Switching binaural sound
View Patent ↗A method provides binaural sound to a person through electronic earphones. The binaural sound localizes to a sound localization point (SLP) in empty space that is away from but proximate to the person. When an event occurs, the binaural sound switches or changes to stereo sound, to mono sound, or to altered binaural sound.
1. Headphones, comprising:
one or more microphones that capture environmental sound; and
speakers that play music and the environmental sound to a listener wearing the headphones,
wherein sound being played through the speakers in the headphones automatically switches to a silent mode when the listener is standing such that while in the silent mode the headphones play the music but mute the environmental sound from passing through to the listener, and
wherein the sound being played through the speakers in the headphones automatically switches to a mix mode when the listener is moving such that while in the mix mode the headphones play both the music and voices in the environmental sound but mute sounds of non-voices in the environmental sound from passing through to the listener.
2. The headphones of claim 1 , wherein the sound being played through the speakers in the headphones automatically switches from the silent mode to the mix mode in response to determining the listener is on an airplane.
3. The headphones of claim 1 , wherein the sound being played through the speakers in the headphones automatically switches from the silent mode to the mix mode in response to determining a global positioning system (GPS) location of the listener wearing the headphones.
4. The headphones of claim 1 , wherein the sound being played through the speakers in the headphones automatically switches from the silent mode to the mix mode in response to an accelerometer determining the listener moving.
5. The headphones of claim 1 , wherein the sound being played through the speakers in the headphones automatically switches from the silent mode to the mix mode in response to the one or more microphones detecting a voice in the environmental sound.
6. The headphones of claim 1 , wherein the music includes sounds of instruments that externally localize to the listener as binaural sound at different fixed locations with respect to a head of the listener, wherein the sounds of the instruments continue to externally localize to the different fixed locations while the head movements of the listener change with respect to the different fixed locations.
7. The headphones of claim 1 further comprising:
a button; and
a network chip,
wherein the headphones automatically capture, at the one or more microphones and in response to activation of the button, a voice command to an intelligent personal assistant (IPA), and wherein the network chip wirelessly transmits the voice command to a smartphone.
8. A method, comprising:
capturing, with one or more microphones in headphones worn on a head of a listener, environmental sound;
detecting, with a smartphone in wireless communication with the headphones, when the listener is walking and when the listener is not moving;
automatically switching, in response to the smartphone detecting that the listener is walking, the headphones to a first mode of operation that plays both the music and the environmental sound captured with the one or more microphones; and
automatically switching, in response to the smartphone detecting that the listener is not moving, the headphones to a second mode of operation that plays music to the listener but mutes the environmental sound.
9. The method of claim 8 further comprising:
automatically switching, in response to detecting that the listener is on an airplane, to a third mode of operation that plays the music and voices in the environmental sound but mutes non-voices in the environmental sound.
10. The method of claim 8 , wherein an accelerometer in the smartphone detects a physical activity of the listener that includes when the listener is not moving and when the listener is walking, and wherein the smartphone wirelessly communicates with the headphones to switch the headphones between the first mode and the second mode.
11. The method of claim 8 further comprising:
automatically switching, in response to the smartphone detecting a physical activity of the listener, to a third mode of operation that plays both the music and voices in the environmental sound but mutes non-voices in the environmental sound from passing through to the listener.
12. The method of claim 8 further comprising:
automatically switching, in response to the smartphone detecting a global positioning system (GPS) location of the listener, to a third mode of operation that plays the music and passes through voices in the environmental sound but mutes non-voices in the environmental sound from passing through to the listener.
13. The method of claim 8 further comprising:
tracking, with the headphones, head movements of the listener that command the headphones to lower a volume of the music; and
lowering the volume of the music by the headphones in response to the command.
14. The method of claim 8 further comprising:
tracking, with the headphones, head movements of the listener that command the headphones to answer an incoming telephone call; and
answering the incoming telephone call by the headphones in response to the command.
15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that one or more electronic devices execute as a method comprising:
capturing, with one or more microphones in headphones worn on a head of a listener, sound in an environment of the listener;
detecting when the listener wearing the headphones is not moving, walking, and on an airplane;
switching, in response to detecting the listener is not moving, to a first mode of operation that plays through the headphones music but mutes the sound in the environment; and
switching, in response to detecting the listener is walking, to a second mode of operation that plays through the headphones the music and the sound in the environment.
16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 with the method further comprising:
switching, in response to detecting the listener is on the airplane, to a third mode of operation that plays through the headphones the music and voices in the sound in the environment but mutes non-voices in the sound in the environment.
17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 with the method further comprising:
switching, in response to detecting the listener is running, to a third mode of operation that plays through the headphones the music and voices in the sound in the environment but mutes non-voices in the sound in the environment.
18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 with the method further comprising:
tracking head movements of the listener that command the headphones to answer an incoming telephone call; and
answering the incoming telephone call by the headphones in response to the command.
19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 with the method further comprising:
tracking head movements of the listener that command the headphones to lower a volume of the music; and
lowering the volume of the music by the headphones in response to the command.
20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 with the method further comprising:
tracking head movements of the listener that command the headphones to raise a volume of the music; and
raising the volume of the music by the headphones in response to the command.