SOUND TO LIGHT CONVERTER AND SOUND FIELD VISUALIZING SYSTEM

• US 20120097012A1
• Filed: 09/14/2011
• Published: 04/26/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Inventors: KURIHARA, Makoto, FUJIMORI, Junichi
• Granted Patent: US 8,546,674 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 84/464.R
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 23/008 using optical signals for detecting or generating sound
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 29/005 Microphone arrays
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 29/008 Visual indication of individual signal levels visual indication of stereophonic sound image H04S7/40

Abstract

An object is to readily visualize a propagation state of sound emitted within a sound space. A sound to light converter includes: a microphone; a light emitting unit; and a light emission control unit that acquires an instantaneous value of an output signal from the microphone in synchronization with a strobe signal and that allows the light emitting unit to emit light with a luminance level corresponding to the acquired instantaneous value. The strobe signal is generated and output in a signal generator of the sound to light converter. Alternatively, the strobe signal is generated and output in a control device of a sound field visualizing system in synchronization with an emission of sound to be visualized by the sound to light converter.

Claims

1. A sound to light converter, comprising:

a microphone;

a light emitting unit; and

a light emission control unit that is configured to acquire an instantaneous value of an output signal from the microphone in synchronization with a strobe signal and to allow the light emitting unit to emit light with a luminance level corresponding to the acquired instantaneous value.

2. The sound to light converter according to claim 1, further comprising a signal generator that is configured to generate and output the strobe signal.

3. A sound field visualizing system, comprising:

a plurality of sound to light converters as defined in claim 1; and

a control device that is configured to generate and output the strobe signal in synchronization with an emission of sound to be visualized by the plurality of sound to light converters.

4. The sound field visualizing system according to claim 3, wherein

the control device is configured to output a drive signal for driving a sound source which emits sound to be visualized by the plurality of sound to light converters, and to output the strobe signal in synchronization with the output of the drive signal.

5. The sound field visualizing system according to claim 3, wherein

the light emission control unit included in each of the plurality of sound to light converters is configured to acquire the instantaneous value of the output signal from the microphone in synchronization with a rising edge or a falling edge of the strobe signal, and

the control device is configured to change a rising interval or a falling interval of the strobe signal with a lapse of time.

6. The sound field visualizing system according to claim 5, wherein

the strobe signal is a square wave signal.

7. The sound field visualizing system according to claim 3, wherein

the light emission control unit included in each of the plurality of sound to light converters is configured to acquire the instantaneous value of the output signal from the microphone in synchronization with a rising edge or a falling edge of the strobe signal, and

the control device is configured to change a rising interval or a falling interval of the strobe signal in response to an operation by a user.

8. The sound field visualizing system according to claim 7, wherein

the strobe signal is a square wave signal.

9. The sound field visualizing system according to claim 3, wherein

each of the plurality of sound to light converters includes a storage unit, and

the light emission control unit included in each of the plurality of sound to light converters is configured to perform a first process of sequentially writing data indicative of the instantaneous values of the output signals from the microphone into the storage unit, and to perform a second process of sequentially reading the data stored in the storage unit in synchronization with the strobe signal or in a cycle longer than a writing cycle in the first process, and allowing the light emitting unit to emit light with a luminance level corresponding to the instantaneous value indicated by the read data.

10. The sound to light converter according to claim 1, comprising a transfer control unit that is configured to delay the strobe signal by a predetermined time and to transfer the delayed strobe signal to one or more of other sound to light converters.

11. A sound field visualizing system comprising:

a plurality of sound to light converters as defined in claim 10; and

a control device that is configured to generate the strobe signal in synchronization with an emission of sound to be visualized by the plurality of sound to light converters, and to output the generated strobe signal to one or more of the plurality of sound to light converters.

12. The sound to light converter according to claim 1, comprising a filtering processor that is configured to filter the output signal from the microphone and to supply the filtered signal to the light emission control unit.

13. The sound to light converter according to claim 12, wherein

the light emitting unit includes a plurality of light emitters for emitting lights in different colors,

the filter processor includes a bandwidth division filter that is configured to divide the output signal from the microphone into bandwidth components, each component corresponding to respective one of the plurality of light emitters, and

the light emission control unit is configured to perform a process of acquiring the instantaneous value for each bandwidth component divided by the filter processor, and allowing each of the plurality of light emitters to emit light with a luminance level corresponding to the instantaneous value in the bandwidth component corresponding to the each of the plurality of light emitters.

14. The sound to light converter according to claim 2, wherein

the signal generator is configured to perform a pitch extraction process with respect to the output signal from the microphone, and to use a signal acquired in the pitch extraction process as the strobe signal.