Automatic sound field correcting device and computer program therefor

• US 7,489,784 B2
• Filed: 11/19/2004
• Issued: 02/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ONKYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
• Original Assignee: Pioneer Corporation
• Inventors: Yoshino, Hajime
• Primary Examiner(s): Mei; Xu
• Application Number:
  US10/991,535
• Publication Number:
  US 20050135631A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,544 Days
• Field of Search: 381 17- 19, 381 56- 59, 381/61, 381/63, 381 95- 96, 381101-103
• US Class Current: 381/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 3/00 Systems employing more than two channels, e.g. quadraphonic H04S5/00, H04S7/00 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/301 Automatic calibration of stereophonic sound system, e.g. with test microphone
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/305 Electronic adaptation of stereophonic audio signals to reverberation of the listening space H04S7/301 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/307 Frequency adjustment, e.g. tone control H04S7/301 takes precedence

Abstract

An automatic sound field correcting device executes a signal process to the plurality of audio signals on respective correspondent signal transmission paths, and outputs them to a plurality of correspondent speakers to correct sound characteristics on the respective signal transmission paths. Namely, a measurement signal is supplied to each signal transmission path, and a measurement sound corresponding to it is outputted from the speaker to a sound space. The outputted measurement sound is detected as a detecting signal. The frequency characteristic of the audio signal on each signal transmission path is corrected by an equalizer, and a gain value of the equalizer is determined by a correction amount determining unit. A frequency characteristics correction is performed predetermined times. At a first correction, the correction amount determining unit determines the correction amount by performing a frequency analysis, based on the detecting signal, i.e. base on the detecting signal corresponding to the measurement sound actually outputted to the sound space. On the contrary, at and after a second correction, the correction amount determining unit determines the correction amount based on the detecting signal or an output signal of the equalizer. Namely, at and after the second correction, the output signal of the equalizer is supplied to the correction amount determining unit in a signal processing circuit as the need arises, and the frequency characteristics correction is performed without actually outputting the measurement sound to the sound space.

Claims

1. An automatic sound field correcting device which executes a signal processing to an audio signal on a signal transmission path to output a processed audio signal to a correspondent speaker, comprising:

a frequency characteristics correcting unit which corrects a frequency characteristic of an audio signal on the signal transmission path;

a measurement signal supplying unit which supplies a measurement signal to the signal transmission path;

a measurement sound output unit which outputs a measurement sound corresponding to the measurement signal from the speaker to a sound space;

a detecting unit which outputs the measurement signal sound outputted from the speaker as a detecting signal; and

a correction amount determining unit which determines a correction amount used for a correction of the frequency characteristic by the frequency characteristics correcting unit and supplies the correction amount to the frequency characteristics correcting unit,

wherein the correction amount determining unit determines the correction amount based on the detecting signal at a first correction of the frequency characteristic, and determines the correction amount based on the detecting signal or an output signal of the frequency characteristics correcting unit at and after a second correction of the frequency characteristic.

2. The automatic sound field correcting device according to claim 1, wherein the correction amount determining unit determines the correction amount based on the output signal of the frequency characteristics correcting unit at and after the second correction.

3. The automatic sound field correcting device according to claim 1, wherein the correction amount determining unit determines the correction amount based on the detecting signal at least once at and after the second correction.

4. The automatic sound field correcting device according to claim 1, wherein the correction amount determining unit determines the correction amount based on the detecting signal at least at the last correction of the second and subsequent correction.

5. The automatic sound field correcting device according to claim 1, wherein the detecting unit outputs no detecting signal at the correction at which the correction amount determining unit determines the correction amount based on the output signal of the frequency characteristics correcting unit.

6. The automatic sound field correcting device according to claim 1, wherein the measurement sound output unit outputs no measurement sound at the correction at which the correction amount determining unit determines the correction amount based on the output signal of the frequency characteristics correcting unit.

7. The automatic sound field correcting device according to claim 1, wherein the measurement sound output unit outputs the measurement sound at all the corrections of the frequency characteristic.

8. The automatic sound field correcting device according to claim 1, wherein the measurement sound output unit comprises:

a block sound data generating unit which divides the measurement signal of a predetermined time period into a plurality of block periods and generates a plurality of block sound data; and

a reproduction processing unit which outputs the measurement sound by executing a reproducing process of reproducing the plurality of block sound data in accordance with an order of forming the measurement signal for a reproduction order pattern identical to the measurement sound data and for all reproduction order patterns obtained by shifting the block sound data reproduced first one by one,

wherein the correction amount determining unit operates the detecting signal corresponding to the block sound data reproduced in an identical reproduction order during each reproducing process and determines the frequency characteristic to determine the correction amount based on the frequency characteristic, and

wherein the reproduction processing unit executes the reproducing process for only the reproduction order pattern identical to the measurement signal at the correction at which the correction amount determining unit determines the correction amount based on the output signal of the frequency characteristics correcting unit.

9. A computer program product in a computer-readable medium, the computer program product making a computer function as an automatic sound field correcting device which executes a signal processing to an audio signal on a signal transmission path to output a processed audio signal to a correspondent speaker, the automatic sound field correcting device comprising:

a frequency characteristics correcting unit which corrects a frequency characteristic of the audio signal on each signal transmission path;

a measurement signal supplying unit which supplies a measurement signal to each signal transmission path;

a measurement sound output unit which outputs a measurement sound corresponding to the measurement signal from the speaker to a sound space;

a detecting unit which outputs the measurement signal sound outputted from the speaker as a detecting signal; and

a correction amount determining unit which determines a correction amount used for a correction of the frequency characteristic by the frequency characteristics correcting unit and supplies the correction amount to the frequency characteristics correcting unit, and

wherein the correction amount determining unit determines the correction amount based on the detecting signal at a first correction of the frequency characteristic, and determines the correction amount based on the detecting signal or an output signal of the frequency characteristics correcting unit at and after a second correction of the frequency characteristic.

10. An automatic sound field correcting method which executes a signal processing to an audio signal on a signal transmission path to output a processed audio signal to a correspondent speaker, comprising:

a measurement signal supplying process which supplies a measurement signal to the signal transmission path;

a measurement sound outputting process which outputs a measurement sound corresponding to the measurement signal from the speaker to a sound space;

a detecting process which outputs the measurement signal sound outputted from the speaker as a detecting signal;

a correction amount determining process which determines a correction amount used for a correction of a frequency characteristic; and

a frequency characteristics correction process which corrects a frequency characteristic of an audio signal on the signal transmission path by using the correction amount determined in the correction amount determining process,

wherein the correction amount determining process determines the correction amount based on the detecting signal at a first correction of the frequency characteristic, and determines the correction amount based on the detecting signal or an output signal by the frequency characteristics correction process at and after a second correction of the frequency characteristic.