CAMERA-EQUIPPED LOUDSPEAKER, SIGNAL PROCESSOR, AND AV SYSTEM

• US 20110316996A1
• Filed: 09/02/2011
• Published: 12/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Miyasaka, Shuji, Matsumoto, Masaharu, Akiyoshi, Shinichi, Fujita, Takeshi, Yamada, Shuhei, ABE, Kazutaka
• Application Number:
  US13/224,632
• Publication Number:
  US 20110316996A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/77
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/028 associated with devices performing functions other than acoustics, e.g. electric candles
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/303 Tracking of listener position or orientation

Abstract

An AV system includes a camera-equipped loudspeaker provided with a camera. The camera is united with a loudspeaker body, and captures an image in a direction in which the loudspeaker body outputs a sound. The recognition unit recognizes a location of a listener from an image of the camera, and detects an orientation of the loudspeaker body relative to the listener. The sound control unit performs signal processing on a given sound signal for generating an output signal, and outputs the output signal as an acoustic signal to the loudspeaker body.

Claims

1. A signal processor for the camera-equipped loudspeaker which includes a loudspeaker body and a camera united with the loudspeaker body and configured to capture an image in a direction in which the loudspeaker body outputs a sound, the signal processor comprising:

a recognition unit configured to receive an image signal output from the camera, recognize a location of a listener from an image shown by the image signal, and detect an orientation of the loudspeaker body relative to the listener based on the recognized location of the listener; and

a sound control unit configured to perform signal processing on a given sound signal for generating an output signal, and output the output signal as an acoustic signal to the loudspeaker body.

2. The signal processor of claim 1, wherein the sound control unit corrects the output signal based on directional characteristics of the loudspeaker body according to the orientation of the loudspeaker body detected by the recognition unit.

3. The signal processor of claim 1, wherein the loudspeaker body is an array loudspeaker made of a plurality of loudspeaker units, and

the sound control unit controls localized reproduction of the loudspeaker body according to the orientation of the loudspeaker body detected by the recognition unit.

4. The signal processor of claim 1, wherein the recognition unit is capable of detecting a number of listeners, and

when the recognition unit detects a plurality of listeners, the sound control unit performs signal processing according to the orientation of the loudspeaker body and a locational relationship among the listeners detected by the recognition unit.

5. The signal processor of claim 1, wherein the camera-equipped loudspeaker includes a movable mechanism configured to change an orientation of the loudspeaker body,

the signal processor includes a movable mechanism control unit configured to control the movable mechanism, and

the movable mechanism control unit controls the movable mechanism according to the orientation of the loudspeaker body detected by the recognition unit.

6. An AV system, comprising:

a loudspeaker body;

a camera united with the loudspeaker body, and configured to capture an image in a direction in which the loudspeaker body outputs a sound; and

a recognition unit configured to receive an image signal output from the camera, recognize a location of a listener from an image shown by the image signal, and detect an orientation of the loudspeaker body relative to the listener based on the recognized location of the listener; and

a sound control unit configured to perform signal processing on a given sound signal for generating an output signal, and output the output signal as an acoustic signal to the loudspeaker body.