Sound reproducing apparatus and sound reproducing method

• US 20050078839A1
• Filed: 09/02/2004
• Published: 04/14/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Yabe, Susumu, Miura, Masayoshi
• Granted Patent: US 7,277,551 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/98
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2205/024 Positioning of loudspeaker enclosures for spatial sound reproduction
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/14 Cross-over networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 3/002 Non-adaptive circuits, e.g. manually adjustable or static, for enhancing the sound image or the spatial distribution control circuits for electronic adaptation of the sound field H04S7/30

Abstract

A sound reproducing apparatus includes a low-frequency sound reproducing unit for reproducing and outputting a low-frequency sound having a frequency of a predetermined frequency or less; a high-frequency sound reproducing unit for reproducing and outputting a high-frequency sound including a frequency component having a frequency higher than the predetermined frequency; and a reproduction-and-output timing control unit for reproducing and outputting the high-frequency sound reproduced and output by the high-frequency sound reproducing unit behind the low-frequency sound reproduced and output by the low-frequency sound reproducing unit by a predetermined time period.

Claims

1. A sound reproducing apparatus comprising:

a low-frequency sound reproducing unit for reproducing and outputting a low-frequency sound having a predetermined frequency or less;

a high-frequency sound reproducing unit for reproducing and outputting a high-frequency sound including a frequency component having a frequency higher than the predetermined frequency; and

a reproduction-and-output timing control unit causing the high-frequency sound to be reproduced and output by the high-frequency sound reproducing unit after the low-frequency sound is reproduced and output by the low-frequency sound reproducing unit by a predetermined time period.

2. The sound reproducing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the low-frequency sound reproducing unit is structured to include a plurality of speakers arranged at intervals that are not more than half of a wavelength of a sound wave determined by the predetermined frequency.

3. A sound reproducing method comprising:

a low-frequency sound reproducing step of reproducing and outputting a low-frequency sound having a predetermined frequency or less;

a high-frequency sound reproducing step of reproducing and outputting a high-frequency sound including a frequency component having a frequency higher than the predetermined frequency; and

a reproduction-and-output timing control step of causing the high-frequency sound to be reproduced and output in the high-frequency sound reproducing step after the low-frequency sound is reproduced and output in the low-frequency sound reproducing step by a predetermined time period.

4. The sound reproducing method according to claim 3, wherein the reproduction-and-output timing control step includes the step of arranging a high-frequency speaker for reproducing and outputting the high-frequency sound closer to a listener than a low-frequency speaker for reproducing and outputting the low-frequency sound.