Location-based audio processing

Abstract

Techniques, computing devices, and systems for location-based audio processing are described. An example technique includes determining, at a point in time, a location of a user within an environment that includes one or more audio reproduction devices. A set of audio processing parameters is determined based on the location of the user. The set of audio processing parameters is applied to at least one of the one or more audio reproduction devices when audio content is output from the at least one audio reproduction device.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to audio processing techniques, and more particularly, but not exclusively, to techniques for performing audio processing based in part on a user's location within an environment. BACKGROUND

[0002] In today's media-driven society, users have more and more ways to access video and audio content, with sound being reproduced in the home, in the car, outdoors, or in virtually any other environment through a large number of devices. Portable devices that reproduce audio, such as telephones, tablet computers, laptop computers, earphones, portable speakers, sound bars, and many other devices, are ubiquitous. The sound reproduced by these devices can include, for example, a wide variety of audio, such as music, speeches, podcasts, sound effects, and audio associated with video content. In addition, portable devices are becoming more and more complex, with several features allowing users to control the reproduction of audio. For example, many devices today can include features that allow users to control active noise cancellation (ANC) functionality, spatial audio (e.g., binaural audio) functionality, equalization (EQ), and head tracking functionality, as illustrative non-limiting examples.

[0003] Because audio reproduction preferences can vary from user to user, the quality of a given user's audio experience can increase when the user is allowed to customize their audio reproduction preferences. However, while the complexity of devices today can allow users to manipulate a variety of techniques to listen to audio, this complexity can become overwhelming and disruptive in many instances. For example, controlling the various functionality of a portable device can involve frequent attention by the user, as well as the technical proficiency to properly select and / or discover the settings that are desired and / or optimal for the user in a given environment. Moreover, to provide consistently optimal audio reproduction, many settings can involve adjustments based on the user's immediate environment (i.e., location). In this way, users today often must employ a one-size-fits-all approach or manually adjust settings as their immediate environment changes. Thus, it can be desirable to provide improved techniques to perform audio processing of one or more audio reproduction devices. SUMMARY

[0004] Particular aspects are set forth in the appended claims. Various optional implementations are set forth in the accompanying dependent claims.

[0005] One embodiment described herein is a method executed by a computing device. The computer-implemented method includes: determining, at a first point in time, a first location of a user within an environment comprising one or more audio playback devices. The computer-implemented method further includes: determining a first set of audio processing parameters based on the user's first location. The computer-implemented method further includes applying the first set of audio processing parameters to at least one of the one or more audio playback devices when audio content is output from the first audio playback device.

[0006] Another embodiment described herein is an audio reproduction device. The audio reproduction device includes: one or more speaker assemblies; one or more memories that jointly store instructions; and one or more processors coupled to the one or more memories and coupled to the one or more speaker assemblies. The one or more processors are jointly configured to execute the instructions to cause the audio reproduction device to perform operation. The operation includes: determining, at a point in time, the location of a user within an environment including the audio reproduction device. The operation further includes determining a set of audio processing parameters based on the user's location. The operation further includes applying the set of audio processing parameters when outputting audio content from the one or more speaker assemblies.

[0007] Another embodiment described herein is a computer-readable medium. The computer-readable medium includes computer-executable code that, when executed jointly by one or more processors of an audio playback device, causes the audio playback device to perform operations. The operations include: determining, at a point in time, the location of a user within an environment including the audio playback device. The operations also include determining a set of audio processing parameters based on the user's location. The operations further include applying the set of audio processing parameters when outputting audio content from the one or more speaker assemblies.

[0008] Other embodiments provide: an apparatus operable, configurable, or otherwise adapted to perform any one or more of the methods mentioned above and / or those described elsewhere herein; a computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor of the apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform the methods mentioned above and those described elsewhere herein; a computer program product embodied on a computer-readable storage medium comprising code for performing the methods mentioned above and those described elsewhere herein; and / or an apparatus comprising components for performing the methods mentioned above and those described elsewhere herein. For example, an apparatus may include a processing system, means having a processing system, or a processing system cooperating via one or more networks.

[0009] The following description and figures illustrate certain features for illustrative purposes. Attached Figure Description

[0010] Various embodiments according to this disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein the same names denote the same elements. Note that the drawings illustrate typical embodiments and should therefore not be considered limiting; other equally effective embodiments are contemplated.

[0011] Figure 1 An example system based on one implementation is shown.

[0012] Figure 2 This illustrates a computing environment based on an implementation example.

[0013] Figure 3 An example workflow for dynamically performing location-based audio processing is shown according to one implementation scheme.

[0014] Figure 4 Further illustrating according to one implementation scheme Figure 3 Some components of the workflow are shown in the diagram.

[0015] Figure 5 Further illustrating according to one implementation scheme Figure 3 Some components of the workflow shown.

[0016] Figure 6 An example scenario of location-based audio processing based on a location region is shown according to one implementation.

[0017] Figure 7 An example scenario of location-based audio processing based on multiple location regions is shown according to one implementation scheme.

[0018] Figure 8This is a flowchart of a method for dynamically performing location-based audio processing according to one implementation scheme. Detailed Implementation

[0019] This disclosure provides systems and techniques for performing audio processing based on a user's location within an environment. More specifically, embodiments provide techniques for dynamically applying audio processing parameters to one or more audio reproduction devices based on the user's current location within the environment.

[0020] In some embodiments described herein, an adaptive audio component determines a set of audio processing parameters based on the user's location and applies these parameters to one or more audio reproduction devices as audio is output from them. The audio reproduction devices may include wearable devices (e.g., headphones, earphones, earbuds, and similar devices), speaker devices, and other computing devices capable of reproducing sound, such as telephones, tablets, laptops, game consoles, and soundbars, as illustrative and non-limiting examples. A variety of techniques can be used to determine the user's location, including, for example, using one or more sensors, one or more short-range wireless communication protocols, positioning systems, or any combination thereof. Using the techniques described herein, the audio processing parameters applied to the audio reproduction devices can dynamically change as the user's location changes within the environment. In this way, the embodiments of this document allow, in part, the automatic adaptation (e.g., without human intervention on the device) of the audio output from one or more audio reproduction devices based on the user's real-time location, so that the auditory experience is modified in a way that is intuitive and expected by the user regarding their location.

[0021] As used herein, the hyphenated form of a reference numeral refers to a specific instance of an element, and the unhyphenated form of a reference numeral refers to a common element. Thus, for example, device "12-1" refers to an instance of a class of devices that can be collectively referred to as device "12", and any one of them can be referred to as device "12" in the genus.

[0022] Example system with location-based audio processing

[0023] Figure 1 An example location-based audio processing system 100 (hereinafter referred to as "System 100") according to one embodiment is shown, which is configured to implement one or more of the technologies described herein. System 100 may be located in any environment, such as indoor environments (e.g., homes, vehicles, offices, retail stores, and other indoor environments), outdoor environments (e.g., parks, stadiums, urban sidewalks, and other outdoor environments), or other environment types (e.g., mixed indoor / outdoor environments, such as outdoor kitchens and covered terraces, as illustrative and non-limiting examples).

[0024] As shown in the figure, system 100 includes various audio playback devices 104-1 to 104-8 (collectively referred to as audio playback devices 104), computing system 140, and computing device 150. Computing system 140 represents various computing systems, including, for example, portable computers, desktop computers, servers, and similar computing devices. In one embodiment, computing system 140 is located in a cloud computing environment. In such embodiments, computing system 140 may include various computing resources (e.g., processors, memory, and storage devices) distributed across one or more systems in the cloud computing environment.

[0025] Audio reproduction device 104 generally represents any type of computing device capable of reproducing or outputting audio, such as speakers and wearable devices, as illustrative and non-limiting examples. Speaker generally represents any type of speaker, such as surround sound speakers, satellite speakers, tower or floor-standing speakers, bookshelf speakers, soundbars, TV speakers, wall speakers, smart speakers, and portable speakers, as illustrative and non-limiting examples. Figure 1 In the examples depicted, audio reproduction devices 104-3 to 104-8 include loudspeakers (e.g., audio reproduction devices 104-3 to 104-6), soundbars (e.g., audio reproduction device 104-7), and TV loudspeakers (e.g., audio reproduction device 104-8). The loudspeakers can be mounted in a fixed location or are movable. Additionally, the loudspeakers may include one or more loudspeaker drivers, subwoofer drivers, bass drivers, midrange drivers, tweeter drivers, full-range drivers, coaxial drivers, and amplifiers that can be mounted in the loudspeaker housing. The loudspeakers can be communicatively coupled to computing device 150, computing system 140, and / or other audio reproduction devices 104 via wireless or wired connections. That is, the loudspeakers can be wired or wireless. The loudspeakers are typically capable of converting electro-audio signals into corresponding sound. For example, each loudspeaker (e.g., audio reproduction devices 104-3 to 104-8) may include an electroacoustic transducer for converting electro-audio signals into sound. One or more of the speakers may also include: a microphone for capturing audio signals from the environment in which the speaker is located; and other sensors described in more detail herein.

[0026] Similarly, wearable devices generally represent a variety of wearable devices, including earbuds, headphones, over-ear headphones, on-ear headphones, closed-back headphones, and open-back headphones, as illustrative and non-limiting examples. Figure 1In the examples depicted herein, audio reproduction devices 104-1 to 104-2 include over-ear headphones (e.g., audio reproduction device 104-1) and earbuds (e.g., audio reproduction device 104-2). The wearable device can be communicatively coupled to computing device 150, computing system 140, and / or other audio reproduction devices 104 via wireless or wired connections. That is, the wearable device can be wired or wireless. Wearable devices typically include two electroacoustic transducers (e.g., one transducer for the left ear and another for the right ear) for converting electro-audio signals into sound. One or more of the wearable devices may also include: a microphone for capturing audio signals from the environment in which the wearable device is located; and other sensors described in more detail herein.

