Audio reproducing apparatus and headphone

• US 5,761,314 A
• Filed: 12/04/1995
• Issued: 06/02/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Yamada, Yuji, Inanaga, Kiyofumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Isen, Forester W.
• Application Number:
  US08/513,848
• Time in Patent Office: 911 Days
• Field of Search: 381/183, 381/187, 381/71, 381/25, 381/74
• US Class Current: 381/17
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1075 Mountings of transducers in earphones or headphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/033 Headphones for stereophonic communication details thereof, e.g. relating to batteries, cables or control elements H04R1/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 1/007 in which the audio signals are in digital form data reduction aspects thereof based on psychoacoustics G10L19/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 2400/01 Multi-channel, i.e. more than two input channels, sound reproduction with two speakers wherein the multi-channel information is substantially preserved
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 2420/01 Enhancing the perception of the sound image or of the spatial distribution using head related transfer functions [HRTF's] or equivalents thereof, e.g. interaural time difference [ITD] or interaural level difference [ILD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 3/004 For headphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/304 For headphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/305 Electronic adaptation of stereophonic audio signals to reverberation of the listening space H04S7/301 takes precedence

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide an audio reproducing apparatus which makes a radiation impedance from an inlet of an external auditory canal of a listener to an outside approximate to that obtained when the listener does not put the apparatus, facilitates localization of a reproduced sound image, and allows the listener to feel more comfortable when putting the apparatus on the head. Headphone units (120) of a headphone are disposed so as to be opposed to both the left and right ears (23a), (23b) of a listener (23). Planes of the headphone units (120) opposed to both the left and right ears (23a), (23b) of the listener (23) are provided with being inclined at a predetermined angle forward or backward so as not to be perpendicular to a straight line passing the centers of both the left and right ears (23a), (23b) of the listener (23).

Claims

1. An audio reproducing apparatus comprising:

a signal source for supplying recorded audio signals in a plurality of channels;

storage means which, after an impulse response from a virtual sound source position with respect to a reference direction of a listener'"'"'s head and both ears corresponding to a head movement of the listener is measured, stores the measured impulse response or which, after a difference in time between audio signals from a virtual sound source position with respect to the reference direction of the listener'"'"'s head and both ears of said listener and a difference in a level therebetween are measured at every angle which the listener can recognize, stores a control signal representing the difference in time between said audio signals and the difference in the level therebetween;

at least one angle detecting means for detecting a head movement of at least one listener with respect to said reference direction at every predetermined angle to output a detection signal;

address signal generating means for converting an angle detected by said angle detecting means into an address signal;

control means for correcting the audio signals in respective channels from said signal source based on the impulse response or the control signal stored in said storage means; and

audio signal reproducing means which has a pair of sound generating units, wherein each of said pair of sound generating units includes a baffle plate forming a 90 degrees angle with a straight line passing through said both ears of the listener, and a diaphram forming an angle with said straight line other than 90 degrees, and wherein said pair of sound generating units is disposed at positions opposed to both ears of the listener and supplied with the audio signals provided by said control means for mounting on the listener'"'"'s head and is provided such that a radiation impedance from an inlet of an external auditory canal of the ear of the listener to the outside becomes approximate to that obtained when the audio reproducing means is not mounted, wherein and address of said storage mean is designated by an address signal output from said address signal generating means based on a detection signal from said angle detecting means, the impulse response or the control signal stored in said storage means is read out therefrom, said control means corrects the audio signals supplied from said signal source with respect to a head movement of said at least one listener in a real-time fashion in response the impulse response or the control signal read out from said storage means, and the radiation impedance of said audio reproducing means from the inlet of the external auditory canal to the outside is set approximate to that obtained when the audio reproducing means is not mounted, thereby sound generation characteristics of said sound generation unit are set approximate to characteristics obtained when said audio signals were recorded.

2. An audio reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of said sound generating units have an opening portion defined at least at a position opposed to the listener'"'"'s ear and the sound generating characteristics of said sound generating units are set approximate to characteristics obtained when said audio signals were recorded.

3. An audio reproducing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said audio reproducing means comprises a head mount body which can be mounted on the listener'"'"'s head and supporting means for supporting said respective sound generating units at positions of said head mount body which are away from the listener'"'"'s ears by a predetermined distance.

