DEVICE AND METHOD FOR DRIVING A SOUND SYSTEM AND SOUND SYSTEM

• US 20070269062A1
• Filed: 05/14/2007
• Published: 11/22/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fraunhofer Gesellschaft Zur Foerderung Der Angewandten Forsching E.V.
• Original Assignee: Fraunhofer Gesellschaft Zur Foerderung Der Angewandten Forsching E.V.
• Inventors: Strauss, Michael, Rodigast, Rene
• Granted Patent: US 9,609,434 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/310
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/403 loud-speakers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2201/403 Linear arrays of transducers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2201/405 Non-uniform arrays of transducers or a plurality of uniform arrays with different transducer spacing
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2430/01 Aspects of volume control, not necessarily automatic, in sound systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 27/00 Public address systems circuits for preventing acoustic reaction H04R3/02; circuits for distributing signals to loudspeakers H04R3/12; monitoring or testing arrangements for public address systems H04R29/007; amplifiers H03F
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/12 for distributing signals to two or more loudspeakers specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/02 Spatial or constructional arrangements of loudspeakers
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 2420/13 Application of wave-field synthesis in stereophonic audio systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 3/00 Systems employing more than two channels, e.g. quadraphonic H04S5/00, H04S7/00 take precedence

Abstract

A driving device for a sound system by loudspeaker signals, wherein the sound system has a wave field synthesis loudspeaker array and one or several supply loudspeakers arranged separate from the wave field synthesis array includes an audio input for receiving at least one audio signal from at least one sound source, a position input for receiving information on a position of the sound source, a wave field synthesis unit for calculating loudspeaker signals for the loudspeakers of the wave field synthesis loudspeaker array, and a provider for providing the loudspeaker signal for the one or the several supply loudspeakers. The driving device enables a sound system by means of which sound localization becomes possible for the audience and at the same time pleasant levels can be achieved also in the first rows of the audience.

Claims

1. A device for driving a sound system by loudspeaker signals, the sound system comprising a wave field synthesis loudspeaker array and one or several supply loudspeakers arranged separate from the wave field synthesis loudspeaker array, comprising:

an audio input for receiving at least one audio signal from at least one sound source;

a position input for receiving information on a position of the sound source;

a wave field synthesis unit for calculating loudspeaker signals for the loudspeakers of the wave field synthesis loudspeaker array based on the position of the audio signal, based on the audio signal and based on a position of the loudspeakers of the wave field synthesis loudspeaker array so that a sound field produced by the wave field synthesis loudspeaker array allows localizing the sound source by a listener in a space supplied by the supply loudspeakers; and

a provider for providing the loudspeaker signal for the one or the several supply loudspeakers on the basis of the audio signal,

wherein the device for driving is implemented to drive the wave field synthesis loudspeaker array and the one or the several supply loudspeakers such that a wave front of the wave field synthesis loudspeaker array arrives at a listener before a wave front of the one or the several supply loudspeakers.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the provider for providing is implemented to provide a mono signal, stereo signal or multi-channel signal derived by mixing from the audio signal of the one or the several sound sources.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein the provider for providing further comprises a delay unit which is implemented to delay the loudspeaker signal for the one or the several supply loudspeakers depending on a delay of the wave field synthesis unit such that a wave front of the supply loudspeakers arrives later at a listener than a wave front caused by the wave field synthesis loudspeaker array.

4. The device according to claim 3, wherein the delay unit is implemented to delay the loudspeaker signal for the one or the several supply loudspeakers by 1 to 100 ms more than a delay of the wave field synthesis unit.

5. The device according to claim 1, further comprising a level-controlling unit which is implemented to control the loudspeaker signals for the one or the several supply loudspeakers or the loudspeaker signals for the wave field synthesis loudspeaker array such that a sound level caused by the wave field synthesis loudspeaker array is smaller than a sound level of the one or the several supply loudspeakers in at least a certain region of the space.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein the wave field synthesis unit is implemented to provide a scalable number of wave field synthesis loudspeaker signals.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein the wave field synthesis unit is implemented to calculate a number of loudspeaker signals which is greater than a number of loudspeaker signals for the one or the several supply loudspeakers.

