IP Library Granted Patent US 12684304
Granted Patent B2
US 12684304 · App. 17/827,232 · Granted Jul 14, 2026

Methods and apparatus to generate binaural sounds for hearing devices

Inventors: Georg Stemmer (Munich, DE); Hector Cordourier Maruri (Guadalajara, MX); Willem Beltman (West Linn, OR)
Assignee: Intel Corporation
H04S3/004H04S7/304H04S7/307H04S2400/01H04S2420/01H04S2420/03
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12684304
App. No.
17/827,232
Granted
Jul 14, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

Methods, apparatus, systems, and articles of manufacture are disclosed to generate binaural sounds for hearing devices. An example apparatus includes processor circuitry to at least access audio data corresponding to multiple devices, ones of the multiple devices positioned at spatial locations relative to a listener, identify a position of the listener relative to the multiple devices, adjust, based on the spatial locations and the position of the listener, the audio data associated with at least one of the multiple devices, transmit the adjusted audio data to a hearing device associated with the listener, the adjusted audio data including a binaural sound corresponding to each of the spatial locations.

Claims (53)

1 . A computing device comprising:

at least one memory;

machine readable instructions; and

processor circuitry to at least one of instantiate or execute the machine readable instructions to:

access audio data corresponding to multiple devices, the audio data including respective independent audio streams from each of the multiple devices, each of the multiple devices positioned at respective spatial locations relative to a listener;

identify a position of the listener relative to each of the multiple devices, including identifying an orientation of eyes of the listener;

adjust, based on the respective spatial locations, the position of the listener, and the orientation of the eyes of the listener, the audio data associated with at least one of the multiple devices to generate adjusted audio data for each of the multiple devices, the adjusted audio data including a binaural sound for each of the multiple devices, the binaural sound corresponding to each of the respective spatial locations;

combine the adjusted audio data from each of the multiple devices to generate combined audio data; and

transmit the combined audio data to a hearing device associated with the listener.

2 . The computing device of claim 1 , wherein identifying the orientation of the eyes of the listener includes identifying that the eyes are open and identifying a viewing direction.

3 . The computing device of claim 2 , wherein the eyes are looking at a first one of the multiple devices, and wherein the processor circuitry is to:

adjust, based on the eyes looking at the first one of the multiple devices, the audio data associated with the first one of the multiple devices, including increasing a gain of the audio data associated with the first one of the multiple devices.

4 . The computing device of claim 1 , wherein a first one of the multiple devices is positioned at a first spatial location and a second one of the multiple devices is positioned at a second spatial location, the first spatial location positioned closer to the listener than the second spatial location, and wherein the processor circuitry is to:

increase a gain associated with the first one of the multiple devices.

5 . The computing device of claim 4 , wherein the processor circuitry is to decrease the gain associated with the second one of the multiple devices.

6 . The computing device of claim 1 , wherein the processor circuitry is to:

detect a change in the orientation of the eyes of the listener; and

adjust, based on the spatial locations and the changed orientation, the audio data associated with at least one of the multiple devices.

7 . The computing device of claim 6 , wherein the change in the position includes a change in viewing direction.

8 . The computing device of claim 1 , wherein the multiple devices include the computing device.

9 . The computing device of claim 1 , wherein the processor circuitry is to:

access a voice command of the listener; and

adjust, based on the voice command, the audio data associated with at least one of the multiple devices.

10 . The computing device of claim 1 , wherein the processor circuitry is to:

access a preference of the listener; and

adjust, based on the preference, the audio data associated with at least one of the multiple devices.

11 . The computing device of claim 1 , wherein the orientation of the eyes is determined via at least one of a camera, a gyroscope included in the hearing device, ultrasonic localization methods, an accelerometer, or Wi-Fi localization methods.

12 . The computing device of claim 1 , wherein the processor circuitry is to determine a respective angle of arrival of audio data from each respective device of the multiple devices based on the respective spatial locations.

13 . The computing device of claim 12 , wherein the processor circuitry is to determine, based on a head orientation of the listener, a corresponding head-related transfer function for the audio data from each respective device of the multiple devices.

14 . The computing device of claim 13 , wherein adjusting the audio data includes adjusting the binaural sound associated with each of the multiple devices by changing, based on the orientation of the eyes of the listener, the corresponding head-related transfer function for the audio data from each respective device of the multiple devices.

15 . A non-transitory machine readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed, cause processor circuitry to at least:

access audio data corresponding to multiple devices, the audio data including respective independent audio streams from each of the multiple devices, ones of the multiple devices positioned at spatial locations relative to a listener;

identify a position of the listener relative to each of the multiple devices, including identifying an orientation of eyes of the listener;

adjust, based on the respective spatial locations, the position of the listener, and the orientation of the eyes of the listener, the audio data associated with at least one of the multiple devices to generate adjusted audio data for each of the multiple devices, the adjusted audio data including a binaural sound for each of the multiple devices, the binaural sound corresponding to each of the respective spatial locations;

combine the adjusted audio data from each of the multiple devices to generate combined audio data; and

transmit the combined audio data to a hearing device associated with the listener.

16 . The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein identifying the orientation of the eyes of the listener includes identifying that the eyes are open and identifying a viewing direction.

17 . The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein the eyes are looking at a first one of the multiple devices, and wherein the instructions cause the at least one processor to adjust a gain associated with the first one of the multiple devices, including increasing a gain of the audio data associated with the first one of the multiple devices.

18 . The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the instructions cause the at least one processor to:

detect a change in the orientation of the eyes of the listener; and

adjust, based on the spatial locations and the changed orientation, the audio data associated with at least one of the multiple devices.

19 . An apparatus comprising:

means for accessing audio data corresponding to multiple devices, the audio data including respective independent audio streams from each of the multiple devices, each of the multiple devices positioned at respective spatial locations relative to a listener;

means for identifying a position of the listener relative to each of the multiple devices, including identifying an orientation of eyes of the listener;

means for adjusting, based on the respective spatial locations, the position of the listener, and the orientation of the eyes of the listener, the audio data associated with at least one of the multiple devices to generate adjusted audio data for each of the multiple devices, the adjusted audio data including a binaural sound for each of the multiple devices, the binaural sound corresponding to each of the respective spatial locations;

means for combining the adjusted audio data from each of the multiple devices to generate combined audio data; and

means for transmitting the combined audio data to a hearing device associated with the listener.

20 . The apparatus of claim 19 , wherein identifying the orientation of the eyes of the listener includes identifying that the eyes are open and identifying a viewing direction.

21 . The apparatus of claim 20 , wherein the eyes are looking at a first one of the multiple devices, the means for adjusting to adjust, based on the eyes looking at the first one of the multiple devices, the audio data associated with the first one of the multiple devices.

22 . The apparatus of claim 21 , wherein the means for adjusting is to increase a gain associated with the first one of the multiple devices based on the eyes.

23 . The apparatus of claim 20 , wherein the head is oriented towards a first one of the multiple devices, the means for adjusting to adjust, based on the head oriented towards the first one of the multiple devices, the audio data associated with the first one of the multiple devices.

24 . The apparatus of claim 19 , wherein means for identifying is to detect a change in the orientation of the eyes of the listener; and

the means for adjusting to adjust, based on the spatial locations and the changed orientation, the audio data associated with at least one of the multiple devices.