[0027] It should be understood that, although Figure 1 Eight audio playback devices 104 are shown, but system 100 may include fewer or more audio playback devices 104. In some embodiments, the audio playback devices 104 may be controlled by an input controller, such as a computing device 150 (e.g., a smartphone or tablet computer). For example, the computing device 150 may receive user input and provide corresponding control signals to the audio playback devices 104 to control various settings / functions / parameters, such as volume, communication settings, listening modes (e.g., ANC mode, transparency mode, and passive listening mode), and other suitable settings. In some systems, the audio playback devices 104 may have an integrated input controller. For example, at least one audio playback device 104 may have an integrated computing device (e.g., computing device 150) that can receive user input and provide corresponding control signals to control various settings / functions / parameters. In some systems, the input controller may be a separate device, such as a set-top box (e.g., an audio / video receiver device). In some systems, the input controller may be distributed among one or more of the audio playback devices 104. For example, one of the audio playback devices 104 can be used as an input controller to control various settings / functions / parameters for one or more other audio playback devices 104. Although Figure 1 A single computing device 150 is shown, but system 100 may include any number of computing devices 150, any of which may be used as an input controller.

[0028] In some embodiments, one or more of the audio reproduction apparatus 104 includes an adaptive audio component 110. Alternatively, in some embodiments, the computing system 140 includes the adaptive audio component 110. In some embodiments, the adaptive audio component 110 may be distributed among one or more of the audio reproduction apparatus 104, the computing system 140, and / or the computing device 150. As described in more detail below, the adaptive audio component 110 is configured to implement one or more techniques described herein for dynamically performing location-based audio processing for one or more of the audio reproduction apparatus 104.

[0029] consider Figure 1 The scene in Figure 1 User 108 interacts with system 100, for example, by listening to audio content 112 output by one or more of the audio playback devices 104. In some embodiments, adaptive audio component 110 can determine the user's location within the environment and dynamically apply appropriate audio processing parameters to one or more of the audio playback devices 104 as audio content 112 is output from the audio playback devices 104. For example, suppose that at a first moment, user 108 is at "location A" and is listening to audio content 112 through audio playback device 104-1 (e.g., over-ear headphones). In this example, in response to determining that user 108 is at "location A", adaptive audio component 110 can determine a set of audio processing parameters based on the user being at "location A" and can apply said set of audio processing parameters to audio playback device 104-1 as audio content 112 is output from the audio playback device 104-1.

[0030] Continuing the example above, further assume that user 108 changes from "location A" to "location B" within the environment and is located at "location B" at a second moment after the first moment, listening to audio content 112 through audio reproduction device 104-1. At this time, in response to determining that user 108 is located at "location B," adaptive audio component 110 can determine a different set of audio processing parameters based on the user's location at "location B," and apply this different set of audio processing parameters to audio reproduction device 104-1 when audio content 112 is output from audio reproduction device 104-1. These audio processing parameters may be associated with a type of audio reproduction device 104 (e.g., the audio reproduction device may support different technologies or have different functionalities / features), a specific location (e.g., ANC may be enabled at locations associated with high levels of ambient noise and disabled at locations associated with lower levels of ambient noise), or any combination thereof. Example audio processing parameters may include, but are not limited to, listening mode parameters (including ANC parameters, transparency parameters, and passive listening parameters), head tracking parameters, spatial audio parameters, volume parameters, and other audio processing parameters.

[0031] The adaptive audio component 110 can use various techniques to determine the user's location. In some embodiments, for example, the adaptive audio component 110 can determine the user's location via a computing device 150 associated with the user 108. For example, the adaptive audio component 110 can consider the location of the computing device 150 as an indication of the user's location within the environment. In such cases, the user's location can be relative to the location of the computing device. In another instance, assuming that the audio playback device 104 is juxtaposed with the user (e.g., the user is wearing a wearable device, such as audio playback device 104-1), the adaptive audio component 110 can determine the user's location via the audio playback device 104. For example, the adaptive audio component 110 can consider the location of the audio playback device 104 as an indication of the user's location within the environment.

[0032] The adaptive audio component 110 may use one or more position sensors of the computing device 150 and / or the audio playback device 104 (e.g., a wearable device) to determine the position of the computing device 150 and / or the audio playback device 104. Such position sensors may include accelerometers, gyroscopes, magnetometers, inertial measurement units (IMUs), and global positioning system (GPS) sensors, stereo cameras, light detection and ranging (LiDAR), and millimeter-wave (mmWave) radar, as illustrative and non-limiting examples. In addition to position sensors, or as an alternative to position sensors, the adaptive audio component 110 may use one or more communication protocols to determine the position of the computing device 150 and / or the audio playback device 104, including short-range communication protocols such as WiFi (e.g., 802.11 specification), Bluetooth (e.g., Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE)), and ultra-wideband (UWB), as illustrative and non-limiting examples. For example, computing device 150 and / or audio playback device 104 may use such communication protocols and associated hardware (e.g., BLE tags, UWB tags, WiFi positioning systems) to support positioning functionality.

[0033] In some implementations, the set of audio processing parameters determined by the adaptive audio component 110 may be a predefined set of audio processing parameters associated with the location of a given user. In one particular implementation, the adaptive audio component 110 may determine the set of audio processing parameters based on the user's location relative to one or more predefined location zones in the environment. For example, one or more location zones may be defined within the environment, with each location zone associated with a corresponding set of audio processing parameters (e.g., ANC parameters, head tracking parameters, spatial audio parameters, volume parameters, bass level, and other audio processing parameters). In some instances, when the adaptive audio component 110 determines that the user is located within a specific location zone, the adaptive audio component 110 may automatically apply the corresponding audio processing parameters associated with the location zone when audio is output from the audio reproduction device 104. In other instances, when the adaptive audio component 110 determines that the user is located outside a specific location zone (e.g., outside a single predefined location zone or between one or more predefined location zones), the adaptive audio component 110 may automatically apply the corresponding audio processing parameters associated with the location outside the location zone. In other instances described herein, when the adaptive audio component 110 determines that a user is located between two or more predefined location zones, the adaptive audio component 110 can derive corresponding audio processing parameters associated with the user's location from interpolation of audio processing parameters from the location zone closest to the user's location. For example, if the user is midway between two location zones, the adaptive audio component 110 can use linear interpolation of the corresponding audio processing parameters in each location zone to provide intermediate values ​​of the audio processing parameters, the magnitude of which is proportional to the distance between the two location zones. However, it should be noted that the adaptive audio component 110 can use other estimation techniques to derive the corresponding audio processing parameters, such as linear extrapolation, trilinear interpolation, and linear regression, as illustrative and non-limiting examples.

[0034] In some implementations, machine learning (ML) models, rule engines, or a combination thereof may be used to dynamically generate the set of audio processing parameters. In one particular implementation, the adaptive audio component 110 may use an ML model, rule engine, or a combination thereof to generate the set of audio processing parameters for a given user's location based on evaluation metadata associated with the user's location. In another implementation, the adaptive audio component 110 may interact with another computing system (e.g., computing system 140) to obtain the set of audio processing parameters. For example, the adaptive audio component 110 may send a request for the set of audio processing parameters (including metadata associated with the user's location) to the other computing system and receive a response from the other computing system (including the set of audio processing parameters).

[0035] See again Figure 1 In some implementations, after a set of audio processing parameters associated with the user's location has been applied to one or more audio playback devices 104, the adaptive audio component 110 can obtain feedback from the user 108 regarding the applied set of audio processing parameters. For example, the user 108 can use an input controller (e.g., a computing device 150, such as a smartphone or tablet) to provide feedback on the user's audio experience (e.g., indications of user mood regarding audio content 112, feedback on specific audio processing parameters (such as volume or ANC settings), and other similar feedback). The adaptive audio component 110 can modify the set of audio processing parameters based on the user's feedback and apply the modified set of audio processing parameters to the audio playback device 104 when audio is output from the audio playback device 104. In some implementations, ML techniques can be used to determine the modified set of audio processing parameters. In some instances, the adaptive audio component 110 can use an ML model to evaluate the user's feedback and generate the modified set of audio processing parameters. In other instances, the adaptive audio component 110 can send user feedback to another computing system (e.g., computing system 140), which uses an ML model to evaluate the user feedback and can obtain a modified set of audio processing parameters from the other computing system.

[0036] Continuing relative to Figure 1 In the above examples, the adaptive audio component 110 can continuously adapt over time the audio processing parameters being applied to one or more of the audio playback devices 104 as the user's position changes within the environment. For example, suppose user 108 changes from "location B" to "location A" within the environment, and at a third moment after a second moment, is listening to audio content 112 at "location A" through audio playback device 104-1. At this time, the adaptive audio component 110 can (re)apply the set of audio processing parameters associated with "location A" to audio playback device 104-1 when audio content 112 is output from audio playback device 104-1.

[0037] Note that, although Figure 1 The adaptive audio component 110 is depicted as being implemented on the audio reproduction device 104 and / or the computing system 140, but in other embodiments, the adaptive audio component 110 may be implemented on another device (such as the computing device 150). Additionally, note that although relative to… Figure 1The above examples assume that user 108 listens to the same audio content (e.g., audio content 112) as the user's location changes within the environment over time. However, in some embodiments, the audio content being output by one or more of the audio playback devices 104 may differ at different locations within the environment. That is, in some embodiments, the set of audio processing parameters may include the audio content.