4. An audio reproducing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said pair of sound generating units are disposed so as to be opposed to both the left and right ears of said listener and planes of said respective sound generating units opposed to the listener'"'"'s left and right ears are inclined at an angle relative to a straight line passing through the centers of both the left and right ears of the listener.

5. An audio reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said sound generating units are disposed so as to be opposed to both left and right ears of said listener, and planes of said respective sound generating units opposed to the listener'"'"'s left and right ears being inclined at a predetermined angle relative to a straight line passing through the centers of both the listener'"'"'s left and right ears so as to be rotated around a line perpendicular to a straight line passing through the centers of said both ears.

6. An audio reproducing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said sound generating units are disposed so as to be opposed to both left and right ears of said listener, and provided with planes of said respective sound generating units opposed to the listener'"'"'s left and right ears being inclined at a predetermined angle relative to the straight line passing through centers of said listener'"'"'s both ears so as to be rotated around a line in the vertical direction of the listener'"'"'s head and within planes perpendicular to a straight line passing through the centers of the listener'"'"'s both left and right ears.

7. An audio reproducing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said sound generating units are disposed so as to be opposed to both left and right ears of said listener, and provided with planes of said respective sound generating units opposed to the listener'"'"'s left and right ears being inclined at a predetermined angle relative to the straight line passing through centers of said both ears with reference to a line in the direction to a listener'"'"'s face and within planes perpendicular to a straight line passing through the centers of the listener'"'"'s both left and right ears.

8. An audio reproducing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said supporting means comprises a supporting mechanism which moves each respective surface plane of said sound generating units opposed to listener'"'"'s left and right ears close to or away from the listener'"'"'s left and right ears.

9. An audio reproducing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein each of said sound generating units is formed of a plurality of sound generator units and said respective sound generator units are supplied with signals obtained by dividing a frequency band of a corrected audio signal to be supplied to said audio reproducing means into a plurality of frequency bands.

10. An audio reproducing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said audio reproducing means comprises an attachment member for attaching said sound generating units, said sound generating unit being disposed substantially in parallel to a side of a listener'"'"'s head and said sound generating units being attached to said attachment member with a diaphragm of said sound generating units, respectively, being inclined at a predetermined angle.

11. An audio reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said audio reproducing means comprises a head mount body which can be mounted on a listener'"'"'s head and a supporting means for supporting said respective sound generating units at positions located away from the listener'"'"'s ears by a predetermined distance.

12. An audio reproducing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said pair of sound generating units are disposed so as to be opposed to both left and right ears of said listener and the surface planes of said respective sound generating units opposed to the listener'"'"'s left and right ears are inclined at an angle relative to a straight line passing through the centers of both the left and right ears of the listener.

13. An audio reproducing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said sound generating units are disposed so as to be opposed to the left and right ears of said listener, and surface planes of said respective sound generating units opposed to the listener'"'"'s left and right ears are inclined at a predetermined angle relative to a straight line passing through the centers of the listener'"'"'s left and right ears so as to be rotated around a line perpendicular to the straight line passing through the centers of said both ears.

14. An audio reproducing apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said sound generating units are disposed so as to be opposed to both left and right ears of said listener, and the surface planes of said respective sound generating units opposed to the listener'"'"'s left and right ears are inclined at a predetermined angle relative to the straight line passing through the centers of said both ears with reference to a line in the vertical direction of the listener'"'"'s head and within planes perpendicular to a straight line passing through the centers of the listener'"'"'s left and right ears.

15. An audio reproducing apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said sound generating units are disposed so as to be opposed to both left and right ears of said listener, and the surface planes of said respective sound generating units opposed to the listener'"'"'s left and right ears are inclined at a predetermined angle relative to the straight line passing through the centers of said both ears with reference to a line in the direction to a listener'"'"'s face and within planes perpendicular to a straight line passing through the centers of the listener'"'"'s left and right ears.

16. An audio reproducing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said supporting means comprises a supporting mechanism which moves the surface planes of said sound generating units opposed to listener'"'"'s left and right ears close to or away from the listener'"'"'s left and right ears.

17. An audio reproducing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein each of said sound generating units is formed of a plurality of sound generator units and said respective sound generator units are respectively supplied with signals obtained by dividing a frequency band of a corrected audio signal to be supplied to said audio reproducing means into a plurality of frequency bands.

