Aural display apparatus

Claim 2

Aural display apparatus, comprising means for determining the position of a virtual object relative to a user, first and second audio signal channels for presenting audio signals to the user, and means responsive to said position determining means for modulating at least one of the magnitude, phase and frequency content of at least one of said signal channels thereby to identify the location of the virtual object relative to the user.

Claim 3

Aural display apparatus according to Claim 1, wherein said modulating means includes delay line means for applying an adjustable differential delay between said first and second audio signal channels dependent on the angular position of the user's head relative to the virtual object.

Claim 4

Aural display apparatus according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein said monitoring means includes means for applying a differential magnitude weighting to said first and second audio signal channels dependent on the angular position of the user's head relative to the virtual object.

Claim 5

Aural display apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein said monitoring means includes reprogrammable filter means for applying adjustable filter functions to said first and second audio signal channels dependent on the angular position of the user's head relative to the virtual object.

Claim 6

Aural display apparatus according to Claim 4, wherein said filter means comprises a multiband digitally controlled graphic equaliser.

Claim 7

Aural display apparatus according to Claim 4, wherein said filter means comprises an active notch filter means.

Claim 8

Binaural display apparatus for providing a user with information representing the position of an object relative to the user, said apparatus comprising: a transducer assembly for being associated in fixed relationship with the head of a user and having left and right transducer elements in sound communication with a respective ear of the user and for receiving respective left and right channel signals; sound generator means for generating left and right channel signals; transducer assembly locating means for outputting data representing the position of the transducer assembly; location means for providing data representing the position of said object; modulation means for modulating said left and right channel signals in accordance with the data output by said transducer assembly and said location means so that, on movement of the head of a user, the signals supplied by each of said transducer elements are modulated to provide the user with information representing the position of said object.

Claim 9

Binaural display apparatus for providing a user with information representing the position of an object relative to the user, said apparatus comprising: a transducer assembly for being associated in fixed relationship with the head of a user and having left and right transducer elements in sound communication with a respective ear of the user and for receiving respective left and right channel signals; sound generator means for generating left and right channel signals; transducer assembly locating means for outputting data representing the position of the transducer assembly; location means for providing data representing the position of said object; modulation means for modulating said left and right channel signals in accordance with the data output by said transducer assembly and said location means so that, on movement of the head of a user, the signals supplied by each of said transducer elements are modulated to provide the user with information representing the position of said object.

Claim 10

Binaural display apparatus according to Claim 1, wherein said transducer assembly comprises a pair of headphones.

Claim 11

Binaural display apparatus according to Claim 7 or Claim 8, wherein said transducer assembly means comprises accelerometer means.

Claim 12

Binaural display apparatus according to any one of Claims 7 to 9, wherein said modulation means includes an audio delay line means associated with at least one of the left and right signal channels, said audio delay line means being operable to impose a delay between said left and right signal channels of magnitude dependent on the output of said transducer assembly locating means.

Claim 13

Binaural display apparatus according to any one of Claims 7 to 10, which includes variable gain amplifier means associated with at least one of said left and right signal channels, the gain of said variable amplifier means being set in response to the output of said transducer assembly locating means.