[0038] Additionally, note that while the above examples assume that user 108 is listening to audio content 112 through the same audio playback device (e.g., audio playback device 104-1) as the user's location changes, various other scenarios are anticipated. For example, in some cases, user 108 may listen to audio content 112 using audio playback device 104-1 at "location A," and may also use another or a combination of audio playback devices 104-2 to 104-8 to listen to audio content 112. In yet another example, user 108 may listen to audio content 112 using any of the first set of audio playback devices 104-1 to 104-8 at "location A," and may also listen to audio content 112 using any of the second set of audio playback devices 104-1 to 104-8 at "location B."

[0039] Advantageously, the adaptive audio component 110 described herein can automatically adapt to the audio being output from one or more audio reproduction devices 104, in part based on the user's real-time location, so that the auditory experience is modified in a way that is intuitive and expected by the user for their location.

[0040] Figure 2 An example of a computing environment 200 for performing location-based audio processing according to one embodiment is shown. As shown, the computing environment 200 includes one or more audio playback devices 104 I to M, a computing system 140, and a computing device 150, which are interconnected via a network 240.

[0041] Typically, network 240 can be a wide area network (WAN), local area network (LAN), wireless LAN, personal area network (PAN), cellular network, wired network, or other suitable network type. In a particular implementation, network 240 is the Internet. Wireless connectivity between components of computing environment 200 can be provided via short-range wireless communication technologies such as Bluetooth, WiFi, ZigBee, UWB, or infrared, as illustrative and non-limiting examples. Wired connectivity between components of computing environment 200 can be via auxiliary audio cables, Universal Serial Bus (USB), High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI), Video Graphics Array (VGA), or any other suitable wired connection.

[0042] As shown in the figure, each audio playback device 104 includes a processor 202, memory 204, storage device 206, one or more sensors 208, and a network interface 210. The processor 202 represents any number of processing elements and may include any number of processing cores. Memory 204 may include volatile memory, non-volatile memory, and combinations thereof. Memory 204 typically includes program code for performing various functions to dynamically perform location-based audio processing. The program code is typically described as various functional "components" or "modules" within memory 204, but alternative implementations may have different functions or combinations of functions. Here, memory 204 includes adaptive audio components 110 (e.g., software components or logic), which are described in more detail herein.

[0043] Storage device 206 may be a disk drive storage device. Although shown as a single unit, storage device 206 may be a combination of fixed and / or removable storage devices, such as fixed disk drives, removable memory cards, optical storage, network-attached storage (NAS), or storage area network (SAN). Here, storage device 206 includes audio content 112, location area information 220, ML algorithm / model 222, audio processing parameter set 224, and location information 226, which are described in more detail herein.

[0044] Sensor 208 typically includes one or more sensors configured to sense information from the physical environment. Here, sensor 208 includes one or more microphones 230, one or more electroacoustic transducers 232, one or more gyroscopes 234, one or more accelerometers 236, one or more magnetometers 238, and one or more GPS sensors 242. Microphone 230 is typically a transducer that converts sound into electrical signals. Here, for example, microphone 230 may capture external sound, convert the external sound into electrical signals, and provide the electrical signals to the adaptive audio component 110 for processing. Electroacoustic transducer 232 converts electrical signals into acoustic signals. For example, electroacoustic transducer 232 may receive electrical signals from adaptive audio component 110 and / or computing device 150 (via network interface 210), convert the electrical signals into acoustic signals, and output or provide the acoustic signals to a listener.

[0045] Gyroscope 234 measures the orientation of audio playback device 104 and provides information about whether audio playback device 104 is positioned within one or more planes. Accelerometer 236 measures the acceleration force acting on audio playback device 104 and can provide information about whether audio playback device 104 is moving and in what direction. Magnetometer 238 measures the strength and direction of the magnetic field surrounding audio playback device 104. GPS sensor 242 can obtain position, velocity, and timing information from a satellite-based navigation system and / or one or more computing devices, such as a smartphone. In some embodiments, accelerometer 236, gyroscope 234, and / or magnetometer 238 are included within the IMU of audio playback device 104. In one embodiment, the combination of accelerometer 236, gyroscope 234, magnetometer 238, and / or GPS sensor 242 can provide information about the position and orientation of audio playback device 104 based on pitch, roll, and yaw relative to gravity. For example, some audio playback devices 104 that support head tracking (e.g., wearable devices) can use information from GPS sensor 242 to determine the user's geographic location, and use information from accelerometer 236, gyroscope 234 and / or magnetometer 238 to determine three-dimensional (3D) user head orientation information, and dynamically update the spatial audio rendering algorithm based on the head orientation information.

[0046] Network interface 210 can be any type of network communication interface (e.g., WiFi, Bluetooth, UWB, etc.), which allows audio playback device 104 to communicate with other computers and / or components in computing environment 200 via a data communication network (e.g., network 240). In some embodiments described in more detail herein, the location of audio playback device 104 can be determined using one or more communication signals. For example, audio playback device 104 may include location functionality using short-range communication protocols such as WiFi, Bluetooth (e.g., BLE), and UWB, as illustrative examples.

[0047] Computing device 150 typically represents a mobile or handheld computing device, including, for example, a smartphone, tablet computer, laptop computer, etc. Here, computing device 150 includes a processor 250, memory 252, storage device 258, one or more sensors 260, a screen 262, and a network interface 264. Processor 250 represents any number of processing elements, which may include any number of processing cores. Memory 252 may include volatile memory, non-volatile memory, and combinations thereof.

[0048] Memory 252 typically includes program code for performing various functions related to applications hosted on computing device 150 (e.g., application 256, browser 254). The program code is typically described as various functional "applications" or "modules" within memory 252, but alternative implementations may have different functions or combinations of functions. Here, memory 252 includes browser 254 and application 256. Application 256 and / or browser 254 can be used for a variety of functions, including, for example, accessing audio content (e.g., audio content 112), accessing computing system 140 (including adaptive audio component 110), playing audio content, accessing / controlling settings of audio playback device 104, and other suitable functions.

[0049] Specifically, browser 254 can be used to access computing system 140 by rendering web pages received from computing system 140. Application 256 may represent a component of a client-server application or other distributed application that can communicate with computing system 140 via network 240. Application 256 may be a "thin" client, where processing is primarily initiated by application 256 but executed by the computing system or conventional software applications installed on computing device 150.

[0050] Storage device 258 may be a disk drive storage device. Although shown as a single unit, storage device 258 may be a combination of fixed and / or removable storage devices, such as a fixed disk drive, a removable memory card, optical storage, NAS, or SAN. Here, storage device 258 includes audio content 112, audio processing parameter set 224, location area information 220, and location information 226, which are described in more detail herein. Sensor 260 may be similar to sensor 208 of audio reproduction device 104. For example, sensor 260 may include a microphone, electroacoustic transducer, gyroscope, accelerometer, magnetometer, GPS sensor, and other suitable sensors.

[0051] Screen 262 may include a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light-emitting diode (LED), or other display technologies. In one embodiment, screen 262 includes a touchscreen interface. Network interface 264 may be any type of network communication interface that allows computing device 150 to communicate with other computers and / or components in computing environment 200 via a data communication network (e.g., network 240).

[0052] Notice, Figure 2 A reference example of computing environment 200 is shown, in which the techniques presented herein can be implemented, and the techniques presented herein can be implemented in other computing environments.

[0053] Figure 3An example workflow 300 for dynamically performing location-based audio processing according to one embodiment is shown. As shown, the adaptive audio component 110 may include a location predictor 306, an analysis component 310, and an output component 312. In workflow 300, the location predictor 306 is configured to predict (or more generally, determine) the location of a user (e.g., user 108) within the environment.

[0054] Location predictor 306 can use various techniques to predict the user's location. In some embodiments, location predictor 306 can obtain sensor data 302 (e.g., IMU data, GPS sensor data, or a combination thereof) from a computing device associated with the user (e.g., data from sensor 260 of computing device 150) and / or from an audio playback device juxtaposed with the user (e.g., data from sensor 208 of audio playback device 104-1). In some cases, sensor data 302 may include an indication of the location of the computing device and / or the juxtaposed audio playback device. In such cases, location predictor 306 can consider the location of the computing device and / or the juxtaposed audio playback device as the user's location at a specific point in time.

[0055] In some implementations, the location predictor 306 may obtain one or more communication signals 304 from one or more computing devices and / or computing systems, and predict the user's location based on said one or more communication signals 304. In some cases, the communication signal 304 may be a short-range wireless communication signal associated with a short-range wireless communication protocol, such as WiFi, BLE, and UWB, as an illustrative and non-limiting example. In some cases, the communication signal 304 may come from a positioning system (e.g., a WiFi positioning system). The location predictor 306 may, for example, use any suitable positioning-based method, such as two-way ranging (TWR) and time difference of arrival (TDoA), as an illustrative and non-limiting example, to perform positioning based on the communication signal 304. Based on sensor data 302, communication signals 304, or a combination thereof, the location predictor 306 may provide location information 226 (including an indication of the user's location) to the analysis component 310.

[0056] The analysis component 310 is typically configured to determine a set of audio processing parameters 224 based on location information 226 (including an indication of the user's location) and / or feedback 330 (if available). Feedback 330 may include user feedback regarding the user's audio experience. For example, feedback 330 may indicate the user's mood regarding the audio content 112, indicate feedback on specific audio processing parameters, and other similar feedback.

[0057] As described in more detail below, in some embodiments, the analysis component 310 may determine the set of audio processing parameters 224 based on a predefined set of audio processing parameters associated with the user's location (within location information 226). As also described in more detail below, in other embodiments, the analysis component 310 may determine the set of audio processing parameters 224 based on evaluating location information 226 and / or feedback 330 using an ML model (e.g., ML algorithm 222), a rule engine, or a combination thereof. The analysis component may provide the set of audio processing parameters 224 to the output component 312.