18. An audio reproducing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said audio reproducing means comprises an attachment member for attaching thereto said sound generating unit, said sound generating unit being disposed substantially in parallel to a side of a listener'"'"'s head and said sound generating unit being attached to said attachment member with a diaphragm of said sound generating unit being inclined at a predetermined angle.

19. An audio reproducing apparatus comprising:

a signal source for supplying audio signals in a plurality of channels;

storage means which, after an impulse response from a virtual sound source position with respect to a reference direction of a head of a listener and both ears corresponding to a movement of the head of the listener is measured to form a measured impulse response, stores the measured impulse response or which, after a difference in time between the audio signals from the virtual sound source position with respect to the reference direction of the head and said both ears of said listener and a difference in a level therebetween are measured at every angle which the listener can recognize, stores a control signal representing the difference in time between said audio signals and the difference in the level therebetween;

at least one angle detecting means for detecting the movement of the head of the listener with respect to said reference direction at every predetermined angle to output a detection signal;

address signal generating means for converting an angle detected by said angle detecting means into an address signal;

control means for correcting the audio signals in said plurality of channels from said signal source based on the impulse response or the control signal read out from said storage means in response to said address signal;

audio signal reproducing means including a pair of sound generating units, wherein each of said pair of sound generating units includes a baffle plate forming a 90 degree angle with a straight line passing through said both ears of the listener, and a diaphragm forming an angle with said straight line other than 90 degrees, and wherein said audio signal reproducing means, which has a microphone provided so as to be opposed to one of said both ears of the listener for mounting on the head of the listener, is supplied with the audio signals corrected by said control means and reproduces the audio signals supplied by said signal source; and

an adaptive processing filter which, after reproduction characteristics of the audio signals output from said audio signal reproducing means are measured by said microphone to form measured results, subjects said reproduction characteristics to a smoothing processing based on said measured results to thereby process the audio signals provided by said control means, wherein the impulse response or the control signal of said storage means is designated by the address signal output from said address signal generating means based on the detection signal from said angle detecting means and said control means corrects the audio signals from said signal source are corrected with respect to the movement of the head of the listener in a real-time fashion, and the corrected audio signals in said plurality of channels provided by said control means are processed by said adaptive processing filter by subjecting said reproduction characteristics to said smoothing processing and then reproduced by said audio reproducing means.

20. The audio reproducing apparatus according to claim 19, wherein said audio reproducing means comprises a head mount body which enables said audio reproducing means to be mounted on the head of the listener and a supporting means for supporting said microphone on said head mount body at a position away from one of said both ears of the listener by a predetermined distance.

21. The audio reproducing apparatus according to claim 20, wherein said audio reproducing means comprises a holding means for holding said microphone at a position opposed to an earhole of the listener.

22. The audio reproducing apparatus according to claim 21, wherein said audio reproducing means comprises a pair of sound generating units respectively supplied with said recorrected audio signals provided by said adaptive processing filter and said holding means holding said microphone at a position which is opposed to the earhole of the listener and said microphone is closer to an auricle of a listener as compared with said sound generating units.

23. The audio reproducing apparatus according to claim 21, wherein said audio reproducing means comprises a pair of sound generating units supplied with said recorrected audio signals provided by said adaptive processing filter and a pair of microphones, wherein said holding means holding said pair of microphones at positions which are opposed to earholes of a listener and are projected toward said auricles as compared with said pair of sound generating units.

24. The audio reproducing apparatus according to claim 21, wherein said holding means is provided at one end in said audio reproducing means and has at its other end a flexible supporting member to which said microphone is attached.

25. The audio reproducing apparatus according to claim 19, wherein said reproduction characteristic include reflection characteristics and noise characteristics, after the reflection characteristics and the noise characteristics of said audio signals at an earhole of a listener are measured by said microphone, said adaptive processing filter generates inverse characteristics of the reflection characteristics and the noise characteristics at the earhole based on said measured results, and corrects said corrected audio signals in said plurality of channels provided by said control means based on said inverse characteristics of the reflection characteristics and the noise characteristics.

26. The audio reproducing apparatus according to claim 25, wherein an adaptive processing FIR filter is employed as said adaptive processing filter.

