Sound reproducing apparatus and method of identifying positions of speakers

• US 7,933,418 B2
• Filed: 02/16/2005
• Issued: 04/26/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Inventors: Morishima, Morito
• Primary Examiner(s): Faulk; Devona E
• Assistant Examiner(s): Paul; Disler
• Application Number:
  US10/589,783
• Publication Number:
  US 20070133813A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,260 Days
• Field of Search: 381104-105, 381/107, 381/300, 381 58- 59, 381302-303, 381306-307
• US Class Current: 381/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2205/024 Positioning of loudspeaker enclosures for spatial sound reproduction
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/02 Spatial or constructional arrangements of loudspeakers
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/301 Automatic calibration of stereophonic sound system, e.g. with test microphone
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/308 Electronic adaptation dependent on speaker or headphone connection

Abstract

A position of a speaker is detected two-dimensionally or three-dimensionally, and a sound field is corrected. A sound reproducing apparatus includes a measuring signal generating portion for generating a first measuring signal, a transmission portion for transmitting a second measuring signal as soon as the first measuring signal is generated, sensors disposed in a listening position and for measuring a time difference between a time instant when the second measuring signal was received and a time instant when a measuring sound wave radiated from a to-be-detected speaker in accordance with the first measuring signal was received, and a position calculating portion for calculating a distance, as to each of n sensors, between each of the n sensors and the to-be-detected speaker based on the measured time difference, and calculating the position of the to-be-detected speaker based on distances among the n sensors and the calculated distance.

Claims

1. A sound reproducing apparatus for driving a plurality of speakers with two of the speakers having a known distance therebetween to reproduce multi-channel sound, the sound reproducing apparatus comprising:

a generator configured to generate a measuring signal and supply the measuring signal to each of the plurality of speakers;

at least two sensors positionable to a listening position, each of the at least two sensors transmitting a reception notification when receiving a measuring sound wave radiated from each of the speakers in accordance with the measuring signal;

a time difference measuring unit configured to measure a time difference between a time instant when the measuring signal is generated and a time instant when the reception notification is received from each of the at least two sensors;

a distance calculator configured to calculate a distance between the at least two sensors and a distance between each of the at least two sensors and each of the two speakers based on the measured time difference and the known distance between the two speakers;

a position calculator configured to calculate a position of each of the two speakers based on the calculated distance between the at least two sensors and the calculated distance between each of the two speakers from each of the at least two sensors; and

a storage that stores the calculated position of the two speakers relative to the at least two sensors.

2. The sound reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a sound field controller configured to produce sound image localization as if the speakers were located in predetermined recommended positions, respectively, based on respective positions of the speakers stored in the storage.

3. The sound reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the at least two sensors is positionable independent of the other.

4. A method of identifying a position of each of a plurality of speakers using at least two sensors disposed in a listening position, the method comprising the steps of:

supplying the measuring signal in turn to two of the plurality of speakers having a known distance from each other;

transmitting a reception notification when each of the at least two sensors receives a measuring sound wave radiated from each of the two speakers in accordance with the measuring signal;

measuring a time difference between a time instant when the measuring signal is generated and a time instant when the reception notification is received from each of the at least two sensors for each of the two speakers;

calculating a distance between the at least two sensors and a distance between each of the two sensors and each of the two speakers based on the measured time difference and the known distance between the two speakers;

calculating positions of the at least two sensors relative to the two speakers based on the calculated distance between the at least two sensors and the calculated distance between each of the two speakers and each of the at least two sensors;

calculating a position of each of the other of the plurality of speakers based on the calculated positions of the at least two sensors relative to the two speakers; and

storing the calculated position of each of the speakers into a storage.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein each of the at least two sensors is positionable independent of the other.