[0058] Output component 312 is typically configured to automatically apply the set of audio processing parameters 224 to an audio playback device (e.g., audio playback device 104) to modify the playback of audio content from the audio playback device. In some cases, output component 312 may send the set of audio processing parameters 224 to the audio playback device for application by the audio playback device to the playback of audio content.

[0059] Note that in some implementations, the analysis component 310 may be configured to generate and send a request to another computing system to determine the set of audio processing parameters 224. In workflow 300, for example, the analysis component 310 may provide location information 226 to an output component 312, which may generate a request (including the location information 226) and send the request to another computing system (e.g., computing system 140). Although not shown, the output component 312 may receive a response (including the set of audio processing parameters 224) from the other computing system. The other computing system may use ML techniques, rule engines, or a combination thereof to generate the set of audio processing parameters based on the location information 226.

[0060] Notice, Figure 3 A reference example configuration of the adaptive audio component 110 is shown, and the adaptive audio component 110 may have other configurations consistent with the functionality described herein. For example, while the adaptive audio component 110 is depicted as having three components, in some embodiments, the adaptive audio component 110 may be implemented with fewer or more components.

[0061] Figure 4 Further illustrating the relative aspects according to one implementation scheme Figure 3 The described workflow 300 includes certain components of the analysis component 310. As shown in the figure, in some embodiments, the analysis component 310 may include a geodatabase 402 and analysis tools 410. Although Figure 4 The geographic database 402 within the description analysis component 310 is described, but note that the geographic database 402 can be stored locally or remotely relative to the adaptive audio component 110.

[0062] In the depicted implementation, analysis tool 410 may obtain location information 226 (e.g., from location predictor 306), wherein location information 226 includes geographic location information. For example, geographic location information may include geographic coordinates in a geographic coordinate system, such as a Cartesian coordinate system, a polar coordinate system, and a cylindrical coordinate system, as illustrative and non-limiting examples. Analysis tool 410 may access a geodatabase 402 containing geographic location information to determine location metadata 404 associated with a user's location. For example, geodatabase 402 may include geographic information, including one or more maps, geographic features, and other information. A reference and non-limiting example of geodatabase 402 is OpenStreetMap. Location metadata 404 obtained from geodatabase 402 may include one or more attribute labels (e.g., metadata tags) associated with location metadata 404. In a reference example, location metadata 404 may include: a "Region" attribute label indicating the region type of the user's location (e.g., Region = Residential); a "Name" attribute label indicating the name of the user's location (e.g., Name = Park Avenue); and the maximum speed at the user's location (e.g., 50 miles per hour (mph)).

[0063] In some implementations, the analysis tool 410 may select a predetermined set of audio processing parameters based on location metadata 404, and use the selected predetermined set of audio processing parameters as the set of audio processing parameters 224. For example, the analysis tool 410 may access a database 412 containing attribute tags from the location metadata 404 to determine which predefined set of audio processing parameters corresponds to the attribute tags. For example, the database 412 may include multiple predefined sets of audio processing parameters corresponding to different location metadata. Although Figure 4 Database 412 is described within analysis component 310, but note that database 412 can be stored locally or remotely relative to adaptive audio component 110. Similarly, although Figure 4 Database 412 and database 402 are described as separate, but in some implementations, the information in database 412 and the information in database 402 may be included in a single storage system.

[0064] In some implementations, the analysis tool 410 may use an ML tool 414 to evaluate the location metadata 404 to generate the set of audio processing parameters 224. For example, the ML tool 414 may use one or more ML algorithms / models 222 and / or a rule engine to evaluate attribute labels from the location metadata 404. The ML algorithm / model 222 may be trained to take the location metadata 404 (or more generally, location information 226) as input and, in response, output a set of audio processing parameters 224 corresponding to the location metadata 404. For example, the ML algorithm / model 222 may be a neural network, such as a deep neural network, and may be trained using supervised learning techniques based on labeled training data including user preferences and corresponding user locations. The rule engine may be configured to evaluate the location metadata 404 using one or more predefined rules and output a set of audio processing parameters 224 corresponding to the location metadata 404. Such rules may be predefined by the user or other sources, or generated by ML techniques.

[0065] By dynamically generating a set of audio processing parameters 224 and applying them to the audio playback device 104, the embodiments of this invention can automatically modify the playback of audio from the audio playback device 104 to suit the user's location and preferred surrounding environment, based on the user's current geographic location. For example, when a user is listening to audio content through a wearable device in a busy geographic area (e.g., a city street), the adaptive audio component 110 can automatically and seamlessly determine to activate the ANC listening mode on the wearable device and set the volume and / or bass settings to a high level. In another instance, when a user is listening to audio content through a wearable device in a park, the adaptive audio component 110 can automatically and seamlessly determine to activate the transparency listening mode on the wearable device and set the volume and / or bass settings to a low level. The specific audio processing parameters applied to a user's specific location can be based on the user's preferred presets, dynamically generated (e.g., using an ML model or rule engine), or a combination thereof. In this way, as the user's location changes within the environment, the adaptive audio component 110 can automatically adapt the audio playback, allowing the auditory experience to be modified in a way that is intuitive and expected by the user based on their location.

[0066] Figure 5 Further illustrating the relative aspects according to one implementation scheme Figure 3 The described workflow 300 includes certain components of the analysis component 310. As shown in the figure, in some embodiments, the analysis component 310 may include a location area database 502 and an analysis tool 510. Although Figure 5The location area database 502 is described within the analysis component 310, but note that the location area database 502 can be stored locally or remotely relative to the adaptive audio component 110.

[0067] like Figure 5 As shown, analysis tool 510 can obtain location information 226 (e.g., from location predictor 306), where location information 226 includes relative location information. That is, the user's location can be relative to one or more computing devices or systems (e.g., laptops, telephones, etc.) in the environment. Analysis tool 510 can access location area database 502 with location information 226 to determine whether the user's location is within one of one or more predefined location areas in the environment. For example, location area database 502 can include information about one or more predefined location areas in one or more environments. As described below, each location area can be predefined by a user (e.g., user 108) via an input controller, such as computing device 150. For example, the user can define the corresponding area of ​​each location area by, for example, setting the radius of the location area, setting the width / length / height of the location area, customizing the shape of the location area, setting the distance from the center of another location area, or a combination thereof. It should be noted that although the example above uses a wearable device, the techniques described herein can be applied to other audio reproduction devices (e.g., speakers).

[0068] In some implementations, the analysis tool 510 may select a predetermined set of audio processing parameters based on location area information 504, and use the selected predetermined set of audio processing parameters as the set of audio processing parameters 224. For example, the analysis tool 510 may access a database 512 containing location area information 504 (if any, including an indication of which location area the user 108 is located in) to determine which predefined set of audio processing parameters corresponds to the location area. The database 512 may, for example, include multiple predefined sets of audio processing parameters corresponding to different location areas. As described below, the audio processing parameters for the corresponding set of location areas may be predefined by the user. Although Figure 5 Database 512 is described within analysis component 310, but note that database 512 can be stored locally or remotely relative to adaptive audio component 110. Similarly, although Figure 5 Database 512 and database 502 are described as separate, but in some implementations, the information in database 512 and the information in database 502 may be included in a single storage system.

[0069] By dynamically generating a set of audio processing parameters 224 based on the user's relative position to one or more location zones and applying them to the audio playback device 104, the embodiments of this invention can automatically modify the playback of audio from the audio playback device 104 to suit the user's location and preferred surrounding environment. For example, a user can set up one or more listening zones in their office, with a first listening zone positioned around the user's desk and a second listening zone positioned around a common area within the office. In this example, when the user listens to audio content with a wearable device in the first listening zone (e.g., at their desk), the adaptive audio component 110 can (e.g., without user intervention) automatically apply a predefined set of audio processing parameters (e.g., ANC mode = "on", transparency mode = "off") to the wearable device in the first listening zone. If a user changes location and listens to audio content using a wearable device within a second listening zone (e.g., the user moves to a public area in an office), the adaptive audio component 110 can automatically apply a predefined set of audio processing parameters (e.g., ANC mode = "off", transparency mode = "on") to the wearable device in the second listening zone. In this way, the user's auditory experience can be dynamically and seamlessly modified according to the user's location within the environment in a manner the user anticipates. It should be noted that while the example above uses a wearable device, the techniques described herein can be applied to other audio reproduction devices (e.g., speakers).

[0070] Notice, Figure 4 and Figure 5 A reference example of analysis component 310 is shown, and analysis component 310 may have other configurations consistent with the functionality described herein. For example, in some embodiments, relative to Figure 3 The described analysis component 310 may include Figure 4 One or more components described herein (e.g., geodatabase 402 and analysis tool 410), Figure 5 One or more components described herein (e.g., location area database 502 and analysis tool 510), or any combination thereof.

[0071] Figure 6An example scenario 600 of location-based audio processing based on a location area within environment 620 is illustrated according to one embodiment. In the depicted scenario 600, a user (e.g., user 108) can define a location area 640 within environment 620. For example, when the user is in "user location 1" (e.g., at table 630 within environment 620), the user can use an input controller (e.g., an integrated input controller, computing device 150, etc.) to interact with an adaptive audio component (e.g., adaptive audio component 110) of an audio reproduction device (e.g., audio reproduction device 104) to define a new location area. This location can be absolute (e.g., specified coordinates within a known coordinate system) or relative (e.g., away from the current location or a vector pointed to by the computing device). For example, the user can indicate via the input controller that they want to set a new location area. Note that in some cases, the audio reproduction device can be a wearable device juxtaposed with the user (e.g., audio reproduction device 104-1 or 104-2). In other cases, the audio reproduction device may be a speaker at table 630 (e.g., audio reproduction device 104-3).

