System for producing directional sound in computer based virtual environment
US5771041A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 3, 1996 |
| Grant date | Jun 23, 1998 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 3, 2016 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10S715/978
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
In a system for describing directional sounds in virtual environments, a user creates a sound projection map that constitutes a two-dimensional array of sound intensities for each sound source associated with the virtual environment. At run-time, when a user selects a particular view for a scene in the environment, a hearing area corresponding to that view is calculated. The average intensity for each sound represented within the hearing area is determined from the array, to establish a level at which the sound is to be played. The sound associated with the sound source is then reproduced from a sound track at the determined level, to produce an output sound that creates a sense of place within the environment.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.