Acoustic Navigation Using Head Orientation Sensors

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing acoustic navigation systems using headphones are complex and require high-reproducibility acoustic fields, leading to large calculation burdens and uncertainty in providing easy-to-understand navigation due to individual differences in human hearing.

Innovation Solution

A personal digital assistant with a geomagnetic sensor and acceleration sensor is used to detect the user's current location and facial orientation, calculating a relative target angle to generate sound output through the headphone, simplifying the processing and improving navigation clarity.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If a complicated transfer function computation is used to reproduce navigation information as sound, then the acoustic field reproduction accuracy is improved, but the calculation amount becomes huge and the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveacoustic field reproduction accuracyVSAvoiddevice complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts and removes the complicated transfer function computation from the navigation system. Instead of using complex acoustic field reproduction algorithms, the invention uses simple binaural rendering with head orientation detection, eliminating the computational burden while maintaining practical navigation functionality.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

Rather than computing complex transfer functions to achieve accurate acoustic field reproduction, the patent inverts the approach by using simple sound positioning based on head orientation detection. The system determines navigation direction by detecting where the user is looking and presenting directional audio cues, achieving practical navigation without complex calculations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

2Measurement precision

If high reproducibility of acoustic field is required for accurate navigation, then the navigation accuracy is improved, but individual differences in human hearing make it uncertain whether easy-to-understand information can be provided

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenavigation accuracyVSAvoidadaptability to individual hearing differences

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the parameter from complex acoustic field reproduction to simple directional sound positioning. By using head orientation detection and presenting audio cues based on the user's line of sight, the system adapts to individual hearing differences while maintaining navigation accuracy through geometric relationships rather than acoustic field complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Measurement precision

If GPS position information is used to determine direction of travel, then the position detection accuracy is improved, but the system cannot detect head rotation direction for accurate sound source correction

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveposition detection accuracyVSAvoidhead rotation direction information

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges GPS position information with head orientation detection from sensors. By combining the user's location data with real-time head rotation detection, the system achieves accurate sound source correction and navigation direction determination, overcoming the limitation of using GPS alone.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The solution provides a more understandable and efficient acoustic navigation system by using a personal digital assistant with geomagnetic and acceleration sensors to determine the user's orientation and generate sound based on the relative target angle, reducing complexity and improving navigation clarity.

Implementation Method 1

detects a facial orientation of a user wearing a headphone unit connected to the information processing apparatus via a wired or wireless connection in relation to a reference orientation based on outputs of a geomagnetic sensor and an acceleration sensor

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectGeomagnetic sensing: Magnetic Field

Implementation Method 2

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectGravitation: Gravitation

Data Source

PatentUS8718930B2Acoustic navigation method

Publication Date: 2014.05.06 SONY GROUP CORP

AI summary

An information processing apparatus that detects a current location of the information processing apparatus; obtains a direction of a destination from the detected current location as a target direction; detects a facial orientation of a user wearing a headphone unit connected to the information processing apparatus via a wired or wireless connection in relation to a reference orientation based on outputs of a geomagnetic sensor and an acceleration sensor connected to the headphone unit; obtains a relative target angle based on a difference between the target direction and the user's facial orientation; and generates sound to be output by the headphone unit based on the obtained relative target angle.