[0072] In response to receiving the instruction, the adaptive audio component 110 can predict the user's current location (e.g., "user location 1"). As noted, the adaptive audio component 110 can use various techniques, based on, for example, sensor data 302, communication signals 304, or any combination thereof, to predict the user's current location. The predicted user location can be relative to another computing device (e.g., a smartphone, laptop, or other peripheral device). Using the input controller, the user can define at least one of the area or contour of the location area 640 (e.g., setting a radius, setting a width / length / height, customizing a shape, or a combination thereof). Here, for example, the user can define a radius r1 from the location area 640 to "user location 1".

[0073] Users can also use the input controller to define a set of audio processing parameters that should be applied to a defined set of audio playback devices when the user's position is within position area 640. As a non-limiting example for reference, a user may specify that when the user's position is within position area 640, for audio playback device 104-1, (i) ANC is 'on' (and transparency is 'off'), (ii) spatial (e.g., stereo) rendering is 'on', (iii) IMU (head tracking) is 'enabled', (iv) default volume is 70%, and (v) low power mode is 'disabled'. In some implementations, users may also define a different set of audio processing parameters that should be applied to a defined set of audio playback devices when the user's position is outside position area 640. As a non-limiting example for reference, the user may specify that for the audio reproduction device 104-1, when the user's position is outside the position area 640, (i) transparency is 'on' (and ANC is 'off'), (ii) spatial (e.g., stereo) rendering is 'off', (iii) IMU (head tracking) is 'disabled', (iv) default volume is 30%, and (v) low power mode is 'enabled' to save battery.

[0074] As the user moves within environment 620, the adaptive audio component 110 can process sensor data 302 and / or communication signals 304 to predict whether the user is inside or outside location area 640. For example, after the user changes from "user location 1" to "user location 2", the adaptive audio component can automatically apply a set of audio processing parameters associated with the location outside listening area 640.

[0075] Figure 7 Another example scenario 700 is shown, illustrating location-based audio processing based on multiple location zones within environment 620 according to one implementation scheme. In the depicted scenario 700, a user (e.g., user 108) can use various techniques to define location zones 740, 750, and 760.

[0076] In some implementations, a user can physically move to different locations within environment 620 to define corresponding location zones at different locations. For example, in scenario 700, a user can start at "User Position 1" and define location zone 740, along with a set of audio processing parameters associated with location zone 740 (e.g., via an input controller). The user can then move from "User Position 1" to "User Position 2" and define location zone 750, along with a set of audio processing parameters associated with location zone 750 (e.g., via an input controller). The user can then move from "User Position 2" to "User Position 3" and define location zone 760, along with a set of audio processing parameters associated with location zone 760. The user can continue in this manner until the desired number of location zones have been predefined. Note that the user can use any of the techniques described herein (e.g., setting a radius, setting a width / length / height, customizing a shape, or a combination thereof) to define each location zone.

[0077] In some implementations, a user can define location zones 740, 750, and 760 when the user is in a single location (e.g., "user location 1"). For example, in one implementation, the user can provide the adaptive audio component 110 with the corresponding distance and orientation of each additional location zone (e.g., location zones 750 and 760) relative to the initially defined location zone (e.g., location zone 740). Note that in this implementation, the adaptive audio component 110 may prompt the user to verify that the provided distance and orientation information is feasible (e.g., the environment 620 physically supports the location zone setting).

[0078] In another embodiment, environment 620 may include multiple location sensors (e.g., UWB anchors / tags, BLE beacons, or other similar sensors) deployed at various locations within environment 620. In this embodiment, adaptive audio component 110 may use sensor data from the location sensors to render a map of environment 620 and display the map to a user via a computing device associated with the user (e.g., computing device 150). The user may then define each location area within the map (e.g., location areas 740, 750, and 760) and also provide a corresponding set of audio processing parameters for the respective location area.

[0079] Note that, although Figure 7Location regions 740, 750, and 760 are depicted as non-overlapping, but in some embodiments, one or more of location regions 740, 750, and 760 may overlap. In such embodiments, the choice of which set of audio processing parameters to apply can be determined by the respective confidence level of the user located in each location region, the respective priority of each location region, or a combination thereof. For example, assuming a user has a 50% confidence level in location region 740, a 60% confidence level in location region 750, and a 90% confidence level in location region 760 (where one or more of location regions 740, 750, and 760 overlap), then the adaptive audio component can select the set of audio processing parameters associated with location region 760. In another instance, if (i) the user is in both location regions 740 and 750, and (ii) location region 740 has a higher priority than location region 750, then the adaptive audio component can then select the set of audio processing parameters associated with location region 740.

[0080] In some implementations, the adaptive audio component 110 may prevent user-defined overlapping location areas. In such implementations, the adaptive audio component 110 may include the functionality to limit the size of user-defined location areas (e.g., via an input controller, such as computing device 150) in cases where the resulting location area would overlap with an existing location area.

[0081] In some implementations, the adaptive audio component can derive a set of audio processing parameters associated with a user's position between two or more location zones, based on a corresponding set of audio processing parameters for one or more of the location zones. Using scenario 700, depicted as a reference example, assume the user is located between location zone 740 and location zone 750. In this example, the adaptive audio component can derive a set of audio processing parameters for the user's position based on the set of audio processing parameters associated with location zone 740, the set of audio processing parameters associated with location zone 750, or a combination thereof. In some implementations, the derivation of this set of audio processing parameters can be based on interpolation of the audio processing parameters from the nearest location zone. As a reference example, assuming the volume level of location zone 740 is set to 10%, the volume level of location zone 750 is set to 60%, and the user is located at the midpoint between the center of location zone 740 and the center of location zone 750, then the adaptive audio component can derive a volume level setting equal to approximately 35% for the user's position. In other words, the adaptive audio component can determine an intermediate value for the volume level setting that is proportional to the distance between the user and position zones 740 and 750. However, note that this is merely an example, and the adaptive audio component can use other estimation techniques, such as linear extrapolation, trilinear interpolation, and linear regression, as illustrative and unrestricted examples, to derive other types of audio processing parameters.

[0082] Figure 8 This is a flowchart of a method 800 for dynamically performing location-based audio processing for one or more audio playback devices (e.g., audio playback device 104). Method 800 may be performed by an adaptive audio component (e.g., adaptive audio component 110) running on a computing device (e.g., audio playback device 104, computing system 140, or computing device 150). In some embodiments, method 800 may be performed continuously over time, for example, dynamically adapting to the audio processing of one or more audio playback devices as the user's location changes over time.

[0083] Method 800 can be entered at box 802, wherein the adaptive audio component determines at a first time point the first position of the user (e.g., user 108) within an environment including one or more audio reproduction devices (e.g., audio reproduction device 104).

[0084] At box 804, the adaptive audio component determines the first set of audio processing parameters based on the user's first position.

[0085] At box 806, when audio content (e.g., audio content 112) is output from a first audio reproduction device, the adaptive audio component applies the first set of audio processing parameters to at least the first audio reproduction device among the one or more audio reproduction devices.

[0086] In some implementations, determining the user’s first location (at box 802) may include determining the location of a computing device (e.g., computing device 150) associated with the user within the environment, wherein the location of the computing device indicates the user’s first location.

[0087] In one embodiment, the location of the computing device may be determined based on one or more sensors of the computing device (e.g., sensor 260). In one embodiment, the location of the computing device may be determined based on the exchange of wireless communications with a wireless positioning system operating according to a wireless communication protocol (e.g., BLE, UWB, WiFi, etc.). In one embodiment, the location of the computing device may be determined based on (i) one or more sensors of the computing device and (ii) the exchange of wireless communications with the wireless positioning system. In some cases, the location of the computing device may be the geographic location of the computing device and may include geographic coordinates in a geographic coordinate system. In other cases, the location of the computing device may be relative to the location of another computing device within the environment.

[0088] In one embodiment, the computing device may include a first audio reproduction device (e.g., the first audio reproduction device may be a wearable device juxtaposed with the user). In another embodiment, the computing device may include a second audio reproduction device among the one or more audio reproduction devices (e.g., the first audio reproduction device may be a speaker, and the second audio reproduction device may be a wearable device juxtaposed with the user).

[0089] In some implementations, the user's first position may be within a predefined location area (e.g., location area 640) in the environment, and a first set of audio processing parameters may be associated with the predefined location area. At least one of the area or contour of the predefined location area may be user-defined (e.g., via an input controller).

[0090] In some implementations, the user's first location may be outside a first predefined location area (e.g., location area 740), and a first set of audio processing parameters may be associated with a location outside the first predefined location area. In such implementations, the user's first location may be between a first predefined location area within the environment and another second predefined location area (e.g., location area 750).

[0091] In some implementations, the user's first location may be between a first predefined location area and another second predefined location area (e.g., location area 750) within the environment. In such implementations, the first set of audio processing parameters may be derived based on a set of audio processing parameters associated with the first predefined location area, another set of audio processing parameters associated with the second predefined location area, or a combination thereof.

[0092] In some implementations, the user's first location may be within multiple predefined location areas in the environment (e.g., the user may be located in overlapping location areas). In such implementations, determining the first set of audio processing parameters (at block 804) may include (i) determining at least one of a corresponding confidence level or a corresponding priority among the multiple predefined location areas in which the user's first location is located, (ii) determining a first predefined location area from the multiple predefined location areas that has the highest confidence level or the highest priority, and (iii) selecting a predefined set of audio processing parameters associated with the first predefined location area as the first set of audio processing parameters.

