/Patent Tracker
GooglePatent applicationAudio & voiceInterest 6/10

Google patents 3D audio method that cuts down on math for virtual sound

Patent drawing
Patent drawing from the official filing.

Google describes a way to make 3D audio more efficient by grouping sound sources that share the same direction or distance. Instead of calculating unique sound effects for every single speaker, the system uses one shared calculation for groups of speakers that produce the same effect on the listener's ears.

Why it mattersThis could help devices like headphones or VR headsets process spatial audio faster, potentially saving battery life or allowing for more complex soundscapes without slowing down the device.

In the filing’s own words

Techniques include using the fact that the HRTF depends on a sound source position on a unit sphere relative to a listener while the reverb transfer function depends on a range relative to the listener. In this way, sound source positions along a line in three-dimensional space have an identical HRTF while speaker positions along a circular arc in three-dimensional space have an identical reverb transfer function. Accordingly, identify those sound source positions along a line and use a common HRTF in a single convolution for each ear, and those speaker positions along an arc and use a common reverb transfer function in a single convolution for each ear.

What exactly they claim (claim 1)

1 - 24. (canceled)

Facts

Company
Google (GOOGLE LLC)
Official title
PERFORMING COMMON AUDIO CONVOLUTIONS USING ISO-TRAJECTORIES IN THREE DIMENSIONAL (3D) SPACE
Publication number
US20260313308A1
Application number
19481791
Filed
Jun 8, 2023
Published
Oct 8, 2026
Inventors
2
Claims
27

Classified under

H04S 7/302 Electricity & electronicsH04S 3/008 Electricity & electronicsH04S 7/305 Electricity & electronicsH04S 2400/01 Electricity & electronicsH04S 2400/11 Electricity & electronicsH04S 2420/01 Electricity & electronics
Read the full filing (official PDF) ↗ Open in the Patent Tracker

More from Google in Audio & voice

Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.