Sound measuring apparatus and method, and audio signal processing apparatus

• US 7,949,140 B2
• Filed: 10/04/2006
• Issued: 05/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kino, Yasuyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin; Vivian
• Assistant Examiner(s): LAO, LUN S
• Application Number:
  US11/542,846
• Publication Number:
  US 20070086597A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,693 Days
• Field of Search: 381 56- 59, 381/96, 381/61, 381/63, 381/91, 381/92, 381/122, 381/17, 381/103, 700/94
• US Class Current: 381/58
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2499/13 Acoustic transducers and sound field adaptation in vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 1/00 Two-channel systems H04S5/00, H04S7/00 take precedence
• 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 7/307 Frequency adjustment, e.g. tone control H04S7/301 takes precedence

Abstract

A sound measuring apparatus for measuring a sound-arrival delay time from a speaker to a microphone on the basis of a result obtained by outputting a test signal from the speaker and picking up the test signal using the microphone includes the following elements. A control unit performs control so that the test signal is expanded in a time axis and is then output from the speaker. A delay time measuring unit measures an expansion-based measured delay time on the basis of a delay time that is measured on the basis of a time difference between the test signal expanded in the time axis and output from the speaker and a signal obtained from the microphone by picking up the output expanded test signal, and obtains the sound-arrival delay time as the expansion-based measured delay time.

Claims

1. A sound measuring apparatus for measuring a sound-arrival delay time from a speaker to a microphone on the basis of a result obtained by outputting a signal from the speaker and picking up the signal using the microphone, the sound measuring apparatus comprising:

control means for performing control so that a test signal is expanded in a time axis to produce a time-expanded test signal, the time-expanded test signal being output from the speaker; and

delay time measuring means for measuring an expansion-based delay time based on a time difference between the test signal and a signal obtained from the microphone representative of the time-expanded test signal and subsequently time compressed, and deriving the sound-arrival delay time from the time difference, wherein;

the test signal comprises a time stretched pulse signal;

the delay time measuring means obtains a downsampled time stretched pulse signal by downsampling the time-expanded test signal that is picked up by the microphone according to an expansion factor by which the time stretched pulse signal is expanded, and measures a first delay time on the basis of a time difference between an impulse response that is obtained from the downsampled time stretched pulse signal and an impulse signal that the test signal is based on; and

the delay time measuring means multiplies the first delay time by the expansion factor to obtain the sound-arrival delay time as the expansion-based delay time.

2. The sound measuring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control means performs control so that the test signal is expanded in the time axis and output by successively outputting values of the test signal stored as data a plurality of predetermined times.

3. The sound measuring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the delay time measuring means further measures a normally measured delay time on the basis of a time difference between a normally output test signal that is output from the speaker without being expanded in the time axis and a received test signal obtained by detecting the normally output test signal using the microphone; and

the delay time measuring means determines the sound-arrival delay time on the basis of the normally measured delay time and the expansion-based delay time.

4. A sound measuring method for measuring a sound-arrival delay time from a speaker to a microphone on the basis of a result obtained by outputting a signal from the speaker and picking up the signal using the microphone, the sound measuring method comprising the steps of:

expanding a test signal in a time axis and outputting the expanded test signal from the speaker; and

measuring an expansion-based delay time based on a time difference between the test signal and a signal obtained from the microphone representative of the expanded test signal and subsequently time compressed, and deriving the sound-arrival delay time from the time difference, wherein

the test signal comprises a time stretched pulse signal;

the measuring further comprises obtaining a downsampled time stretched pulse signal by downsampling the expanded test signal that is picked up by the microphone according to an expansion factor by which the time stretched pulse signal is expanded, and measuring a first delay time on the basis of a time difference between an impulse response that is obtained from the downsampled time stretched pulse signal and an impulse signal that the test signal is based on; and

the measuring further comprises multiplying the first delay time by the expansion factor to obtain the sound-arrival delay time as the expansion-based delay time.

5. An audio signal processing apparatus having a sound measuring function for measuring a sound-arrival delay time from a speaker to a microphone on the basis of a result obtained by outputting a signal from the speaker and picking up the signal using the microphone, the audio signal processing apparatus comprising:

control means for performing control so that a test signal is expanded in a time axis to produce a time-expanded test signal, the time-expanded test signal being output from the speaker; and

delay time measuring means for measuring an expansion-based delay time based on a time difference between the test signal and a signal obtained from the microphone representative of the time-expanded test signal and subsequently time compressed, and deriving the sound-arrival delay time from the time difference; and

delay time adjusting means for adjusting a delay time of an audio signal to be output from the speaker according to the sound-arrival delay time obtained by the delay time measuring means, wherein

the test signal comprises a time stretched pulse signal;

the delay time measuring means obtains a downsampled time stretched pulse signal by downsampling the time-expanded test signal that is picked up by the microphone according to an expansion factor by which the time stretched pulse signal is expanded, and measures a first delay time on the basis of a time difference between an impulse response that is obtained from the downsampled time stretched pulse signal and an impulse signal that the test signal is based on; and

the delay time measuring means multiplies the first delay time by the expansion factor to obtain the sound-arrival delay time as the expansion-based delay time.

6. A sound measuring apparatus for measuring a sound-arrival delay time from a speaker to a microphone on the basis of a result obtained by outputting a signal from the speaker and picking up the signal using the microphone, the sound measuring apparatus comprising:

a control unit that performs control so that a test signal is expanded in a time axis to produce a time-expanded test signal, the time-expanded test signal being output from the speaker; and

a delay time measuring unit that measures an expansion-based delay time based on a time difference between the test signal and a signal obtained from the microphone representative of the time-expanded test signal and subsequently time compressed, and deriving the sound-arrival delay time from the time difference, wherein

the test signal comprises a time stretched pulse signal;

the delay time measuring unit obtains a downsampled time stretched pulse signal by downsampling the time-expanded test signal that is picked up by the microphone according to an expansion factor by which the time stretched pulse signal is expanded, and measures a first delay time on the basis of a time difference between an impulse response that is obtained from the downsampled time stretched pulse signal and an impulse signal that the test signal is based on; and

the delay time measuring unit multiplies the first delay time by the expansion factor to obtain the sound-arrival delay time as the expansion-based delay time.

7. An audio signal processing apparatus having a sound measuring function for measuring a sound-arrival delay time from a speaker to a microphone on the basis of a result obtained by outputting a signal from the speaker and picking up the signal using the microphone, the audio signal processing apparatus comprising:

a control unit that performs control so that a test signal is expanded in a time axis to produce a time-expanded test signal, the time-expanded test signal being output from the speaker; and

a delay time measuring unit that measures an expansion-based delay time based on a time difference between the test signal and a signal obtained from the microphone representative of the time-expanded test signal and subsequently time compressed, and deriving the sound-arrival delay time from the time difference; and

a delay time adjusting unit that adjusts a delay time of an audio signal to be output from the speaker according to the sound-arrival delay time obtained by the delay time measuring unit, wherein

the test signal comprises a time stretched pulse signal;

the delay time measuring unit obtains a downsampled time stretched pulse signal by downsampling the time-expanded test signal that is picked up by the microphone according to an expansion factor by which the time stretched pulse signal is expanded, and measures a first delay time on the basis of a time difference between an impulse response that is obtained from the downsampled time stretched pulse signal and an impulse signal that the test signal is based on; and

the delay time measuring unit multiplies the first delay time by the expansion factor to obtain the sound-arrival delay time as the expansion-based delay time.