[0093] In some implementations, method 800 may further involve operations at blocks 808, 810, and 812. At block 808, the adaptive audio component determines a second location of the user within the environment at a second time point, for example, using any of the techniques described herein. The second time point may be after the first time point.

[0094] At box 810, the adaptive audio component, for example using any of the techniques described herein, determines a second set of audio processing parameters based on the user's second position. The value of at least one audio processing parameter in the first set of audio processing parameters may differ from the value of the corresponding audio processing parameter in the second set of audio processing parameters.

[0095] At box 812, when audio content is output from the first audio reproduction device, the adaptive audio component applies the second set of audio processing parameters to the first audio reproduction device. In some cases, the first audio reproduction device may be a wearable device juxtaposed with the user. In other cases, the first audio reproduction device may be a speaker device deployed at a third location within the environment, the third location being different from the user's first and second locations.

[0096] In some embodiments, method 800 may further involve an adaptive audio component (i) applying a second set of audio processing parameters to a second audio reproduction device among the one or more audio reproduction devices when the user is in the second position, (ii) applying a third set of audio processing parameters to a first audio reproduction device when the user is in the second position, or (iii) any combination thereof. For example, the first audio reproduction device may be a first speaker deployed at a third position in the environment, different from the user's first and second positions, and the second audio reproduction device may be a second speaker deployed at a fourth position in the environment, different from the user's first, second, and third positions.

[0097] In some implementations, determining the first set of audio processing parameters (at box 804) may include selecting a predefined set of audio processing parameters associated with the user's first position as the first set of audio processing parameters.

[0098] In some implementations, determining the first set of audio processing parameters (at box 804) may include (i) determining one or more metadata associated with a first location of the user; (ii) evaluating one or more metadata tags using at least one of a machine learning model or a rule-based engine; (iii) generating a set of audio processing parameters based on the evaluation of the one or more metadata tags using at least one of a machine learning model or a rule-based engine; and (iv) selecting the generated set of audio processing parameters as the first set of audio processing parameters.

[0099] In some implementations, determining the first set of audio processing parameters (at block 804) may include (i) determining one or more metadata associated with a first location of the user; (ii) generating a request for the first set of audio processing parameters and sending the request to a computing system, the request including one or more metadata tags; and (iii) receiving a response from the computing system including the first set of audio processing parameters.

[0100] In some implementations, method 800 may further involve an adaptive audio component (i) obtaining feedback from a user regarding the first set of audio processing parameters; (ii) modifying the first set of audio processing parameters based on the feedback; and (iii) applying the modified set of audio processing parameters to the first audio reproduction device when audio content is output from the first audio reproduction device.

[0101] Advantageously, the techniques described herein allow for the dynamic adjustment of audio processing parameters based on the user's real-time location within the environment. In this way, the embodiments described herein allow for automatic adaptation (e.g., without human intervention using computing devices) to the audio output from one or more audio reproduction devices, enabling the auditory experience to be modified intuitively and as expected by the user's location.

[0102] Example Terms

[0103] Example implementation plans are described in the following numbered clauses:

[0104] Clause 1: A computer-implemented method comprising: at a first point in time, determining a first location of a user within an environment including one or more audio playback devices; determining a first set of audio processing parameters based on the user's first location; and applying the first set of audio processing parameters to the first audio playback device when audio content is output from at least the first audio playback device among the one or more audio playback devices.

[0105] Clause 2: A computer-implemented method as described in Clause 1, wherein determining the first location of the user includes determining the location of a computing device associated with the user within the environment, the location of the computing device indicating the first location of the user.

[0106] Clause 3: A computer-implemented method as described in Clause 2, wherein the location of the computing device is determined based on one or more sensors of the computing device.

[0107] Clause 4: A computer-implemented method as described in any one of Clauses 2 to 3, wherein the location of the computing device is determined based on the exchange of wireless communications with a wireless positioning system operating according to a wireless communication protocol.

[0108] Clause 5: A computer-implemented method as described in any one of Clauses 2 to 4, wherein the location of the computing device is the geographic location of the computing device and includes geographic coordinates in a geographic coordinate system.

[0109] Clause 6: A computer-implemented method as described in any one of Clauses 2 to 4, wherein the location of the computing device is at least one of the location of the computing device relative to the location of the computing device or the location of another computing device within the environment.

[0110] Clause 7: A computer-implemented method as described in any one of Clauses 2 to 6, wherein the computing device includes the first audio reproduction device.

[0111] Clause 8: A computer-implemented method as described in any one of Clauses 2 to 6, wherein the computing device includes a second audio reproduction device among the one or more audio reproduction devices.

[0112] Clause 9: A computer-implemented method as described in any one of Clauses 1 to 8, wherein determining the first location of the user includes obtaining location data indicating the first location of the user.

[0113] Clause 10: A computer-implemented method as described in Clause 9, wherein the location data is obtained from one or more sensors within the environment.

[0114] Clause 11: A computer-implemented method as described in any one of Clauses 1 to 10, wherein: the user's first location is within a predefined location area in the environment; and the first set of audio processing parameters is associated with the predefined location area.

[0115] Clause 12: The computer-implemented method as described in Clause 11, wherein at least one of the area or contour of the predefined location region is user-defined.

[0116] Clause 13: A computer-implemented method as described in any one of Clauses 1 to 10, wherein: the user's first location is outside a first predefined location area within the environment; and the first set of audio processing parameters is associated with a location outside the first predefined location area.

[0117] Clause 14: A computer-implemented method as described in Clause 13, wherein the user's first location is between a first predefined location area and a second predefined location area within the environment.

[0118] Clause 15: The computer-implemented method as described in Clause 14, wherein determining the first set of audio processing parameters includes: deriving the first set of audio processing parameters based on a set of audio processing parameters associated with the first predefined location region, a set of audio processing parameters associated with the second predefined location region, or a combination thereof.

[0119] Clause 16: A computer-implemented method as described in any one of Clauses 1 to 12, wherein: the user's first location is within a plurality of predefined location areas in the environment; and determining the first set of audio processing parameters comprises: determining at least one of: (i) a corresponding confidence level of the user's first location within each of the plurality of predefined location areas, or (ii) a corresponding priority of each of the plurality of predefined location areas; determining, from the plurality of predefined location areas, a first predefined location area having at least one of (i) the highest confidence level or (ii) the highest priority; and selecting a predefined set of audio processing parameters associated with the first predefined location area as the first set of audio processing parameters.

[0120] Clause 17: The computer-implemented method of any one of Clauses 1 to 16 further comprises: determining a second location of the user within the environment at a second time point after the first time point; determining a second set of audio processing parameters based on the user's second location; and applying the second set of audio processing parameters to the first audio reproduction device.

[0121] Clause 18: A computer-implemented method as described in Clause 17, wherein the value of at least one audio processing parameter of the first set of audio processing parameters is different from the value of the corresponding audio processing parameter of the second set of audio processing parameters.

[0122] Clause 19: A computer-implemented method as described in any one of Clauses 17 to 18, wherein the first audio reproduction device is a wearable device juxtaposed with the user.

[0123] Clause 20: A computer-implemented method as described in any one of Clauses 17 to 18, wherein the first audio reproduction device is a speaker device deployed at a third location within the environment, the third location being different from the first location and the second location of the user.

[0124] Clause 21: The computer-implemented method as described in Clause 17 further comprises at least one of the following: applying the second set of audio processing parameters to a second audio playback device among the one or more audio playback devices when the user is located at the second position; or applying a third set of audio processing parameters to the first audio playback device when the user is located at the second position.

[0125] Clause 22: A computer-implemented method as described in Clause 21, wherein: the first audio reproduction device is a first speaker deployed at a third location within the environment, the third location being different from the user's first location and the user's second location; and the second audio reproduction device is a second speaker deployed at a fourth location within the environment, the fourth location being different from the user's first location, the user's second location, and the third location.

[0126] Clause 23: A computer-implemented method as described in any one of Clauses 1 to 22, wherein determining the first set of audio processing parameters includes selecting a predefined set of audio processing parameters associated with the first location of the user as the first set of audio processing parameters.

[0127] Clause 24: A computer-implemented method as described in any one of Clauses 1 to 22, wherein determining the first set of audio processing parameters comprises: determining one or more metadata tags associated with the first location of the user; evaluating the one or more metadata tags using at least one of a machine learning model or a rule-based engine; generating a set of audio processing parameters based on the evaluation of the one or more metadata tags using at least one of a machine learning model or a rule-based engine; and selecting the generated set of audio processing parameters as the first set of audio processing parameters.

[0128] Clause 25: A computer-implemented method as described in any one of Clauses 1 to 22, wherein determining the first set of audio processing parameters comprises: determining one or more metadata tags associated with the first location of the user; generating a request for the first set of audio processing parameters and transmitting the request to a computing system, the request including the one or more metadata tags; and receiving a response from the computing system including the first set of audio processing parameters.

[0129] Clause 26: A computer-implemented method as described in any one of Clauses 1 to 25, further comprising: obtaining feedback from the user regarding the first set of audio processing parameters; modifying the first set of audio processing parameters based on the feedback; and applying the modified set of audio processing parameters to the first audio reproduction device when audio content is output from the first audio reproduction device.

[0130] Clause 27: An audio reproduction apparatus comprising: one or more speaker assemblies; one or more memory modules that collectively store instructions; and one or more processors coupled to the one or more memory modules and coupled to the one or more speaker assemblies, the one or more processors being collectively configured to execute the instructions such that the audio reproduction apparatus performs the method as described in any one of Clauses 1 to 26.

[0131] Clause 28: A computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a computing system, cause the computing system to perform the method as described in any one of Clauses 1 to 26.

[0132] Clause 29: An apparatus comprising components for performing the method as described in any one of Clauses 1 to 26.

