Sound system

• US 20010022841A1
• Filed: 03/16/2001
• Published: 09/20/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Ten Limited (DENSO Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Ten Limited (DENSO Corporation)
• Inventors: Matsui, Hideki, Tomita, Yuji, Motojima, Akira, Kowaki, Hiroshi
• Granted Patent: US 7,110,550 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 3/00 Systems employing more than two channels, e.g. quadraphonic H04S5/00, H04S7/00 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/30 Control circuits for electronic adaptation of the sound field

Abstract

The present invention was developed in order to realize a multi-channel sound system wherein appropriate output (balance and fader) control can be conducted without adversely affecting the program contents, and a sound system, which can reproduce a plurality of channel signals including at least left and right front channels and a center channel for forward-placed speakers, comprises a gain controller to control the gain of either left or right channel signal and a gain controller to control the gain of the center channel signal depending on the gain control of the left or right channel signal.

Claims

1. A sound system, which can reproduce a plurality of channel signals including at least left and right front channels and a center channel for forward-placed speakers, comprising:

an attenuating means to attenuate either left or right channel signal; and

a controlling means to control the attenuation of the center channel signal depending on the attenuation of the left or right channel signal.

2. A sound system according to

claim 1

, wherein the attenuation by the controlling means to control the attenuation of the center channel signal is in the range of 0.3n to 0.8n %, when the attenuation by the attenuating means to attenuate either of the left and right channel signals is conducted in the n % range of the original signal level.

3. A sound system, which can reproduce a plurality of channel signals including at least left and right front channels and a center channel for forward-placed speakers, comprising:

an attenuating means to attenuate either left or right channel signal;

an adding means to add the attenuated left or right channel signal to the center channel; and

an adding means to add the center channel signal to the right or left channel not being attenuated.

4. A sound system according to

claim 3

, comprising when the attenuation by the attenuating means to attenuate either of the left and right channel signals is conducted in the n₁ % range of the original signal level:

the adding means to add so that the amount of the attenuated left or right channel signal to be added to the center channel is in the range of 0.2n₁ to 0.8n₁ %; and

the adding means to add the center channel signal to the right or left channel not being attenuated so that the added amount by the adding means is in the range of 0.1n₁ to 0.6n₁ % of the original signal level of the center channel.

9. A sound system according to any of claims 3-8, wherein a delaying means is intervened before the adding means.

10. A sound system according to

claim 3

, comprising an attenuating means to reduce the level of the channel signal on which the addition is conducted so that the level of the channel signal after the addition does not change.

11. A sound system according to

claim 3

, comprising:

the attenuating means to reduce the level of the channel signal on which the addition is conducted so that the level of the channel signal after the addition does not change; and

a controlling means to control by reducing again the attenuated channel signal level depending on the attenuation factor by which the attenuating means conducts attenuation.

5. A sound system, which can reproduce a plurality of channel signals including at least left and right front channels for forward-placed speakers and left and right rear channels for rear-placed speakers, comprising:

an attenuating means to attenuate either front side or rear side channel signals; and

an adding means to add the signals on the attenuated channel side to the channel side not being attenuated.

6. A sound system according to

claim 5

, comprising when the attenuation by the attenuating means to attenuate either of the front side and rear side channel signals is conducted in the n₂ % range of the original front side or rear side channel signals:

the adding means to add the signals on the attenuated channel side to the channel side not being attenuated so that the added amount by the adding means is in the range of 0.2n₂ to 0.8n₂ %.

7. A sound system, which can reproduce a plurality of channel signals including at least left and right front channels for forward-placed speakers and left and right rear channels for rear-placed speakers, comprising:

an attenuating means to attenuate either left side or right side channel signals; and

an adding means to add the signals on the attenuated channel side to the channel side not being attenuated.

8. A sound system according to

claim 7

, comprising when the attenuation by the attenuating means to attenuate either of the left side and right side channel signals is conducted in the n₃ % range of the original left side or right side channel signals:

the adding means to add the signals on the attenuated channel side to the channel side not being attenuated so that the added amount by the adding means is in the range of 0.2n₃ to 0.8n₃ %.