8. The device according to claim 7, wherein the number of loudspeaker signals for the wave field synthesis loudspeaker array is at least three times as large as a number of loudspeaker signals for the supply loudspeakers.

9. A method for driving a sound system by loudspeaker signals, the sound system comprising a wave field synthesis loudspeaker array and one or several supply loudspeakers arranged separate from the wave field synthesis loudspeaker array, comprising:

receiving at least one audio signal from at least one sound source;

receiving information on a position of the sound source;

calculating loudspeaker signals for the loudspeakers of the wave field synthesis loudspeaker array based on the position of the audio signal, based on the audio signal and based on a position of the loudspeakers of the wave field synthesis loudspeaker array so that a sound field produced by the wave field synthesis loudspeaker array allows localizing the sound source by a listener in a space supplied by the supply loudspeakers; and

providing the loudspeaker signal for the one or the several supply loudspeakers on the basis of the audio signal,

wherein the method for driving is performed such that the wave field synthesis loudspeaker array and the one or the several supply loudspeakers are driven such that a wave front of the wave field synthesis loudspeaker array arrives at a listener before a wave front of the one or the several supply loudspeakers.

10. A sound system, comprising:

a wave field synthesis loudspeaker array;

one or several supply loudspeakers; and

a device for driving a sound system by loudspeaker signals, the sound system comprising a wave field synthesis loudspeaker array and one or several supply loudspeakers arranged separate from the wave field synthesis loudspeaker array, comprising;

an audio input for receiving at least one audio signal from at least one sound source;

a position input for receiving information on a position of the sound source;

a wave field synthesis unit for calculating loudspeaker signals for the loudspeakers of the wave field synthesis loudspeaker array based on the position of the audio signal, based on the audio signal and based on a position of the loudspeakers of the wave field synthesis loudspeaker array so that a sound field produced by the wave field synthesis loudspeaker array allows localizing the sound source by a listener in a space supplied by the supply loudspeakers; and

a provider for providing the loudspeaker signal for the one or the several supply loudspeakers on the basis of the audio signal, wherein the device for driving is implemented to drive the wave field synthesis loudspeaker array and the one or the several supply loudspeakers such that a wave front of the wave field synthesis loudspeaker array arrives at a listener before a wave front of the one or the several supply loudspeakers.

11. The sound system according to claim 10, arranged in a space comprising a front edge and a left and a right edge,

wherein there are at least two supply loudspeakers, of which one is arranged at the left edge and one is arranged at the right edge, and

wherein the wave field synthesis loudspeaker array is arranged at the front edge.

12. The sound system according to claim 11, wherein the front edge abuts on a region for a sound source.

13. The sound system according to claim 12, wherein the region is a stage or a speaker region of a lecture hall.

14. The sound system according to claim 11, wherein the wave field synthesis loudspeaker array is a flat array in which the loudspeakers are positioned in a plane at predetermined distances from one another.

15. The sound system according to claim 12, wherein the wave field synthesis loudspeaker array is installed in the edge of a stage at the height of the heads of the audience in the space to be provided with sound or above this height of the heads.

16. A computer program comprising a program code for executing a method for driving a sound system by loudspeaker signals, the sound system comprising a wave field synthesis loudspeaker array and one or several supply loudspeakers arranged separate from the wave field synthesis loudspeaker array, comprising:

receiving at least one audio signal from at least one sound source;

receiving information on a position of the sound source;

calculating loudspeaker signals for the loudspeakers of the wave field synthesis loudspeaker array based on the position of the audio signal, based on the audio signal and based on a position of the loudspeakers of the wave field synthesis loudspeaker array so that a sound field produced by the wave field synthesis loudspeaker array allows localizing the sound source by a listener in a space supplied by the supply loudspeakers; and

providing the loudspeaker signal for the one or the several supply loudspeakers on the basis of the audio signal, wherein the method for driving is performed such that the wave field synthesis loudspeaker array and the one or the several supply loudspeakers are driven such that a wave front of the wave field synthesis loudspeaker array arrives at a listener before a wave front of the one or the several supply loudspeakers, when the computer program runs on a computer.