[0133] Clause 30: A computing device comprising: one or more memory modules that collectively store instructions; and one or more processors coupled to the one or more memory modules, the one or more processors being collectively configured to execute the instructions such that the computing device performs the method as described in any one of Clauses 1 to 26.

[0134] As used herein, "processor," "at least one processor," or "one or more processors" generally refers to a single processor configured to perform one or more operations, or multiple processors configured to collectively perform one or more operations. In the case of multiple processors, the execution of the one or more operations may be distributed among different processors, but a single processor may perform multiple operations, and multiple processors may collectively perform a single operation. Similarly, "memory," "at least one memory," or "one or more memory" generally refers to a single memory configured to store data and / or instructions, or multiple memory modules configured to collectively store data and / or instructions.

[0135] As used in this article, the phrase “at least one of” in a list of items refers to any combination of those items, including a single member. For example, “at least one of a, b, or c” is defined to include: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, and abc, as well as any combination with multiple of the same element (e.g., aa, aaa, aab, aac, abb, acc, bb, bbb, bbb, cc, and ccc, or any other ordering of a, b, and c).

[0136] Various embodiments of the method of the invention have been described for illustrative purposes, but the description is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the disclosed embodiments. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments. The terminology used herein has been chosen to best explain the principles of the embodiments, their practical application, or technical improvements to technologies found in the market, or to enable others skilled in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0137] In the foregoing, reference has been made to the embodiments presented in this disclosure. However, the scope of this disclosure is not limited to the particular embodiments described. Instead, any combination of features and elements described herein, whether or not related to different embodiments, is contemplated for implementation and practice of the intended embodiments. Furthermore, while the embodiments disclosed herein may achieve advantages over other possible solutions or over the prior art, this does not limit the scope of this disclosure, regardless of whether a particular advantage is achieved by a given embodiment. Therefore, the aspects, features, embodiments, and advantages described herein are merely illustrative and should not be considered elements or limitations of the appended claims unless expressly stated in the claims. Similarly, references to “the invention” should not be construed as a generalization of any inventive subject matter disclosed herein and should not be considered elements or limitations of the appended claims unless expressly stated in the claims.

[0138] The methods taught in this invention may take the form of a fully hardware implementation, a fully software implementation (including firmware, resident software, microcode, etc.), or a combination of software and hardware implementations, which are generally referred to herein as “circuit”, “module” or “system”.

[0139] The methods taught in this invention can be provided by means of systems, methods, and / or computer program products. The computer program product may include a computer-readable medium (or media) comprising computer-readable program instructions for causing a processor to perform aspects of the methods taught herein.

[0140] Computer-readable media may be provided as computer-readable storage media and / or computer-readable transmission media. A computer-readable storage medium may be a tangible device that holds and stores instructions for use by an instruction execution device. The computer-readable storage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, electronic storage devices, magnetic storage devices, optical storage devices, electromagnetic storage devices, semiconductor storage devices, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of computer-readable storage media includes the following: portable computer floppy disks, hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), static random access memory (SRAM), portable compressed optical disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), digital versatile disk (DVD), memory sticks, and any suitable combination of the foregoing. Computer-readable transmission media may include any medium used to transmit instructions between components of a single computer system and / or between multiple separate computer systems. Such computer-readable transmission media may include transient signals themselves, such as radio waves or other freely propagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagating through waveguides or other transmission media (e.g., light pulses passing through fiber optic cables), or electrical signals transmitted through wires. As used herein, a computer-readable storage medium (which may be described as non-transitory) does not include any transient signal itself.

[0141] The computer-readable program instructions described herein can be downloaded from a computer-readable storage medium to a corresponding computing / processing device, or downloaded via a network (e.g., the Internet, local area network, wide area network, and / or wireless network, all of which may use computer-readable transmission media) to an external computer or external storage device. The network may include copper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wireless transmissions, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers, and / or edge servers. A network adapter card or network interface in each computing / processing device receives the computer-readable program instructions from the network and forwards them to a computer-readable storage medium within the corresponding computing / processing device.

[0142] Computer-readable program instructions used to perform the operations taught in this invention may be assembler instructions, instruction set architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions, machine-dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions, status setting data, or any source code or object code written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including object-oriented programming languages ​​such as Smalltalk, C++, etc.; and conventional programming languages ​​such as the "C" programming language or similar programming languages. The computer-readable program instructions may be executed entirely on the user's computer, partially on the user's computer, as stand-alone software, partially on the user's computer and partially on a remote computer, or entirely on a remote computer or server. In the latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer via any type of network (which again may use a computer-readable transmission medium), including local area networks (LANs) or wide area networks (WANs), or may be connected to an external computer (e.g., via the Internet using an Internet service provider). In some implementations, electronic circuits, including, for example, programmable logic circuits, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), ML hardware accelerators, graphics processing units (GPUs), or programmable logic arrays (PLAs), can execute computer-readable program instructions by personalizing the electronic circuits with state information of computer-readable program instructions in order to implement aspects of the methods taught in this invention.

[0143] This document describes aspects of the methods taught by the present invention with reference to flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of the methods taught by the present invention. It will be understood that each block in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer-readable program instructions.

[0144] These computer-readable program instructions can be provided to the processor of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus of a production machine, such that the instructions, which execute via said computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create components for implementing the functions / actions specified in the flowchart and / or block diagram blocks. These computer-readable program instructions can also be stored in a computer-readable storage medium that directs a computer, programmable data processing apparatus, and / or other means to function in a particular manner, such that the computer-readable storage medium storing the instructions includes an article of writing comprising instructions for implementing aspects of the functions / actions specified in the flowchart and / or block diagram blocks.

[0145] Computer-readable program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer, other programmable data processing apparatus or other device to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer, other programmable apparatus or other device to produce a computer-implemented process, such that the instructions executed on the computer, other programmable apparatus or other device perform the functions / actions specified in the flowchart and / or block diagram boxes.

[0146] The flowcharts and block diagrams in the figures illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods, and computer program products according to various embodiments of the methods taught in the present invention. In this regard, each block in a flowchart or block diagram may represent a module, segment, or portion of instructions, including one or more executable instructions for implementing a specified logical function. In some alternative embodiments, the functions described in the blocks may occur in a different order than that shown in the figures. For example, in fact, two blocks shown consecutively may be executed substantially simultaneously, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in reverse order, depending on the functionality involved. It will also be noted that each block in the block diagrams and / or flowcharts, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and / or flowcharts, may be implemented by a dedicated hardware-based system that performs the specified function or action or performs a combination of dedicated hardware and computer instructions.

[0147] Implementations of the methods taught in this invention can be provided to end users via cloud computing infrastructure. Cloud computing generally refers to providing scalable computing resources as a service over a network. More formally, cloud computing can be defined as providing computing power that abstracts between computing resources and the underlying technical architecture (e.g., servers, storage devices, networks), thereby enabling convenient, on-demand network access to a pool of shared, configurable computing resources that can be rapidly provisioned or released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction. Therefore, cloud computing allows users to access virtual computing resources (e.g., storage, data, applications, and even fully virtualized computing systems) in the “cloud,” regardless of the underlying physical systems (or the location of those systems) that provide said computing resources.

[0148] Typically, cloud computing resources are provided to users on a pay-as-you-go basis, where users are charged only for the computing resources actually used (e.g., the amount of storage space consumed by the user, or the number of virtualized systems the user instantiates). Users can access any of the resources residing in the cloud at any time, from anywhere on the Internet. This allows users to access this information from any computing system attached to a network connected to the cloud (e.g., the Internet).

[0149] Therefore, from one perspective, techniques, computing devices, and systems for location-based audio processing have been described. Example techniques include: determining, at a point in time, the location of a user within an environment comprising one or more audio playback devices; determining a set of audio processing parameters based on the user's location; and applying the set of audio processing parameters to at least one of the one or more audio playback devices when audio content is output from the at least one audio playback device.

[0150] Further examples are stated in the following numbered clauses.

[0151] Clause 1. A computer-implemented method comprising: at a first point in time, determining a first location of a user within an environment including one or more audio playback devices; determining a first set of audio processing parameters based on the user's first location; and applying the first set of audio processing parameters to the first audio playback device when audio content is output from at least the first audio playback device among the one or more audio playback devices.

[0152] Clause 2. The computer-implemented method as described in Clause 1, wherein determining the first location of the user includes determining the location of a computing device associated with the user within the environment, the location of the computing device indicating the first location of the user.

[0153] Clause 3. A computer-implemented method as described in Clause 2, wherein the position of the computing device is determined based on one or more sensors of the computing device.

[0154] Clause 4. A computer-implemented method as described in Clause 2 or 3, wherein the location of the computing device is determined based on the exchange of wireless communications with a wireless positioning system operating according to a wireless communication protocol.

[0155] Clause 5. A computer-implemented method as described in Clauses 2, 3 or 4, wherein the location of the computing device is the geographic location of the computing device and includes geographic coordinates in a geographic coordinate system.

[0156] Clause 6. A computer-implemented method as described in any one of Clauses 2 to 5, wherein the location of the computing device is at least one of the location of the computing device relative to the location of the computing device or the location of another computing device within the environment.

[0157] Clause 7. A computer-implemented method as described in any one of Clauses 2 to 6, wherein the computing device includes the first audio reproduction device.

[0158] Clause 8. A computer-implemented method as described in any one of Clauses 2 to 7, wherein the computing device includes a second audio reproduction device among the one or more audio reproduction devices.

[0159] Clause 9. A computer-implemented method as described in any of the preceding clauses, wherein determining the first location of the user includes obtaining location data indicating the first location of the user.

[0160] Clause 10. A computer-implemented method as described in Clause 9, wherein the location data is obtained from one or more sensors within the environment.

