audio signals;
a sound position determiner that determines, for the N audio signals input from the N inputters, sound localization positions in a virtual space having a first wall and a second wall;
N sound localizers, each associated with one of the N inputters, performing sound localization processing to localize sound in one of the sound localization positions determined for one of the N inputters associated with the sound localizer by the sound position determiner, and outputting one of N localized sound signals; and
an adder that sums the N localized sound signals output from the N sound localizers, and outputs a summed localized sound signal, wherein
the sound position determiner determines the sound localization positions of the N audio signals to fall between the first wall and the second wall, and to not overlap each other as viewed from a hearer position between the first wall and the second wall,
each of the N sound localizers performs the sound localization processing using:
a first head-related transfer function assuming that a sound wave emitted from a sound localization position determined for the sound localizer by the sound position determiner directly reaches each ear of a hearer virtually present at the hearer position; and
a second head-related transfer function assuming that the sound wave emitted from the sound localization position reaches each ear of the hearer after being reflected by closer one of the first wall and the second wall, and
each of the first wall and the second wall is a virtual wall present in the virtual space to reflect the sound wave.