IP Library Granted Patent US 12,389,181
Granted Patent B2
US 12,389,181 · App. 18/668,392 · Granted Aug 12, 2025

Sound processing apparatus and sound processing system

Inventors: Yuki Yamamoto (Tokyo, JP); Toru Chinen (Kanagawa, JP); Runyu Shi (Kanagawa, JP); Mitsuyuki Hatanaka (Kanagawa, JP)
Assignee: Sony Group Corporation
H04S5/005H03G3/3005H03G5/025H04S1/002H04S2400/11H04S2400/13H04S2420/01
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,389,181
App. No.
18/668,392
Granted
Aug 12, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

The present technology relates to a sound processing apparatus and a sound processing system for enabling more stable localization of a sound image. A virtual speaker is assumed to exist on the lower side among the sides of a tetragon having its corners formed with four speakers surrounding a target sound image position on a spherical plane. Three-dimensional VBAP is performed with respect to the virtual speaker and the two speakers located at the upper right and the upper left, to calculate gains of the two speakers at the upper right and the upper left and the virtual speaker, the gains being to be used for fixing a sound image at the target sound image position. Further, two-dimensional VBAP is performed with respect to the lower right and lower left speakers, to calculate gains of the lower right and lower left speakers, the gains being to be used for fixing a sound image at the position of the virtual speaker. The values obtained by multiplying these gains by the gain of the virtual speaker are set as the gains of the lower right and lower left speakers for fixing a sound image at the target sound image position. The present technology can be applied to sound processing apparatuses.

Claims (39)

1. A method executed by a processing circuit of a sound processing apparatus, the method comprising:

acquiring an audio object signal and metadata of the audio object signal, wherein the metadata is position data of an audio object associated with the audio object signal;

determining output gain coefficients for a plurality of sound outputting units located close to a sound image localization position as a target position at least in part by calculating gain coefficients for the plurality of sound outputting units based on a positional relationship between the plurality of sound outputting units with respect to each combination of a plurality of combinations of two or three of the plurality of sound outputting units, wherein:

using vector base amplitude panning (VBAP) to calculate the gain coefficients for the plurality of sound outputting units based on the positional relationship among the plurality of sound outputting units and the sound image localization position; and

outputting the output gain coefficients for the plurality of sound outputting units.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein a number of the plurality of sound outputting units is equal to or larger than four.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the positional relationship of the plurality of sound outputting units is represented in a coordinate system.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the coordinate system includes at least a vertical and horizontal direction.

5. The method of claim 3 , wherein the coordinate system is a Cartesian coordinate system.

6. The method of claim 3 , wherein the coordinate system is an Orthogonal or a Rectangular system.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein one or more of the gain coefficients for one or more sound outputting units that are not processing targets are set to zero.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the output gain coefficients comprises determining the output gain coefficients based on the gain coefficients calculated for the plurality of sound outputting units.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein determining the output gain coefficients comprises determining the output gain coefficients by multiplying the gain coefficients calculated for the plurality of sound outputting units.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of sound outputting units is common among the plurality of combinations of two or three of the plurality of sound outputting units.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processing circuit of a sound processing apparatus, cause the processing circuit to perform a method comprising:

acquiring an audio object signal and metadata of the audio object signal, wherein the metadata is position data of an audio object associated with the audio object signal;

determining output gain coefficients for a plurality of sound outputting units located close to a sound image localization position as a target position at least in part by calculating gain coefficients for the plurality of sound outputting units based on a positional relationship between the plurality of sound outputting units with respect to each combination of a plurality of combinations of two or three of the plurality of sound outputting units, wherein:

using vector base amplitude panning (VBAP) to calculate the gain coefficients for the plurality of sound outputting units based on the positional relationship among the plurality of sound outputting units and the sound image localization position; and

outputting the output gain coefficients for the plurality of sound outputting units.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 , wherein a number of the plurality of sound outputting units is equal to or larger than four.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 , wherein the positional relationship of the plurality of sound outputting units is represented in a coordinate system.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13 , wherein the coordinate system includes at least a vertical and horizontal direction.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 , wherein one or more of the gain coefficients for one or more sound outputting units that are not processing targets are set to zero.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 , wherein determining the output gain coefficients comprises determining the output gain coefficients based on the gain coefficients calculated for the plurality of sound outputting units.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein determining the output gain coefficients comprises determining the output gain coefficients by multiplying the gain coefficients calculated for the plurality of sound outputting units.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 , wherein at least one of the plurality of sound outputting units is common among the plurality of combinations of two or three of the plurality of sound outputting units.

19. A sound processing apparatus comprising:

circuitry configured to:

acquire an audio object signal and metadata of the audio object signal, wherein the metadata is position data of an audio object associated with the audio object signal;

determine output gain coefficients for a plurality of sound outputting units located close to a sound image localization position as a target position at least in part by calculating gain coefficients for the plurality of sound outputting units based on a positional relationship between the plurality of sound outputting units with respect to each combination of a plurality of combinations of two or three of the plurality of sound outputting units, wherein:

using vector base amplitude panning (VBAP) to calculate the gain coefficients for the plurality of sound outputting units based on the positional relationship among the plurality of sound outputting units and the sound image localization position; and

output the output gain coefficients for the plurality of sound outputting units.

20. The sound processing apparatus of claim 19 , wherein a number of the plurality of sound outputting units is equal to or larger than four.

21. The sound processing apparatus of claim 19 , wherein the positional relationship of the plurality of sound outputting units is represented in a coordinate system.

22. The sound processing apparatus of claim 21 , wherein the coordinate system includes at least a vertical and horizontal direction.

23. The sound processing apparatus of claim 19 , wherein one or more of the gain coefficients for one or more sound outputting units that are not processing targets are set to zero.

24. The sound processing apparatus of claim 19 , wherein determining the output gain coefficients comprises determining the output gain coefficients based on the gain coefficients calculated for the plurality of sound outputting units.

25. The sound processing apparatus of claim 24 , wherein determining the output gain coefficients comprises determining the output gain coefficients by multiplying the gain coefficients calculated for the plurality of sound outputting units.

26. The sound processing apparatus of claim 19 , wherein at least one of the plurality of sound outputting units is common among the plurality of combinations of two or three of the plurality of sound outputting units.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 24, 2024
From: YAMAMOTO, YUKI; CHINEN, TORU; SHI, RUNYU; HATANAKA, MITSUYUKI
To: SONY CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 068065/0834 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Jul 24, 2024
From: SONY CORPORATION
To: SONY GROUP CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 068349/0001 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2013-094269 · Apr 26, 2013 · national
Continuity (7)
Continuation 18132286 · Apr 7, 2023
Continuation 17835783 · Jun 8, 2022
Continuation 17402461 · Aug 13, 2021
Continuation 16444589 · Jun 18, 2019
Continuation 15932368 · Feb 16, 2018
Continuation 14785416
Related Publication 20240323628A1 · Sep 26, 2024
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