[0161] Clause 11. A computer-implemented method as described in any of the preceding clauses, wherein: the user's first location is within a predefined location area in the environment; and the first set of audio processing parameters is associated with the predefined location area.

[0162] Clause 12. The computer-implemented method as described in Clause 11, wherein at least one of the area or contour of the predefined location region is user-defined.

[0163] Clause 13. A computer-implemented method as described in any of the preceding clauses, wherein: the user's first location is outside a first predefined location area within the environment; and the first set of audio processing parameters is associated with the location outside the first predefined location area.

[0164] Clause 14. The computer-implemented method as described in Clause 13, wherein the user's first location is between a first predefined location area and a second predefined location area within the environment.

[0165] Clause 15. The computer-implemented method as described in Clause 14, wherein determining the first set of audio processing parameters includes deriving the first set of audio processing parameters based on a set of audio processing parameters associated with the first predefined location region, a set of audio processing parameters associated with the second predefined location region, or a combination thereof.

[0166] Clause 16. A computer-implemented method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the user's first location is within a plurality of predefined location areas in the environment; and determining the first set of audio processing parameters comprises: determining at least one of: (i) a corresponding confidence level in each of the plurality of predefined location areas, or (ii) a corresponding priority in each of the plurality of predefined location areas; determining a first predefined location area from the plurality of predefined location areas having at least one of (i) the highest confidence level or (ii) the highest priority; and selecting a predefined set of audio processing parameters associated with the first predefined location area as the first set of audio processing parameters.

[0167] Clause 17. The computer-implemented method as described in any of the preceding clauses, further comprising: determining a second location of the user within the environment at a second time point after the first time point; determining a second set of audio processing parameters based on the user's second location; and applying the second set of audio processing parameters to the first audio reproduction device.

[0168] Clause 18. The computer-implemented method as described in Clause 17, wherein the value of at least one audio processing parameter in the first set of audio processing parameters is different from the value of a corresponding audio processing parameter in the second set of audio processing parameters.

[0169] Clause 19. A computer-implemented method as described in Clause 17 or 18, wherein the first audio reproduction device is a wearable device juxtaposed with the user.

[0170] Clause 20. A computer-implemented method as described in Clauses 17, 18, or 19, wherein the first audio reproduction device is a speaker device deployed in the environment at a third position different from the first position and the second position of the user.

[0171] Clause 21. The computer-implemented method of any one of Clauses 17 to 20, further comprising at least one of: applying the second set of audio processing parameters to a second audio playback device among the one or more audio playback devices when the user is in the second position; or applying a third set of audio processing parameters to the first audio playback device when the user is in the second position.

[0172] Clause 22. The computer-implemented method as described in Clause 21, wherein: the first audio reproduction device is a first speaker deployed in the environment at a third position different from the first position and the second position of the user; and the second audio reproduction device is a second speaker deployed in the environment at a fourth position different from the first position, the second position and the third position of the user.

[0173] Clause 23. A computer-implemented method as described in any of the preceding clauses, wherein determining the first set of audio processing parameters includes selecting a predefined set of audio processing parameters associated with the user's first location as the first set of audio processing parameters.

[0174] Clause 24. A computer-implemented method as described in any of the preceding clauses, wherein determining the first set of audio processing parameters comprises: determining one or more metadata associated with the first location of the user; evaluating the one or more metadata tags using at least one of a machine learning model or a rule-based engine; generating a set of audio processing parameters based on the evaluation of the one or more metadata tags using at least one of a machine learning model or a rule-based engine; and selecting the generated set of audio processing parameters as the first set of audio processing parameters.

[0175] Clause 25. A computer-implemented method as described in any preceding clause, wherein determining the first set of audio processing parameters comprises: determining one or more metadata tags associated with the first location of the user; generating a request for the first set of audio processing parameters and transmitting the request to a computing system, the request including the one or more metadata tags; and receiving a response from the computing system including the first set of audio processing parameters.

[0176] Clause 26. A computer-implemented method as described in any of the preceding clauses, further comprising: obtaining feedback from the user regarding the first set of audio processing parameters; modifying the first set of audio processing parameters based on the feedback; and applying the modified set of audio processing parameters to the first audio playback device when audio content is output from the first audio playback device.

[0177] Clause 27. An audio reproduction apparatus comprising: one or more speaker assemblies; one or more memory modules that jointly store instructions; and one or more processors coupled to the one or more memory modules and coupled to the one or more speaker assemblies, the one or more processors being jointly configured to execute the instructions such that the audio reproduction apparatus performs operations including: determining, at a point in time, the location of a user within an environment including the audio reproduction apparatus; determining a set of audio processing parameters based on the user's location; and applying the set of audio processing parameters when outputting audio content from the one or more speaker assemblies.

[0178] While the foregoing description pertains to an embodiment of the method taught by this invention, other and further embodiments of the method taught by this invention may be devised without departing from the basic scope of this invention, and the scope of this invention is defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, the computer-implemented method comprising: At the first point in time, determine the user's first location within an environment that includes one or more audio playback devices; Based on the user's first location, a first set of audio processing parameters is determined; as well as When audio content is output from the first audio reproduction device, the first set of audio processing parameters is applied to at least the first audio reproduction device among the one or more audio reproduction devices.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining the first location of the user includes determining the location of a computing device associated with the user within the environment, the location of the computing device indicating the first location of the user.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the position of the computing device is determined based on one or more sensors of the computing device.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the location of the computing device is determined based on the exchange of wireless communications with a wireless positioning system operating according to a wireless communication protocol.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the location of the computing device is the geographic location of the computing device and includes geographic coordinates in a geographic coordinate system.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the location of the computing device is at least one of the location of the computing device relative to the location of the computing device or the location of another computing device within the environment.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the computing device includes the first audio reproduction device.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the computing device includes a second audio reproduction device among the one or more audio reproduction devices.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining the user's first location includes obtaining location data indicating the user's first location.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the location data is obtained from one or more sensors within the environment.

11. The computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, wherein: The user's first location is within a predefined location area in the environment; and The first set of audio processing parameters is associated with the predefined location region.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein at least one of the area or contour of the predefined location region is user-defined.

13. The computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, wherein: The user's first location is outside the first predefined location area within the environment; and The first set of audio processing parameters is associated with a location outside the first predefined location area.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein the user's first location is between the first predefined location area and the second predefined location area within the environment.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein determining the first set of audio processing parameters includes deriving the first set of audio processing parameters based on a set of audio processing parameters associated with the first predefined location region, a set of audio processing parameters associated with the second predefined location region, or a combination thereof.

16. The computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, wherein: The user's first location is within a plurality of predefined location areas in the environment; and The first set of audio processing parameters includes: Determine at least one of the following: (i) the confidence level of the user's first location within each of the plurality of predefined location areas, or (ii) the corresponding priority of each of the plurality of predefined location areas; From the plurality of predefined location areas, determine a first predefined location area having at least one of (i) the highest confidence level or (ii) the highest priority; and Select a predefined set of audio processing parameters associated with the first predefined location area as the first set of audio processing parameters.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising: At a second time point after the first time point, determine the user's second location within the environment; Based on the user's second location, a second set of audio processing parameters is determined; as well as The second set of audio processing parameters is applied to the first audio reproduction device.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 17, wherein the value of at least one audio processing parameter in the first set of audio processing parameters is different from the value of the corresponding audio processing parameter in the second set of audio processing parameters.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 17, wherein the first audio reproduction device is a wearable device juxtaposed with the user.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 17, wherein the first audio reproduction device is a speaker device deployed in the environment at a third position different from the first position and the second position of the user.

21. The computer-implemented method of claim 17, further comprising at least one of the following: When the user is in the second position, the second set of audio processing parameters is applied to the second audio playback device in the one or more audio playback devices; or When the user is in the second position, the third set of audio processing parameters is applied to the first audio reproduction device.

22. The computer-implemented method as described in claim 21, wherein: The first audio reproduction device is a first speaker deployed in a third position within the environment, different from the first position and the second position of the user; and The second audio reproduction device is a second speaker deployed in a fourth position within the environment, different from the first position, the second position, and the third position of the user.

23. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining the first set of audio processing parameters includes selecting a predefined set of audio processing parameters associated with the user's first location as the first set of audio processing parameters.

24. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining the first set of audio processing parameters includes: Determine one or more metadata tags associated with the user's first location; The one or more metadata tags are evaluated using at least one of a machine learning model or a rule-based engine; A set of audio processing parameters is generated by evaluating the one or more metadata tags using at least one of a machine learning model or a rule-based engine. as well as Select the generated set of audio processing parameters as the first set of audio processing parameters.

25. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining the first set of audio processing parameters includes: Determine one or more metadata tags associated with the user's first location; A request for the first set of audio processing parameters is generated and the request is sent to the computing system, the request including the one or more metadata tags; as well as Receive a response from the computing system that includes the first set of audio processing parameters.

26. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising: Obtain feedback from the user regarding the first set of audio processing parameters; Modify the first set of audio processing parameters based on feedback; as well as When audio content is output from the first audio playback device, the modified set of audio processing parameters is applied to the first audio playback device.

27. An audio reproduction apparatus, the audio reproduction apparatus comprising: One or more speaker components; One or more memory locations, which together store instructions; as well as One or more processors, coupled to the one or more memory units and coupled to the one or more speaker components, the one or more processors being collectively configured to execute the instructions such that the audio reproduction apparatus performs operations including: At a given point in time, determine the user's location within the environment including the audio playback device; A set of audio processing parameters is determined based on the user's location; as well as The set of audio processing parameters is applied when audio content is output from one or more speaker components.

Images