Wideband assisted reverberation system

• US 5,862,233 A
• Filed: 11/18/1994
• Issued: 01/19/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Callaghan Innovation
• Original Assignee: Industrial Research Limited
• Inventors: Poletti, Mark Alister
• Primary Examiner(s): Harvey, Minsun Oh
• Application Number:
  US08/338,551
• Time in Patent Office: 1,523 Days
• Field of Search: 381/63, 381/61, 381/62, 381/66, 84/630
• US Class Current: 381/63
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 15/08 Arrangements for producing a reverberation or echo sound modifying acoustic properties to change reverberation time G10K11/002

Abstract

A wideband assisted reverberation system has multiple microphones (M1-M3) to pick up reverberant sound in a room, multiple loudspeakers (L1-L3) to broadcast sound into the room, and a reverberation matrix connecting a similar bandwidth signal from the microphones (m) through reverberators to the loudspeakers (L). Preferably the reverberation matrix connects each microphone (m) through one or more reverberators to at least two loudspeakers (L) with cross-linking so that each loudspeaker (L) receives a signal comprising a sum of at least two reverberated microphone signals. Most preferably there is full cross-linking so that every microphone (m) through reverberators to every loudspeaker (L), so that each loudspeaker (L) receives a signal comprising a sum of reverberated microphone signals from every microphone (m).

Claims

1. A wideband non-in-line assisted reverberation system, including:

multiple microphones positioned to pick up reverberant sound in a room,

multiple loudspeakers to broadcast sound into the room, and

a reverberation matrix connecting a similar bandwidth signal from each microphone through a reverberator, having an impulse response consisting of a number of echoes, the density of which increases over time, to a loudspeaker to thereby increase the apparent room volume.

2. A wideband non-in-line assisted reverberation system, including:

multiple microphones positioned to pick up reverberant sound in a room,

multiple loudspeakers to broadcast sound into the room, and

a reverberation matrix connecting a similar bandwidth signal from each microphone through one or more reverberators, having an impulse response consisting of a number of echoes, the density of which increases over time, to two or more separate loudspeakers and each of which receives a signal comprising one reverberated microphone signal to thereby increase the apparent room volume.

3. A wideband non-in-line assisted reverberation system, including

multiple microphones positioned to pick up reverberant sound in a room,

multiple loudspeakers to broadcast sound into the room, and

a reverberation matrix connecting a similar bandwidth signal from each microphone through one or more reverberators, having an impulse response consisting of a number of echoes, the density of which increases over time, per microphone to one or more loudspeakers, each of which receives a signal comprising a sum of one or more reverberated microphone signals to thereby increase the apparent room volume.

4. A wideband non-in-line assisted reverberation system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the reverberation matrix connects a similar bandwidth signal from each microphone through one or more reverberators to at least two loudspeakers each of which recesses a signal comprising a sur, of at least two reverberated microphone signals.

5. A wideband non-in-line assisted reverberation system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the reverberation matrix connects a similar bandwidth signal from every microphone through one or more reverberators to every loudspeaker, each of which receives a signal comprising a sum of reverberated microphone signals from every microphone.

6. A wideband non-in-line assisted reverberation system as claimed in claim 4, wherein the reverberation matrix connects at least eight microphones to at least eight loudspeakers, or where groups of at least eight microphones are connected to groups of at least eight loudspeakers.

7. A wideband non-in-line assisted reverberation system as claimed in claim 6, wherein the reverberation matrix has impulse responses from any input to any output consisting of multiple echoes of increasing density with time.