27. The audio reproducing apparatus according to claim 25, wherein said adaptive processing filter sets a predetermined target value and corrects characteristics inherent in said audio reproducing means such that a value thereof becomes approximate to said target value.

28. The audio reproducing apparatus according to claim 25, wherein said adaptive processing filter sets a predetermined target value and carries out a correction by making a value approximate to said target value such that a sound field becomes approximate to a predetermined one.

29. The audio reproducing apparatus according to claim 25, wherein said adaptive processing filter is an indirect execution type filter which, after characteristics are measured based on an output from said microphone, carries out processing based on inverse characteristics thereof.

30. The audio reproducing apparatus according to claim 25, wherein said adaptive processing filter is a direct execution type filter which successively carries out measurements of characteristics based on an output from said microphone and processing based on inverse characteristics thereof.

31. The audio reproducing apparatus according to claim 19, wherein said audio reproducing means comprises a pair of sound generating units which can be attached to respective earholes of said both ears of the listener, wherein each of said Pair of sound generating units comprises a hollow cylinder-shaped member having a non-reflection portion at one end and an open end at the other end opposed to an earhole of the listener and having substantially the same inner diameter as that of an external auditory canal of the listener, said microphone being arranged on a side surface of said cylinder-shaped member, and a sound generator unit disposed in a vicinity of said microphone so as to be opposed to an inner peripheral surface of said cylinder-shaped member, wherein the other end of said cylinder-shaped member is opposed to the earhole of the listener in a state that said audio reproducing means is mounted on the head of the listener, and wherein said corrected audio signals provided by said control means are supplied to said pair of sound generator units.

32. The audio reproducing apparatus according to claim 19, wherein said audio reproducing means comprises a head mount body which can be mounted on the head of the listener, a pair of sound generating units, and supporting means for supporting said pair of sound generating units on said head mount body at positions which are away from said both ears of the listener by a predetermined distance.

33. The audio reproducing apparatus according to claim 31, wherein said microphone is provided such that a diaphragm of said microphone is substantially parallel to an inner peripheral surface of said cylinder-shaped member.

34. The audio reproducing apparatus according to claim 31, wherein said cylinder-shaped member comprises a flexible portion.

35. The audio reproducing apparatus according to claim 31, wherein said reproduction characteristics include reflection characteristics and noise characteristics, after the reflection characteristics and the noise characteristics of said audio signal at the earhole of a listener are measured by said microphone, said adaptive processing filter generates inverse characteristics of the reflection characteristics and the noise characteristics at the earhole based on said measured results and corrects said corrected audio signals in said plurality of channels provided by said control means based on the inverse characteristics of the reflection characteristics and the noise characteristics.

36. The audio reproducing apparatus according to claim 34, wherein an adaptive processing FIR filter is employed as said adaptive processing filter.

37. The audio reproducing apparatus according to claim 35, wherein said adaptive processing filter sets a predetermined target value and corrects characteristics inherent in said audio reproducing means such that a value thereof becomes approximate to said target value.

38. The audio reproducing apparatus according to claim 35, wherein said adaptive processing filter sets a predetermined target value and carries out a correction by making a value approximate to said target value such that a sound field becomes approximate to a predetermined one.

39. The audio reproducing apparatus according to claim 35, wherein said adaptive processing filter is an indirect execution type filter which, after characteristics are measured based on an output from said microphone, carries out processing based on inverse characteristics thereof.

40. The audio reproducing apparatus according to claim 35, wherein said adaptive processing filter is a direct execution type filter which successively carries out measurements of characteristics based on an output from said microphone and processing based on inverse characteristics thereof.

41. A headphone comprising:

a mount portion which is substantially U-shaped and is mounted on a head of a listener;

detecting means provided at a position on said mount portion for detecting a head gyration of the listener;

a pair of sound generating units respectively provided at positions on said mount portion opposed, respectively, to both ears of the listener; and

supporting means provided on said mount portion for supporting said respective pair of second generating units at positions away from said both ears of the listener at a predetermined distance in a state that said mount portion is mounted on the head of the listener,

wherein said supporting means includes a substantially tubular member positioned parallel to a straight line passing through said both ears, a disk-shaped contact portion, and wherein said tubular member is fitted at one end to said mount portion and fitted at another end to said contact portion which is brought in contact with a head side portion around each respective ear of the listener.