AUDIO REPRODUCTION APPARATUS

• US 20090262963A1
• Filed: 03/03/2009
• Published: 10/22/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kubota, Kazunobu, Inoue, Shinichi
• Application Number:
  US12/396,683
• Publication Number:
  US 20090262963A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/302
• 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

Abstract

An audio reproduction apparatus for a vehicle wherein: a first speaker is installed on the right-hand side of a center position in front of a listener sitting on a right-side seat whereas a second speaker is installed on the left-hand side thereof; a third speaker is installed on the right-hand side of a center position in front of a listener sitting on a left-side seat and on the left-hand side of the second speaker whereas a fourth speaker is installed on the left-hand side of the center position in front of the listener; an audio signal of a right channel is supplied to the first and second speakers; an audio signal of a left channel is supplied to the third and fourth speakers; and low and intermediate frequency components of a sum of the audio signal of the right channel and the left channel are supplied to a fifth speaker.

Claims

1. An audio reproduction apparatus for a vehicle wherein:

a first speaker is installed on the right-hand side of a center position in front of a listener sitting on a right-side seat of said vehicle whereas a second speaker is installed on the left-hand side of said center position in front of said listener sitting on said right-side seat of said vehicle;

a third speaker is installed on the right-hand side of a center position in front of a listener sitting on a left-side seat of said vehicle and on the left-hand side of said second speaker whereas a fourth speaker is installed on the left-hand side of said center position in front of said listener sitting on said left-side seat of said vehicle;

an audio signal of a right channel is supplied to said first and second speakers;

an audio signal of a left channel is supplied to said third and fourth speakers; and

low and intermediate frequency components of a sum signal obtained as a result of adding said audio signal of said right channel to said audio signal of said left channel are supplied to a fifth speaker.

2. The audio reproduction apparatus according to claim 1 wherein intermediate and high frequency components of said audio signal of said right channel are supplied to said first and second speakers, intermediate and high frequency components of said audio signal of said left channel are supplied to said third and fourth speakers whereas said low and intermediate frequency components of said sum signal are supplied to said fifth speaker.

3. The audio reproduction apparatus according to claim 2 wherein correlation reduction processing is carried out in order to reduce correlations between said low and intermediate frequency components supplied to said fifth speaker and said audio signal of said right channel as well as correlations between said low and intermediate frequency components supplied to said fifth speaker and said audio signal of said left channel.

4. The audio reproduction apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said first to fifth speakers are installed on a dashboard.

5. The audio reproduction apparatus according to claim 4 wherein said fifth speaker is provided at about the center position of said dashboard.

6. The audio reproduction apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said first to fifth speakers are embedded in a dashboard.

7. The audio reproduction apparatus according to claim 6 wherein said fifth speaker is provided at about the center position of said dashboard.

8. The audio reproduction apparatus according to claim 1, said audio reproduction apparatus further having a sixth speaker to which low frequency components of said sum signal are supplied.

9. The audio reproduction apparatus according to claim 1 wherein:

said first and third speakers are set so that sounds are generated by said first and third speakers in a direction toward said listener sitting on said right-side seat of said vehicle; and

said second and fourth speakers are set so that sounds are generated by said second and fourth speakers in a direction toward said listener sitting on said left-side seat of said vehicle.