Sharing locations where binaural sound externally localizes
View Patent ↗A method processes binaural sound to externally localize to a first user at a first location. This location is shared such that an electronic device processes the binaural sound to externally localize to a second user at a second location. The first and second locations occur at a same or similar location such that the first and second users hear the binaural sound as originating from the same or similar location.
1. A method that improves communication between a first user, a second user, and a person, the method comprising:
playing, with a first wearable electronic device (WED) worn on a head of the first user and during the communication, a voice of the person in binaural sound that externally localizes to the first user at a location in a room where the first user and the second user are located;
determining locations of physical objects in the room where the first user and the second user are located;
improving the communication by sharing, with a second WED worn on a head of the second user, the location in the room where the first user hears the voice of the person in the binaural sound; and
playing, with the second WED and during the communication, the voice of the person in the binaural sound that externally localizes to the second user at the location in the room so the first user and the second user hear the voice of the person originate from a common location in the room during the communication between the first user, the second user, and the person,
wherein sharing the location in the room includes sharing a location at one of the physical objects where the first WED displays an augmented reality (AR) image of the person during the communication with the person, and the communication is a telephone call.
2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
verifying a sound localization point (SLP) where the first user hears the voice of the person and where the second user hears the voice of the person both occur at the common location in the room.
3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
transmitting, by the second WED, a request to join the communication; and
receiving, by the second WED, the location in the room in response to transmitting the request to join the communication.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the common location in the room occurs on a physical object in the room where both the first WED and the second WED display the AR image of the person during the communication between the first user, the second user, and the person.
5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
adjusting convolution of the voice of the person in the binaural sound so both the first user and the second user continue to hear the voice of the person originate from the common location in the room in response to the first user and the second user moving with respect to the common location in the room.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sharing the location in the room includes sharing location data that includes a coordinate location of an object in the room where the first user and the second user are located.
7. A method that improves a communication between a first user, a second user, and a person, the method comprising:
playing, with a first wearable electronic device (WED) worn on a head of the first user, binaural sound of a voice of the person that externally localizes to a location in a room where the first WED displays an augmented reality (AR) image or a virtual reality (VR) image;
improving the communication by sharing, with a second WED worn on a head of the second user, the location in the room where the first WED displays the AR image or the VR image; and
playing, with the second WED worn on the head of the second user, the binaural sound of the voice of the person that externally localizes to the location in the room where both the first WED displays the AR image or the VR image and the second WED displays the AR image or the VR image during the communication.
8. The method of claim 7 further comprising:
verifying that the binaural sound of the voice of the person localizes to the location in the room to both the first user and the second user.
9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the sharing includes providing to the second WED a location of an object in a room where the first WED displays the AR image or the VR image.
10. The method of claim 7 further comprising:
verifying that the first WED and the second WED display the AR image or the VR image at the location in the room by comparing coordinates where the first WED displays the AR image or the VR image with coordinates where the second WED displays the AR image or the VR image.
11. The method of claim 7 , wherein the sharing includes providing the second WED with coordinates of a physical object where the first WED displays the AR image or the VR image.
12. The method of claim 7 , wherein the sharing includes providing a location in VR where the first WED displays the VR image.
13. The method of claim 7 , wherein the sharing includes providing the second WED with a location of an object in a physical environment where the binaural sound is processed to originate for the first user.
14. An electronic system that improves a communication between a first user, a second user, and a person, the electronic system comprising:
a first wearable electronic device (WED) worn on a head of the first user and includes a first display that displays, during the communication, an augmented reality (AR) image of the person at a location in a room where the first and the second users are located; and
a second WED worn on a head of the second user and includes a second display that displays, during the communication, the AR image of the person at the location in the room,
wherein the electronic system improves the communication by sharing, with the second WED, the location in the room so binaural sound of a voice of the person originates from a common location in the room to both the first user and the second user during the communication between the first user, the second user, and the person.
15. The electronic system of claim 14 further comprising:
a transmitter in the second WED that transmits a request to the first WED to join the communication; and
a receiver in the second WED that receives, in response to transmitting the request, the location where the first WED displays the AR image of the person.
16. The electronic system of claim 14 further comprising:
a transmitter in the second WED that transmits a request for the location where the first WED displays the AR image of the person; and
a receiver in the second WED that receives, in response to transmitting the request, the location where the first WED displays the AR image of the person.
17. The electronic system of claim 14 further comprising:
a transmitter in the second WED that transmits a request to join the communication; and
a receiver in the second WED that receives, in response to transmitting the request, a location on a physical object in the room where the AR image of the person is displayed.
18. The electronic system of claim 14 , wherein the second WED receives the location in the room that includes a coordinate location, and the second WED selects, from the coordinate location, head-related transfer functions (HRTFs) to process the voice of the person so the first user and the second user hear the binaural sound originate from the common location in the room.
19. The electronic system of claim 14 , wherein the communication is a telephone call in which the first WED and the second WED display the AR image of the person at the common location on a physical object in the room.